Easy & Creamy Vegetable Korma made in the Instant Pot. This restaurant style creamy vegetable korma curry is a perfect blend of vegetables with a creamy coconut based sauce. A vegan & gluten free curry that pairs perfectly with naan or rice.
I was never a fan of korma curry, until I made this creamy coconut based vegetable korma curry. Either the korma curries that I had tried used to be too sweet or too coconut-y for my taste. However when I made this curry, my husband said this is the best Vegetable Korma he has ever had. So here it is for you all as well!
This Vegetable Korma is made in the Instant Pot. If you are new the to the instant pot, check out this beginners guide to the instant pot.
You might think that pressure cooker is not the right gadget to cook vegetables and they can get mushy. However I have made so many vegetable curries such as Aloo Gobi, Cabbage Peas and Aloo Beans in the instant pot, that I know the right amount of time to pressure cook them. The veggies hold their shape and have the right texture.
This curry is so flavorful and also nutritious will all the veggies we are adding in it. Look at this full platter of veggies I added in this curry..so colorful!
To make thus curry vegan, I have added coconut milk in place of yogurt or cream. But the best part, this korma can be made in just 30 minutes. So a perfect weeknight or Meatless Monday dinner!
What is Korma?
Korma (also known as Kurma) is a dish originated in the Indian subcontinent, consisting of meat or vegetables braised with yogurt or cream, water or stock, and spices to produce a thick creamy sauce. Korma is a popular curry to order at Indian restaurants.
Korma can be made in many different ways - with cashews, fresh coconut, coconut milk, or with yogurt. In this recipe, I have used coconut milk to make a vegan vegetable korma curry. In my Chicken Korma curry, I used only cashews to get the creamy texture. Vegetable Korma is usually not a spicy dish.
This recipe is super easy with not many steps, so it can be prepared in 30 minutes. This curry goes well with roti, paratha, naan or basmati rice.
Why you will love this Instant Pot Vegetable Kurma
- It is flavorful and creamy
- It is mild, and not too spicy. You can always add more spice to taste.
- Incorporates a variety of vegetables.
- Vegan & gluten free
- Ready in under 30 minutes
How to make Vegetable Korma in the Instant Pot?
- Start with gathering all the ingredients and chopping the vegetables to make the Korma.
- Blend cashews with 1/4 cup water to a smooth paste and set aside.
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and whole spices. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- When the cumin seeds change color, add onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato puree and spices. Stir and saute for 2 minutes. I used canned tomato puree, but you can also blend 2 tomatoes to make a puree.
- Add potatoes and 1 cup water. Stir and saute for another 2 minutes. We add potatoes first, as they take the most amount of time to cook, so we want to cook them for a few minutes before adding other veggies.
- Add all the other vegetables and stir them in. Make sure to cut cauliflower into large pieces. That’s important so that the veggies don’t turn mushy.
- 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 1 mins. After the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
- Open the pot. Add cashew paste, coconut milk and lime juice. Stir well.
Garnish with cilantro and enjoy Vegetable Korma with naan, chapati or rice.
Oh...that looks so good. I am getting hungry as I write this post. It is so creamy and so flavorful!
How to make Vegetable Korma on the Stovetop?
This vegetable korma can be easily made on the stovetop too.
- Follow the same steps as for the instant pot recipe, but cook in a large wok (or kadhai) on the stovetop on medium-high flame.
- After the step to add all the vegetables in the pot, cover with a lid and cook the vegetables for 6-10 minutes until they are tender.
- Add cashew paste, coconut milk and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Can frozen vegetables be used to make Vegetable Korma?
I have tried this Korma with frozen vegetables and it works well. Just make sure to use large cauliflower florets, else it can become mushy.
You can also use the vegetables you have on hand or add other veggies of your choice. Just make sure to adjust cooking time accordingly.
Can I add some protein to this korma?
Yes, that is a great way to make this a complete meal. Add precooked chickpeas or black eyed peas or other precooked protein options.
Pro Tips to make the perfect Vegetable Korma
- Cut the veggies such as cauliflower in larger size florets about 1.5-2 inch, so that they don't get mushy.
- Pressure cook the veggies for just a minute, so they do not overcook.
- Puree the tomatoes, which gives a smooth texture to this curry. Store bought paste will give a more reddish color than tomatoes pureed at home, but the taste will be as good in both cases.
- Increase or decrease the spice level by adjusting the amount of red chili powder. I love to add mild Kashmiri red chili powder which adds to the wonderful color of this curry.
Hope you enjoy this Vegetable Korma Curry!
Vegetable Korma - Instant Pot & Stovetop
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 Cashews
- 1 1/4 cup Water divided
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 1/4 cup Onions diced
- 1 tsp Ginger grated
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1 cup Tomato puree or 2 tomatoes pureed
- 1/2 cup Coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- Cilantro
whole spices
Spices
- 2 tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder optional, adjust to taste
Vegetables
- 1 Potato cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces, about 7.4 oz
- 1 cup Cauliflower (Gobi) large florets, about 5oz
- 1 cup Carrots cut into rounds
- 1/2 cup Green peas frozen
- 1/2 cup Green Beans cut into 2 inch pieces
Instructions
- Blend cashews with 1/4 cup water to a smooth paste and set aside.
Instant Pot Method
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and all the whole spices. Sauté for 30 seconds to release the aroma of the whole spices.
- Add onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until the onions become golden brown while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato puree and all the spices. Stir and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add potatoes and 1 cup water. Stir and saute for another 2 minutes. Make sure there is nothing stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add all the other vegetables and stir them in. 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 1 mins. After the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
- Open the pot. Add cashew paste, coconut milk and lime juice. Stir well. (Note: if the vegetables are not tender enough to your liking, put on saute mode for 2-3 minutes)
- Garnish with cilantro and enjoy Vegetable Korma with naan or rice.
Stovetop Method
- Follow the same steps as for the instant pot recipe, but cook in a large wok (or kadhai) on the stovetop on medium-high flame. After the step to add all the vegetables in the pot, cover with a lid and cook the vegetables for 6-10 minutes until they are tender.Add cashew paste, coconut milk and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Hi, my daughter has a cashew allergy. Any substitutes? Should I try almonds?
Absolutely delicious!
Hi Suman - Thank you 🙂
Delicious!
To be honest, the directions are a bit confusing and could be streamlined, but once I got past the confusion, I forged ahead and my family LOVED it.
I will definitely be making it again.
Hi Faith - Glad to hear you enjoyed the curry. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I have made some changes in the directions. But please let me know what part was confusing and I will be happy to add more details.
Hi what else can I use instead of coconut milk?
Hi Rose - You can use heavy cream. Or you can make a paste with some cashews (10-12) and some water, and add that to thicken the curry.
Are you to use whole spices together with the powdered spices? Or one or the other? Thanks!
Hi Adriana - In this recipe, I do add both the whole spices and ground spices. When eating this curry, typically we eat around the whole spices (basically pick them out). If you don't like whole spices in the final dish, you can add them in a spice pouch for the flavor to get infused, and discard the spice pouch after pressure cooking.
This was excellent. I got distracted and didn’t release the pressure right away so things got a bit soft. Still it was great. Easy and I think the cashew paste is genius.
Hi, if I want to double the recipe, do the cooking times remain the same?
Hi Eva - yes, the cooking time will remain the same even if you double the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Very easy to make and very good flavour thanks for the dish.
Dylan