Tamarind paste or tamarind sauce is used to add a unique and delicious sweet and tangy flavor to Thai and Indian dishes. Learn how to make easy homemade tamarind paste with this Instant Pot Tamarind Paste recipe.
Table of Contents
Introduction
An essential ingredient in authentic pad thai and massaman curry, tamarind paste (or sauce) is also used in many other Asian dishes including Indian recipes.
In India, it’s also called ‘imli’ and is used as an ingredient in condiments, sauces, lentil dishes, and curries. Tamarind has a mouth-puckering tart, sweet, fruity taste.
Many people buy prepared tamarind paste that’s sold in a jar at Indian or East Asian stores, and I’ve occasionally done that. It works well and is really convenient. Just open the jar and you’re all set.
But if you compare the store-bought tamarind paste with homemade, you’ll immediately notice the difference in taste. Homemade tamarind paste has a distinctly fruity taste that the store-bought tamarind pastes and concentrates lack.
This tamarind paste recipe is quite simple to make in the Instant Pot if you have 30 minutes to spare. If you’ve been substituting lime juice for tamarind paste in your recipes, I think it’s definitely time for you to learn how to make homemade tamarind paste.
Tamarind is a pod-shaped fruit that grows on a tamarind tree. The hard outer shell of the pod encloses a pulpy, tangy-tasting fruit with seeds. It’s not convenient or easy to obtain fresh tamarind, so I like to buy packets of seedless tamarind pulp that are sold in blocks.
Tips and Substitutions
If you don’t have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, you can easily adapt this tamarind paste recipe to the stove-top. Just boil the tamarind and water, and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
Once you cook the tamarind and water, you mash it with a fork or potato masher to extract the pulp. You’ll get the first batch of tamarind paste after straining the pulp through a sieve.
I like to run the remaining solid pulp through the sieve a second time by adding a bit more water to it and straining it again, which reduces waste and gets as much as possible from the tamarind pulp.
The seedless tamarind blocks are easier to extract the pulp from, but the blocks with seeds work fine too. If you’re using the ones with seeds, increase the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes.
You can find packets of seedless tamarind pulp that are sold in blocks in Indian and Asian grocery stores and on Amazon.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
FAQS
You can store it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 months in an airtight container. It might even last longer but I always use it up! Use a clean spoon every time you use some.
Freeze the tamarind in ice cube trays and once they’re solid, store the cubes in a freezer bag for 6 to 8 months.
The tamarind paste is quite thick. You can thin it out by adding some hot water, which will help it go through the sieve a bit faster.
Instant Pot Tamarind Ingredients
More ingredient details are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Tamarind Paste in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Mix tamarind block and water
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Mash the tamarind
- Strain the tamarind
- Transfer to glass jar
Stir all ingredients
- Separate the tamarind block into large pieces and place in the Instant Pot.
- Stir in 2 cups water.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 10 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure the steam release handle is in the Sealing position.
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 10 (10 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 10 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 10 minutes (00:10).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Mash the Tamarind
- Using a potato masher, mash the tamarind pulp.
Strain the Tamarind
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl.
- Working in batches, place tamarind pulp in the strainer and strain by pressing with the back of a spoon or with clean hands (once it’s cool enough to handle.)
Transfer to glass jar
- Set aside strained solid pulp.
- If desired, repeat the process by stirring in 1 cup of hot water to the strained solids, and strain it a second time. This reduces waste.
- Discard strained solids.
- Place tamarind paste in a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator. Or freeze in small batches.
Instant Pot Tamarind Paste
Ingredients
- 14 oz. tamarind pulp (preferably seedless) – 1 packet
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup hot water optional
Instructions
- Separate the tamarind block into large pieces and place in the Instant Pot.
- Stir in 2 cups water.
- Close Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Using a potato masher, mash the tamarind pulp.
- Place a mesh strainer over a medium bowl.
- Working in batches, place tamarind pulp in the strainer and strain by pressing with the back of a spoon or with clean hands (once it’s cool enough to handle.)
- Set aside strained solids.
- If desired, repeat the process by adding 1 cup of hot water to the strained solids and strain it a second time.
- Discard strained solids.
- Place tamarind paste in a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator or freeze in batches.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Instant Pot Recipes That Use Tamarind
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef
Instant Pot Sambar
Instant Pot Vindaloo
Kelly b.
I can get tamarind pods easily, if I substitute those for the blocks, how much should I use?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Kelly, the packet of tamarind I use is about 14 oz. So you’d have to take them out of the pods and get an approximate weight with a kitchen scale, because I’m not sure how many pods you’d need.
Bella
Hello,
I was really excited to try this at home. When I put the pulp into the mesh strainer, I found it very time consuming and difficult to get it strained. It took so long I finally put the pulp in a blender and then tried straining it again. It would actually take me a fraction of the time to just soak the tamarind in hot water for whatever dish I need it for. Also, I feel like this method wastes a lot of tamarind. When I soak tamarind and extract, I am using the water also in my dish so I waste pretty much nothing and only the solids are thrown.
Did you use a fine mesh strainer to do this? I just don’t see how this can be done in half an hour. It took me more than 1 1/2 hours for the whole process because I tried to get as much tamarind as I could and I had to strain it so many times.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Bella, I do use a fine mesh strainer and do use my hands to squeeze out the tamarind. One other thing I do is after straining out the tamarind the first round, I add more hot water and do a second round of straining. Did you do that too? I’m sorry to hear you found the process so time consuming. I’m not sure why it doesn’t take my that long to do it – maybe it’s just experience. It’s just so much more convenient for me to just keep it in the fridge and spoon it out!
Laura
I will be trying this technique for tamarind paste – thanks! Approx how long will the stuff stay good in the fridge?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Laura, thanks for taking the time to comment! I make sure I use a glass jar, always use a clean dry spoon, and I’ve kept it in the fridge for months with no problem. If you want to be extra careful, bring the paste to a quick boil after straining, to kill any bacteria. I’ve never frozen my paste, but I know people who do, so that’s also an option.
Laura
Thank you so much for the info! I don’t use a lot at once, so it’s good to know it’ll keep a while. I’ve been using the prepared paste but I miss the blocks – taste is so much better.
Ben
Tamarind is a must for indian cooking. I didn’t realize you can make in Instant Pot. I will be trying this out soon. Thanks!