Aloo Matar is a quick and easy Indian potatoes and peas curry, made in the Instant Pot or stovetop. This vegan and gluten free Aloo Matar Masala is perfect for a delicious warm weeknight dinner!
This is a simple Indian homestyle recipe, which is made with very basic ingredients that you will always have in your pantry. I always have potatoes and frozen green peas, along with onions and tomatoes which are a must for any Indian cooking. This is my go to quick dinner when I don’t have anything specific in mind 🙂
Another popular homestyle dish is Matar Paneer, which is a green peas and paneer curry. Here is a tip, replace potato with paneer in this recipe and it will work perfectly. I have also shared a restaurant style creamy Matar Paneer recipe for the instant pot. If you’re looking for more recipes, you can find all of my Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes here (this list gets updated often).
What is Aloo Matar?
Aloo means potato and Matar means green peas, hence the name Aloo Matar for this curry. This is a Punjabi Aloo Matar (or Aloo Mutter) recipe with gravy. The gravy is made with onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic, cooked with basic spices. Aloo Matar can also be made as a dry stir fry, which I will share another time.
Aloo Matar goes well with Indian flatbreads such as roti, paratha, naan or it is perfect to serve over basmati rice.
How to make Aloo Matar in Instant Pot?
Let’s start with making Aloo Matar in the instant pot. If you are new to the instant pot, check out this setup guide.
- Start the instant pot in sauté mode and add oil, cumin seeds and green chili pepper. I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. To make this curry less spicy, you can always skip green chili.
- Then add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Then add chopped tomatoes, spices and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. I just chopped the tomatoes, but you can also puree them to get a smoother gravy.
- Now just add the green peas, potatoes and water. Stir and close the instant pot.
- Pressure cook for 2 minutes on high pressure and then release the pressure 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps (5 minute NPR)
- Add the Garam Masala and garnish with cilantro.
Aloo Matar is ready to be served. So delicious and yet so easy to make!
How to make Aloo Matar on stovetop?
You can make Aloo Matar on stovetop in a pan or a stovetop pressure cooker.
- Heat oil in the pan or pressure cooker. Add oil, cumin seeds and green chili pepper.
- Add the chopped onions and sauté them for 3 minutes.
- Then add chopped tomatoes, spices and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. You can cover with a lid I just chopped the tomatoes, but you can also puree them to get a smoother gravy.
- Add green peas, potato and water.
- For a pan, cover with a lid and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, while stirring frequently. For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles on medium heat.
- After the cooking time is done, add Garam Masala and garnish with cilantro.
Can I make Aloo Matar without onions & garlic?
Yes! Just skip onions and garlic in this recipe. You can add an extra tomato to compensate for the onions, but it is not necessary.
Can I use prepared Onion Tomato Masala to make this Aloo Matar?
Yes, here is my recipe to make Onion tomato masala for meal prepping. Use half cup of this masala to make this Aloo Matar recipe. Skip adding onion, tomato, ginger and garlic in this recipe and adjust the spices to your taste. If you have frozen masala, then you don’t have to thaw it.
Variations for Aloo Matar Curry
- Creamy Aloo Matar: Add cream or coconut milk to make this curry creamy and milder in taste.
- Matar Paneer: Skip potato and add paneer to make Matar Paneer curry. The same cooking time will work.
- Aloo Matar Paneer: Add 1 potato and 1 cup paneer cubes in this recipe. The same cooking time will work.
- Mushroom Matar: Skip potato and add 2 cups sliced mushroom to make Mushroom Matar. Again the same cooking time will work.
You will love this Aloo Matar:
√ It is easy to make.
√ Uses simple ingredients that you will have in your pantry.
√ So quick, it takes just 20 minutes to make.
√ Vegan and Gluten free
You will love how easy it is to make this flavorful Aloo Matar curry. Serve it with roti, paratha or rice.
