Instant Pot Vegan Cauliflower Korma

The most comforting Vegan Cauliflower and Coconut Korma can be made in the Instant Pot in minutes. The recipe is easy to follow and quick to make using easy-to-find ingredients is healthy and gluten-free. Instant Pot Cauliflower or Gobi Korma comprises of large cauliflower chunks braised in a finger-licking cashew and coconut sauce.

INSTANT POT CAULIFLOWER AND COCONUT KORMA

INSTANT POT VEGETABLES

You may think that cooking cauliflower or indeed other vegetables can cause the veggies to become mushy, but with some care, this is definitely not the case! We have successfully made many vegetable recipes in our Instant Pot.

This curry is made in the Instant Pot under low pressure for 0 minutes!! That is how quickly the cauliflower cooks,

My tips to make sure that your vegetables do not get mushy, hold their shape and retain texture are as follows:

⇨keep the vegetables in large chunks

⇨use the low-pressure function

⇨good quality vegetables require short cooking times. In England, produce is fresh and watery and we tend to only need to cook vegetables for 1 minute on low pressure or sometimes even 0 minutes!!

⇨do not add too much water

⇨quick release the steam

Some of our favourite Instant Pot curry recipes are:

Instant Pot Aloo Gobi

Instant Pot Aloo Matar

Instant Pot Palak Paneer

Instant Pot Vegan Brussels Sprouts Korma

Instant Pot Corn on the cob curry with coconut

INSTANT POT GOBI KORMA

Cauliflower florets are cooked in a creamy and coconut-based korma sauce. This korma is not too sweet and has just the right balance of mild spice and creaminess. The coconut milk gives a lovely flavour and a mild sweetness.

Korma originates from the Indian subcontinent, particularly from the Mughlai cuisine. Korma or qurma refers to the cooking technique of the dish in which vegetables and/or meat is cooked in a creamy gravy made with either yoghurt or cream.

This dish is:

✅Quick, easy and hearty

✅Vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free

✅ Instant pot-friendly

✅ Mild, creamy and oh-so-delicious

✅Great for parties and get-togethers

✅ Meal prep and prep ahead

INGREDIENTS FOR 30 MINUTES VEGAN CAULIFLOWER KORMA

exact measurements and method found in the recipe card below

◉ Cauliflower – although various colors of cauliflowers are available in the market, I prefer only white ones for Indian curry recipes.

Select the cauliflower which is fresh, white, firm, and without any blemishes, smaller cauliflowers are more flavourful.

Although in the UK cauliflower is available all year round, its peak season is spring and autumn/fall.

◉ Oil – we have used light olive oil. Vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed oil works fine too.

◉ Onion – we have used white/brown onion but if you like use red.

◉ Ginger-garlic, green chillies

◉ Spices powders, also known as masalas in Hindi

Garam masala is a blend of roasted and ground various Indian spices. Many recipes ask to add at the end of cooking, as it works on an aromatic level, raising the whole nature of the dish.

Red chilli powder known as Lal Mirch powder, it is made up of grinding dried red chillies. Lal mirch powder provides heat and a bit of colour to the dish.

There are different grades of chilli powders available in the market. Most commonly used is Kashmiri Red Chilli powder which is mild but gives vibrant red colouring to the dish.

Turmeric powder is known as Haldi powder in Hindi, good for health and easily available in the market. Haldi adds bright yellow mustard colour and subtle earthy flavour to the dish. Not great for your french manicure though!! 😀

Ground coriander and cumin powder are known as Dhaniya Jeera Powder. This aromatic and warm powder is made of dried roasted coriander and cumin seeds that rarely overpower a dish. A must in your pantry if you love Indian Currys 🙂

◉ Curry powder is one of those spices that only non-Asians keep in their pantry. To your surprise, you won’t see curry masala powder in most Indian kitchens as instead, they use the right amount of various spices in different combinations which are added to the curry whilst preparing it.

Curry powder is easily available in the market, we have used our homemade Indian curry masala in this recipe.

◉ Tomatoes, they add just the right amount of acidity, sweetness and colour. Use fresh or canned. We use pureed canned tomatoes.

◉ Coconut milk, I am using full-fat canned coconut milk.

◉ Raw cashews – are rich and creamy and add body to make the sauce thicker

◉ Fresh cilantro/coriander to garnish

INDIAN CAULIFLOWER CURRY VARIATIONS

This Indian vegan cauliflower masala is very flexible, so I encourage you to use a guide. Here are some ideas to change it up. Keep in mind that cooking times can change.

