Aloo Baingan Masala is an easy one-pot curry made with potatoes, eggplants, and aromatic spices in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. A vegan and gluten-free Eggplant Potato Curry that is a perfect side with roti, naan, or parathas.
My family loves eggplant. What is not to like about them? There are two most common varieties used in Indian cooking: the large eggplant for baingan bharta, and the small eggplant, which I use to make aloo baingan. You can make this aloo baingan masala with large-sized eggplants too. These eggplants also add a wonderful flavor to vegetable sambar.
If you love eggplants as we do, then you will also enjoy this spice-stuffed eggplant, called bharwan baingan, and eggplant pakora!
Aloo Baingan
Aloo (potato) and baingan (eggplant) are the main vegetables in this dish. Aloo Baingan Masala is a quick and easy dish, perfect for a nutritious dinner. It is a one-pot dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make. This combination of eggplant and potato curry is cooked in the North Indian Punjabi style. This is also similar to the Pakistani style of making this aloo baingan. It pairs well with fresh homemade roti or paratha.
Did you know that eggplant is known by many other names across the world? It is called brinjal in India, aubergine in Britain, and eggplant in America.
We can make this Potato & Eggplant Curry in the Instant Pot, which is an electric pressure cooker. This aloo brinjal sabzi can also be cooked in a stovetop pressure cooker or in a pan. In many Indian homes, a sabzi is the everyday vegetable dish served with roti or dal and rice.
Ingredients
Eggplant: I have used Indian baby eggplants for this recipe. They can be found at any Indian grocery store. However, you can also use a medium-sized globe or Italian eggplant. I don’t recommend Japanese eggplants as they cook very quickly. Cut the baby eggplants into 4 pieces.
Potato: I use russet potatoes in this recipe. You can also use red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large cubes or slices.
Green chili pepper: I used a birdseye green chili pepper, but Thai chili or serrano work too. Adjust the amount to your preferred spice level.
Aromatics: Use yellow onions, ginger, garlic, and ripe tomatoes.
Spices: Use basic spices such as cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. We also add a little homemade garam masala at the end.
How to make Aloo Baingan in an Instant Pot?
I have used baby eggplant to make this tasty aloo brinjal sabzi, but you can also use a large eggplant to prepare this dish. If using a baby eggplant, cut it into 4 pieces.
No matter the size of the eggplant, make sure the pieces are large enough. This will prevent them from becoming mushy during the pressure-cooking process. Cut the potatoes into large pieces.
Once the prep work is done, we can start the cooking process:
- Set the Instant Pot on sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and cumin seeds, and wait until they sizzle. Once the cumin starts to change color, add the diced green chili.
- Add the chopped onions, along with ginger and garlic. Sauté until the onion starts to change color to golden.
- Then add the tomatoes and spices. Stir and cook until the tomatoes soften. Alternatively, you can also cover with a lid to speed up the process.
- Now add the water and stir well, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the potatoes and eggplant. Stir them well, coating them with the masala. Close the lid with the vent in the sealing position and press cancel.
- Then set the Instant Pot to high-pressure mode for 3 minutes and let the aloo baingan sabzi cook.
- Once you hear the beep, quickly release the pressure manually. This keeps the potatoes tender and helps prevent the eggplant from getting too soft.
- After opening the Instant Pot, if there is extra liquid, sauté for a minute or two until the curry thickens.
Note: This recipe has the eggplant and potatoes soft and well-cooked, but not completely disintegrated. If you prefer them mushier, then pressure cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Open the pot and add the garam masala and lime juice to the curry, stirring gently.
- Finish cooking by garnishing with cilantro, then serve hot with roti, paratha, or naan.
How to make Aloo Baingan in a Stovetop Pressure Cooker?
When preparing the aloo baingan sabzi in a stovetop pressure cooker, follow the same steps as above, but on medium-high heat. Then pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles, then release the pressure manually.
How to cook Aloo Baingan in a pan on the stovetop?
