Dum Aloo is a North Indian curry made with baby potatoes that are simmered in onion and tomato-based gravy, spiced perfectly with turmeric, red chili pepper, garam masala, and garnished with dried fenugreek leaves.
Dum aloo is also my mom's signature recipe that I grew up eating. It is a combination of perfectly cooked semi-stuffed potatoes that are slow-cooked in a smooth, aromatic, and creamy sauce.
I am so happy that my boys also enjoy this curry, so now I can make it often in the Instant Pot for a quick, delicious, and authentic Indian meal. I truly believe it is the hint of homemade garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves that give this dish that magic touch. Yes, another creamy, restaurant-style Indian curry with a swirl of cashew paste added in the end!
I have made this dum aloo so many times that I am declaring this a no-fail dum aloo recipe.
Tips
- You can buy red or yellow baby potatoes, available in most grocery stores. A mix of 2 also works well.
- Coring baby potatoes is an optional step. I know that is the most tedious step in this recipe, so go ahead and skip coring potatoes. It will be still delicious I promise!
- If you do not find baby potatoes, use Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, peel, and cut into big 2 inch pieces.
- To make Vegan Dum Aloo simply substitute ghee with cooking oil and soak cashews in water instead of milk.
- Adjust the garam masala and Kashmiri red chili powder to make the dish more or less spicy
- Use heavy cream instead of cashew cream if you are allergic to nuts
- Dried fenugreek leaves are not the same as fenugreek seeds. So simply skip if you do not have them
Instructions
Step 1: Prep the potatoes
Peel and core the potatoes. Reserve the cored bits of potatoes as it will be added to the sauce later.
Step 2: Make the cashew paste
Soak cashews in warm milk for 10 minutes and set aside. Blend together to make smooth paste and reserve.
Step 3: Sauté the veggies
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat add ghee. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes with a glass lid on, stirring few times. Add ginger and garlic paste, cook for 30 seconds (photos 1 - 2).
Step 4: Add potatoes, spices and pressure cook
Add the carved out pieces from the potatoes. Add tomato puree, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Cook everything on saute mode for 2 minutes with a glass lid on, stirring a couple of times. With a small spoon, very carefully, as the gravy will be hot, fill the potatoes with the cooked masala/gravy and line them all in the IP insert. Add ½ cup of water. Close the Instant Pot, set on manual/pressure cook(Hi) for 8 minutes followed by Quick Release (photos 3 - 4).
Step 5: Garnish
Open the Instant Pot and stir in dried fenugreek leaves, cashew paste, and chopped cilantro. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and mix everything together. Add salt to taste. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn the Instant Pot off. Serve with hot parathas (photos 5 - 6).
As always, you can adjust the red chili powder and garam masala to make this dish more or less spicy.
If you have already tried this recipe and want to add a more complex flavor, try substituting the garam masala called in this recipe with 2 teaspoons of my mom's garam masala. It will add more earthy, complex flavors to the North Indian Dum Aloo Curry.
Serving
Enjoy with homemade whole wheat parathas, kale parathas, cabbage parathas, methi thepla, or naan. For a gluten-free meal serve with steamed rice, brown rice, or veg biryani.
If you have enjoyed my palak paneer, butter chicken, and aloo gobhi recipes, I would say try this recipe today and you will be obsessed!
Looking to incorporate more veggies in your diet? Check out these delicious Indian Instant Pot Recipes:
- Stir Fried Tindora
- Curried Baby Eggplant
- Curried Chickpeas
- Spicy potatoes with ginger
- Vegetable Kurma
- Pav Bhaji
- Misal Pav
★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.
Instant Pot Dum Aloo
Ingredients
- 10 baby potatoes peeled and cored from the top (save the carved out potato pieces)
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic grated
- 2 tomatoes pureed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder or any other mild red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 15 cashews
- ¼ cup warm milk or water for dairy free
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Soak cashews in warm milk for 10 minutes and set aside. Blend together to make smooth paste and reserve.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat add ghee. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes with a glass lid on, stirring few times. Add ginger and garlic paste, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the carved out pieces from the potatoes. Add tomato puree, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Cook everything on saute mode for 2 minutes with glass lid on, stirring a couple of times.
- With a small spoon, very carefully, as the gravy will be hot, fill the potatoes with the cooked masala/gravy and line them all in the IP insert. Add ½ cup of water. Close the Instant Pot, and pressure cook(Hi) for 8 minutes followed by Quick Release.
