Instant Pot Saag Aloo with Chard and Sweet Potatoes. Sweet Potato Chard/Spinach curry, ready in 25 mins. Serve this easy side with dals or curries or add to a bowl. Saucepan option. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe.
When Sweet Potatoes and Chard meet, you make Saag Aloo. Saag means greens or a dish made of greens, and Aloo is potatoes. I use Chard for the greens in this dish. Spinach, mustard or a mix with baby kale and other greens will work too. For the Aloo, I use sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes will work as a direct substitution as well.
A simple start with onion, ginger, garlic, some spices, then some non dairy yogurt or vegan cream of choice, pressure cook and done. Takes just 10 minutes to put together then pressure cook and wait 5 mins to release. Serve this easy Saag Aloo with Dals or bean curries. Pictured here with Punjabi Dal fry made with Moong Dal. Yuhmm!
The recipe can easily be made nut-free and in a Saucepan(instructions in the Recipe notes). Add some cooked chickpeas or lentils to make it into a meal.
More Instant Pot Recipes:
- Instant Pot Potato Chickpea Spinach Soup. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Lentil Veggie Dhansak – Lentil Veggie Stew in IP.
- More Instant Pot Recipes!
Step by Step Photos
Assemble the ingredients, chop and set aside.
Toast the spices, then add onion and garlic and cook to golden. Then add in the tomatoes and greens.
Fold in sweet potatoes and non dairy yogurt, mix in. Close the lid and Pressure cook.
Serve with Dals or bean curries.
Recipe Card
Instant Pot Saag Aloo - Sweet Potato & Chard Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil or use 2 tbsp water or broth to saute
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin , or 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cardamom
- 1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) cayenne
- 1 or 2 whole cloves (or use 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) turmeric
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt
- 2 cups (266 g) cubed sweet potato , or regular potatoes
- 2 cups (72 g) packed chopped chard , spinach or a mix of greens
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) water use 3/4 cup for saucier
- 1/2 cup (3.99 oz) non dairy yogurt or full fat coconut milk
- lemon and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in Instant pot on saute. When hot, add the garlic and ginger and mix and cook for 30 seconds. (Or use a tbsp of broth to saute).
- Add the onion and pinch of salt. Mix and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with a tbsp of water if needed, stir frequently.
- Add the spices and salt and mix in for a few seconds.
- Add the sweet potatoes, greens, water and yogurt and mix well to combine.
- Cancel saute, close the lid and pressure cook for 4 mins (manual hi). Then Release the pressure after 5 mins
- Add some coconut milk or cashew cream for creamier if needed. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add some garam masala if needed. Garnish with lemon and cilantro. Serve with dals, beans or curries.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Brit
Love this recipe wanted to know if I could curry powder instead of cumin/coriander/cinnamon/cardamom/cayenne/cloves since the powder I use includes all of these. If so, how much curry powder would I use? Here is the brand https://www.simplyorganic.com/products/simply-organic-curry-powder-3-00-oz
Richa
Start with 1 teaspoon
Brit
Thank you so much! Made it tonight with the 1 tsp of curry powder. The whole family loved it. Absolutely delicious we had a hard time leaving leftovers.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! so glad you all enjoyed
Brit
Is it possible to use curry powder instead of the individual spices and if so how much should I use? Thanks 😊
Vegan Richa Support
yes, season to taste
Madeleine
I made this as my first recipe in our new Instant Pot, and it tasted heavenly! I accidentally added 1 C coconut milk instead of 1/2 and I will say we were happy with the flavor :). My husband loved it too, and wow it’s less effort than when I used to make saag aloo on the stovetop. I found the instructions easy to understand too. Next time I want to make a double batch and I’m wondering whether to lengthen the pressure-cooking time or not? We’ll see what works!
Richa
Same pressure cook time
Rita
Delicious! I used a mix of kale and spinach. Increased water to 3/4 c. as well as the coconut milk. Spices were excellent!
Vegan Richa Support
excellent to hear
Karen
This was fantastic. I made it exactly as written with chard and sweet potatoes. I followed the stove top instructions. I served it with the Punjabi dal fry and some brown basmati rice. Excellent flavors.
Vegan Richa Support
glad you liked it , thank you
Nancy W.
I’m new to IP cooking, and had fresh rainbow chard from the garden, so I made this Saag Aloo tonight. It was awesome!! Simply because I had them, I added cauliflower and mushrooms, and a drop of cilantro essential oil to the pot after cooking (since I didn’t have any fresh). Served over an ancient grains mix, with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a side of organic strawberries. YUM!
Vegan Richa Support
rainbow chard! wow – great use of essential oils – YUM indeed
Dawn
So tasty! I used kale and threw in some red lentils as suggested. Very comforting and nourishing as well. New to your site and cant wait to try more of your recipes. Keep em’ coming please!