You can also cook Aloo Baingan in a heavy-bottom pan on the stovetop. Follow the steps until adding the potatoes and eggplant, then cook on medium-high heat. Then cover with a lid and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. This will take about 7-8 minutes. Then cook without a lid for a few minutes. Stir frequently so the veggies don’t stick to the pan. Stir in garam masala, lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
Recipe Tips
Follow these tips to make this potato and eggplant curry more flavorful:
Spice level: Adjust the curry’s heat by increasing or decreasing the amount of red chili powder. I love to add a little Kashmiri red chili powder, as it is mild and adds a wonderful color to the curry. Use my homemade garam masala to get the best taste.
Veggies: Cut the veggies into large pieces, about 1 inch, so that the eggplants and potatoes don’t get too mushy while pressure cooking. It is important to note that when cooked in a pressure cooker, eggplant does not retain its shape as well as when cooked on the stovetop.
No onion-garlic verison: For a no onion, no garlic version, skip both and add a pinch of hing with the cumin seeds.
For the Instant Pot Method: It is important to add some water and deglaze the pot when making this curry. This helps to avoid the burn sign. After opening the Instant Pot, if there is extra liquid, sauté for a minute or two until the curry thickens.
Finishing: You can also add a little amchur instead of lime juice for tanginess, or stir in crushed kasuri methi at the end for extra flavor.
Storage: Let the curry cool down to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.
What to Serve with Eggplant Curry?
Aloo baingan pairs beautifully with simple, comforting sides that let its flavors shine.
Serve it with warm roti or paratha and a bowl of basmati rice for a complete meal. Add a cooling side like plain yogurt or cucumber raita to balance the spices, along with a fresh kachumber salad for crunch.
You can also pair this dry curry with dal tadka or masoor dal. A little pickle or green chutney on the side ties everything together and makes the meal feel extra special.
Aloo Palak (Potato and Spinach Stir Fry)
Baingan Bharta (Roasted Mashed Eggplant)
Indian Brussels Sprouts
Bharwa Karela
Instant Pot Aloo Baingan (Eggplant Potato Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper, diced, optional
- 1 cup Yellow Onion, diced
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger, grated
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 2 Tomato, chopped, about 1.5 cup
- 2 Potatoes, medium, peeled and cut into 1" cubes, I used Russet potatoes
- 10 Baby Eggplant, washed and cleaned, each cut into 4 pieces, or 1 large eggplant, cut into 1.5-inch pieces,
- 1/3 cup Water
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro, to garnish
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, optional, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and cumin seeds. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- When the cumin seeds change color, add green chili, onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions are golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato and spices. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes are softened. You can optionally cover with a lid.
- Add potatoes, eggplant, and water. Stir and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel, then close the lid with the vent in sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook mode at high pressure for 3 minutes. After the Instant Pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
- Open the pot. Mix in the garam masala and lime juice.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve aloo baingan with roti, naan, or paratha.
Stovetop pressure cooker method:
- Follow the same steps as above on medium-high heat. Then pressure cook on medium heat for 2 whistles, then release the pressure manually.
Stovetop pan method:
- Use a heavy-bottom pan. Follow the steps until adding the potatoes and eggplant, then cook on medium-high heat. Then cover with a lid and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. This will take about 7-8 minutes. Then cook without a lid for a few minutes. Stir frequently so the veggies don't stick to the pan. Stir in garam masala, lime juice, and garnish with cilantro.
The taste is great. I’ve been doing many of the IP from your website and they always turn out great. But this one I followed all the steps and it said burned. I had to open and scrap and added 1 extra cup of water. Why is this happening? Thanks
Hi Tzveta – I have noticed that the newer models of instant pot can be more sensitive to burn. If you felt there was less water, feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup of water and make sure to scrape the bottom before you pressure cook.
The recipe is ok. I had to run the instant pot twice because the veggies weren’t done at the first go. The curry got over watery for me because of adding the quarter cut water. And, the coriander is a little too overpowering. The taste reminds me of allu anday more than allu baingan.
Hi Aisha – sorry to hear you did not enjoy the curry. I am surprised that the cut eggplant did not cook well in 3 minutes of pressure cooking. Or were the potatoes not cooked?
