• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Instant Pot Eats
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • 100 Best Instant Pot Recipes
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Instant Pot Fish & Seafood Recipes
    • Soups
    • Stews & Braises
    • Rice
    • Pasta
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Roundups
    • Duo Crisp + Air Fryer
    • 5-Ingredients
  • Instant Pot Basics
    • Instant Pot For Beginners Hub
    • What Is Instant Pot?
    • How To Use The Instant Pot
    • The First 10 Meals
    • Instant Pot Accessories
    • Instant Pot Water Test
    • Instant Pot Cookbooks
    • Instant Pot 101 Series
  • By Diet
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
    • Gluten-Free
    • Paleo
    • Keto
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Our Privacy Policy
    • Web Stories
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Instant Pot Basics
  • By Diet
  • About Us
×
Home » Instant Pot Recipes » Diets » Gluten-Free

Instant Pot Cabbage With Coconut & Spices (Sri Lankan Style)

Published: Jul 14, 2017 · Modified: Jan 11, 2024 by Irena Macri · This post may contain affiliate links · 43 Comments

13373 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe

This Sri Lankan inspired Instant Pot cabbage is nutritious and budget-friendly. Braised with coconut and spices, it is aromatic and light and can be served as a delicious side or as a main with some rice. It is vegan, gluten-free, and Whole30 friendly.


Instant Pot Cabbage

Cabbage is a nutritious and budget-friendly vegetable that is available all year round. It's great in raw salads and slaws but it's also perfect for cooking up a big batch of hearty soup or stew.

Today, we want to share an Instant Pot cabbage recipe that is inspired by a Sri Lankan dish called mallum or mallung, which literally means “mix up”. It's made with cabbage and warm spices like mustard seeds and turmeric, plus some delicious shredded coconut.

This cabbage stew, or curry if you like, is dairy-free and gluten-free and is perfect over some lovely rice or beans for a healthy vegan or vegetarian dinner. You will find the full nutrition breakdown below the recipe.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS INSTANT POT CABBAGE 

Regular white cabbage is used in this recipe and you can easily use other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

If you don't have mustard seeds, feel free to use some mustard powder or regular yellow mustard. It keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days and is lovely cold or reheated.

Dried coconut flakes or shredded coconut can be used but make sure it's unsweetened.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH COCONUT CABBAGE

This cabbage stew has flavor characteristics of light curry and can be served as a main dish with a side of rice, quinoa or naan bread. It could also work well as a side with simple grilled fish, chicken, or tofu. You can add some cooked chickpeas or lentils to the cabbage stew to up its protein content.

Instant Pot Coconut Cabbage (Sri Lankan Style)


WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS CABBAGE DISH

LOVE this dish. Made it again tonight subbing coconut milk for some of the water. Served it over rice and roasted cauliflower, topped it with crushed cashews. So, so good. THANK YOU for having such a terrific website!
★★★★★ - Melissa

I followed your recipe exactly and it was perfect. My husband kept asking for more. I served it with fish (trout).
★★★★★ - Pauline

Made this tonight and it was a big hit. Paired it was a grain combo, Trader Joe’s chicken tikka samosas and lime pickle chutney. Absolutely delicious and enough for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for a great recipe.
★★★★★ - Kathleen


MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES TO TRY

  • Tasty Instant Pot Cabbage Recipes
  • The Best Instant Pot Curry Recipes
  • Instant Pot Curry With Mushrooms & Peas
  • Instant Pot Carrots with Honey Soy Glaze
  • Instant Pot Collard Greens with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
  • Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole
Sri Lankan Coconut Cabbage | Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipe

Rate This Recipe

4.48 from 17 votes

Instant Pot Cabbage With Coconut & Spices (Sri Lankan Style)

Inspired by a Sri Lankan dish, this Instant Pot cabbage is made with warm spices like mustard seeds and turmeric, plus some delicious shredded coconut. This curry is dairy-free and gluten-free and is perfect over rice or beans for a healthy vegan or vegetarian dinner.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 234kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion cut into halves and both halves sliced
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 2 large cloves of garlic diced
  • ½ long red chili sliced
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds or 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
  • 1 medium cabbage cut into quarters and shredded or sliced (core removed)
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
  • ½ cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ⅓ cup water

