Instant Pot Upma

Instant pot upma is a savory South Indian dish popular as a breakfast staple in Indian households. This pressure cooker upma is the easiest one-pot meal often loved by all ages.

Upma is an everyday thing in my mom’s home. I grew up eating white upma or masala upma almost every other day. Since my dad is fond of South Indian breakfast, my mom always makes upma, idli and dosa at least three times each week. In that way, his cravings are successfully satisfied. My mom, I guess, makes the best upma in the world. I wish that I could ever replicate what she makes. But here I am, with my version, which also tastes really good.

What is Upma?

Upma, also known as uppit or Rava khichidi, is a traditional Indian breakfast made with sooji or roasted semolina. While this is a common breakfast staple in south India, upma is often made in other parts of India as well. In some provinces, people add peanuts and even garlic and copious amount of green chilies to make upma.

The most common way to eat upma is with chutney. But in certain states, it is served with curry, sambar and even pessarrattu dosai. My mom always served it with a spicy Ghugni, whereas dad loves it the most when served with a thin, coconut or Chana dal chutney. 

Why is My Instant Pot Upma sticky?

There are two reasons your upma may be sticky. Number one - you haven’t roasted your sooji or semolina properly. Number two - you are not using upma sooji for making upma. Either of these reasons may make your upma sticky once you cook it with water. Adding less oil or fat may also make your upma sticky as well. 

Is upma good for weight loss?

Tricky question. There are a lot of factors that affect a person’s weight loss. Upma is a healthy porridge with vegetables, wheat grain and even healthy fat. A cup of upma is a good source of protein, carb and fat. This low-calorie food can be a good dish to include in a weight loss diet.

Is Suji good for health?

Semolina or suji is high in protein and fiber, which means our body takes time to digest food that is made with semolina. Therefore, a dish like upma keeps you full for hours without any rapid hunger spikes. Additionally, semolina is a good source of minerals, iron and magnesium that support heart health.

How to Make Instant Pot Upma?

Roast your semolina well:

Before you delve into this recipe, you need to make sure that you have roasted the upma sooji really well. I have seen roasted upma sooji available in most Indian grocery stores as well. If you prefer not to buy, you can roast at home. Just cook it at low heat so that each grain of the upma is roasted really well. Once the upma sooji is light brown and leaves a roasted nutty aroma, stop roasting and allow the upma sooji to cool down well. You can store this upma sooji in a container for about a month. 

Prep your veggies:

If you are adding veggies to your upma, chop them small. The smaller the better. That’s because smaller veggies cook faster and give a nice texture to the creamy porridge of the semolina. 

Ingredients

1 cup roasted upma sooji, thick variety, 2 tablespoon cooking oil or ghee, 1 Green chili pepper slit, ½ cup red onion chopped, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, ½ cup mixed vegetables - carrots, green beans, and green peas, Salt to taste, Roasted cashew and cilantro to garnish, 3 cups Water hot, 1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)

For tempering: 8 to 10 curry leaves, ½ teaspoon Chana dal, ½ teaspoon urad dal, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Instructions to Make Instant Pot Upma:

• Set the instant pot to a sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and all the seeds and dal listed under tempering ingredients. 
  
• Once the seeds splutter and dal turns brown, add curry leaves follows by green chili, onions and ginger. Saute for a few minutes so that ginger doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. 
  
• Now add all the veggies and stir well. Add salt and mix well. 
  
• Add water and sooji. Stir well and scrape if anything is stuck to the bottom. Now close the lid and turn the vent to a sealing position. 
  
• Change the setting to pressure cook mode and set the timer for 2 min. 
  
• After the time, the instant pot will beep and you need to do a quick pressure release at this time. 
  
• Open the lid and give a good mix. Add cashews, lime juice, and cilantro. Now cover and keep the upma for at least five minutes. This step allows the grains to soak up the liquid well.
• Serve upma warm with your favorite chutney.

Notes

• Some new versions of IPs give a burn notice when anything sticks to the bottom of the pan. Therefore, always scrape everything before sealing and pressure cooking. If it still gives a burn notice, turn off the IP and cook the upma in sauté mode while stirring frequently. 
• If you see some upma sticking to the pan after cooking, just leave it for five minutes covered. The moisture helps the grains to loosen up and leave the instant pot stainless steel pot easily. 
• I made this recipe in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60. 

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Upma

Instant pot upma is a savory South Indian dish popular as a breakfast staple in Indian households. This pressure cooker upma is the easiest one-pot meal often loved by all ages.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Instant Pot rava khichidi, Instant Pot Upma, Rava khichidi, Rava upma, sooji upma

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Sophie

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Instant pot

Ingredients

• 1 cup Roasted upma sooji, thick variety
• 2 tablespoon Cooking oil or ghee 
• 1 Green chili pepper slit
• ½ cup Red onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon Grated ginger ½ cup mixed vegetables - carrots, green beans, and green peas
• Salt to taste
• Roasted cashew and cilantro to garnish
• 3 cups Water , Hot
• 1 tablespoon Lime juice, optional

For Tempering

• 8 to 10 Curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon Chana dal
• ½ teaspoon Urad dal
• 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

Instructions

• Set the instant pot to a sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil and all the seeds and dal listed under tempering ingredients.
• Once the seeds splutter and dal turns brown, add curry leaves follows by green chili, onions and ginger.
• Saute for a few minutes so that ginger doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Now add all the veggies and stir well. Add salt and mix well.
• Add roasted sooji and water. Stir well and scrape if anything is stuck to the bottom.
• Now close the lid and turn the vent to a sealing position.
• Change the setting to pressure cook mode and set the timer for 2 min.
• After the cooking time, the instant pot will beep and you need to do a quick pressure release at this time.
• Open the lid and give a good mix. Add cashews, lime juice, and cilantro.
• Now cover and keep the upma for at least five minutes. This step allows the grains to soak up the liquid well.
• Serve upma warm with your favorite chutney.

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Notes

• Some new versions of IPs give a burn notice when anything sticks to the bottom of the pan. Therefore, always scrape everything before sealing and pressure cooking. If it still gives a burn notice, turn off the IP and cook the upma in sauté mode while stirring frequently.
• If you see some upma stuck to the pan after cooking, just leave it for five minutes covered. The moisture helps the grains to loosen up and leave the instant pot stainless steel pot easily.
• I made this recipe in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60. 

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Nutrition

Serving: 150g | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 9.1g | Fat: 10.1g

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Here are some more South Indian instant pot recipes that you may love!

• Instant Pot Sambar
• Quinoa Dosa(Instant Pot)