Pav Bhaji is a popular Mumbai street food made with a flavorful, buttery mashed vegetable curry (bhaji) served alongside soft, butter-toasted bread rolls (pav), and topped with finely chopped onions, fresh coriander, and a squeeze of lime. This Instant Pot Pav Bhaji comes together effortlessly in the pressure cooker, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Pav Bhaji is one of the very first dishes I learned to cook during my college days, along with favorites like gobi manchurian and onion pakoda.
Traditionally, Pav Bhaji is made by pressure-cooking the vegetables, mashing them, and then simmering them with butter and aromatic spices. This Instant Pot Pav Bhaji simplifies the process by cooking everything in one pot, making it an easy, fuss-free recipe that's perfect for busy weeknights or when you need to whip up a quick meal for unexpected guests.
Dont have an Instant Pot? Dont worry, I have shared the recipe for the stovetop pressure cooker below.
Jump to:
- What is Pav Bhaji?
- How to Make Pav Bhaji in an Instant Pot
- Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
- Variations of Mumbai Pav Bhaji
- Tips to make the best Pav Bhaji
- What can you do with Leftover Pav Bhaji?
- Recipe FAQs
- More Indian Street Food Recipes
- Mumbai Pav Bhaji (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
- Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
What is Pav Bhaji?
Pav Bhaji is a Maharashtrian-style classic Indian dish. Bhaji, a curry made with various vegetables, onions, chilies, potatoes, and pav used to soak up the flavorful curry, makes up its two key components. Add some butter on the top, and you're ready to go.
How to Make Pav Bhaji in an Instant Pot
Press the SAUTÉ button on the Instant Pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add 1 medium finely chopped onions and 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions turn soft and light golden.
Next, add 2 cups of finely chopped tomatoes and spices like 1-2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, salt to taste, and 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft.
Note: For the best flavor, I use a blend of Everest Pav Bhaji Masala and Badshah Mumbai Bhaji Pav Masala. Feel free to use your favorite pav bhaji masala or any good-quality brand you have on hand.
Then add 2 cups of roughly diced potatoes, 1 cup if cauliflower, ¾ cup green bell pepper, ½ cup green peas, ¾ cup of carrots, ¼ cup beetroot (make sure to chop them small), and 1 cup of water. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps as the Instant Pot. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook for two whistles or about 12-15 minutes (if on a stovetop pot) on medium heat. All other steps remain the same.
Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
Mash the bhaji with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and coarsely grind the ingredients.
Turn on the SAUTE again and add 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), optional but recommended, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and salt if required. Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes.
Next, add 1-2 tablespoons butter (optional but recommended) and garnish with 2 tablespoons coriander leaves.
Slice each pav horizontally. Heat an iron skillet or tawa over medium heat and spread a little butter. Place the pav cut-side down and toast both sides until golden brown and lightly crisp.
Serve the toasted pav with the bhaji. Garnish the pav bhaji with a dollop of butter, finely chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
Variations of Mumbai Pav Bhaji
There are a lot of variations to make this pav bhaji.
- Jain Pav Bhaji - No Onion, Garlic, or underground vegetables like potatoes are used for making this dish.
- Cheese Pav Bhaji - A lot of Mozzarella or processed cheese is added just before serving the Pav Bhaji.
- Keto Pav Bhaji - Is made with the core ingredient cauliflower along with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic, butter, and pav bhaji masala. Will be sharing the recipe soon.
- Vegan Pav Bhaji - Use vegan butter or oil to make Vegan Pav Bhaji.
Tips to make the best Pav Bhaji
- Add a generous amount of butter while making this dish, this is one of the secrets to making delicious pav bhaji. Use Amul Butter to get an authentic Mumbai pav bhaji flavor.
- Many street vendors use artificial colors to make pav bhaji red. Use Kashmiri red chili powder to get that rich red color. Also, you can use red bell pepper instead of green bell pepper. Another tip is to use red vine tomatoes and beetroot for this recipe.
- Toast the Pav/dinner rolls with butter before serving.
What can you do with Leftover Pav Bhaji?
I usually prepare a larger quantity and use the leftovers to make either
- Pav Bhaji Dosa
- Pav Bhaji Paratha
- Tawa Pulao
- Masala Pav
Recipe FAQs
Leftovers can also be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days and up to 3 months in the freezer in freezer-safe containers. Just thaw the bhaji overnight in the refrigerator and serve with the pav or dinner rolls.
The flavor of the pav bhaji mainly depends on this special masala powder called Pav Bhaji Masala. This powder is always available in my pantry, so I've never had to prepare this spice blend from scratch. There are many brands selling pav bhaji masala, but I highly recommend Everest Pav Bhaji Masala and Badshah Mumbai Bhaji Pav Masala, which are easily available in Indian grocery stores or on Amazon.
More Indian Street Food Recipes
Mumbai Pav Bhaji (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 + 1 tablespoon oil + butter
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 4 medium tomatoes chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 medium potatoes peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 8 small cauliflower florets (about 1 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper diced (about ¾ cup)
- ½ cup green peas I used frozen peas
- 1 medium carrot diced (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup beetroot (cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Garnish
- ¼ cup onions chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
For Pav:
- 12 pav (or dinner rolls)
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press the SAUTÉ button on the Instant Pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the finely chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions turn soft and light golden.
- Next, add the finely chopped tomatoes and spices like red chili powder, turmeric, salt, pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft.
- Then add potatoes, cauliflower, green bell pepper, green peas, carrots, beetroot, and water. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps as the Instant Pot. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook for two whistles or about 12-15 minutes (if on a stovetop pot) on medium heat. All other steps remain the same. - Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).Mash the bhaji with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and coarsely grind the ingredients.
- Turn on the SAUTE again and add the Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), optional but recommended, lemon juice, and salt if required. Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes.
- Next, add butter (optional but recommended) and garnish with coriander leaves
- Slice each pav horizontally. Heat an iron skillet or tawa over medium heat and spread a little butter. Place the pav cut-side down and toast both sides until golden brown and lightly crisp.
- Serve the toasted pav with the bhaji. Garnish the pav bhaji with a dollop of butter, finely chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
Notes
Variations
There are a lot of variations to make this pav bhaji.- Jain Pav Bhaji - No Onion, Garlic, or underground vegetables like potatoes are used for making this dish.
- Cheese Pav Bhaji - A lot of Mozzarella or processed Cheese is added just before serving the Pav Bhaji.
- Keto Pav Bhaji - Is made with the core ingredient cauliflower along with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic, butter, and pav bhaji masala. Will be sharing the recipe soon.
- Vegan Pav Bhaji - Use Vegan Butter or Oil to make Vegan Pav Bhaji.
Tips
- Add a generous amount of butter while making this dish, this is one of the secrets to making delicious pav bhaji. Use Amul Butter to get authentic Mumbai pav bhaji flavor.
- A lot of street vendors use artificial colors to make pav bhaji red. Use Kashmiri red chili powder to get that rich red color. Also, you can use red bell pepper instead of green bell pepper. Another tip is to use vine red tomatoes for this recipe.
- Toast the Pav/dinner rolls with butter before serving.
Nutrition
★ Like this recipe? FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube for more quick & easy recipes.
Anita Sharma
Thank you for sharing this receipt! excellent!!! Everyone loved it!
Bhavana Patil
Thank you, Anita. I am glad to hear that you folks loved it 😊 Have a nice day 😊
Kavya
Super easy way to make instant pot pav bhaji! Loved the recipe!
Bhavana Patil
Hi Kavya, Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, means a lot. Happy Cooking!