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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 Cashews
- 1 1/4 cup Water, divided
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 1/4 cup Onions , diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic , minced
- 1 cup Tomato puree, or 2 tomatoes pureed
- 1/2 cup Coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- Cilantro
whole spices
Spices
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon 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!
Meeta, I just came across your blog and this recipe was amazing! I really loved using the whole spices. The fragrance was so good, I felt like I was in an Indian restaurant!
I’ve been wanting to learn how to make a sweet coconut korma, the kind with golden raisins, as a way to get my kids more into Indian dishes. Do you have a recipe like that?
Hi Wesley – Glad to hear you enjoyed this korma. I don’t have a recipe for the shahi korma yet. Hope you try other recipes on the blog. Here is a sweet rice with raisins they might enjoy.
Thank you so much for your reply! The rice looks amazing. I’ll definitely try it! Your recipes have been inspiring and have given me some added hope in my journey, searching for healthy and delicious recipes. I look forward to the day you do post a shahi korma recipe 🙂
I’ve been waiting to try this recipe for a while since discovering Piping Pot Curry, and it exceeded my expectations. I’m new to cooking with whole spices, so I wasn’t sure what to do with them after sautéing. I left them in the pot and fished out as many of the cloves as I could along with the bigger spices at the end, and it was no problem! So, so good. I doubled the recipe and used frozen veggies to make it even more weeknight-friendly. We will definitely add this recipe into our rotation! Thank you, Meeta!
Hi Catherine – So happy to hear you enjoyed the curry. Regarding the whole spices, we just take them out as we are eating the curry. However if you prefer, you can also use a spice pouch for the whole spices. That way, you can take them out after the curry is cooked.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I didn’t had cauliflower and green peas, instead I used black eyed peas and mixed vegetables.
Hello – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back. 🙂
This recipe came out extremely delicious! One of top ten recipes. I have tried some of your other recipes and they were very good as well. Thank you for sharing.
-Priya
Hi Priya – So happy to hear you loved the curry!
Wonderful and tasty dish. I really enjoyed it.
I did not have frozen peas so I used frozen corn. More and more of your receipts come to my kitchen.
Thank you.
Hi- So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing it 🙂
HI I can not use cashews in the recipe due to allergies. What is a good sub? LOVE Your recipes from your blog! Huge Fan!
Thank you
Hi Bobby – Thank you. If other nuts are an option, you can use almonds. Otherwise you can leave them out and add more coconut milk. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Another winner from PipingPotCurry!
The recipe breakdown is very easy and well done.
– Suggestion: as you prep spices separate by section as she has in the recipe “whole spices” “spices” “other”.
Subbed a few ingredients as I did not have PRECISELY EVERYTHING the recipe called for and it still came out fantastic…
Substitutions:
Tumeric for Madras Hot Curry powder (it contains Tumeric;kept measurement the same)
Kashmiri Red Chili powder for 1 Indian Green pepper
Coconut Milk- omitted-BUT added extra cashews when making my paste
Onion- yellow onions
Vegetables: Potatoes, Cauliflower and peas (
Note:Due to not having the same Tumeric amount the color is not orange as in the photo however, taste is there.
Doubled the recipe.
Hi – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience and the changes you made 😊
Hi Meeta, I have made this recipe today but I used ground cloves instead of whole cloves. Thus, it resulted in the curry coming out darker than expected. Thus, I was wondering, how much ground cloves should one use for this recipe? Next, do you think broccoli would be a good addition to this recipe? I look forward to your feedback and this is my favorite recipe to date. 🙏🏾🙏🏾
Hi Conrad – Glad you enjoy the curry! I would suggest to add very less amount of ground cloves, about 1/4 teaspoon. Whole spices would be best in this recipe. You could also add them to a spice pouch, so they can be removed after the curry is cooked. If adding broccoli, cut in large pieces and maybe just place it on the top of all over ingredients just before pressure cooking, so it does not get overcooked. Hope that helps!
Would like to try recipe but I don’t have all of the spices. What can I substitute for Green Cardamom pods?
Hi Margaret – You can leave out the cardamom pods and it will still work fine. Hope you enjoy the korma!
I if I were to add yogurt or cream to the recipe when would I add it?
Hello – I would add cream after pressure cooking is done. If adding yogurt, whisk it well and keep stirring until it is incorporated. It might mush the veggies a bit more with the extra stirring needed for yogurt. Hope you enjoy the curry!