Check out vegetarian recipes I have posted in the past:
- Posted 3 months ago – Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina pudding)
- Posted 6 months ago – Potato Curry (Aloo Rasedar)
- Posted one year ago – Mumbai Vada Pav (Potato Fritter Sliders)
Recipe Video
Instant Pot Aloo Matar Recipe (Potato & Peas Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 Green Chili Pepper slit into two pieces (optional)
- 1 cup Onions diced
- 1 tsp Ginger grated
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1 cup Tomatoes diced
- 1 cup Water
- 2 Potatoes medium, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup Green peas
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala adjust to taste
- Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- 2 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder mild, adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds.
- When the cumin seeds change color, add green chili, onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato and spices. Stir and let them cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes are softened. You can optionally cover with a lid.
- Add potatoes, peas and water. Stir and scrape off anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press Cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 2 mins. After the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then quick release the pressure manually.
- Open the pot. Sprinkle Garam Masala and mix with the curry.
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve aloo matar with roti, naan or rice.
For stovetop:
- Follow the same steps as above. For cooking in a pan on stovetop, cover with a lid and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat, while stirring frequently. For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles on medium heat.
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
The flavor of this dish is absolutely amazing!!!!
I followed your recommendation, and added kasoori methi (fresh tops) for added flavor. I also used fresh ground kashmiri chili and a green chili pepper split in half as you suggested. Thank you for sharing such fantastic (and easy) recipes for the instant pot! 🙂
I made your Bhuna Masala first, then used a portion of it to make the Aloo Matar. I had some issues with getting the burn message – probably because the potatoes I used were too large. I added more masala and more water and that fixed the problem. It turned out amazing – best results I’ve ever had cooking Indian food at home!
Hi Courtney – So glad to hear you made the Bhuna Masala and used it to make this Aloo Matar. Thank you for sharing back your experience.
So simple, and so delicious. Even my dad who’s visiting from India said it tasted like food back home!
Hey JS – So glad to hear your dad approved the Aloo Matar!
Hi Meeta!
This looks delicious! I have a question though, at my favorite Indian restaurant they make this dish with cauliflower instead of potatoes. Can I use cauliflower for this recipe? If so how would I do that? Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Alison – You can use cauliflower in this recipe. Cut it into larger size florets, and add it just before pressure cooking. Pressure cook for only 1 minute and quick release the pressure. I am suggesting these changes as cauliflower cooks very quickly, and we don’t want it to overcook in this curry. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Thank you for this. I added some roasted sweet potato and pumpkin instead of the potato and it was lovely.
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe (except for the coriander, I did double every spice) and I did not decrease water to add coconut milk. It made a nice gravy, which we like a lot of, and we served it over rice. Will definitely make naan next time with this! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jo – So glad to hear you enjoyed the Aloo Matar. Thank you for sharing the details of doubling the recipe and your review!
I love this recipe!!! I included it in a roundup of April produce, if you’d like to check it out & share it! 🙂 I love your blog!
https://sweetvegtable.com/april-produce-16-fresh-vegetarian-recipes/
Have a great day! Katie
Hi Katie – Thank you so much for including my recipe in the roundup. I just pinned it and will share it on other social soon!
I’m planning to try this recipe and am wondering if adding the coconut milk would change how much water to add. Thank you!
Hi Leona – I would suggest to reduce water by just 1/4 cup. Then add coconut milk at the end after pressure cooking the curry. I would love to hear how it turns out!
Aloo matar is one of my favorites but I never make it because it’s so time consuming! Excited to try the IP version. If I use dried pea s, do they need to be soaked or boiled fitst? Thanks!
Hey Anora – Sorry, I have not tried this with dry peas, I always use frozen green peas which are more easily available and easy to store in the freezer. I would love to hear if you try the recipe!
I made Aloo mutter following the recipe and it turned out excellent
My husband liked it. Thanks
Thans
Thank you so much for sharing back your review, Gargi!