Use different vegetables. If you want to bulk up this curry or simply want to add more vegetables for a hearty fall/autumn dish, why don’t you add either of these:

Butternut squash, Green Peas, Spinach, Carrots, Sweet potato, Broccoli, peppers, or kale?

Add boiled Chickpeas, tofu, paneer, edamame, or red lentils for texture and flavours.

Make it creamy. Stir in double/heavy cream at the end if not vegan or controlling calories or allergic to nuts and coconut milk.

HOW TO MAKE CURRIES QUICKLY?

Often, people shy away from making curries because of the long list of ingredients and complicated cooking methods. But this really does not have to be the case!

Simple preparation is key and can really speed up the cooking process!

For this curry, in particular, have the cauliflower cut first and draining whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

To make the base for the curry, have all of your ingredients measured and ready – you can prepare the onion, garlic mixture first and as it is cooking (this will take around 5 mins), you have time to prepare the crushed tomatoes.

Whilst the curry is cooking in the Instant Pot, you can then be preparing the cashew nuts.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CAULIFLOWER CURRY?

STORAGE

HOW CAN I MAKE CAULIFLOWER KORMA SOUP?

EQUIPMENT/TOOLS NEEDED

HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER KORMA IN THE INSTANT POT

HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER CURRY  ON STOVETOP?

If you prefer, you can easily and as effectively make this curry on the stovetop too.

1. Sauté the onion, ginger, garlic in a heated pan with oil for 5-7 minutes or until it turns light brown.

2. Add chopped/pureed/crushed tomatoes and cook further until the tomato’s raw smells go away.

3. Then add spices and salt, mix well and cook for a minute.

4. Add cauliflower florets, mix well and add 1/4 cup water, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Pour cashew and coconut milk, mix well and further cook until cauliflower is done but not mushy.

6. Turn off the heat, add garam masala and mix.

7. Garnish it with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE

1. Vegan cauliflower mash

2. Tandoori cauliflower and chickpea taco

3. Loaded cauliflower mash cheese balls

4. Mauritian gateaux piment curry

5. Gujarati style potato curry – bateta nu saak

Instant Pot Vegan Cauliflower Korma

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower 500-600g
• ½ cup raw cashews - 70g soak in warm water for 15 minutes
• 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk 13.5 ounces
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. ginger-garlic minced
• 1 small green chili minced optional
• ½ can chop or diced tomatoes- 200g
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin and coriander
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro/Coriander to garnish

Instructions

• Cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets and thoroughly wash it under running water.
• Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes to drain the excess water.
• Select saute mode on the Instant pot panel.
• Heat oil in the inner pot, add onion, ginger garlic, and chilli.
• Fry this mixture until light brown.
• Add crushed tomatoes and keep cooking the mixture further.
• Once the raw smell of tomatoes goes away, add all the spices powders and salt.
• After a minute or so add drained cauliflower florets and mix well.
• Cancel the saute mode, cover the pot with the lid.
• Select LOW PRESSURE for 0 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender blend cashew with little water and make a fine puree. Leave it aside.
• Once done, release the pressure straight away.
• Now add cashew puree and coconut milk, mix.
• Saute for 1 minute.
• Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Video

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Instant Pot Vegan Cauliflower Korma

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower 500-600g
• ½ cup raw cashews - 70g soak in warm water for 15 minutes
• 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk 13.5 ounces
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. ginger-garlic minced
• 1 small green chili minced optional
• ½ can chop or diced tomatoes- 200g
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. red chilli powder
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin and coriander
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro/Coriander to garnish

Instructions

• Cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets and thoroughly wash it under running water.
• Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes to drain the excess water.
• Select saute mode on the Instant pot panel.
• Heat oil in the inner pot, add onion, ginger garlic, and chilli.
• Fry this mixture until light brown.
• Add crushed tomatoes and keep cooking the mixture further.
• Once the raw smell of tomatoes goes away, add all the spices powders and salt.
• After a minute or so add drained cauliflower florets and mix well.
• Cancel the saute mode, cover the pot with the lid.
• Select LOW PRESSURE for 0 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender blend cashew with little water and make a fine puree. Leave it aside.
• Once done, release the pressure straight away.
• Now add cashew puree and coconut milk, mix.
• Saute for 1 minute.
• Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Video

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Make the perfect sweet shop/kandoi style Kaju Katli with just three simple ingredients. Kaju Katli has the most delicious melt-in-the-mouth texture and regal look making it the perfect occasion or Diwali sweet.

HOW TO MAKE KAJU KATLI

Kaju Katli is an Indian dessert that is often made during festivals and special occasions. It is made from ground cashews and mixed with sugar syrup to form a dough. This is then rolled out thin and cut into beautiful diamonds.

