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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
This had excellent flavor! We cooked it for 2 min in the Instant Pot (because I like more tender veggies) and it came out great! I do have to say it wasn’t as thick as restaurant kormas, but still very tasty and “fresh”, not heavy. We added a little more coconut milk. I might try adding ghee next time for a little more depth. We did not include potatoes. I found they break down too easily in the Instant Pot, so I opted for fresh cauliflower, fresh green beans, frozen peas, fresh carrots and onion. I have no idea what some of these other people are doing–two hours?! There is prep to ANY Indian recipe and the key is to have everything cut, measured, and ready before hand. Also, those having issues may have faulty equipment/user error. We also tried one of your Thai recipes the other night– it was so good!
This recipe took me a couple of hours! Lots of steps. Then, after 2 attempts the potatoes were still raw. Very disappointed.
Hi Kit – Sorry to hear the recipe did not work well for you. Can you please share more details of what steps took so long? I would suggest to cut the potatoes a bit smaller, so they will cook in the suggested time.
Kept getting burn message. Followed exactly
Hi Scott – Sorry to hear. Can you please share a little more details – were you using a 6qt or 8qt pot? Was anything stuck to the bottom of the pot before you started to pressure cook?
Hi Meeta, I just made the recipe with my Instant Pot and I also had to start another round with 1 minute to cook the potatoes through. However, I found the taste not as intense and “Korma” as I was hoping for. Despite the coconut milk it turned more out like a soup. Any suggestions what I could have done wrong? I am curious to try out more recipes though! Thanks 😉
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Korma is my all time favorite. When I think of Indian food I think vegetarian. Hubby likes the veg and the meats. When I found your YouTube videos, I found a bit of heaven. Thank you.
Hi Shannon – I am glad to hear you discovered the YouTube videos. I have also included the video in the recipe post, so that you can easily watch it along with seeing the details in the recipe.
Hi Meeta,
I made this dish and found The spices not powerful enough. I added more salt, Garam masala, and yogurt (mostly because mine was watery than I wanted and didn’t have lime). It might have come down to personal preference at that point. Overall I love your blog!!! Thank you for taking the time for such detailed and helpful recipes.
Hi Simran – Thank you for sharing your experience with this Korma. Feel free to adjust the spices to your preference. Glad you enjoy the blog!
I have a question…I am so excited about this recipe but do you leave the whole spices in? Seems like you’d be getting big bites of whole spices!!!
Hi Jamie – I do actually leave the whole spices in. However I understand that not everyone likes that. If you dont want the whole spices left in, then you can use a spice pouch and add all the whole spices to it. Then once the pressure cooking is done, remove the pouch. You can use a reusable spices pouch or a tea infuser for this. I do this in my paneer butter masala recipe. Hope you enjoy the Korma!
It would be a 5 but I did have to put it on for 8 minutes all together rather than the 1 stated in the recipe.
Hey Kayley – Thank you for sharing back your experience. I am surprised the veggies took so long to cook. I wonder if the pot came to pressure.
Your web site has transformed my families vegetarian dinners. The recipes are amazing, delicious, and easy to follow. Thank you…
Hey Carolyn – Glad to hear you all are enjoying the recipes!
Thank you again. All the work you put into getting these recipes out to us is amazing. YOU are amazing. I’ve loved everything of yours that I’ve cooked.
Hello Elena – Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy to hear that you have been enjoying the recipes!
I love your work! You consistently inspire me. Consistent is the word. I admire how you keep the standards of your recipes time and time again. Your directions are so detailed that even “sometime” gourmet cooks, like myself, can follow along and make stunning meals. You are one of a kind!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Ms Miranda!