Easy & Creamy Vegetable Korma made in the Instant Pot or stovetop. 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 it was the best vegetable korma he had ever had. So here it is for you all as well!
This Vegetable Korma is made in the Instant Pot. If you are new to the instant pot, check out this beginner guide to the instant pot.
You might think that a 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 with all the veggies we are adding to it. Look at this full platter of veggies I added in this curry..so colorful!
To make this 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!
Table of Contents
- Watch How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Korma
- What is Korma?
- How to make Vegetable Korma in the Instant Pot?
- How to make Vegetable Korma on the Stovetop?
- Can frozen vegetables be used to make Vegetable Korma?
- Can I add some protein to this korma?
- Pro Tips to make the perfect Vegetable Korma
- Vegetable Korma Recipe
Watch How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Korma
What is Korma?
Korma (also known as Kurma) is a dish that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It consists 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 ways – with cashews, fresh coconut, coconut milk, or 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 the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 1 minute. 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 the pot with a lid and cook the vegetables for 6-12 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, or 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 the 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 pre-cooked protein options.
Pro Tips to make the perfect Vegetable Korma
- Cut the veggies, such as cauliflower, into larger-sized florets of about 1.5-2 inches 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 this curry a smooth texture. The store-bought paste will give tomatoes a reddish color compared to tomatoes pureed at home, but the taste will be the same 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 that adds to the wonderful color of this curry.
I 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 the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual or pressure cook mode at high pressure for 1 minute. 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 6-12 minutes until they are tender. Add cashew paste, coconut milk and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
very good flavor. i subbed parnips for potatoes and didn’t have the green beans or peas. used 1/2 cup broth (in lieu of water), sauteed in ghee since we aren’t vegan, and a full can of coconut milk that i added it along with everything else to the instant pot. i didn’t believe the 1 min cooking time so did it for 3 and it was too much, still delicious, but the cauliflower was softer than i wanted. like others i had a challenging time getting the cashews into a paste and i even used my no fail trick to soak them in hot water for 15 min first… i have a vitamix and still ended up with a chucky cashew milk, not a paste. either way still a 5 star easy, yummy meal.
Questions:
1. i’m wondering why the cashew paste and coconut milk are left out of the pressure cooking and added after? i had great results with adding the coconut milk. is there a reason to not add the cashew paste/chunky sauce?
2. i gently smashed my cardamom but left them in the pod before sauteeing in oil… i found them to be tough and not at all infused into the korma… generally i would remove from the pod and smash in a mortar and pestle… why keep them whole w/ such a short cooking time?
Hi Ruby – I am glad you enjoyed the curry. I left the cashew paste and coconut milk for after pressure cooking, as they are mainly used as thickeners in this recipe. Sometimes, these can cause a burn when pressure cooking in the instant pot.
Regarding the cardamom, it is mainly for flavor and aroma, similar to the other whole spices. We usually eat around them and leave them out when eating the curry. I hope that helps!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I just got the instant pot and this is the first recipe (after plain rice) that I’ve made and it turned out so yummy!!! I followed it exactly and served it over jasmine rice w baked sea bass. My only questions is— how do we make the korma/curry thick and creamy like from the Indian restaurants???? Many thanks for any guidance 🙏❤️
Hi Kt – After pressure cooking, you can put the curry on saute mode to thicken it to the desired consistency. I am glad you enjoyed this as your first meal made in the Instant Pot!
I tried this tonight and it was delicious, next time I will add some sweet potatoes too and as someone else commented I will replace the cashew past for almond butter but really enjoyed it.
Thank you
Hi Shirley – Happy to hear you enjoyed the curry and are planning to make it again!
I made your korma, red lentil and palak paneer recipes in an instapot and liked them. I substituted cashew butter from store after I had trouble getting cashews to blend. I also use the puréed garlic and onion from Indian grocery stores. When cutting up green chilis, I have trouble with getting my fingers clean to safely handle contact lenses even with the thin gloves. Is there a good substitute or solution? I am a retired grandma who tried your recipes after my kids gifted me an instapot. Liz
Hi Liz – Happy to hear you have been enjoying the recipes.
I looked up some sites and one suggests to rub some oil on your hands, then wear gloves before cutting the green chili peppers. Then wash off the oil and you should not feel the burn. I hope this helps!
Trying this for the first time for company tomorrow night. Does it reheat well and is better the next day or should I make it tomorrow and serve freshly cooked?
Hi Natalie – This curry will be good either way. I suggest reheating in the microwave. You can add some water to adjust the consistency as you reheat it.
amazing!! I made this stovetop, and it turned out great, thank you Meeta!!
Hi Maneesha – So happy to hear that 🙂
Hi Maneesha – Happy to hear that. 🙂
This sounds delicious. If I don’t have whole spices what is the amount of ground? I have whole bay leaf, but that’s it. Thank you!
Hi MJ – I would suggest to skip the whole spices if you don’t have them. They add mild flavor and aroma, but the ground one’s could be too strong in the curry. You can add a little more garam masala at the end if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the curry!
What about the whole spices? You can’t just leave them in there whole can you?
Hi Douglas – We do leave them in, and typically eat around it and take them out as we are eating the curry. However I totally understand if you would like to take them out before serving. In this case, you can use a spice pouch and take it out once the curry is cooked – https://amzn.to/3rwEmGY
How do you saute them in oil inside this pouch though? Do you said them, then put them into the pouch before adding the onions, etc?
Thats a great question. It won’t be possible to saute in this case. So I just add the spice pouch in the pot once everything is ready for pressure cooking.
Hello! Love your recipes. What can I substitute for cashews? My daughter has bad allergies with nuts. Thank you
Hello Sweta – Thank you. You can skip the cashews and add extra coconut milk and/or a seed butter at the end. The cashews mainly help to thicken the sauce.
Hi Meena,
If we have store bought gravy, what would the variation in above recipe look like ?
Hi Kriti – I would suggest to go with the recipe suggested on the store-bought gravy. You could use veggies and the cooking time suggested in the recipe.
Thank you so much. This was a superb dish!! Everyone loved it! Everything about it was perfect 🙂
I would say better than many restaurants–great recipe you present! thank you!
Hi Amy – So glad to hear that you all enjoyed the korma.