The result is dense, nutty and milky with a unique marzipan-like taste. Compared to other Indian mithai or sweets, kaju katli are not as sweet.

WHAT IS KAJU KATLI MADE OF?

Kaju translates to cashew nuts and katli means thins.

Kaju Katli have a distinct off-white colour and are cut into diamonds.

Kaju Katli is available at most if not all Indian sweet shops however, they often add plain flour to their recipe, so it is worth your while to make them from scratch at home.

Kaju Katli is actually pretty quick to make compared to other Indian mithai.

Kaju Katli is often also known as Kaju Barfi however Kaju barfi is made using khoya or milk powder, it is also THICKER and is into cut squares.

Already tried your hand at making Kaju Katlis? Get adventurous and have a go at making our Gulkand Badam Katli . In this recipe, we have sandwiched floral gulkand (rose petal jam) between two layers of Almond Katli.

If you have a family member who is on a low-carb diet or diabetic, here is our No added sugar Badam Katli recipe for you to try.

Want to try a different flavour other than cashew or almond? Try Peanut Katli which is just as delicious but has the benefit of being cheaper as well!

Own an Instant pot or electric pressure cooker? Have a look our Instant Pot KAJU/BADAM Katli

And last but not least we have Vegan saffron badam/almond katli made using almond flour.

IS IT KAJU KATRI OR KAJU KATLI?

You may have heard both names for this sweet. In Gujarati, it’s Katri however throughout India it’s Katli, but basically, they both are the same thing.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE KAJU KATLI?

✔ Star of all Diwali and any other celebrations

✔ Made with less than 5 basic pantry ingredients

✔ Ready under 15 minutes

✔ Gluten-free and easily adaptable to become vegan

✔ Can be made in Instant Pot and stovetop

✔ Make-ahead and stores well

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE KAJU KATLI

◉ Cashew nuts – use plain and fresh cashew nuts. They should not be salted or roasted. You can also use store-bought cashew powder however this powder can often be darker in colour and you will not get perfectly off-white katli.

◉ Sugar – regular white granulated sugar works best for this recipe.

◉ Ghee is optional, but highly recommend it as it helps in making it smooth and achieving a melt in mouth texture for katli.

◉ Water – tap water works fine.

◉ Silver edible foil – To give the exquisite finish and flair to Indian sweets, decorate with vegan edible silver foil or varq.

CAN I MAKE VEGAN KAJU KATLI?

Absolutely you can. Just use coconut oil or any other vegan ghee or butter instead of dairy ghee. Ensure that the silver foil is also vegan.

WHAT TYPE OF CASHEW NUTS CAN I USE TO MAKE KAJU KATLI?

Kaju katli is a sweet dish, therefore use just plain cashews. You may use broken cashews as they are cheaper than whole and also means less pressure on your grinder!

THICKNESS OF KAJU/BADAM KATLI

HOW LONG CAN I STORE KAJU KATLI?

Kaju Katli can easily be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.

TIPS TO MAKE BEST KAJU KATLI

▸Just keep in mind that practice makes perfect with Indian sweets so initially, make in small quantities. Do not attempt to make mithai on the day of the occasion or festival the first time.

▸Kaju Katli particularly, is an expensive sweet, so you don’t want to waste time, money, and energy and on top of that end up disheartened.

▸There are few expert tips you can follow to get great results!

▸ Make sure your cashew nuts haven’t dried out, are moldy or rancid, (bitter paint-like smell). If using whole, break them and check for small insects as they can often be harboring these.

▸ It is necessary that cashew nuts are kept at room temperature before grinding them. If cashew nuts are ground directly from the fridge, they may have moisture which prevents them from being ground into a powder. If they were in the fridge, lay flat on a plate until they come to room temperature.

▸Ensure you do not over-grind the cashews or else you may end up with cashew butter!

▸To get fine cashew powder, use your spice grinder.

▸Keep an eye on whilst making sugar syrup, a few minutes more cooking, the syrup can go thick and kaju katli dough drys out so quickly or falls apart.

▸Keep the heat low whilst stirring the cashew mixture with sugar syrup. Also, keep stirring the mixture constantly all the time.

▸Add ghee to make the dough smooth and shiny, it also adds delicious flavors.

▸Constantly stir and cook the dough on low heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. This step is very important.

▸If you undercook the cashew dough, it won’t set the kaju katli. In this case, again cook the dough.

▸To check the right consistency, take a very small pinch of the mixture in your hand and see if you are able to shape a little ball with your fingers. ( you should be able to mould it like play dough )

▸If it does remove the pan straight away from the heat. If not cook further one minute or so.

