Vegan Japanese Curry made in Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Flavorful, Comforting, Vegetable Rich Curry for Weekday Dinner. Saucepan Option. Vegan, glutenfree, nutfree Recipe. Can be soyfree, oil-free
It is starting to warm up, but I love a bowl of spiced up veggie filled curry or soup any day. This Japanese Veggie Curry is amazingly good and lovely as a soup, over rice or however you want to serve it.
Simple Everyday Ingredients, roast the onions and flour for a roux, add in the veggies, water and spices, all in a pot (Pressure cooker or a saucepan), simmer and done. If you can find Japanese curry powder, use it (some can have additives, so read ingredients). Japanese curry powder is much more complex flavored compared to regular curry powder, and is more closer to garam masala + turmeric. I use my homemade garam masala with added turmeric in this recipe. I use chickpeas instead of the chickin/meat, use other vegan chikin subs for variation. Add some roasted cashews, more beans or some tofu for more protein. See Recipe Video Below.
This warm golden curry bowl is satisfying, flavorful and delicious!
More Instant Pot Recipes! All have saucepan options.
- Potato Chickpea Spinach Soup. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Sweet Potato Chard/Kale Curry – IP aloo Saag. GF
- More Instant Pot Recipes!
Applesauce or grated Apple adds the light sweet balance in this curry which is often used in Japanese cooking. Light sweetness is often added in many asian cusines, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and even Indian. It isn’t a noticeable “sweet” but more a congruent flavor in the highly savory spicy dishes. You dont taste the apple. It can be substituted with a touch of sweetener of choice.
If using premade Japanese curry roux cubes, add them towards the end and mix in, then close the lid.
Curries vary in various cuisines. Thai curries use their own ingredients, spices, pastes, Indian curries use their own, Malaysian, Japanese use their own and so on. They are similar in some ways and different in many ways. Many authentic amazing flavors and textures from so many cuisines and sub-cuisines!
If you try this version of Japanese Curry (Kare Raisu), do let me know in the comments how it turned out!
Recipe Card
Vegan Japanese Curry in Instant Pot (saucepan option)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil divided
- 1/2 (0.5) onion thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped, or 1 tbsp mined
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp flour (use rice flour for glutenfree)
- 2 to 3 tsp (2 to 3 tsp) garam masala or 1.5 to 2 Tbsp Japanese Curry powder (omit turmeric if using)
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) turmeric
- 1 1/4 cup (160 g) chopped carrots
- 1 large potato cubed
- 15 oz (15 oz) can chickpeas drained, or 1.5 cups cooked
- 2 tsp tomato paste or ketchup
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce or use soy(tamari for glutenfree) sauce or use coconut aminos for soyfree
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt
- 3 tbsp applesauce or grated apple
- 1/3 cup (48.33 g) peas
- scallions pickled radish, pickled ginger and rice for serving
Instructions
- Put the Instant pot on Saute. Add oil, when the oil is hot, add onion and pinch of salt and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and mix in. Cook for half a minute.
- Move the onions to the side. Add 1 tsp more oil to the pot, add the flour and mix into the oil. Then mix with the onion, ginger, garlic and cook for half a minute stirring frequently as the flour will tend to stick and burn if left too long. Add the spices and mix them in. (Add a pinch of thyme and sage for additional depth of Japanese curry flavor if using Indian garam masala)
- Add the veggies, chickpeas, sauces, salt and water. Mix really well to pick up the roasted flour from the bottom, so that none of the flour is sticking. Cancel Saute
- Close the lid (sealing). Pressure Cook for 6 to 7 minutes (manual hi). (a minute longer if your veggies are chopped larger). Once the time is up. Click cancel and Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid. Put the pot on saute, add the applesauce and peas and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt, spice and flavor carefully. Add more spices to taste. Add some sweetener and good dash of black pepper or pepper flakes for heat if needed. Serve with rice and garnished with sesame seeds, pickled radish/ginger and scallions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Reading for the week: This extensive article on the skewed gender ratio in India and China. Its a great article on the consequences of the less number of women, but doesnt go into details of how the ratio got to where it is today, namely gender tests, abortion or infant killing.
