Pav Bhaji is a popular Indian street food. Pav Bhaji is made with potatoes and vegetables cooked in a tomato base, and enjoyed with pav or dinner rolls. We will make it in both Instant Pot and Stovetop Pressure Cooker. Try this one-pot Pav Bhaji recipe in the pressure cooker and you will not make it any other way again!
Pav Bhaji was a favorite when we would visit Juhu Beach, a popular suburb in Mumbai. There were many food stalls at Juhu Beach, and two of them were must-haves – Pav Bhaji and Gola. Traditionally Pav Bhaji is made on a Tawa. See a video of pav bhaji being prepared by a vendor at Juhu Beach. In case, you are wondering Gola is flavored shaved ice on a stick.
In India, at home we would make Pav Bhaji in a stovetop pressure cooker. I have changed this recipe to be prepared in an Instant Pot and a Stovetop Pressure Cooker, as a one-pot recipe. This makes cooking pav bhaji much easier and quicker, but does not compromise on the taste.
Pav Bhaji is a great dish for entertaining, as you can make one dish for everyone. Even kids love pav bhaji. Another popular Mumbai steet food, is Vada Pav (or Potato Fritter Sliders). Check out the recipe to enjoy guilt-free Vada Pav in the Air Fryer. Also check out our Mumbai Misal Pav which is a delicious spicy sprouts curry.
What are Pav Bhaji Ingredients?
Pav Bhaji has two parts:
Pav – This is dinner rolls. In India, they are eggless rolls which can be easily found at an indian grocery store. However you can choose to use any diner rolls or burger buns for pav bhaji. We used to even enjoy it with sliced bread.
Bhaji – It is made from potatoes and vegetables cooked in a tomato base. The main vegetables to use for pav bhaji are – cauliflower, green peas, carrots, bell pepper (or capsicum).
Traditionally, Bhaji is prepared as a two step process. The vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, peas) are boiled until very soft in a pot or stovetop pressure cooker. Then separately in a fry pan, masala with onions and tomatoes is prepared and the boiled mashed vegetables are added to the masala. Here I will share my easy one-pot method to make Bhaji in the pressure cooker.
Pav Bhaji Masala
One of the special ingredient used in this recipe is Pav Bhaji Masala. Pav bhaji is famous enough to have it’s own special spice blend.
As I always try to make my life easier with quick and easy cooking, I buy the ready pav bhaji masala from the store. My preferred pav bhaji masala brand is Everest. You can buy it on Amazon using this link.
If you don’t have pav bhaji masala at home and are eager to make pav bhaji, then you can make pav bhaji masala at home.
Homemade Pav Bhaji Masala Recipe
For a quick homemade pav bhaji masala, combine the below:
1 tsp coriander powder + 1 tsp garam masala + 1 tsp dry mango powder (or lemon juice) + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
Another special ingredient I use in this recipe is kashmiri red chili. It helps to add the bright reddish color to the bhaji. You can buy it on Amazon using this link.
How to make Pav Bhaji?
I always want to get bright red colored bhaji, however I don’t want to add any artificial colors. With my mom’s suggestion to use kashmiri red chili, now I get the desired color naturally. Soak kashmiri red chili in 1/2 cup water for 15 mins, then grind it with ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Set this aside, we will add this while cooking the bhaji.
How to make Pav Bhaji in Instant Pot?
Start instant pot in sauté mode and heat butter in it. I suggest to cook bhaji in butter to enjoy the real Mumbai bhaji taste.
Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Then add bell pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes. Again here, I used red bell peppers to enhance the red color of the bhaji. Add tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt and the ground chili paste. Mix well.
Then add in the veggies – potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and green peas. Mix well. Change the instant pot setting to pressure cook mode for 8 minutes with vent in sealing position. When the instant pot beeps, release the pressure naturally. Then open and use an immersion blender to coarsely grind the ingredients. You can also use a potato masher to mash the bhaji to the desired consistency.
Change the instant pot setting to sauté mode and let the bhaji boil for a minute. Mix in lemon juice.
Bhaji is ready to be served. Garnish with cilantro and chopped onions.
How to make Pav Bhaji in Pressure Cooker?
The main difference from the above method for instant pot is the pressure cooking time on stovetop. We will pressure cook on high flame until two whistles, then reduce to medium flame and cook for another 6 minutes. Everything else remains the same.
