Instant Pot Potato Curry with just 8 ingredients. It's mild, creamy, super tasty, quick, easy, healthy, and budget-friendly!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"Loved this recipe! I made it last night for my family and went in the kitchen to put our leftovers in a container. There weren't any leftovers! Haha. I thought the recipe was easy to make and hearty." - Janice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
This quick, easy, and budget-friendly Instant Pot Potato Curry is a spin-off of my reader favorite Easy Green Bean Potato Curry. It's simple, cheap, easy to make, and really tasty!
In this post:
My Instant Pot curry is not a traditional spice-heavy Indian curry. While we'd all love to be able to whip up a delicious tofu tikka masala from scratch after work it's just not going to happen for most of us and this curry is the perfect solution.
It's a simple Western-style curry with a very short ingredient list and is intended for quick and easy mid-week dinners. It's great for families with kids (or adults) who don't like a lot of spice, or anyone who just wants a really quick and easy vegan Instant Pot dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Only 8 ingredients (plus water and seasoning) are required:
- Onion & garlic - Our aromatics. They add lots of flavor and the onion adds texture too.
- Potatoes - These must be waxy potatoes or in-betweenies like Yukon Gold. This is because they will keep their shape while cooking in an Instant Pot. Starchy potatoes such as russet or Idaho should be avoided as they will disintegrate while cooking.
- Green beans - Fresh or frozen. No green beans? Frozen peas work great too!
- Curry powder - Curry powder is a blend of spices and an efficient and budget-friendly way to add a lot of spice and flavor. It's the only spice you need for this recipe. Any brand is fine but obviously the better the curry powder the better your curry will be.
- Coconut milk - From a can. Full-fat coconut milk will give you the best creamy texture and flavor but you can use light coconut milk if you prefer.
- Cornstarch or arrowroot - Either will do. It's to thicken the sauce and make it creamier.
- Salt & pepper - Our seasonings. Be very generous. The correct seasoning can make the difference between a good curry and an ok curry. Potatoes suck up and absorb a lot of salt so you need a little more than you usually would.
- Sugar - Just a touch. It's used as a seasoning and makes a HUGE difference to the flavor balance
No Instant Pot?
If you don't have an Instant Pot make the stove-top version of this curry recipe instead.
Variations
Curry is really versatile in terms of what you can add. Here are some ideas:
- Add-ins – Tofu or a can of chickpeas are great additions for a hefty dose of plant protein and most veggies will work too. I love cauliflower in curries! I recommend reducing the amount of potatoes a little when adding any extras so you don't end up with too many solids for the amount of sauce. And add them at an appropriate stage in the cooking process so they cook thoroughly but don't overcook.
- Make it spicy - This is not a spicy curry. To add heat you can either use hot curry powder, a small fresh chili when sauteing the onions and garlic, a few pinches of dried red chili pepper flakes, or some hot cayenne pepper.
- Make it nutty or tomatoey – Add a few tablespoons of natural peanut butter or tomato paste to the sauce to make it richer.
- Add more spices - Add your favorite curry spices like cumin, turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek, etc, in addition, or instead of the curry powder. Be sure to add them when sauteing the onions and garlic so they can bloom.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Potato Curry is hearty enough to serve as it is with a naan or no yeast flatbread for mopping up that delicious sauce.
I love it with rice, quinoa, or couscous to stretch it further and my coconut basmati rice or coconut lime rice are great accompaniments if you want to fancy the meal up. I really like some mango chutney on the side too.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover curry in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing this curry because potatoes can become grainy and mealy once defrosted.
Reheat gently in a pan on the stovetop or in a microwave. Add a little water or coconut milk to thin the sauce as needed.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Recipe
Instant Pot Potato Curry
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or a little water for oil-free
- 1 medium yellow onion , thinly sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons curry powder , or curry paste
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- 2lb (900g /or about 6 cups) chopped potatoes , such as Yukon Gold, red potatoes, baby potatoes, or fingerlings. Half baby potatoes & cut bigger potatoes into chunky bite-sized pieces.
- 1 x 13.5oz (400 ml) can coconut milk , full fat for the best flavor/creaminess
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch , or arrowroot
- 2 heaping cups (400 grams) green beans , fresh or frozen (no need to defrost).
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
This recipe was developed using a 6-quart Instant Pot. If yours is a different size you will need to scale the recipe up or down accordingly.
- Set your Instant Pot to saute. Once hot, add the oil and cook the onions for about 5 minutes until translucent and just starting to color on the edges.
- Add the garlic and curry powder cook for one minute longer then press the KEEP WARM/CANCEL button.
- Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pan really well with a metal spoon to remove any stuck on residue then add everything else to the Instant Pot except the green beans and cornstarch/arrowroot.
- Set the Instant Pot to 20 minutes on MANUAL high pressure and allow the pressure to release naturally after this time.
- Press KEEP WARM/CANCEL, remove the lid and press SAUTE. Put the arrowroot/cornstarch into a small bowl or cup and mix into it a few tablespoons of water to make a thickish but pourable slurry. Pour it into the Instant Pot stirring as you go.