- Stir in dried fenugreek leaves, cashew paste and chopped cilantro. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and mix everything together. Add salt to taste. Bring to gentle boil and then turn the Instant Pot off. Serve with hot parathas.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup of store-bought tomato puree can be used in place of fresh tomato puree
- For a gluten-free meal, serve with cumin cauliflower rice
Nutrition
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Sai Pradyumna says
This recipe came out really well and the cashew cream and fenugreek leaves added a lot of richness to the curry. I was wondering how adding spinach to this recipe would work. I would love to know your thoughts. As an aside, it would be great if you could try and share a Hariyali Dum Aloo recipe.
Archana says
I love addition of spinach, and I always add chopped spinach after pressure cooking is done as it cooks so quickly.
Ruchi says
Turned out really well. We finished the entire thing in no time.
Jack Chawla says
Excellent recipe. Family loved it.
Namita Shukla says
Thank you for this recipe turned out very good and my family enjoyed it with white rice.
Urvika says
Hello there, I am about to make this— can I use canned tomatoes? And does this freeze well?
Archana says
Yes, you can use canned tomatoes. It will freeze well.
Renu says
Why do you core the potatoes?
Archana says
Mom always did as it cooks the potatoes well and the cored out pieces also adds a nice body to the gravy.
MC Hickory says
Under the nutritional information, is the data based on the entire dish or serving size?
Archana says
Its based on the servings size
Snehal Berajawala says
This dish was phenomenal. I made mine vegan by using oil instead of ghee and pureed the cashews in water. I ended up pureeing the gravy part bc my husband doesn't like chunky gravy.
Easynutfreevegan says
Is there a way to make this nut free (replace cashews with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds??)
Archana says
yes! You can use heavy cream
Missy pretty says
Enjoy making and with my family - it was very delicious; one alteration at my end- I blended the onion tomato masala paste before filing inthe potatoes and made it into a gravy; required to add water as I got burn sign after 5 mins of setting to cook but after adding more water and setting for another 5 mins it was perfect - no mushy potatoes
Savi says
Excellent dish! So easy to make and fool prof recipe! I pierced holes in the small potatoes and it still tasted heavenly. Ty Archana for another awesome recipe!
Mona Patel says
Absolutely Amazing!!!
Dana Renee' says
SOooooooo good. Me and my family have seriously loved every recipe I've made from you! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!!!!
Dana Renee' says
SOooooooo good! My family and I have enjoyed every recipe is yours that I've made!
Alicia says
Made this tonight and loved it but I made it way too spicy and I only did the 1/2 for Garam and chili. I made naan and raita which helped balance it out. I can’t wait to try this again. I think it will go into my regular rotation.
Trudy says
How much heavy cream should be used in place of the cashew paste?
Archana says
1/2 cup
Arti says
I made dum aloo many years ago using my mom’s recipe, needless to say it was a tedious process. This recipe makes it very easy without compromising on taste! Yum, yum, yum!
Mayuri D. says
One of my favorite recipes ever! Anytime I make and serve this, everyone loves it. Thank you so much for posting your recipes, keep it up!
Mala says
Archana, I am a big fan of your recipes. I tried your Paneer Butter Masala and your Paneer Kathi Roll and they were both awesome. I will try this dum aloo now. I have the following questions:
1. How much heavy cream instead of cashew cream?
2. How much Pomi strained tomotoes for this recipe? Can I use pomi strained tomatoes?
3. I use 8qt ultra IP and it didnt come with a glass lid? Can I use any glass lid I have for another cooking pot?
4. When cooking with glass lid, should IP be in sautee mode? Low or medium?
5. If I don't core the potatoes, should I prick them all over with a fork?
Archana says
Here are the answers:
1. How much heavy cream instead of cashew cream - 1/2 cup. More or less per taste.
2. How much Pomi strained tomotoes for this recipe? Can I use pomi strained tomatoes? - 1 cup strained tomatoes.
3. I use 8qt ultra IP and it didnt come with a glass lid? Can I use any glass lid I have for another cooking pot? - yes!
4. When cooking with glass lid, should IP be in sautee mode? Low or medium? - medium which is the default.
5. If I don’t core the potatoes, should I prick them all over with a fork? 0 yes!