Name: Instant Pot Vegetable Curry {vegan}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 2 zucchini (cubed); 1 red bell pepper (chopped); 1 orange bell pepper (chopped); 1 cup peas (frozen); 2 cups vegetable broth; 15 ounces coconut cream; 2 tbsp curry powder; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground cumin; basmati rice (cooked, for serving); cilantro (fresh, for garnish); cayenne pepper or sliced chili peppers (optional)

This instant pot vegetable curry is packed with Indian-inspired spices and loaded with fresh veggies. Plus, it’s completely vegan, gluten-free, and cooks up in less than 20 minutes!

instant pot vegetable curry in white serving dish

Quick & Easy Vegetable Curry

Most vegetable curry recipes take a minimum of an hour to prepare – and some can take hours to simmer on a hot stove.

But this vegan vegetable curry is made in the Instant Pot, which means it will only take 20 minutes total. And that includes prep time! (You can find more great vegetarian instant pot recipes here!)

In takes just 10 minutes to prep all the veggies and spices, and another 10 minutes to cook in the instant pot.

And I promise it will come out just as flavorful as cooking the old fashioned way. You won’t even believe it’s 100% vegan!

P.S. If you haven’t already grabbed a copy, be sure to snag this free vegan toolkit. It’s packed with my favorite plant-based recipes, cheat sheets, and more!

vegan vegetable curry made in the instant pot

Let’s make vegetable curry in the instant pot!

Like I said, this recipe is super simple, but I’ll share a few tips to make your vegan vegetable curry even tastier.

Let’s start with the prep. Chop up your red and orange bell peppers. Did you know that red peppers are just a bit sweeter than the orange ones? So make sure you have both!

Chop us your zucchini into bite-sized cubes. Try to chop all the veggies to a similar size, so they cook evenly in the instant pot.

Next is the spice mix. Most important is the curry powder – it’s worth investing in a good quality curry powder as a kitchen staple.

We’ll also add salt, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, and ground cumin.

spice mix for vegetable curry in the instant pot

You can always experiment with the spices to find the perfect combination for your taste.

I’ve made versions with paprika, coriander, black pepper, or turmeric in the past. Be as creative as you want!

Then, just throw all your curry ingredients into the instant pot. I added some frozen peas as well, for a little extra texture and color.

veggies and spices in instant pot for vegetable curry

Just like the spices, you can play around with the vegetables for this curry. Try it with eggplant, beets, carrots. This is a good “pantry cleaning” recipe, because just about anything goes.

Next, you’ll add the coconut cream and vegetable broth and stir all your ingredients together.

Note that I used coconut cream for this recipe, not coconut milk. The cream is much thicker and richer. You can substitute coconut milk if that’s easier to find – but the curry sauce will be thinner.

vegetable curry being made in instant pot

And finally, seal the instant pot and set the pressure on high for 10 minutes.

And that’s it – your vegetable curry will be done! Do a quick release when the pressure time has finished and stir it all together well.

By now, your kitchen will smell like an Indian restaurant, alerting everyone that it’s time for a delicious dinner — and they didn’t even have to wait very long!

Taste the curry before serving to see if the spice level suits you. If you need to kick it up a notch, stir in a bit of chili powder or sliced chili peppers to spice things up.

Serve the vegetable curry over rice, with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

If you need a cocktail to wash down your veggie curry, try a blood orangecello or some club soda mixed with strawberry-infused vodka.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my Butternut Squash Curry or Indian-Spiced Golden Curry. And if you’re an instant pot junkie, go ahead and check out this collection of vegetarian and vegan instant pot recipes. Yum!

Don’t forget to grab a free copy of my vegan toolkit, with all my reader-favorite vegan recipes!