Pav Bhaji | Instant Pot Pav Bhaji

Learn how to make the bhaji(mixed-vegetable curry) for the famous Indian Street Food, Pav Bhaji, in an electric pressure cooker/Instant Pot and stovetop pressure cooker.

This lip-smacking spicy mixed-vegetable curry served along with dinner rolls, also known as pav, is a perfect party pleaser recipe and perfect for a weekday brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Pav Bhaji is one of our favorite recipes. We love it for any meal. Actually, we can have chaat dishes for brunch, lunch, or dinner. When I made the masala puri, I served it for our dinner.

Ok, I have never been to Mumbai, so I haven’t got the chance to taste the local Mumbai pav bhaji, but I have relished it in my friend’s place and other local restaurants here in the Bay Area. I learned the recipe from my friends, and by decrypting the recipe from the spice packet, and improvised it in due course.

What is Pav Bhaji?

As mentioned before, pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food famous in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

Pav means dinner rolls, and bhaji is nothing but a spicy mixed-vegetable curry. We usually serve the piping hot bhaji topped with a dollop of butter along with pav buns or the dinner rolls. Pav and bhaji are inseparable, and it is always known as pav bhaji. 

Pav bhaji masala

Let me be honest here. I have never made Pav Bhaji masala from scratch and have always relied on store-bought pav bhaji masala. I have tried both MDH and Everest brands of masala, and I like them both. There are several other brands too, and you can find them easily in Indian groceries and on Amazon online. The spice level might vary depending upon the brand, so you should adjust it according to your preference. 

For this recipe, I went with the MDH masala. As kiddo can handle spicy food, I started increasing the spice level a bit. Here I have used 1.5 tbsp bhaji masala and 1 tbsp of red chili powder. It is slightly on the spicier side. You can always adjust it according to your preference. 

You can add a small jaggery piece, which balances out the flavor even though I haven’t added jaggery for this recipe.

Veggies used for the bhaji

And coming to vegetables, I usually add some carrots, peas, potatoes, and cauliflower along with bell peppers. I always love to add colored bell peppers to make the dish more colorful.

Coming to potatoes and cauliflower, I have tried using equal measures of potatoes and cauliflower. I have also tried using more potatoes than cauliflower. Do not overload your bhaji with veggies, though. 

Serving pav bhaji

Usually, bhaji is served hot with a dollop of butter and some lime wedges, diced/sliced onions, and the toasted pav buns. You can use store-bought pav buns, or you can make it at home as well. I have the wheat pav buns recipe on my blog.

You can find eggless pav buns in Indian Stores, or you can buy the dinner rolls from a bakery. 

Pav bhaji is more like Indian sloppy Joes, the vegetarian version of the sloppy joes. 

Tips for making perfect restaurant-style pav bhaji

• I love that bright red-colored pav bhaji, and I add some tomato paste and Kashmiri red chili powder for the same. I have included 1 tbsp of store-bought tomato paste and ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chill powder in this recipe. The tomato paste is entirely optional. 
• Don’t skimp on the butter. Use a generous amount while toasting the pav buns and also while serving the bhaji.
• As always, fresh ingredients adds its magic. I always use fresh ginger and garlic instead of the ginger-garlic paste. Trust me, folks, it makes a huge difference. 
• You cannot find a pav bhaji plate without a lime/lemon wedge and some onions. Don’t miss them. Add some butter and lemon/lime juice just before serving. Along with onions, I love to include some bell peppers as it adds a nice crunch. 
• I use my hand-blender or the immersion blender to mash the veggies. No, I don’t puree my veggies. I blend them coarsely. 
• Do not add more than 1 cup of water while making the curry. Mashing the veggies helps to thicken the gravy but don’t add more than the required amount of water.

Now let’s see how to make the pav bhaji.

How to make the pav bhaji in Instant Pot?

• Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and after 30 seconds, add the oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Let the butter melt and when the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.

• Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with ⅓cup of water without any lumps. Add this tomato paste water, chopped tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt, and red chili powder.

• Mix well and cook this mixture for 5 minutes.

• Now add all the veggies – potatoes, peas, cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers. 

• Add the remaining ⅔ cup of water and mix well. 

• Turn off the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 5-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure, and here is how the bhaji looks. It might be a little watery, and that’s ok. As we blend and cook, it will thicken.

• Using a hand blender, blend the bhaji coarsely.

• Mix well and set the Instant Pot back in saute mode. Let it cook for two to three minutes. Then add the chopped cilantro and more butter. Mix well and turn off the Instant Pot.

How to prepare the bhaji in the stove-top pressure cooker?

• Heat a pressure pan or cooker and heat the oil and butter in the cooker. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with ⅓cup of water without any lumps. Add this tomato paste water, chopped tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt, and red chili powder. Mix well and cook this mixture for 5 minutes.
• Now add all the veggies – potatoes, peas, cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers. Add the remaining ⅔ cup of water and mix well. 
• Pressure cook for three whistles and let the pressure release naturally. Using a hand blender, blend the bhaji coarsely. Mix well and let it cook for two to three minutes.
• Now add the chopped cilantro and more butter. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Cook the pav buns

• Heat the tawa or griddle and add little butter. 
• Cut the pav buns horizontally and open the buns. You can leave the edges intact or cut them into two halves. Toast the pav buns on both sides. Pav buns are now ready.