For pav or dinner rolls, heat a pan and melt some butter on it. Cut pav in two slices and place them on the melted butter. Lightly toast pav on both sides and they are ready to be served with the bhaji.
How to serve Pav Bhaji?
Take 1-2 ladles of bhaji in a plate. Add a dollop of butter. Sprinkle some chopped onions and cilantro on the top. Sprinkle some lemon juice on the top if you like a tangier taste. Serve with two buttered pav’s on the side.
Some Common Questions about Pav Bhaji
Does the cooking time change if I double the quantity?
The cooking time will remain the same even if you double the recipe. The instant pot will just take longer to come to pressure.
Which immersion blender can I use? Can I use a potato masher?
I use the Cuisinart immersion blender, but any other immersion blender will work just as well. If you like your veggies chunky, rather than all mashed, you can also use a potato masher.
Tips to make the best Pav Bhaji Recipe
✓ Make the bhaji with generous quantity of butter
✓ Use fresh ingredients, such as ginger, garlic and fresh tomatoes.
✓ Dont forget the butter, lemon juice, lots of chopped onions and cilantro to top the bhaji while serving.
✓ Toast the pav in ample amount of butter and serve immediately.
Try this easy Mumbai Pav Bhaji recipe and let me know if how you like it. Check out this awesome collection of 29 Best Instant Pot Indian Vegetarian Recipes.
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Mumbai Pav Bhaji Recipe - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter or Oil
- 2 Onion medium, chopped
- 5 Tomato medium, chopped
- 1" inch Ginger
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 3 Dried Red Chili Whole Kashmiri
- 1 Bell pepper Red chopped
- 4 Potato medium, peeled and chopped
- 3 Carrot cut in pieces
- 2 cup Cauliflower (Gobi) cut in small pieces
- 1 cup Green peas
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala
- 2 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
For Pav
- 10 Dinner rolls (Pav) or Dinner rolls
- 2 tbsp Butter
To garnish
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Soak red whole chili in 1/2 cup water for 15 mins. Grind chili, ginger and garlic along with the water to a paste. (Note: if you skip grinding chilies with water, then do add 1/2 cup water before pressure cooking)
Instant Pot Method
- Start instant pot in sauté mode and heat 2 tbsp butter/oil in it. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add bell pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, pav bhaji masala and salt. Add the ground chili paste. If anything is stuck to the bottom of the pot, scrape it with a spatula.
- Add cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, and green peas. Mix well. Press cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, release the pressure naturally. Open and use an immersion blender to coarsely grind the ingredients. You can also use a potato masher to mash the bhaji to the desired consistency.
- Change to sauté mode and let the bhaji boil for a minute. Mix in the lemon juice. Bhaji is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Heat butter/oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high flame. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add bell pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, pav bhaji masala and salt. Add the ground chili paste. If anything is stuck to the bottom of the pot, scrape it with a spatula.
- Add cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, and green peas. Mix well. Press cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Cover the lid, turn the heat on high flame and pressure cook it until your hear two whistles. Now reduce the flame to medium and pressure cook it for another 6 minutes. Turn off heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open and use an immersion blender to coarsely grind the ingredients. You can also use a potato masher to mash the bhaji to the desired consistency.
- Put on medium flame and let the bhaji boil for a minute. Mix in the lemon juice. Bhaji is ready to be served.
Preparing Pav
- Slice each pav or dinner rolls in two halves.
- Heat butter on a pan and place the sliced pav on it. Lightly toast on one side and then turn to toast on the other side.
- Pav are ready to be served with bhaji.
Serving Pav Bhaji
- Take 1-2 ladles of bhaji in a plate. Add a dollop of butter. Sprinkle some chopped onions and cilantro on the top. Sprinkle some lemon juice on the top if you like a tangier taste. Serve with two buttered pav's on the side.
Notes
- The real Mumbai pav bhaji is always made with butter. However you can prepare it will oil too.
- I recommend using Kashmiri chili, as that enhances the color of the bhaji. If you don't have it, use another whole chili or red chili/cayenne powder.
Nutrition
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Other recipes for you to try in your Instant Pot:
Hi Meeta – I totally missed your tip to add additional 1/2 cup water if cooking in the 8qt. Ended up with a burn message. But quickly transferred to a smaller IP and added some water and continued with the recipe. Except for that little hiccup, the dish turned out to be lip smacking good. Thanks a ton ! This recipe was by far the best Pav Bhaji recipe I have ever tried. The convenience of IP makes it even better.