▸It is very necessary that you knead the dough before rolling out, as this step makes the katli dough smooth and pliable.

▸Knead the dough whilst it is still warm, you have to knead the dough whilst it is still warm, but at the same time be very careful and do not try to knead the kaju katli dough whilst it is HOT or straight out of the pan.

▸You will burn your fingers, you don’t want to suffer from that pain, do you? 😢Make sure the dough is warm and touchable with bare hands, but same time don’t let it cool completely else you won’t be able to knead the dough.

▸If you use parchment paper to smooth out the dough or knead, make sure to apply little ghee to prevent sticking the dough to the paper.

▸Roll the dough straight away after kneading it. You can roll out on a smooth wooden chopping board, metal such as the backside of a baking sheet, or between two sheets of parchment or greaseproof paper.

▸If using a silver edible foil, varq apply whilst the dough is rolled and still warm.

▸It will be very difficult to roll once the dough is cooled down.

▸Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the kaju katli, for accurate shape and, measurement using a foot ruler is a good idea. Cut the katli immediately after you have rolled out the dough.

▸Do not roll out the katli dough extra thin. Make sure you keep appropriate thickness for Kaju katli, extra thin katlis will break when you lift them up.

▸Let the kaju katli cooled completely, before lifting them and storing them in the air-tight container. It can take between 50-60 minutes or more.

PERFECT HOMEMADE KAJU KATLI RECIPE STEP BY STEP (NOT STICKY)

Get the exact measurements and complete ingredients list in metric and imperial from the recipe card below.

Let’s gather all the kaju katli ingredients and I’ll show you…

1. Grind cashews in a coffee grinder and then sieve to remove the larger pieces.

2. Mix water and sugar in a pan, bring to boil on medium heat.

3. Once it reaches 1 thread consistency add cashew powder, and turn the heat on low. To check one thread consistency, take a drop of the sugar syrup between your finger and thump (careful it will be hot!), wait for the drop to reach room temperature, and press your thumb and finger together. As you gently pull apart, a thread of syrup will appear when the sugar is at the correct consistency.

4. Add ghee, mix and cook until mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan.

5. Pour on a greased paper, and knead the dough.

6. Make a round ball, flatten it slightly, and put it on another paper.

7. Lay another paper on top, and gently roll out using a rolling pin. Using the extra paper prevents the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, making it easier to roll out.

8. Apply silver foil if using, then cut into a diamond shape and leave it for 30 minutes.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE

1. Mohanthal Gujarati Kandoi Style

2. Besan Ladoo Halwai style

3. Best Sooji Gujiya

4. Kala Jamun

5. Pistachio Chocolate Barfi

6. Habshi Halwa – Dodha Barfi

7. Badam Halwa

8. Kesar Elychi Balushahi/Badusha

9. Thor/Meetha Saata

10. Suwari/Suvari

11. Beetroot Kalakand

12. For more delicious sweet and savory Diwali snacks recipes check out our Diwali Sweet and Savoury Recipes post now

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KAJU KATLI

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashew nuts
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp. ghee melted
• Edible silver foil – optional

Instructions

• Grind the cashews in a dry coffee grinder into a fine powder. (see notes)
• Sieve the cashew powder to make sure there are no lumps in there.
• In a wide non-stick pan mix water and sugar on medium heat.
• You will see small bubbles appear on the surface, stir gently, and let it come to a rolling boil. Lower the heat.
• Bring it to boil for about 4 minutes and let it come to 1 thread consistency or syrup
• mixture reaches 230°F (110°C) on a probe or candy thermometer. (see notes)
• Turn the heat on low.
• Add cashew powder and keep stirring using a spatula to avoid any lumps.
• In a minute or so you’ll be able to see that the cashew mixture is getting thicker.
• Add melted ghee.
• Keep cooking, as soon as the dough starts leaving the pan, turn off the heat.
• To check the right consistency, take a very small pinch of the mixture in your hand and see if you are able to shape a little ball with your fingers. ( you should be able to mould it like play dough )
• If it does remove the pan straight away from the heat. If not cook further one minute or so.
• Remove the dough from the pan on a greased plate or parchment paper and knead the dough to make it less grainy, glossy, and smooth (roughly 5-6 minutes)
• On the rolling board place a greaseproof paper and place the kneaded cashew dough on it. Place another paper, sandwiching the mixture between two papers.

Nutrition

PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Note – This Kaju Katli post has been updated from the recipe archives with new images and content, first published on 5th June 2012.