Serving the pav bhaji

• Plate the toasted pav buns with the prepared bhaji. Add some extra butter to the bhaji and garnish it with cilantro. Serve it along with some lemon/lime wedges and with chopped onion-bell pepper mix.

Recipe Notes

• You can adjust the veggies according to your preference and what you have in your refrigerator. 
• The tomato paste is entirely optional. It adds a slightly tangy flavor and also helps with the bright red color. 
• Adjust the veggies as per your preference. Do not overload your bhaji with veggies, though. 
• Adjust the salt and pav bhaji masala and the red chili powder as per your preference. 
• I did not use any turmeric powder or Kasuri methi in this recipe. Some recipes call for Kasuri methi, but I have always tried without it. 

More recipes with pav buns

PS:  If you try this pav bhaji, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it A.S.A.P.  Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

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5 from 2 votes

Pav Bhaji | Instant Pot Pav Bhaji

Learn how to make the bhaji(mixed-vegetable curry) for the famous Indian Street Food, Pav Bhaji, in an electric pressure cooker/Instant Pot and stovetop pressure cooker.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Brunch, Entree, lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
• Tawa or Griddle

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;

For the bhaji

• ▢ 2 tbsp oil you can reduce it to 1 tbsp
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter divided
• ▢ 1 onion finely chopped, approx 200 grams, set aside 1 tbsp to garnish
• ▢ 2 garlic roughly grated
• ▢ 1- inch ginger peeled and roughly grated
• ▢ 2 tomatoes chopped, I used big ones approx 230 grams
• ▢ 1 tbsp tomato paste optional, but I highly recommend
• ▢ ⅓ cup carrots chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup peas if using frozen thaw it to room temperature
• ▢ 250 grams potatoes peeled and chopped
• ▢ 250 grams cauliflower
• ▢ 1 cup bell peppers approx 120 grams, divided ( I used ¾ cup for the bhaji and used the remaining for garnishing)
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp pav bhaji masala or to taste
• ▢ ½ tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder or to taste
• ▢ 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
• ▢ 1 cup water divided ⅓ cup + ⅔ cup
• ▢ 3 tbsp cilantro finely chopped

For Pav

• ▢ 12 dinner rolls/pav buns or as required
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter or as required to toast the buns

To garnish

• ▢ 1 tbsp onion finely chopped + few onion slices
• ▢ 1 lemon cut into in small wedges
• ▢ 1 tbsp butter optional
• ▢ ¼ cup bell pepper finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

How to make the pav bhaji in Instant Pot?

• Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and after 30 seconds, add the oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Let the butter melt and when the oil is hot, add the finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
  
• Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with ⅓cup of water without any lumps. Add this tomato paste water, chopped tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt, and red chili powder.
  
• Mix well and cook this mixture for 5 minutes.
  
• Now add all the veggies – potatoes, peas, cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers.
  
• Add the remaining ⅔ cup of water and mix well.
  
• Turn off the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 5-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure, and here is how the bhaji looks. It might be a little watery, and that’s ok. As we blend and cook, it will thicken.
  
• Using a hand blender, blend the bhaji coarsely.
  
• Mix well and set the Instant Pot back in saute mode. Let it cook for two to three minutes. Then add the chopped cilantro and more butter. Mix well and turn off the Instant Pot.
  

How to prepare the bhaji in the stove-top pressure cooker?

• Heat a pressure pan or cooker and heat the oil and butter in the cooker. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Mix 1 tbsp of tomato paste with ⅓cup of water without any lumps. Add this tomato paste water, chopped tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt, and red chili powder. Mix well and cook this mixture for 5 minutes.
• Now add all the veggies – potatoes, peas, cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers. Add the remaining ⅔ cup of water and mix well.
• Pressure cook for three whistles and let the pressure release naturally. Using a hand blender, blend the bhaji coarsely. Mix well and let it cook for two to three minutes.
• Now add the chopped cilantro and more butter. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Cook the pav buns

• Heat the tawa or griddle and add little butter.
• Cut the pav buns horizontally and open the buns. You can leave the edges intact or cut them into two halves. Toast the pav buns on both sides. Pav buns are now ready.

Serving the pav bhaji

• Plate the toasted pav buns with the prepared bhaji. Add some extra butter to the bhaji and garnish it with cilantro. Serve it along with some lemon/lime wedges and with chopped onion-bell pepper mix.
  

Notes

• You can adjust the veggies according to your preference and what you have in your refrigerator. 
• The tomato paste is entirely optional. It adds a slightly tangy flavor and also helps with the bright red color. 
• Adjust the veggies as per your preference. Do not overload your bhaji with veggies, though. 
• Adjust the salt and pav bhaji masala and the red chili powder as per your preference. 
• I did not use any turmeric powder or Kasuri methi in this recipe. Some recipes call for Kasuri methi, but I have always tried without it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 1173mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3104IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 4mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2015 but now updated with new pics, the Instant Pot method of making pav bhaji, more tips, and recipe cards with nutrition.