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté function key (it should say High, 30 mins). Add the coconut oil, onion, and half of the salt then sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
  • Add the garlic, chili and spices and stir through for 20-30 seconds.
  • Add the cabbage and carrots, lime juice, coconut, and olive oil and stir through. Add the water and stir through. Press Keep Warm/Cancel button.
  • Place and lock the lid, make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual (High Pressure) and set to 5 minutes. After 3 beeps, the pressure cooker will start going. Once the time is up, use the quick release to let off the pressure.
  • Serve with rice or beans or as a side dish with fish or chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 932mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2840IU | Vitamin C: 96mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3mg
CourseMain Entree
CuisineSri Lankan
KeywordAppetizers, Cabbage, Curry, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetable Sides, Vegetarian
Made this recipe?Mention @instantpoteats or tag #instantpoteats!
|

More Gluten-Free

  • Air Fryer Curly Fries (Homemade & From Frozen)
  • air fryer pineapple
    Air Fryer Pineapple (Sweet & Savory)
  • air fryer red potatoes
    Red Potatoes Air Fryer
  • Amish Breakfast Casserole
    Amish Breakfast Casserole
13373 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julie

    July 1, 2022 at 7:45 am

    I stumbled onto this recipe a few years ago and it’s always a winner, I’ve slightly tweaked it to suit. I add chicken to mine as a one pot meal. I cook it in a pan as I don’t own a crockpot, I mix all the spices into some coconut cream and heat it all up in the pan, the smell is Devine when the heat hits it. I also add cumin and red cabbage. This is such an amazing dish. Thank you

    Reply
    • Ann Fabrizio

      July 3, 2022 at 11:03 pm

      Nice, adding chicken is a great idea.

      Reply
  2. Shari

    August 19, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    I didn't exactly stick to the instructions, since I don't have an instant pot or limes. So I used a regular pot and lemons 🙂
    Glad to hear any tricks, since it came out slightly bitter (from the tumeric, maybe?)

    Reply
  3. Mali

    June 1, 2021 at 4:14 am

    I don’t mean to be disrespectful in any way. I know it’s a vegan dish, but I would love to add some chicken breast to this dish. Is there any way I can cook it at the same time or would it have to be separately?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      June 7, 2021 at 6:53 am

      Hi Mali, if you add thinly sliced chicken breast or ground chicken and first saute it briefly with the mentioned ingredients, the 5-minute cooking time should be sufficient enough for both cabbage and chicken.

      Reply
      • Nancy

        February 11, 2022 at 11:43 pm

        Probably dumb questions but...do you use the whole cabbage or just the 1/4? And only the half onion or the whole?

        Reply
        • Instant Pot Eats

          February 13, 2022 at 4:17 am

          Not dumb at all, you could read the ingredients that way I suppose. Whole onion and whole cabbage 🙂 I've updated the ingredients description so it's not confusing in any way.

          Reply
  4. Lynn Newton

    January 17, 2021 at 8:57 pm

    Is 1/3 cup of water correct? My Instapot gave me a burn warning so i stopped cooking to add more water.

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      January 20, 2021 at 11:46 pm

      That's what we used and cabbage and veggies gave out a lot of juice during cooking so it worked fine. Some of the new Instant Pot models are quite sensitive to heat and you may need a little more water.

      Reply
  5. Pierre de Villers

    November 29, 2020 at 10:44 pm

    Made this Today as per recipe and will definitely be making it again! Yum. Thanks Instantpoteats for another great recipe. I served it with rice fried with onions and mushrooms.

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      November 29, 2020 at 11:41 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, Pierre 🙂

      Reply
  6. Tavia

    September 27, 2020 at 1:40 am

    My husband’s a vegan and he loved!!!! this recipe. As a matter of fact, he ate the whole pot before I could save some for the next day!!! Unbelievable

    Reply
  7. Laurel Kent

    September 25, 2020 at 12:48 pm

    how can you make this if you dont have an instant pot

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      September 25, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      Yes, absolutely. Repeat the steps in a pot on the stove and once everything is in, cook for 20-25 minutes or so over medium-low heat.