Vegan Richa Support
keep coming by!
Mrs Smith
Quick, easy and absolutely delicious!!!
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent – I appreciate it
Mrs Smith
My husband loves this dish so I made it for him this evening. It’s was so easy and quick and OMG absolutely delicious!!!!! This will defo be a regular dish in our house!!! I can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes!!! Thank you!!! X
Vegan Richa Support
Excellent – I appreciate it
Elise
It was super delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you so much
Lee
I live how this recipe, as written, fits perfectly into the 3 quart instant pot. Richa, this recipe is absolutely delicious, and provides an easy way to eat healthy sweet potatoes and chard.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Lauren
Would you share the recipe for the other side dish in the photo, looks like curry lentils, next to the rice?
Thank you!
Richa
It’s dal fry. Try either the regular dal fry or Punjabi Dal fry veganricha.com/?s=dal+fry
Chandana
Hi Richa ji
just wanted to know , how does the chard taste like ?
Does it taste like Indian palak ? Or methi leaves ? , or amaranth leaves?
want to try the new veggie .
What can I substitute in place of sweet potato for low carb version?
Richa
Cauliflower. And use whichever greens you like. I like chard as it’s milder
Flavor than spinach
Nerissa F
I have saved this recipe for weeks and finally got a chance to try it out! Amazing! I love saag aloo so much and now it will be eaten often in my house. Thank you very much for the easy to follow and delicious recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! that’s what I love to hear
Lisa
Hi Richa,
I see this in the main part of the post: “Toast the spices, then add onion and garlic and cook to golden. Then add in the tomatoes and greens.” But I don’t see tomatoes in the ingredients list. Would you suggest adding, like, 1 tomato? Or is it better without tomato.
Just curious! 🙂 Thanks so much & all the best.
Danielle D.
We made this recipe regularly in the winter and spring when we were receiving sweet potatoes and greens in our CSA every week. It is easy to make and tastes delicious–the spices are so warming! We always add chickpeas to make it a one-pot meal (with basmati rice).
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for the nice review! I love the chickpea addition!
Lali
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Not too heavy or spicy. Just yummy! I made it on the stovetop because I don’t have an Instant Pot. I used regular potatoes because my husband isn’t a fan of sweet potatoes, but I look forward to trying it with the sweet. I served over brown basmati rice, which was great, but I’ll try it with lentils next time for something different. Winning!
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks!! Perfect. I love brown basmati. Variety is the spice of life
Emily
This was one of the most delicious things I ever cooked. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
M
I had a bag of rapidly aging mustard greens from the grocery clearance rack, so I made this recipe with mustard greens in a saucepan over the stove. and it was delicious! 🙂
Richa
awesome
Liz
Loved this one! I substituted kabocha squash for the sweet potatoes for a lower-carb dish and it came out amazing – the spice blend is fantastic. I’m adding this to my weekly meal-prep rotation.
As someone who meal-preps a big batch of a recipe for the week I love your blog! This is the second recipe of yours I’ve tried, after having such success with the kolhapuri. I used to think Indian cooking was too complicated but you make it accessible, healthy, and delicious. Thank you!
Richa
awesome! so glad you found the blog!
Sharon
This was delicious!! I made a double recipe for 4 people and had leftovers to enjoy again. Worked perfectly in instant pot when doubled, and was ready long before the dal I was making on the stovetop, so have to remember to start that first next time. The flavors were amazing and I can’t wait to try more recipes.
Richa
awesome!
Keren
I loved it. Used 1 small butternut squash instead of sweet potato because that’s what I had, and added chickpeas. I also used the last of some coconut butter I had, mixed with some water, to make it creamier. I might be richer with coconut milk but again, that’s what I had at home and needed to use up a bunch of chard. Wonderful flavours, thanks Richa.
Richa
awesome!
Bill Dickhaus
Good blend of spices and aromatics and easy to make in the Instant Pot. I made this tonight and added chickpeas. I also used twice as much chard because that is what I had. I used a cup of coconut milk but also added another 1/4 of water and I should not have, it came out kind of soupy; the extra greens probably contributed to that as well. Still tastes great though. I served it with brown basmati rice and that was our complete meal.
Richa
awesome! you can add some flour and simmer fora few minutes to thicken. All veggies and greens add moisture and the moisture stays in the pot in a pressure cooker.
Kate Hall
I love your site! I put sweet potato and kale in the search box and this recipe popped up. So I threw it all in the IP with a couple substitutions and it’s great! so simple and fast & so tasty!
My subs were – 2 cardamom pods for the ground cardamom and almond milk instead of coconut milk. Also used no salt or oil.
