Perfect Punjabi-style Aloo Gobi from your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Make this classic Indian vegan restaurant dish at home in minutes, without a lot of fuss.
Why You Need To Try Instant Pot Aloo Gobi
- Fast. Ready in under 30 minutes with the help of your Instant Pot.
- Easy. Just a few simple steps to make this one-pot meal.
- Vegetarian. A great, filling Vegetarian and Vegan main course.
- Versatile. Make it low carb by omitting potatoes, or add peas for Aloo Gobi Matar.
What Is Aloo Gobi?
Here's a short Hindi lesson to help you understand the translation.
Aloo = potatoes.
Gobi = Cauliflower.
Aloo gobi is a pretty standard dish at most Indian restaurants, but it's actually quite a staple for home cooking as well. I wanted to make this in an Instant Pot so that I didn't have to stand and babysit it.
The problem is that you need the potatoes and cauliflower to cook at the same time. My first attempt was tasty but a complete textural disaster.
So this time, I did the obvious thing: cut the potatoes into thin slices so that they'd cook as quickly as the cauliflower did, but I also sautéd them in the pot a little longer, not only to pre-cook them but to also get some of the dark fonds into the final product.
If you prefer firmer cauliflower, I'd leave the cauliflower into even larger pieces since it does tend to cook very quickly.
What Is Danthal?
In the picture below, you see some green things and I'm sure you're wondering what that those are. Well, in India, the stalks around the cauliflower are considered yummy eating. They are called danthal.
Sometimes at the bazaar, you can get just danthal. They're actually full of flavor.
So what you do is you take the outer stalks off, strip them of their leaves, and then cut them up into pieces.
Since they're a little tougher than the cauliflower, I put them in to cook with the potatoes.
How To Make Aloo Gobi
- Heat the Instant Pot and add oil. When the oil shimmers, add the cumin seeds.
- Add in the potatoes and sauté.
- Pour in the spices and sauté briefly.
- Add in the tomatoes and the water and scrape up the fond at the bottom. If all the water evaporates as you do this, add in another 1/4 cup of water.
- Add in the cauliflower and set your Instant Pot to Low Pressure for 2 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure.
I cooked this on low pressure which not all Instant Pots have. If yours doesn't have a low-pressure setting, try setting it for 0 mins pressure and doing a quick pressure release.
If you're low-carbing, leave out the potatoes and just have the cauliflower. It's still very tasty.
Is Aloo Gobi Good For Weightloss?
One of the many reasons I adore this Aloo Gobi recipe is because of how low it is in calories. This recipe only has 84 calories per serving.
This makes it a great option for delicious comfort food if you have trouble with portion control.
Aloo Gobi can also be modified to fit a low carb diet. Simply remove the aloo and just enjoy the gobi with all of the delicious spices!
Want Aloo Gobi Matar?
Peas are life. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same. If you want to add peas to this Aloo Gobi recipe, just place some frozen ones on top of the other veggies and cook per the recipe.
This recipe makes a great dish for Ramadan! You can find more great Instant Pot Ramadan recipes in my 15 Instant Pot Ramadan Recipes post.
Can You Freeze Aloo Gobi?
I freeze most of the food that I cook since we can't eat a large serving at once. When I freeze this Instant Pot Aloo Gobi, I slightly undercook it so when I reheat it doesn't feel overcooked.
Can You Reheat Aloo Gobi?
Yes, you can! I have tried reheating it several different ways, but my favorite is tossing it in a skillet with a little more oil until it is warmed through. It keeps the potatoes crispy without overcooking the cauliflower.
Tips and Tricks For Making This Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Recipe
- Deglazing the pan after sauteing the potatoes to remove the fond from the bottom of the Instant Pot is crucial. If you skip this step, you're likely to get a Burn Notice.
- The cauliflower and potatoes do not cook in the same amount of time. Follow the cooking steps exactly for the perfect texture.
- Not a Vegetarian? Use this Aloo Gobi recipe as a tasty side dish with your favorite protein.
Want More Cauliflower Recipes?
- Who says you need pasta? Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is the perfect solution for comfort food without the carbs.
- Living a low carb lifestyle but still craving bread? Replace it with these cauliflower Chaffles.
- These Cauliflower Breadsticks pair perfectly with my Low Carb Lasagna.
- Looking for the perfect low carb side dish? This Cauliflower and Cheese Casserole is sure to become a family favorite.
If you love this Aloo Gobi recipe as much as we do, make sure you share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can enjoy it too.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Oil
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) cumin seeds
- 4 cups (400 g) cauliflower florets, (about one medium cauliflower)
- 2 cups (420 g) Potatoes, sliced (about 1 large potato)
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) Tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Ground Coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) Water
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot and when it's hot, add the oil, and when the oil shimmers, add the cumin seeds. They'll splutter like popcorn.
- Once this happens, add in the potatoes and sauté. You want the potatoes to brown and crisp a little, and you want good, brown fond at the bottom to flavor the final dish.
- At this point, add the spices and sauté briefly.
- Then add in the tomatoes and the water and scrape up all the lovely fond at the bottom. Make sure you get all the brown bits scraped off since if you don't, you will see the BURN message. If all the water evaporates as you do this, add in another 1/4 cup of water.
- Add in the cauliflower and set your Instant Pot to Low Pressure for 2 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure and garnish with chopped cilantro, if needed.
- If you have an 8 quart, you may need to double the recipe so as to not ge the BURN message.
- For a low carb version, omit potatoes and double up on the caulilflower. In this case, you can just place all ingredients into the pressure cooker at the same time and cook as directed--no need to brown the potatoes (what potatoes? 🙂 )
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Nutrition
Originally Published April 7, 2017
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Doug
Just tried this recipe and after sauteing the potatoes for 30 minutes they still weren't brown. And they didn't seem to be progressing. It looked like the cumin seeds adhered to the bottom and weren't letting the potatoes cook.
So I proceeded, and sure enough, the potatoes weren't thoroughly cooked.
Outside of not being able to brown the potatoes, I followed Evey other step of this. Using a 6qt. Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong?
Cynthia
Super easy and tasty. I just replaced by 6 qt Instapot with an 8 qt and was worried there wouldn't be enough liquid and my veggies would burn--but my concerns were needless. The recipe turned out perfectly.
Sav
Really easy recipe but lacked the flavour I was hoping for. I think making on a stovetop/not pressure cooking might offer better results.
Kristofer Soorus
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Lydia
This dish has been in our rotation for a couple of years, its SO GOOD. I love the way you write your recipes, your notes are perfect. The browning of the potatoes is key to next-level craveable deliciousness! The oil must be shimmering for the cumin seeds to sputter! I love that you include the small details that make a big difference. THANK YOU!