Priya
Just made this tonight and it came out so so tasty!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Maïla
So good! We had never tasted japanese curry before and I must say that we were very satisfied. Your recipes are so balanced Richa, every bite is a delight. From Thai food, to Malaysian, to Japanese, to Indian, it ALWAYS hits the spot!
Thank you! Your website is a gold mine!
Vegan Richa Support
yay! thank you!
Karin
I made this as soon as I saw it and it was amazing! I even added an extra dollop of apple sauce on the side for an added touch of sweetness. Everyone loved it!
Vegan Richa Support
Yum! Love to hear it. 🙂
Kim
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve been looking for one that doesn’t rely on the curry cubes I loved as a young adult but that wouldn’t be too complicated to make from scratch either. Made it last night and plan to make it again! Eating the left overs right now:) Just curious, have you ever subbed jackfruit for the chickpeas, and if so, how did it turn out?
Vegan Richa Support
I have not subbed with jackfruit but sounds interesting! Do let me know if you give it a try.
Claire panella
Very easy. Discovered Japanese curry. Very good! It was a hit as usual with Vegan Richard’s recipies.
Vegan Richa Support
Very nice.
Christel
Great recipe:)Love it!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome.
Natalia Alonso perez
One of out family favourites. My daughters love it. Thank you!!!
Vegan Richa Support
so nice
Jackie
Just made this tonight for dinner! Delicious!! Definitely will make it again.
Cole
Hi chef.
Enjoyed making this one.
Never used a pressure cooker so it was educational and so easy and rewarding.
Used dry chic peas so had to pressure cook them first in order to achieve proper texture of course. Used veg stock instead of water. Used organic apple sauce but in hind sight should have grated our honey crisp apples instead. Using real garlic is essential. Powdered garlic is not a good thing for slow cooker in my opinion. Organic ginger was purchased for this recipe. Well we absolutely loved your recipe. And my youngest daughter said I was the best Dad/Chef in the world which made me speechless (cue tears). Turmeric is such a powerful natural anti inflammatory that we add it always to everything when appropriate
Thank you for such an awesome recipe! Ten ten ten!!! Loved it. Please give more Japanese home cooked recipes.
Vegan Richa Support
always real garlic!! thank you for your feedback
Bec H
This Vegan Japanese Curry is just so delicious, and it’s quick and easy to make. My 2-year-old and 6-year-old granddughters ate every last bite in thier bowls. It a tasty comfort food I’ll make again and again. Thank you for your recipies and your cookbooks!
Richa
Yay awesome
Meme
How can I make it with seitan using saucepan? When should I add it?
Susan Smeltzer
Thank you thank you thank you for the oil-free option! 😀
Anushree
Great looking recipe! I don’t have an instant pot though – can this be done without one? What changed would I need to make re cooking time / methods?
Vegan Richa Support
There’s a saucepan option in the instructions.
Divya Marwaha
Hi, I have the premade Japanese curry cubes..could I use those instead? and what would I omit?
Richa
Omit the spices and flour
jordi
Good recipe but impossible to make in the instant pot. I get the burn notice every time. I’ve tried to avoid this by doing the sauté part first then letting it sit for ages to cook down and then start he pressure cook part but no luck. Better just use a pot and simmer it until done.
Richa
Several people have made it in the instant pot. the pots diff models can sometimes can be a bit too sensitive so you can skip the flour part and add a nondairy cream in the end for thickening.
Melody
Can’t wait to cook this dish! I have had trouble getting our teen to try curry but she is OBSESSED with all things Japanese so this is going to be awesome to try out!
A couple of questions:
Any reason why adding some seitan before the 15 pressure cooking cycle would a problem? Said teen is a vegetarian and needs more protein.
Are the peas fresh, canned or frozen in this recipe?
If I use frozen edamame instead of peas (hubby isn’t a big pea fan!), should I add them frozen before cooking or thawed at the end?
MANY thanks for sharing this great recipe! I’m psyched to cook it this week!