Really good. I ran out of Cumin so I added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika and a pinch of flaked red pepper for heat. Doubled the Garam Masala. Added a dash of balsamic vinegar for flavor. Did not have fresh tomatoes so used a regular can of stewed tomatoes. I used a large eggplant. Not sure if it needed peeling so I peeled half of it. Tasted good either way. I was worried that 3 minutes would not be long enough for the potatoes but it turned out to be just right.
Hi Jason – Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. You don’t have to peel eggplant for this recipe. Just rinse it and wipe with a paper towel before using. Thanks for sharing back the changes you made 🙂
Tiny bit confused, am I supposed to cut the green chili or the tomatoes or add these in whole?
Hi Lizzie – sorry for the confusion. Do dice the green chili pepper and tomatoes before adding. I have clarified in the ingredients too. Also, feel free to refer to the step by step photos in the post. Hope you enjoy the curry!
I wanted to make it with less carbohydrates. So can I substitute the potatoes for peas, Lima beans??? Any suggestions?
Hi Nina – Sure, you can substitute other veggies or sweet potatoes if that is an option. Green peas or edamame can work as the cooking time is similar. However lima beans might take much longer to cook compared to eggplant.
Hi, I’m a bit confused. Do eggplant and potatoes both take the same time to cook? Usually when I cook aaloo in instant pot, I do a manual of 10 min for russet potatoes. Do they cook in 3 min as per this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Dev – if you cook whole russet potatoes, they will take 10 minutes as you say. However as we are cutting the potatoes into small pieces before adding to the instant pot, they do cook well in 3 minutes. I hope you enjoy the Aloo Baingan.
Love this recipe!! So easy and tasty 🙂
Can I use the pre-made bhuna masala for this recipe? How Would I go about doing that?
Hi Puja – yes! you can use the Bhuna Masala. I just made this yesterday. I would use about 1/3 cup of the masala. I would also add a chopped tomato as this recipes works better with more tomatoes. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Puja – Just want to mention that I would also suggest to add 1/4 cup water if using the bhuna masala in the recipe, as it has lesser water content than the fresh onions and tomatoes.
Love your site! For this specific recipe, I’m a little confused by the cook time. The recipe lists the total cook time as 20 minutes. But in the Instant Pot Instructions, it says to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, after stirring and sauteing for a total of 5. Can you please clarify?
Hello – Glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes. I usually include the total time in the recipe card, which includes the time to come to pressure and release pressure.
This turned out absolutely delicious! I literally salivate before eating… I kept getting the BURN message though so i increased the amount of water i put in there, and when the cooking was over I just sauted it a bit extra to dry out the water (I prefer on the dryer side). I was also wondering if you have any recipes with zucchini cooked in the south asian way… if not, do you know what the cooking time would be? I imagine very less… thanks in advance!!
Hi Tania – Glad you enjoyed the Aloo Baingan. I am trying to understand why you might have gotten the burn message. What size instant pot are you using? Did you use canned tomato sauce by any change in place of fresh tomatoes? Those could be potential reasons reasons for the burn. I have not made zucchini in the instant pot yet, but I agree it would be just 0-1 minute of pressure cooking time.
Hi Meeta, I also ran into an issue where I kept getting a burn warning. I’m using a 6L Instant Pot purchased in mid-2019 (not sure what generation that is). And I used fresh tomatoes for the recipe. One mistake I made that I think contributed to the burn warnings was stirring in the eggplant and potato to coat them in the tomatoes, spices, and other veggies before pressure cooking, so there wasn’t a thicker “tomato and water layer” on the bottom of the pot. Anyway, I added more water a couple of times and was able to cook to completion, and the recipe turned out GREAT. Our favorite so far of many we’ve tried from Piping Pot Curry. So thank you 🙂
Hi Mike – Sorry to hear you got the burn message for the recipe. I do mix the onion, tomato and spices with the potatoes and eggplant before pressure cooking. I would suggest to increase the liquid a bit to a bit more than 1/4 cup, and make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking. I am glad that you enjoyed the flavors of the recipe.