Cauliflower curry is one of the most delicious Indian side dishes I have ever made in one pot. Made in a pressure cooker is the best way to soak in the coconut milk, garam masala and turmeric until your vegetables are fork tender perfect.
Maybe you’ve used a pot on your stove to make this in the past but made in an Instant Pot is the best in my experience. It is now one of our most popular Instant Pot recipe for beginners.
I got addicted to these flavors after a conference in Salt Lake City. A few colleagues and I went to a restaurant and I was hooked. When I went home I tinkered around and came up with Instant Pot butter chicken. It was so good! As you know I use my pressure cooker almost daily. It makes my life easier and gets dinner on the table fast.
I will say that this wasn’t a vegetable I ate a lot as a child. No idea why but it wasn’t on my mom’s radar, I guess broccoli was more often served in her generation so she would always go with that. Oh and peas, maybe because those were so cheap and we were always paycheck to paycheck. Now though, I would rather eat a whole plate vs. meat. Now this Instant Pot chicken Curry recipe is a fave.
What is curry?
Basically it is an Indian sauce or gravy served over or with meat, vegetables or even tofu. Typically it’s served with Basmati or Jasmine rice in a bowl, a little like a thick soup. There are a lot of spices combined together to make this.
You can buy curry powder and mix it with a variety of other seasonings, or buy it ready made in a sauce already bottled. You can find it either mild or spicy. If you aren’t sure how hot you want it to be I would make your own and adjust the heat with more or less Sriracha.
Do you need to cut cauliflower up to pressure cook?
In this case yes you would so the flavors can get soaked up better. We show you how to cook a full whole Instant Pot cauliflower here as is. This is another great dish to just steam and soften but doesn’t work well left whole in this case.
Tips for Success
There are a lot of spices and seasonings in this. I am sure you’d expect that if you have ever made Indian food at home, it is all about FLAVOR y’all. If you’re new to this type of cooking I will include links to where you can buy more “unusual” items online. Then you’ll have them handy for making other Instant Pot Indian recipes later.
For this dish make sure you keep an eye on it and release the pressure quickly at the end, if not the contents will get too soft. If you do like a bit of “bite” to it meaning you want your pieces to not be as soft, just cut them larger. The smaller they are the softer they will become. A large bite is kinda’ how I explain how large you should make them ideally.
Can you add chicken?
If you did want to add a bit of meat into the pot you could. I would suggest that you use precooked diced pieces like chicken thighs maybe. Alternatively you could dice up 1 breast into small pcs. and saute at the beginning until there is no pink on the outside. Then continue on with the rest of the directions as stated. OR add 1/2 can of drained chickpeas into the mix to add protein.
How do you thicken the sauce?
You could remove the florets into a bowl. Then set the pot with the sauce on saute and let that start to bubble. It will reduce a bit just with the heat and more water will evaporate. For a faster idea whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water in a dish and add that in, whisking for a few minutes.
How do you reduce the spice in cauliflower curry?
You can add more coconut milk to thin it out and the sweetness will mask some of the heat. That is your best bet overall to tame the spicy in this dish. You can steam more florets and add more as well if you have more on hand.
Cauliflower Curry Recipe
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 smal onion, diced
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 14 oz coconut milk, 1 can, full fat is best
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, diced
- 2 tbsp ginger, grated or minced
Instructions
- Press saute and add olive oil, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until onion becomes more clear. Turn pot off.
- Add all other ingredients EXCEPT for the cilantro.
- Close lid and seal steam valve. Press high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release when done.
- Stir contents together gently so veggies don't break apart. Serve on rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yes I do have different brands as well, they all basically work the same. Crockpot Express, Mealthy and Ninja Foodi recipes are my jam too. As long as it has the high pressure function you are good to go. I usually serve on a bed of Ninja foodi white rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top or with a piece of air fryer naan.
FAQ
You want them to be in large bite size florets. Start by removing any green leaves from the outside. Then on a cutting board remove the stem at the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut off the pieces and cut the larger ones in half so they are all the same size and cook at the same rate to tender. Then cook curry cauliflower in Instant Pot like we show you here or on the stovetop.
A bit. You want to cut pieces into large bite size pieces. Some of the water inside the vegetable will leach out and the pieces will get super tender so yes there will be a bit of a smaller size once your head of cauliflower pieces are cooked.
How to save leftovers
If you have leftovers, no worries. Allow it to cool completely first. Then transfer into containers with lids. Make sure you include as much sauce as possible so it stays moist. Reheat cauliflower curry in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute stirring in the middle of that timing.
It does save quite nicely if you don’t finish it all the first day. I would not keep it beyond 2 days or so personally but it usually doesn’t last that in my house anyway.
Want another easy recipe using this same veggie? Give our air fryer cauliflower steaks a whirl too! Done in about 15 minutes you could serve it alongside your coconut curry dish or on another night.
