This Indian Cauliflower Coconut Curry recipe is super flavorful, delicious, healthy, and easy to make in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or stovetop in just under 30 minutes for busy weeknights. Cauliflower curry is vegan, gluten-free, keto, and low-carb!
This Vegan Cauliflower Curry is a rich, filling, and comforting meal made with just a few ingredients, making it an ideal weeknight dinner. We often make this curry when I get fresh cauliflower from the grocery store.
It's incredibly easy to prepare in the Instant Pot pressure cooker, allowing you to enjoy a delicious dish on busy days. I usually serve it on top of basmati rice, with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
This cauliflower coconut milk curry is one of my favorite curry recipes similar to chickpea coconut curry, zucchini curry, butternut squash coconut curry, and Thai red curry. All of these dishes are made with creamy coconut milk, giving them a rich and comforting flavor. I have also shared the stovetop pot version below.
Love Cauliflower? Check out more Indian Cauliflower Recipes
Ingredients
- Cauliflower: 1 large head of cauliflower cut into medium size florets (about 5 cups).
- Onion: I have used finely chopped onions for this recipe.
- Ginger and garlic: I have used homemade fresh ginger paste and garlic paste. You can also mince them and add them to the curry.
- Tomatoes: I have used canned crushed tomatoes in this recipe. You can also use fresh diced Roma tomatoes to make the base for this curry. Or puree the fresh tomatoes and add them if you wish.
- Coconut milk: I have used Chaokoh brand Full Fat Coconut milk in this recipe because full fat works best as it contains the creamiest flavors. However, you can use low-fat coconut milk, but curry won't be as rich and creamy.
- Dry spices: I used turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala.
How to Make Cauliflower Coconut Curry in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, and let cumins splutter.
Then add 1 large onion (finely chopped), 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, and saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
Next, add 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes along with the juice (about 1.5 cups) or tomato puree/sauce, 1 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk (about 1.5 cups), and dry spices like 1 teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, salt, cauliflower florets (about 5 cups), and stir well.
Ensure to Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits.
If you think the mixture is too thick, add ½ cup of water to this (I did not add extra water).
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING".
Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 0 minutes OR select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (Low Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 2 minutes.
When the instant pot beeps, Quick release the pressure manually before removing the lid.
Lastly, squeeze half a lemon and garnish it with 2 tablespoons of cilantro.
Don't worry if the curry has too much liquid consistency. Simply turn on the SAUTE mode again and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until it reaches the desired thickness.
Indian Style Instant Pot Cauliflower Coconut Curry recipe is ready. Serve hot with basmati rice, jeera rice, or quinoa.
Stovetop Pot Method
- Heat oil in a pot, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and let the cumins splutter.
- Then add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes along with the juice or tomato puree or sauce, full-fat coconut milk, and dry spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, salt, cauliflower florets, and stir well.
- Cover the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the cauliflower softens and absorbs the flavors.
- Lastly, squeeze fresh lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Cauliflower curry is ready to serve.
What to Serve with Cauliflower Coconut Curry?
Serve cauliflower coconut curry with
- Indian bread like rotis, naan, parathas, or poori.
- Basmati rice, jeera rice, or coconut rice with kachumber salad or pickle on the side.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make-ahead: The curry can be made a day before serving and reheated on the microwave or stovetop until warm before serving.
- Store: You can store leftover cauliflower coconut curry in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat it in a microwave or stovetop until warm, and serve. If it's frozen, defrost first and then reheat.
Variations
- Vegetables: You can also add hearty veggies of your choice, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, beans, and green leafy veggies like kale and baby spinach.
- Spices: If you can't find the dry spices mentioned in this recipe, you can replace them with 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder.
- Protein: To make cauliflower chickpea curry, add canned or boiled chickpeas to this recipe. For a variation, you may also add air fried tofu.
- Coconut Milk: I prefer using full-fat coconut milk for this recipe. You can also use reduced-fat coconut milk, but you may not achieve the same results. The sauce may be thinner.
Cooking Tips
- Cauliflower cooks very quickly, so use large pieces for this recipe.
- Make sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot with the liquid. There are chances of onion and ginger garlic bits sticking to the bottom, so gently scrape the pot with some liquid to prevent possible BURN notice.
Recipe FAQs
You can easily add your favorite veggies, eggplant, sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, carrot, green peas. You can also add canned or cooked chickpeas for extra protein.
I personally like Chaokoh, Thai Kitchen Organic, Aroy-D, and 365 Everyday Value Organic Coconut Milk brands.
Yes!
Yes! Cauliflower is low in carbs and is an excellent vegetable for the diet. However, you may want to reduce the amount of tomatoes if you are on keto diet.
More Vegan Instant Pot Indian Curry Recipes
Instant Pot Cauliflower Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (Or olive oil)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 can (14 oz) tomatoes crushed (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 can (14 oz) full fat coconut milk (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into medium size florets (about 5 cups)
- salt adjust to taste
- juice of half lemon
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander leaves)
Dry Spices
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add coconut oil to the POT. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and let cumins splutter.
- Then add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes along with the juice or tomato puree/sauce, full-fat coconut milk, and dry spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, salt, cauliflower florets, and stir well.
- Ensure to Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits.If you think the mixture is too thick, add ½ cup of water to this (I did not add extra water).
- Furthermore, Close the lid on the pot. Select 0 minutes on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) OR select Manual 2 minutes for low pressure.
- Once the pot beeps, Quick release the pressure manually.
- Lastly, Squeeze some fresh lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Don't worry if the curry is a too liquid consistency. Instead, turn on SAUTE mode again and boil the curry for 2-3 minutes or until you get the desired consistency.
- Indian Style Instant Pot Cauliflower Coconut Curry recipe is ready. Serve hot with basmati rice, jeera rice, or quinoa.
Stovetop Pot Method:
- Heat oil in a pot, Once the oil, is hot add cumin seeds, bay leaf, and let cumin splutter.
- Then add onions, ginger-garlic paste, and saute until onions turn light brown for 3-4 minutes.
- Next add the crushed tomatoes along with the juice or tomato puree or sauce, full-fat coconut milk, and dry spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, salt, cauliflower florets, and stir well.
- Cover the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower softens and absorbs the flavors.
- Lastly, squeeze fresh lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Serve Indian style Cauliflower Curry hot with basmati rice or quinoa.
Video
Notes
Variations:
- You can also add hearty veggies of your choice like carrots, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, squash, and green leafy veggies like kale, spinach.
- If you cant find dry spices mentioned in this recipe, you can replace them with 1.5 tablespoons of curry powder instead.
- You can also add canned or cooked chickpeas to make a cauliflower chickpea curry recipe.
- I prefer using full-fat coconut milk for this recipe. You can also use reduced-fat coconut milk but you may not achieve the same results. The sauce may be thinner.
Tips:
- Make sure to deglaze the bottom of the pot with the liquid. There are chances of onion and ginger garlic bits sticking to the bottom so gently scrape the pot with some liquid to prevent possible BURN notice.
- Cauliflower cooks very quickly, so use larger pieces for this recipe.
Nutrition
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Anonymous
Easy and flavorful
Andrea Howard
Sooooo good and easy! Tastes even better the next day.
bhavana
Thank you Andrea for sharing your feedback. 🙂
Manisha
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try it tomorrow. When would you add the chickpeas if using them? Thanks!
bhavana
Hey Manisha, Califlower takes very less time for cooking so i suggest adding cooked or canned chickpeas for this recipe..you can add along with cauliflower and coconut milk.If you think chickpeas are undercooked just simmer the curry for sometime.Please let me know if you try this recipe.