      Reply
  8. Tammy

    April 19, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    DELECTABLE!
    Followed this recipe to the T (used lemon juice) and it will become a staple. (I used the Wolfgang Puck 8-qt Rapid/ Pressure Cooker.)

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      April 20, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      Thanks, Tammy. Good to know it worked just as well in a different type of pressure cooker.

      Reply
  9. Danielle

    February 27, 2020 at 2:02 am

    Eek, it came out like watery mush. I'm hoping it's still edible when it cools off, I waited for natural pressure release, was that my mistake?

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      February 28, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Hey, Danielle

      Yes, natural pressure release still cooks the food so it will often overcook the vegetables. It's not so bad for meat dishes but pasta, rice and veggies can get pretty soggy and mushy if left in the IP for too long.

      I hope it still tasted nice.

      Irena

      Reply
  10. Melissa

    December 24, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Easy to make and turned out to be delicious! I don’t have an instant pot, so I just used a regular ole pot and once all of the ingredients were in, I covered the pot with a lid to help steam the cabbage. I also omitted the chilis because I didn’t have any and I didn’t miss them. I made quinoa and chickpeas to accompany it. So so good!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      December 28, 2019 at 10:33 am

      Thanks, glad you liked it and love your quinoa and chickpea side dishes.

      Reply
  11. Eileen Ailman

    July 22, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    I wonder if this recipe could be made using a crock pot?

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      July 29, 2019 at 9:20 am

      Yes, of course. Maybe 1.5-2 hours on HIGH and 2-3 on Medium?

      Reply
    • Brian Grossman

      October 11, 2019 at 10:42 pm

      Easy, quick, trying it tonight!

      Reply
  12. Liz

    January 26, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    I loved this recipe. I used a bag and a half of pre-cut cole slaw cabbage. I didn’t have the chili, so I used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Not overly hot, just a bit of heat. Served over white basmati rice and topped with small chunks of fresh pineapple. What unique and amazing flavor! Oh, I also omitted the oil entirely, since we are WFPB. (I sautéd the onion and spices in just enough veggie broth to prevent sticking.)

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      January 28, 2019 at 12:51 am

      Such a great idea to top it with pineapple 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  13. William

    January 15, 2019 at 11:21 pm

    This was an excellent recipe, but 5 minutes high pressure with 5 minutes natural release yields a completely soft/mushy cabbage. There is no reason you can't do a Quick Release so I suggest doing 3 minutes with an immediate quick release. I also added full fat coconut milk. I didn't have a coconut (forgot to purchase) but if I did I would have reserved that as the required liquid instead of water. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      January 21, 2019 at 6:58 am

      Thanks William! And also for your feedback on timings, I'd say you can certainly do QR and get crunchier cabbage.

      Reply
  14. Melissa

    January 4, 2019 at 1:27 am

    LOVE this dish. Made it again tonight subbing coconut milk for some of the water. Served it over rice and roasted cauliflower, topped it with crushed cashews. So, so good. THANK YOU for having such a terrific website!

    Reply
  15. Christine

    November 30, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    Could I throw in a few chicken legs (thawed) with the cabbage/veggies for step 3-4 so that it is an all in one curry dish? If so, would the cooking time still be set to 5 minutes (on step 4) and would the water added still be 1/3 cup of water (on step 3)?

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      January 28, 2019 at 1:07 am

      Hey Christine, chicken usually requires a longer time, so I would throw in the chicken first with some water and cook that for 7 minutes on high. Quick release and remove from the pot. Then follow the recipes and add the pre-cooked chicken with the cabbage and do 5 minutes on HIGH together as per the recipe. Alternatively, if you use something like ground chicken or finely dice chicken, it could probably cook in 5 minutes on HIGH together with the cabbage.

