Instant Pot Indian Recipes for Faster Cooking

Indian cooking is celebrated for its rich spices, layered flavors, and nourishing variety—but it can also be time-consuming. Grinding spices, slow simmering, and elaborate prep work might intimidate busy cooks. That’s where the Instant Pot steps in as a game-changer. This modern pressure cooker is a powerful tool for preparing flavorful Indian dishes in a fraction of the time.

In this blog, we dive deep into the best Instant Pot Indian recipes, categorized by meals, ingredients, and dietary preferences. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced cook, these recipes will help you bring authentic Indian flavour to your kitchen—fast.

🛠️ Why Use an Instant Pot for Indian Cooking?

Before we dive into recipes, let’s understand why the Instant Pot is particularly suited for Indian meals:

• Pressure Cooking = Tender Results: Legumes like chana (chickpeas) and rajma (kidney beans) soften beautifully without hours of boiling.

• One-Pot Efficiency: Sauté, pressure cook, and keep warm—all in one device.

• Time-Saving: What used to take hours now takes under 30 minutes.

• Consistent Results: No guessing game with doneness or overcooking.

• Easy Clean-up: Minimal mess, maximum satisfaction.

🍛 Best Instant Pot Indian Recipes (By Meal Type)

1. Breakfast Recipes

a. Instant Pot Upma

A savory South Indian semolina porridge loaded with vegetables and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chilies.
Cook time: 5 mins sauté + 5 mins pressure cook

b. Pongal (Ven Pongal)

This creamy rice and moong dal dish is rich, comforting, and easy on the stomach. Add ghee, black pepper, and cashews for flavour.
Cook time: 12 mins

c. Instant Pot Poha

Flattened rice cooked with onions, mustard seeds, turmeric, and peanuts. Light yet filling.
Cook time: 8–10 mins (sauté mode only)

2. Lunch & Dinner Recipes

a. Chana Masala

Spiced chickpea curry with a tomato-onion base. Perfect with rice or roti. Soaking dry chickpeas overnight is recommended, or use canned for a quicker version.
Cook time: 35 mins (with dried chana)

b. Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry)

A North Indian staple made creamy in the Instant Pot with onions, tomatoes, and warming spices.
Cook time: 40 mins

c. Chicken Curry

Succulent chicken pieces simmered in aromatic masala—ready in under 30 minutes using boneless chicken.
Cook time: 6 mins pressure + 5 mins sauté

d. Matar Paneer

Paneer and peas in a rich tomato-based gravy. Fast, vegetarian, and kid-friendly.
Cook time: 5 mins pressure + sauté

e. Vegetable Pulao

Rice cooked with mixed vegetables, cumin, cloves, and bay leaf. One of the easiest one-pot meals.
Cook time: 5 mins pressure + 10 mins natural release

f. Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Restaurant-style butter chicken can now be made at home using the Instant Pot—with marinated chicken, tomato purée, and cream.
Cook time: 8 mins pressure

3. Snacks & Appetizers

a. Instant Pot Samosa Filling

Make potato-pea samosa filling in minutes. Use for wraps, chaats, or traditional pastry.

b. Sprouted Moong Salad

Steam sprouts using the Instant Pot then mix with chopped veggies, lemon, and chaat masala for a high-protein snack.

c. Stuffed Bell Peppers

Use leftover dal or rice, stuff into capsicums, and steam using the Pot-in-Pot method.

4. Soups & Stews

a. Mulligatawny Soup

A spiced lentil-based soup with veggies and optionally chicken—great for a rainy day.

b. Dal Shorba

A thin, spiced lentil broth with garlic and cumin tempering. Comforting and light.

c. Sambar

South Indian lentil stew made easy in the Instant Pot, perfect for pairing with rice or idli.

5. Side Dishes

a. Instant Pot Aloo Gobi

Potatoes and cauliflower with ginger, turmeric, and coriander. A dry sabzi perfect with dal and rice.

b. Jeera Rice

Fragrant basmati rice with cumin, ready in 12 minutes. A no-fail side dish.

c. Bhindi Masala

Okra sautéed with onion and spice—no slime when done right in the Instant Pot’s sauté mode.

6. Desserts & Indian Sweets

a. Kheer (Rice Pudding)

Sweetened milk with rice, cardamom, and nuts. No babysitting the pot—just set and go.

b. Moong Dal Halwa

Roasted moong dal with ghee, sugar, and milk. Laborious on stove, but way easier in the IP.

c. Gajar Halwa

Carrot halwa pressure-cooked with milk and sugar, finished with cardamom and cashews.

d. Rasmalai

Cheat version with store-bought rasgullas simmered in saffron-flavored milk.

🌱 Vegetarian & Vegan Instant Pot Indian Recipes

Many Indian meals are inherently vegetarian or easily veganized:

• Vegan: Skip ghee/butter, use oil and coconut milk for richness.

• Paneer → swap for tofu

• Milk-based desserts → coconut, almond, or oat milk alternatives

Great Vegan Options:

• Instant Pot Chole (Chickpea Curry)

• Vegan Lentil Curry (Dal Tadka)

• Baingan Bharta (Mashed smoky eggplant)

• Vegan Vegetable Biryani

🥘 Popular One-Pot Indian Meal Combos

You can use your Instant Pot to make complete Indian meal sets with minimal prep and dishes:

Combo 1:

Rajma + Jeera Rice – Both can be made simultaneously using Pot-in-Pot (PIP) method.

Combo 2:

Sambar + Vegetable Upma – Great for brunch or light dinners.

Combo 3:

Chana Masala + Brown Basmati Rice – High protein and fibre-packed meal.

🕒 Time-Saving Tips for Faster Indian Cooking

• Pre-Soak Beans & Legumes: Save time and improve digestibility.

• Use PIP Method: Cook rice, dal, and curry in one go using separate containers.

• Make Onion-Tomato Masala Base in Bulk: Freeze portions to skip the base-making step.

• Utilize Sauté Mode: Brown onions, toast spices, or pre-cook meat without switching appliances.

• Natural vs. Quick Pressure Release: Use quick release for veggies and delicate dishes; natural release for beans and meats.

🍲 Pantry Staples for Instant Pot Indian Recipes

Keep your Indian pressure cooking smooth by having these on hand:

• Lentils: Toor dal, moong dal, masoor dal, chana dal

• Beans: Rajma, black chickpeas, white chana

• Grains: Basmati rice, brown rice, millets

• Spices: Turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, mustard seeds

• Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, onions

• Tinned Tomatoes or Tomato Purée

• Ghee/Oil, Yogurt, Coconut Milk

🧑‍🍳 Cooking for Beginners? Start Here

Beginner-friendly Instant Pot Indian recipes:

1. Jeera Rice

2. Vegetable Pulao

3. Dal Tadka

4. Aloo Gobi

5. Chana Masala

Each requires minimal chopping, uses basic spices, and delivers great flavour with little effort.

🍽️ Meal Prep & Freezer-Friendly Instant Pot Meals

Batch cook these recipes and store for later:

• Rajma and Chole – Freeze in airtight containers

• Curries like Palak Paneer or Butter Chicken – Hold up well for 4–5 days

• Sambar – Lasts 3–4 days in fridge; freezes beautifully

• Kheer & Halwas – Portion out into small bowls for weekday desserts

🏁 Final Thoughts

The Instant Pot is a modern kitchen saviour for lovers of Indian food. From dal to biryani, halwa to soup—it’s never been easier to enjoy homestyle, flavour-packed meals on a busy schedule. This electric pressure cooker takes the intimidation out of Indian cooking and opens doors to weeknight convenience with weekend flavour.