Madhuri Iyer
Hey Madhuri – So glad to hear you enjoyed the Pav Bhaji. Usually the 8qt needs more liquid due to the larger surface area. Hope you enjoy other recipes too!
Hi,
If i double the quantity do i even double the cooking time? This recipe calls for high pressure for 8 minutes.
Thanks
Sarbani
Hey Sarbani – The cooking time remains the same even if you double the recipe. Instant pot will just take longer to come to pressure and release pressure. Hope you enjoy it!
hi. quuck question, first time in using my instantpot, wanting to wow my hubby! in ur recipe it says cook for 8mins, however wen i did the time i could only do it till was 4mins. i went to check after about 45 mins or so and it was showing 2hrs plus on the timer..where did i go wrong? the bhaji got done thou lol as i just cancelled the pressure cook option.
thanks
Hey Nasimah – I wonder after the 4 minutes of pressure cook, it went to keep warm mode which was on for 2 hours. For next time, select pressure cook, then set to 8 minutes by using the “+/-” buttons. Then after 1-2 seconds, the instant pot will beep and display ON. It will then build pressure and start count down and beep again after pressure cooking is complete. After that let the pressure release by itself and then open the ip once the pin is down. I hope you enjoyed the pav bhaji.
i did set the time but i could only do till 4mins..
Hey Nasimah – That seems odd. Please check if it was 4 hours or minutes. Ip allows to set for unto more than 50 minutes.
Hi,
I have tried your recipe many time, comes out really good. I am planning to make your recipe for my son’s bday party for about 25 people. Do i double or triple the quantity? Also how much will be the cooking time on the instant pot.
Hello Sarbani – Thank you! I think 3 times would be best for 25 people, assuming there are other dishes at the party. Unfortunately, I am not sure the 6qt instant pot will be able to fit 3 times the quantity in this recipe. Also, if you do make it, add a bit more water as with higher quantity it will take longer to come to pressure. Hope everyone enjoys the party and happy birthday to your son!
How many minutes does it take for Natural release?
Hey Mansi – Depending on the quantity in the pot, it can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. If the pin has not dropped even after 18-20 minutes, you can release the pressure manually and open the pot.
Can you use cauliflower rice instead of whole cauliflower?
Hey Pooja – I have not tried, but that should work as we anyway want the cauliflower to mash in the bhaji. Would love to hear how it turns out.
Hello, I tried this recipe and it came out amazing! I mashed mostly and ran hand blender for a min and it gave it the consistency of street pau bhabhi! Yum! I used Apex masala, been using it for long time! Overall great and easy recipe! For the first time PauBhaji was ready in 45 mins 😀
So happy to hear you enjoyed the pav bhaji and felt that it was close to the street food :-). Thank you for sharing back your review!
What kind of onions are best? Red white or yellow? Does that apply to Most Indian dishes
Neha
Hey Nehal – I use yellow onions for cooking. Red onions for serving with salads or in sandwiches or where you are enjoying them uncooked. I dont usually use white onions much. Here is a good resource – https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/types-of-onions/view-all/. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes. I recently got an instant pot and I have become a fan of your website!
Since this is sometimes a problem, i wanted to ask, is this one of those recipes i could cut the ingredients in half and i should be okay? Should i add more water (or something else) if i’m going to do that?
Thanks again!
Hey Varnica – Thank you for the kind works. I am glad that you are finding the recipes and website useful. You can cut the pav bhaji recipe to half and it would work. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for these great instructions! How much water do you recommend we add to Instant Pot recipe before starting on pressure cook mode? I believe we have a 6 quart Instant Pot.
Hey Gauri – It really depends on the dish. I look at how much water the veggies or meat will release, and depending on that add the water. But typically 1/2 to 1 cup liquid is good to have for most dishes. Hope you enjoy the recipes and your instant pot!
I’m a lazy cook. Would canned,diced tomatoes work? Also, will unpeeled yukon potatoes be ok?
Hey Janet – Unpeeled potatoes are totally fine. Once someone had a burn message challenge and we figured that was due to canned tomatoes. Hence I would suggest to add a little more liquid when using canned tomatoes. Hope you enjoy it, Janet.
Comes out amazing every time! both my kids love it 🙂 Thanks for such an easy recipe & yummy Meeta.
Hey Pari – So happy to hear you and kids enjoy the pav bhaji. Thank you for sharing back your review!