Richa
Yes, you should add Seitan before cooking.
Frozen peas.
Edamame before cooking.
Let me know how the said teen like it.
M
I LOVE that there is an oil free version. Very helpful 🙂
Thanks so much!!!!
Chris Lee
Thank you for this great recipe!!! The only issue I have is that a full tablespoon of fresh, finely chopped ginger dominated the flavor profile. As I still have half the curry left over, what do you suggest I do to counteract the sweetness? More curry power?
Thanks again!!
Richa
add more potatoes or veggies(par boil the potatoes or veggies so you just need to simmer for 10 mins). the potatoes should absorb some of the flavor
Kat Dhand
This is unbelievably rich and delicious for the simplicity of the ingredients. I added a small block of tofu with the potatoes and some baby spinach at the end, and followed the saucepan directions. I’m sure that I will make this many more times! Thank you! 🙂
June Siegel
I cannot wait to try this. The weather is getting cooler and it’s a one-pot meal.
Thank you for posting.
Richa
thanks!
Rebecca Cambrell
My new fav curry recipe. Will be added to my regular recipe rotation for sure
Rebecca
First of your recipes I’ve attempted and oh my good goodness yummm! I’m not a huge curry fan but this was incredible Bought some garam masala especially and so glad I did. Also went for the cubed apple option over the apple sauce and it added a lovely texture.
Served with some steamed spinach and brown rice and couldn’t have been happier. Excited to try more (and happy for recommendations on which to do next!)
Richa
Awesome!! If you are looking for instant pot recipes, try the lasagna soup, wild rice mushroom soup, chickpea coconut curry or any other https://www.veganricha.com/category/instant-pot
Leslie Lamanna
Omgosh! Did this w/o oil and just chopped 1 large apple instead of applesauce. Added w/the potatoes and carrots at the beginning. Saw on Instagram a few folks were concerned about the addition of applesauce. Years ago I had some really yummy roasted red peppersoup from a local health food store. It was one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted. This is right up there with it if not better. Also added fresh green beans with the carrots just b/c I had bought some yesterday. Topped w/fresh basil, lime and black seeds. Perfection!
[Got this in my email @ 6:00 a.m. couldn’t stop thinking about it so started it at 7. It’s 9:00 and we already Snapchatted and Instagrammed it to our family and friends.]
Richa
yay! great timing!
Apple is used in japanese curries, some indian curries and some african stews too. it doesnt taste of apple, but adds a mild sweet and thickening like carrots, but it throws people off 🙂
Angie
Hello im about to make this recipe for my boyfriend , he loves your recipes ☺️ unfortunately i dont have apple sauce 😕 is there anything that can replace it?
Richa
omit it and use 1/4 tsp sugar. or some grated apple
Judy Richards
Wow! This recipe turned out just amazing! Tasted exactly like the Japanese currys I have enjoyed in restaurants. We added a little extra tumeric because we love the taste.
We loved this one so much I immediately made another batch the next day for hubbys lunch. He was thrilled!
Richa
awesome!
Caitlin
Thanks so much for this recipe. I grew up eating Japanese curry made from the blocks with msg. I try to avoid all that processed food now so this was a perfect way to bring back those childhood memories 😊
Daniela Russo
Can I just say that this is the tastiest curry I have made in a long time that also happens to be healthy. I went with the garam masala and turmeric option and also added a tsp or two of Polst’s mild curry powder. It was so rich and tasty my 7yr old was convinced there was meat in it. Thanks so much! This will surely become a regular in our household.
Richa
thats awesome!!
Daniela Russo
I’d love to know if anyone has found a good Japanese curry powder mix that isn’t full of weird numbers and palm oil 😒 Looking forward to trying g out this recipe with the garam masala and turmeric. Can the turmeric be fresh and or is powdered better to go with the dry spices?
Sousha
“S&B Oriental curry powder” is very good, and doesn’t have anything but herbs and spices in it… it’s from Japan, and can be bought online.
