We’re sharing delicious, healthy Instant Pot Indian recipes with authentic flavours and textures from curries to saag including gluten-free, paleo and vegan options. Homemade is often better than takeout!
Everyone loves a simmering curry with its spicy goodness served over steamed rice or with warm naan bread. Or perhaps you’re in the mood for delicious biryani rice or an Indian-inspired soup. No matter what you craving, these Instant Pot Indian recipes are treat for the body and soul.
While some of these Indian recipes require a little effort, the extra work is no sweat when many of these recipes use simple, aromatic ingredients to bring home that authentic flavour, plus the pressure cooker cuts back on cooking time. Most of these recipes are probably quicker than picking up the phone and ordering in!
Plus, Indian cuisine is naturally quite nourishing and is easier to make even healthier at home.
Our favourite ingredients for Indian cooking: garam masala, curry powder, turmeric powder, ghee, lentils or split peas, chickpeas, coconut milk.
Best Instant Pot Indian Recipes
Alright, let’s get right into it with our favorite Indian and Indian-inspired recipes for the pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
You can’t go past the classics. This gluten-free Instant Pot butter chicken is perfect for a warm flavorful meal when you want something different without having to leave your cosy home. This is a guest recipe from The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Archana Mundhe. Get The Recipe Here.
Instant Pot Rice Pilaf With Chickpeas
This healthy and delicious Instant Pot rice pilaf is made with protein-rich chickpeas (garbanzo beans), warm spices and cilantro for a perfect vegetarian and gluten-free main or side. Similarly to pilaf, you might like to check out our favourite rice biryani recipes for Instant Po.
Instant Pot Shrimp Curry Goan Style
This Goat-style Instant Pot shrimp curry is simple to prepare but has complex flavours and a little chilli spice to keep every bite interesting and exciting. Serve with rice, cauliflower rice or some naan bread. Get The Recipe Here.
Mushroom & Pea Curry (Vegan)
This Instant Pot Mushroom & Green Pea Creamy Tomato Curry (Matar Mushroom) is made with sliced white mushrooms that pair perfectly with the sweetness of green peas in a tomato-cashew–based sauce. Get The Recipe Here.
Indian Spinach Rice (Palak Pulao)
This Instant Pot Spinach Rice (also known in Indian cuisine as Palak Pulao) is a nutritious and healthy dish that can be served as a side dish with your favorite curry or a main dish with some vegetables or salad on the side. This rice recipe is super simple and is gluten-free, vegetarian and can be made vegan-friendly. Get The Recipe Here.
Instant Pot Black Dal (Dal Makhani)
Inspired by the famous signature Dal Makhani from London’s Indian restaurant chain Dishoom. Made in a fraction of the time compared to the original (which is cooked for 24 hours in the restaurant), this incredible lentil dish will delight with its complex flavors and heavenly texture. It’s gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly. Get The Recipe Here.
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
What’s your Indian recipe knowledge without some chicken tikka masala? You need this one in your life! It’s flavourful and JUST spicy enough, plus it’s inherently dairy-free with that classic creaminess from coconut milk. You can make this one in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. Recipe from Wholesomelicious.
Instant Pot Chana Masala
Chana masala is another Indian food staple. This dish is vegan and gluten-free with a hearty base of perfectly cooked and textured chickpeas, rich with plant protein… oh, and big flavour! This recipe has a rich and tasty tomato base plus all of your classic spices – just make sure to use the freshest ingredients possible! Recipe from My Food Story.
Instant Pot Black-Eyed Pea Curry
Punjabi black-eyed pea curry or Punjabi Lobia Masala is warm and comforting with rich, buttery beans to enjoy in every bite! Oh, and did you know black-eyed peas are a fabulous source of calcium? They also take less time to cook than the average legume, but that’s not an issue with this Instant Pot recipe, of course. Recipe from My Heart Beets.
Instant Pot Lentil & Spinach Dal
If you want nutrient-dense food with Indian taste fast, get this spinach dal on the table tonight. Heck – we won’t even tell if you pick up some naan at the store on your way home. This is cooking with economy and grace at its finest. Recipe from Cooking With Mali.
LAMB CURRY WITH TOMATO & COCONUT
Rich and creamy, this Indian lamb curry will be a hit with the whole family. Indian spices, tomatoes and coconut pair beautifully with nourishing lamb meat and the whole stew can be on the table in 60 minutes, much quicker than cooking it on a stovetop. In this recipe, we show you how to make this Indian lamb curry in your pressure cooker. Get The Recipe Here.