This was such an amazing recipe, I didn’t have the chillis so I added green ones instead but the taste of the bhaji was so delicious, my family didn’t want to stop eating it! My son also loved it! Thank you for sharing this mouth watering delicious recipe! ❤️
Hey Shivani – So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the Pav Bhaji. It is absolutely my family’s favorite too. Thank you for sharing your review!
incredible recipe . didnt have much hope it would come out well when i started but it came out delicious . family loves it . i paired the bhaji with Kings Hawaiian rolls with some butter . great combo . the slightly sweet rolls with the spicy bhaji 🙂
Hello – So glad to hear you all enjoyed the pav bhaji. I know it is a bit unconventional way to make the bhaji, but I always cooked it this way 🙂 We also like the kings rolls with spicy bhaji. Thank you so much for sharing back your review 🙂
I just made this and my son loved it 🙂 Thanks for a delicious recipe done in such a easy way.
Hey Pari – Glad your son enjoyed the pav bhaji. Thank you for sharing your review!
Hey there,
Is there a way to make. Is in a slow cooker instead? It has the sauté function on it but no pressure cooker function. I hope you can reply ASAP because I have to cook in an hour or so!
Hey Reshmi – I have not tried this in a slow cooker, hence it is hard for me to confirm that it will work. It can work on a stovetop pressure cooker for sure. Sorry, I am late in responding as I only checked the comments now.
Hi, I have tried something similar in a slow cooker. I cooked it on high for about 3-4 hours. It needs a little more water than this recipe asks for. I also gave it a stir once in between just to check if it’s cooked enough or if it needed more water.
Hey Nandini – Thanks for sharing your experience about making pav bhaji in a slow cooker. Definitely helpful to other readers. I agree that more water will be needed when making this in a slow cooker or stovetop pressure cooker. Instant Pot retains the water, hence less liquid is needed to make the same dish in the instant pot. Thank you!
It was a hit in my house .Everybody loved it.. Thanks a million
Hey Sara – So happy to hear you all enjoyed the pav bhaji. Thank you for sharing your review 🙂
Hi Meeta. Tried this recipe today for dinner and it was a huge hit.. my husband loved it.
Thank you.
Hey Priya – Glad to hear you all enjoyed the Pav Bhaji. Thank you for sharing back!
can i use red potatoes in place of white?
Hey Deepali – I feel the taste of the red and white potatoes is very similar, so they should work in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi Meeta, Another recipe which I tried and really liked. Thanks for sharing such easy and delicious recipes ! So far I have tried carrot kheer, pulao, paneer butter masala, pav bhaji and kaali daal and all of them were quite simple to make and turned out delicious. Thank you making cooking less daunting and more fun 🙂
Hey Chavvi – Glad you enjoyed the pav bhaji and many other recipes. Thank you for sharing back your review, it is always very helpful!
If I triple the quantity in an 8 quart, does timing change? Thx
Hey Sima – The cooking time will remain the same. The instant pot will just take longer to come to pressure. Please add a little more water in the 8qt, so there are no burn issues in the larger pot.
awesome recipe. the timings and measurements are perfect. thx so much for your website. looking forward to trying more recipes.
Wonderful recipe! What do you use to grind the chili/onion/garlic to a paste? Thanks!
Hey Shalini – Thank you! I use the mini jar with the Preethi blender for these small quantities of chili/ginger/garlic.
Hey great recipe ! Thanks much. The spice level seems to be a little high for our family – may be next tie i will add 1 chilli. For now, do you know how I can bring down the heat – should i add more potato ?
Hey Charu – Glad you like the taste. You can add more boiled potato or if it is not already too sour, you can add lemon juice. Also top with some chopped onions when eating, that might tone down the spice level.
Hi,
This recipe came out very good. I have a lot that I made. Can I freeze the cooked bhaji?
Thanks,
Ayesha
Hey Ayesha – Glad you liked the pav bhaji. I do think this bhaji would freeze well, as all ingredients are cooked and freezer friendly.
Thank you for this recipe! I am a complete cooking newbie, and do not have an immersion blender…do you think it is easy enough to just mash all the ingredients manually once the bhaji is fully cooked and the vegetables are very soft?
Hey Sravya – I think a potato masher could work too or a big ladle to mash up the veggies. They are pretty soft. The immersion blender just saves the effort. Hope you enjoy the pav bhaji 🙂
Thanks for the Recipe. I am a pav bhaji lover. With this recipe, I could make lip smacking bhaji in few mins.