Mohit
Using the slider to double the servings is also doubling the amount of water, is that correct? Normally this leads to too much liquid for pressure cook receipes
Richa
Yes for pressure cooking use 1.5 or 1.75 times the water. The widget just doubles everything. It doesnt have any knowledge built in. for most recipes all doubling works.
Grace
This looks delicious! I’m having a baby soon and am interested in freezing some food ahead of time. Do you think this would freeze well?
Richa
yes. Freeze in a container that fits the stew, ie not too much extra air space.
Betsy
I just bought one of these Instant Pots, and I am so excited to try all of your recipes so I can learn how to use it. So glad to see you have numerous links, because I just love all of your food options. Thanks for all your hard work! Cheers to yummy new eats!
Maneesha
This is such a great curry recipe! I love the mix of the veggies, chickpeas, and the garam masala! I also added Badia brand curry spice, which added some fun flavor too!
Richa
awesome!
Victor
Looks really good. I am still discovering pressure cooking for myself and this recipe is on my list to try. Thanks for sharing!
Brenda J
As always ……. delicious. Every single recipe I have tried has turned out so good. My family loves curries and this one was a winner. This is definitely in our comfort food file. Whenever I make a recipe from one of my many vegan cookbooks, the kids automatically say “this isn’t vegan Richa”. So you are now part of our family! Lol
Richa
Awesome! That is so sweet 🙂 I am so glad everyone loves the recipes!! ❤️❤️
Rose
Just made this and it was delicious! My 3 year old and 18 month old loved it, too. I love all curries but had never heard of Japanese curry– I’ll make it all the time now!
Richa
so awesome and the kids loved it too!
Rebecca
Can this recipe be doubled? If so, how would you adjust the instant pot settings?
Richa
You need the same cooking time for double. The instant pot will take slightly longer to come to pressure which adds more time for the veggies to cook through
Rebecca
Thank you!
Albert Bevia
This dish looks so beautiful, my wife is vegan and she said this is here type of meal! thanks for the recipe 🙂
Ruth
Looks like you hit another one out of the park, Richa! Can’t wait to try this! Bet it will become really popular!
Ana W.
Wow! I look forward to your Weekend Reading post–each week with new tempting vegan recipes I want to make. I save most of them on Pinterest, for myself and for others to share. Also for a person who just can’t eat enough curry, this is lovely! Thank you! 🙂
Heidi C.
I loved learning about a new curry spice option! I have Garam Masala and Tumeric in the house, so I’ll be giving this a go. Thanks for sharing!
Cassie Tran
Beautiful Japanese curry! I had traditional Japanese curry when I visited Tokyo last year and loved it, but it looked more brown than yellow like this! Both are probably delicious though 🙂
Lalita Shastry
Hi Richa,
I am looking forward to making this but it’s not clear to me when to add the curry powder unless I missed it. You mention adjusting spices at the end but no where else. Could you tell me what step to add the curry powder?
Thank you!
Richa
oops updated. You can add the spices just after the flour or with the flour.
Sarah
This recipe is delicious! The flavors are very rich and the vegetables go great together. A little tip – using rainbow carrots will make your curry more vibrant! My family is already asking me to make this again, thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you! sounds fun – maybe they’ll be in season soon
Kaori Tabei
Love to try this💕 since I don’t buy the premade Japanese curry in the box (due to MSG) anymore since I changed my diet 2 yrs ago. I’m looking into buying instapot soon and I want to make this first.But I do want to keep it oil free. If I sauté the onions in veg broth and maybe use arrowroot powder thicken the sauce would it come out ok?
Richa
Yes, saute in broth. You can use arrowroot or flour(dry roast the flour on a separate skillet for 2-3 mints until it starts to smell roasted and changes color just slightly).
Judith Rolfe
Or miss out the flour completely. If you mash some of the chick peas that will help to thicken the sauce.
Richa
yes, both the chickpeas and potatoes mashed will thicken it up
Kaori Tabei
Great thx! 😀
Ryan Matzen
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 is on sale today (4/25/18) on Amazon for $55.99. I just ordered one myself.
JoEllen
I would like to get the3 quart but would need to double this recipe. Would it be big enough?