Loved it!
Richa
awesome!
Régine
Someone gave me tons of swiss chard from their garden. So, after making your Mom’s recipe with potatoes and tomatoes, I picked this one because I had everything I needed to make it, thinking “It cannot possibly be as good as the other one”. But yes, it was! I should have known! Thank you so much for the culinary inspiration 🙂
Richa
awesome!
Kristina
This was delicious. My husband even liked it and he never likes my cooking LOL.
I made it with the Punjabi Dal Fry and ended up mixing the two together.
On a side note, I made one batch of this saag aloo and then liked it so much I made a double batch more of it. I ended up using up the rest of the can of coconut milk. Love not having leftover can…
Richa
yay!
Allie
I made this tonight with the recommended Punjabi Dal. Another really good meal. I love that you provide a link to which thing we might make with it. It really makes it so easy to try this and I appreciate your time so much.
Also, I finally bought your cookbooks. I’m so excited. They should get here the end of next week. 🙂
Allie
Actually, just wanted to pass along, my husband is not a vegan. He will sometimes eat a few bites but always he wishes there was meat and then goes on to make his big plate of meat dish. While I think he would like me to throw in some kind of meat, he was really very satisfied by it. And ate 2 helpings full. 🙂 So I want to give this a five star rating from my husband too. lol 🙂
Richa
Oh thats awesome! Great tasting and satisfying food is what I try to aim for. I am happy he loved it too!
Richa
Thats awesome! So glad they both turned out well! Thanks for getting the books! Lots of cooking in your future 🙂
Laurel
How have I not seen this recipe? I will absolutely be making this one ASAP, it’s always been my favorite dish at the Indian restaurants. Thank you, even if you are always making me hungry. Haha. You know I just love everything you post and have for years. You’r amazing.
Richa
you found it now 🙂 its super easy and so good!
Katie Munoz
The flavors were delicious but it came out really watery (I used 3/4 cup water because I wanted it to be saucy). How can I make it thicker?
Richa
Use less liquid and use non dairy milk or cashew milk. The moisture from the veggies and greens also adds to the dish and that can vary.
Christina
I would like to double the recipe for my family of 6, would I need to double all the ingredients including the water and will it affect cooking time?
Richa
Cook time will be the same. Usually everything will double except water and heat (cayenne, chili etc) for most recipes. Use a bit less water (3/4 cup) and 1.5 times the heat instead of double
Sue
Thanks for your timely answer. It was delicious. I added 1/2 C red lentils + 1.5C water (for extra liquid). We all loved it!!!Your recipes are always spot-on.
Richa
yay!!
Richa
forgot to mention that you need a bit more salt and spices 🙂
IPnewbie
How much more salt and spices would you recommend if adding the lentils?
Richa
double the spices and 1/2 tsp more salt. taste and adjust for salt later
Sue
Hi Richa. I am ready to make this today, but have a question. Since you mentioned adding cooked lentils . . do you think I can throw some uncooked red lentils in? Would I need to adjust the amount of liquid? Thanks. <3
Richa
yes if using red lentils, use uncooked. you would need to add more liquid about double the amount of lentils.
Sue
Thanks for your timely answer. It was delicious. I added 1/2 C red lentils + 1.5C water (for extra liquid). We all loved it!!!Your recipes are always spot-on.
Maneesha
Hi Richa!! What a great recipe! Quick and Soo delicious!! I love the spinach and sweet potato combo! And the instant pot makes it so easy to make! Va re va!
Maneesha
I can’t wait to try this, Richa! Could we use frozen spinach for this recipe?
Richa
yes
Mary
If I don’t have whole cloves but do have ground cloves how would I substitute?
Richa
use a good dash of ground cloves. (scant 1/8 tsp)
Mary
Wow! Looks great! Going to market for a few supplies and making this today! Thanks Richa!😋
I'Asha
Are you going to write an Instant Pot cookbook or ebook? I’d definitely buy it.
Richa
Eventually. If it wasnt so exhausting, i would have already started working on it. 🙂 Till then there are a bunch of recipes here already https://veganricha.com/category/instant-pot
Marion
I also hope you do an instant pot Indian cookbook. There are many recipes on your website but I think a lot of people, including myself, would buy it.
Kat
Dear Richa, do you think I could use homemade cashew cream instead of the coconut milk? Will it be damaged by the cooking?
Richa
Yes use cashew milk. Add it after opening the lid and mix in. If the food is hot enough you won’t need to sauté it and the milk will thicken in a minute or so
Kat
Thank you, I will do that! ☺️
SUE
This sounds delicious and easy. I’ll be making this soon. Thanks Richa!
Richa
Thank you Sue! it is a super simple one.