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 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 Indian, 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. Bhaji is quite nutritious with lots of veggies added to it.
Pav Bhaji is a great dish for entertaining, as you can make one dish for everyone. Even kids love pav bhaji. We will prepare the bhaji in the instant pot and heat pav on a pan. 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.
Pav Bhaji Masala
One of the special ingredient used in this recipe is Pav Bhaji Masala. As I always try to make my life easier with quick and easy cooking, I buy the ready pav bhaji masala from the store. I use the Everest brand pav bhaji masala. 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, you can substitute it with: 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.
Preparing 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.
Preparing Pav Bhaji in Stovetop Pressure Cooker
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 is my one-pot method to make Bhaji in the 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.
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 (aff), 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.
Try this easy Mumbai Pav Bhaji recipe and let me know if how you like it.
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- 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
- 10 Dinner rolls (Pav) or Dinner rolls
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 Onion chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro to garnish
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)
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. Garnish with cilantro and chopped onions.
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. Garnish with cilantro and chopped onions.
- 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.
- The real Mumbai pav bhaji is always made with butter. However you can prepare it will oil too.
- Vegan Variation: Use vegan butter or oil to make the bhaji and toast the pav.
- 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.
- Vary with your choice of vegetables.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker. Add additional 1/2 cup water when cooking this in a 8qt Instant Pot.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates and do not include garnishing. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
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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.