Chicken Curry With Potatoes
There’s nothing like getting tender, juicy, shredded chicken and perfectly cooked through potatoes at once, and the Instant Pot really comes in handy for that. If you add some curry sauce to the mix, you end up with this fragrant and comforting meal… in minutes. It’s healthy and paleo-friendly to boot. Recipe from Cookin’ Canuck.
Instant Pot Quinoa Khichdi
One-pot wholesome meal, this Quinoa Khichdi is a healthier spin on traditional Indian khichdi. Made with quinoa and lentils, this khichdi is lightly spiced and packed with nutrition. Recipe from Cooking With Manali.
Instant Pot Paneer
Paneer is basically Indian-style cottage cheese. It sounds intimidating to make at home, but the Instant Pot makes it quite a bit easier. Besides, it’s a rewarding endeavour when you get to dig into the stuff with those satisfying grill marks on the side after a yoghurt marinade. Are you drooling yet? Recipe from Every Nook and Cranny.
Instant Pot Palak Paneer
For a greener, even healthier version of Instant Pot paneer dish, try this Indian Saag Paneer curry made with fresh spinach leaves, warm spices and cubed firm cottage cheese in the pressure cooker. Recipe from Yellow Thyme.
Instant Pot Chicken Rice Biryani
Chicken Biryani or Chicken Dum Biryani is a one-pot Indian classic food dish, where marinated chicken is steam-cooked with aromatic basmati rice and flavored with saffron and cardamom. This is a simplified and easy Instant Pot Chicken Biryani recipe you can do in under an hour, from start to finish! Recipe from Spice Cravings.
Instant Pot Goat Curry In A Hurry
Goat is underused in most cuisines besides Indian cuisine, so it’s fabulous to have a healthy and scrumptious goat curry recipe handy. This stuff tastes slow cooked, but curry in a hurry holds true with the Instant Pot! It’s all about the spices in this tender stew of goat and potatoes. Serve over basmati or cauliflower rice for a grain-free option. Recipe from My Heart Beets.
Indian Butter Chicken (WHole30, Paleo, Keto, AIP)
You didn’t think we’d leave you without a solid recipe for butter chicken, did you? This is the only one you need! It’s even nightshade-free to boot, so even the most sensitive folks can enjoy the spicy and warming tastes of it. This is the General Tso’s of Indian food… mildly addictive, super delicious and a classic you’ll never tire of. Recipe from The Castaway Kitchen.
Instant Pot Saag
Saag is a creamed spinach dish that is oh so dreamy. Greens and ghee are all you need – no cream required in this lightened up, good-for-you recipe. You can use any greens you like in this, or a variety, but traditional opts for spinach and mustard greens – the more you know! Recipe from My Heart Beets.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
While this soup isn’t traditional Indian food, it brings together autumnal produce, creamy texture, ease of cooking and an authentic curry flavour that pairs beautifully with winter’s bounty of healthy squash! This recipe is vegan and paleo, so everyone is bound to enjoy it. Recipe from Detoxinista.
Instant Pot Madras lentils
This dish is a toned-down, everyday lentil curry (also known as dal) that is very comforting and nourishing. It captures the essence of a rich Indian dal but with a lighter, more tomato-based sauce and the addition of potatoes and carrots (sometimes beans can be added). Great to serve over rice or quinoa or to enjoy with some naan bread. Get The Recipe Here.
Tikka Masala with Chickpeas & Sweet Potatoes
This Indian-inspired curry is gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly, loaded with vegetables and warm spices. Blended cashew cream is used to thicken this tikka masala and give it a creamy, rich texture. Get The Recipe Here.
INSTANT POT JACKFRUIT SPICED RICE (KATHAL BIRYANI)
Kathal Biryani is a tasty Indian, vegetarian rice recipe that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. You can use mushrooms, paneer, asparagus, or artichoke hearts instead of jackfruit in this recipe. It’s gluten-free and vegan-friendly. This recipe is from the Authentic Indian Cooking With Your Instant Pot by Vasanti Bhadkamar-Balan. Get The Recipe Here.
Hopefully, you’ve found a recipe for your favourite Indian dish here to make in the Instant Pot! Let us know which dish you’re most excited to make, and share this roundup with your pressure cooking pals!
SAVE THESE INDIAN INSTANT POT RECIPES TO PINTEREST
These look great, thanks.