- Add the green beans and cook for about 5 minutes until they are tender and the gravy has thickened. Serve immediately.
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Margaret says
I don't understand the handful of bad reviews here. We love this recipe. No it's not an authentic Indian curry with lots of spices but it doesn't claim to be. It's simple and really family-friendly and we love it. Thanks Mel!
Nicole says
This is delicious every time I make it! Unfortunately I've been the only one who can enjoy it since my hubby can't do the coconut. Can you suggest an alternative to the coconut milk? Maybe cashew cream?
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you're enjoying it Nicole! A thinnish cashew cream (canned coconut milk kind of texture) would be a great alternative. Or if you can get it something like the Earth's Own culinary cream which is oat based.
Nicole says
Melanie, Belatedly thank you for the reply! I wanted to post an update as I have finally had a chance to try and tweak this recipe without the coconut milk. I created a cashew cream and added a few extra things - these all go in before cooking. I also found that I prefer adding the green beans (I used frozen) before cooking. Hubby likes it!!
Here is what I substituted for the 1 can of coconut milk:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours then blended with 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 extra cup water (3 cups water total, original recipe calls for 2 cups)
- 5 tsp sugar (this is total, orignal recipe calls for 1 tbsp)
- 1.5 tsp salt (original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp)
- arrowroot powder not needed to thicken as the cashew cream works in its place
I hope this is useful for anyone looking to make this without the coconut milk!
Kirstin says
Really good! I did add a little ginger, red curry paste, and dried red chiles because I am obsessed with spice, but those were the only modifications. 😊
B says
Love the convenience but the flavor is severely lacking.
Janice says
Loved this recipe! I made it last night for my family and went in the kitchen to put our leftovers in a container. There weren't any leftovers! Haha. I thought the recipe was easy to make and hearty.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with mysteriously disappearing leftovers! So pleased you all enjoyed it though and thanks for stopping by to leave a review!
Lene says
I rarely write reviews but unfortunately this was one of the worst recipes I ever cooked. It’s so bland you really cannot call it a curry. I know a lot of work goes into these recipes, but I’m afraid this one needs some editing.
Krisstina says
I love this recipe because it is so quick and easy. However, it does lack flavour and spices.
I did adjust it based on others comments. I used 2 fresh red Thai chillis and a dash of chilli flakes as we love spice. I used vegetable broth instead of water, cut the sugar to 2 tsp and used two table spoons of cornstarch instead of 3. I used regular yellow potatoes so it naturally became thicker.
Christy says
Delicious and easy!
Sara Mah says
Great recipe. My only modification: next time I'm going to skip the thickener at the end. The dish doesn't need it, the potatoes give enough starch to the sauce. Killer flavours, thanks!
Thom says
I froze some portions of this. Two days ago I put one in the fridge to thaw and today I microwaved it—it really held up!
Maureen says
Delicious!! This was my first recipe with my new Instant Pot, and my husband and I really enjoyed it!!
Taylor says
Just tried your recipe! It was really easy and perfect for midweek. The fam loved it.
Lottie says
We tried this recipe tonight and it just felt so bland. Not quite sure exactly what it was that was missing but it was lacking in flavour and just needed a wider variety of spices I think.
Nicole says
I agree. This was the first thing I made in my instant pot. I was so excited as I LOVE curry. Followed the recipe but it was just bland. Not a lot of spice or flavor I’m general. I’ll probably try to make it again and see if I can fix it.
Joyce says
OMG! This was so good! Was just looking for a green bean and potato recipe for my instant pot and found this recipe. Thank you for sharing. I did adjust the seasoning. I added a tablespoon of fish sauce and tablespoon of coconut aminos. Going to make this again!
Gypsygirl1962 says
Was very good and easy to make. My boyfriend who doesn't care for Indian food or green beans liked it too
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great. I'm so pleased you both enjoyed it!
Alexa says
I just got anew instant pot and this is the first recipe I have tried. We loved it. Easy to follow and it made a really delicous curry.
Mark Singer says
I'm using this recipe as the basis for tonight's curry. My changes are to use "vegan protein broth" (essentially a packaged soymilk/lentil/vegetable cooking stock) instead of the water and coconut milk, to add carrots and eliminate the green beans at the end, and to add about 14 oz. of tempeh cut into bite-sized pieces half-way through sautéing the onion, potatoes, and carrots. I also sautéd those ingredients in about 1 1/2 tbsp. of 50/50 mustard oil/vegetable oil--more fat, but water alone was not going to work with that much in the pot.
I used russet potatoes because I want them to break up and thicken the sauce, which is a good trick if you're not wanting to use flour/oil or cornstarch as thickeners. I also cheated and used commercially prepared Madras curry paste because it was hanging around in the refrigerator. The results will likely be spicier, but the great thing about curries is that they're infinitely variable once you have the proportions and techniques down, which this recipe certainly provides. Thanks for posting it.