Hey Ashwini – So happy to hear you enjoyed the pav bhaji. Thank you for sharing your review!
This is amazing ! The spices are mouth watering . Thank you for another perfect recipe
Hey Koty – Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I was so excited to try this recipe, I love Pav Bhaji. My instant pot kept alarming burn and won’t come to pressure, and I just can’t figure out why. I am using s 6 quart IP if that makes a difference?
Hey Mary – Sorry to hear that you got the Burn message. Can you check if something is stuck to the bottom of the pot? Try adding 1/2-1 cup more water and try to scrape the bottom. You can then try pressure cook again. Other option is to try Porridge mode for 10 mins. Let me know if it works.
Hi There! I have Kashmiri chili powder, not whole chili. How much do you recommend using? Also, should an Additional 1/2 cup water? Thanks!
Hey Nupur – You can add 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder. Yes, please do add 1/2 cup water as you are not making a paste of the whole chilies. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Perfect recipe, came too yummy and my whole family loved it. Thank u
Hey Sree – So happy to hear your family loved the pav bhaji 🙂
Hi Meeta, we got our IP just before Thanksgiving and have enjoyed several of your recipes, including this one for the first time today. I really appreciate how simple you make things that yield great reults.
Wish you and you family a great 2018!
Hey Vivek – So glad to hear you are enjoying multiple recipes! Wish a very happy new year to you and your family too ????
Hi Meeta ,
Thanks for the recipe.. it’s quick , easy and it came out really good .. I love Pav Bhaji and this is my first dish in my new Instant pot .. Just loved it ????????
Hey Harsha – Glad you enjoyed the first dish in your new Instant Pot. Thanks for sharing your review!
Thank you for this recipe! I am making it now and am a little confused by the directions. Is the IP supposed to beep after 8 minutes, because mine says 33 minutes on it….? Thank you!
Hey Ruta – When you start the recipe, initially keep on sauté mode. Then change to manual or pressure cook for 8 mins. It will take some time for the pressure to build, then when the pin comes up, it will start counting time. Hope that helps!
Can’t wait to make this! This is probably a silly question, but I wanted to use canned (crushed) tomatoes instead of fresh. Do you know how many cans would be equivalent to 5 tomatoes? Thank you in advance!
Not a silly question at all. One 14oz can should be fine for this pav bhaji. Also please add 1/4 cup of water before pressure cooking, as I don’t know how much liquid will be in the canned tomatoes. Let me know how it turns out.
Easy, quick n family favorite recipie.. thankyou for making it even more simpler by making it thru IP. Even more a no brainer.
Yumm!
Yay! Love the ease of making this in the instant pot. Thanks for sharing back Khushboo ❤️
I am not a fan of basically pureed recipes. Would the Pav Bhaji still be wonderful without using an immersion blender?
Hi Ruthie – Yes! It would be great, you could just chop the veggies smaller and/or lightly use a masher to get the consistency to your preference. This is a very versatile dish, so definitely can me enjoyed without mashing too!
Interesting recipe. I am making it now. I noticed that there was no water or liquid indicated before going into manual mode for 8 minutes. Therefore, my IP took very long before going into the 8 minute countdown. Hope it turns out ok.
The only water I add is with the ground chili’s. Other than that, the veggies cook with their intrinsic water. I hope it turned out good? Let me know.
Hi,
Is it possible to give the measurement of all veggies in cup sizes as carrots, bell peppers etc differ in size massively and as someone who has never tasted Pav bhaji, I would like to make one that’s close to the authentic taste.
Thank you.
Thara
Hey Thara…in reality, pav bhaji is a very versatile dish and can be made with a variety of ingredients. This recipe is my most favorite taste of it. For reference, use about 1.5 cup cut bell pepper, 2 cups carrots and 4 cups potatoes. Hope that helps!
Very excellent recipe! My wife and I made it this past weekend. It was so good, I gave some to my in-laws, who also loved it!
Thanks Vasu. Glad that you and your family enjoyed the pav bhaji.
Looks yummy, will try this out today!
Would love to hear how you liked it ????
I had to add more water as it burned and shut down it is a wonderful taste and a joy to eat
Hey Clarence – I am glad that you enjoyed the taste of the pav bhaji. I have been hearing the Burn issue frequently now as the newer versions of the instant pot are more sensitive.
Superb…easy nd needed short time..
Thanks Sudipa. Glad you enjoyed the pav bhaji!