      Reply
  16. Pauline

    November 23, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    I followed your recipe exactly and it was perfect. My husband kept asking for more. I served it with fish (trout).

    Reply
  17. Joey Robbins

    September 2, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    I have tried to make several curries in the instant pot. Every recipe I have tried so far always seemed like it was missing something. then I came across this one. This recipe was absolutely delicious I will be making this over and over again thank you so very much! The only things I changed was to add one can of Trader Joes coconut milk and since I didn't have red peppers I used a little bit of cayenne I believe maybe a teaspoon for the whole recipe .....and it was out-of-this-world delicious!! This is a awesome recipe thank you so much God bless you!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      September 3, 2018 at 3:16 am

      Joey, I'm so glad you found a recipe you love. Thanks for sharing your adaptations. It sounds delicious!

      Reply
  18. ReginaCockfosters

    June 24, 2018 at 9:01 pm

    I added double the coconut some full fat coconut milk at the end and it took it over the top on the delicious scale! We couldn't stop eating it.

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      July 3, 2018 at 7:26 am

      Oh wow! That sounds fantastic. So glad you're enjoying this awesome veggie dish Regina, and thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  19. dannie

    June 18, 2018 at 7:22 am

    Nice delicious meal,Love my cabbages with abit of spices.like curry powder

    Reply
  20. Andy Hoffman

    March 21, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    Half the salt is used during the saute. When is the other half used? Either I'm not reading the recipe properly or .....

    My guess would be that it should be added with the other "spices" after the saute, but this isn't clear.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      March 22, 2018 at 7:13 pm

      The other half is used in the recipe.

      Reply
      • Ruth

        April 13, 2018 at 12:17 am

        What a snarky reply! I read the recipe 3 times and still don’t see where the other half of the salt is called for.

        Reply
        • instantpoteats

          April 22, 2018 at 7:19 pm

          Hi Ruth. I did not intend to sound snarky; I was only confirming that the other half of the salt is placed into the pot with the rest of the ingredients as the other commenter had assumed so. I hope this clears things up for you.

          Reply
  21. Nicole

    January 31, 2018 at 12:21 am

    Im making this now and excited for it! Just wondering though, isnt the minimum amount of water 1 and 1/2 cups water? Im afraid to mess this up lol.

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      February 3, 2018 at 9:45 am

      Hey Nicole,

      Officially, IP recommend 1 cup of liquid but it doesn't take into account the moisture/liquid released by the food itself. Cabbage tends to release A LOT of water while cooking, so in order for it to not turn into a soup, I am using less added liquid. It's still enough to build up the pressure and cook the vegetables 🙂

      Hope that makes sense.

      Reply
    • Kathleen S.

      March 18, 2019 at 12:43 am

      Made this tonight and it was a big hit. Paired it was a grain combo, Trader Joe’s chicken tikka samosas and lime pickle chutney. Absolutely delicious and enough for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for a great recipe.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About Us

We are a team of food enthusiasts, chefs and cookbook authors. On this blog we share a variety of Instant Pot recipes catered to different diets, budgets and needs, as well as roundups of our favourite dishes and ideas from around the web. You can find our Instant Pot 101 series here, which are useful for anyone mastering their new pressure cooker.


Popular Articles

  • 33 Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes
  • display instant pot
    Understanding Instant Pot Settings And Instructions
  • How to use the Instant Pot for beginners
    How To Use The Instant Pot For Beginners
  • Instant Pot Chicken Souvlaki Rice
    Instant Pot Chicken Souvlaki Rice

Our Recipe E-Book

Fan Favorites Recipes eBook

GET OUR FREE 25-RECIPE EBOOK

Newest Articles

  • Wine Reduction with Sea Buckthorn and Prunes
    Seungje Han’s Wine Reduction with Sea Buckthorn and Prunes
  • Side Dishes For Fried Fish
    17 Side Dishes For Fried Fish
  • 6 featured images from 27 Best Side Dishes for Pork Chops
    27 Best Side Dishes for Pork Chops
  • Side Dishes for Chili
    19 Side Dishes for Chili

Footer

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

2024 © INSTANT POT EATS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required