Instant Pot Aloo Gobi is perfectly seasoned with Indian spices and makes a wonderful vegetarian main dish or side dish for an Indian-themed meal. This Instant Pot Cauliflower with Potatoes recipe is so quick and easy, you can have it on the dinner table within minutes.
Aloo Gobi is one of those dishes that you’ll find on any Indian restaurant menu and is a simple dish made in Indian homes every day. Aloo Gobi (pronounced aa-loo go-bee) is translated from Hindi as ‘Potatoes Cauliflower’.
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Tips and Substitutions
Don’t cut the cauliflower too small. Cut them into florets that are about 1 1/4 inches long and 1 inch wide. And when you wash the cauliflower florets, let them dry out a bit. I use a salad spinner to dry them out. The less water, the better, for this recipe.
Cut the potatoes into about 1 1/4 inch cubes.
Yes, you do cook the cauliflower for 0 minutes. After cooking the cauliflower, if you find that it’s not cooked enough, just close the Instant Pot again and let the cauliflower steam in the residual heat, or cook the aloo gobi in ‘Saute’ mode for a couple of minutes at the end.
When you finish cooking the Instant Pot cauliflower, you might have some brown bits stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. Carefully stir the cauliflower to incorporate these bits – provided they’re not burnt – they give a caramelization effect, which is really tasty.
If you wish to make the dish less dry, add more water when you add the cauliflower.
If you’re a fan of spicy food, feel free to increase the quantity of cayenne pepper or Kashmiri chili powder to 1 teaspoon.
If possible, use a homemade garam masala, preferably ground fresh. If you don’t have your own garam masala, here’s a quick recipe:
- 1 1/2 tsp whole cloves (1 tsp powdered)
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (1 tsp powdered)
- 30 cardamom pods (1 tsp powdered)
- 1/4 nutmeg (1/2 tsp powdered)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (1 tsp powdered)
- 2 pieces star anise (1 tsp powdered)
Grind in a coffee grinder or mix powders together and store in a cool dry place. The aroma is heavenly!!
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Aloo Gobi.
Easy Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Ingredients
Easy Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Step-by-Step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Add ghee and heat till melted.
- Add cumin seeds and saute for 10 seconds, till fragrant.
- Stir in onion, ginger, jalapeno (if using).
- Cook until onion is golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn Instant Pot off by pressing ‘Cancel’.
- Stir in turmeric, chili powder, coriander, garam masala and salt, and fry on residual heat till fragrant, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn.
- Deglaze with 1/2 cup water and stir to scrape up all the brown bits.
- Add potatoes.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘4’ (4 minutes)
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 4 to 0; it will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release: move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove towel after turning handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- It’s now safe to open the Instant Pot. (Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.)
- Stir in Cauliflower.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘0’ (0 minutes)
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- When the time has elapsed, the display will switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release again: Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. Remove towel after turning the knob if you’re using a towel.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- It’s now safe to open the Instant Pot. (Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.)
- Stir to incorporate any brown bits into the dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi | Indian Cauliflower with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp ghee or butter
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp ginger minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and sliced (optional)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups potatoes cubed into 1 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 small head of cauliflower cut into 1- inch wide pieces (about 4 cups)
- 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’, add ghee and heat till melted.
- Add cumin seeds and saute for 10 seconds, till fragrant.
- Stir in onion, ginger, jalapeno (if using).
- Cook until onion is golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn Instant Pot off.
- Stir in turmeric, chili powder, coriander, garam masala and salt, and fry on residual heat till fragrant, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn.
- Deglaze with water and stir to scrape up all the brown bits.
- Add potatoes and close Instant Pot.
- Cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- Stir in Cauliflower.
- Close Instant Pot again and cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 0 (zero) minutes.
- Do a quick release again.
- Carefully stir to incorporate any brown bits into the dish.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, cubed potatoes, etc.
- Optional: squeeze lime juice over aloo gobi at the end of cooking to give it a slightly tart flavor.
- If your cauliflower is large, you can increase the spice quantities as needed.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, including homemade garam masala.
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and/or share on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you!
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Barbara Aquaro
This was a very good Instant Pot recipe
for Gobi Aloo. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Barbara, thank you so much for commenting. I’m very glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Mona
Hi! If I make this without aloo, how would you cook the cauliflower?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Mona, I would just cook it for 0 to 1 minute, depending on how well done you like it.
Saaz pettitt
Finally I found an aloo gobhi recipe which
Cooks both aloo and gobhi perfectly. Thanks Neena, for your superb instructions. I can only imagine how much effort you must be putting in to get these instructions so perfect!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Saaz! Your comment really makes it worthwhile, because sometimes I wonder if I put too much detail into my directions 🙂
Shristi
This was delicious! I was intimidated and put off trying this recipe for a while. I have such a hard time getting cauliflower to taste great on the stove top, plus it takes forever. But this will be my new favorite way to cook cauliflower!
I added a little extra water at the end because I like it a little mushier, but besides that, I followed everything else. Thank you Neena for the last few years of great IP recipes! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Shristi, you’re one of my first readers and I hope you know how much I appreciate you! Insert heart emojis here 🙂