This pressure cooker beef curry is a delicious and easy recipe inspired by traditional Kerala cuisine. Enjoy tender beef, flavorful spices, and creamy coconut milk in this comforting and satisfying dish.
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➡ If you’re new to Kerala cooking, start with my Kerala Cooking Basics guide for ingredient tips, shopping advice, and more authentic recipes.
With hearty beef and turmeric-spiced coconut milk, my flavor-packed Instant Pot Beef Curry recipe is classic comfort food with an Indian twist.
Tender bites of beef and vegetables come together in an aromatic curry adapted from the South Indian state of Kerala, which is where I’m from.
This Kerala beef curry recipe is sometimes referred to as ishtu (pronounced ‘ish-too’ and derived from the word ‘stew’). There are vegetable, mutton, and chicken versions of the recipe.
This coconut beef curry can also be served as a beef stew, which is how my family loves it.
There aren’t a lot of spices here – it’s pretty simple and all the spiciness comes from green chilis. Make it more or less spicy by varying the quantity of green chili peppers.
I’ve adapted this beef curry with coconut and potatoes from a recipe by Asha Gomez, an Atlanta-based chef, who shared the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. It’s a mildly spiced recipe that gets its heat from green chili peppers (jalapeno or serrano).
This easy Instant Pot Beef Curry recipe is one of my family’s favorite recipes, and it’s one that they request very often. I love how beautiful the beef curry is; it has such a pretty color.
I have a confession to make: I use an unusual ingredient in this recipe and was almost tempted to leave it out, fearing confused looks from people!
But this is exactly how I make the recipe, so I decided I needed to include it so you can make it just like I do!
You’ll love eating this curry beef stew with a crusty baguette, which allows you to soak up all the wonderful curry sauce. That’s what my family likes to do.
➡ Try my Instant Pot bulgogi Korean beef recipe for another delicious, flavor-packed, easy recipe! Or for another Indian curry, Instant Pot lamb curry is a winner. It can also be made with beef.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need for Pressure Cooker Beef Curry
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
Here are some tips that will help you make this curry a success.
🌶️ Spice Level: For heat, add more jalapeño or switch to serrano peppers, which offer consistent spiciness. Omit or reduce the quantity for a milder soup. The coconut milk balances out the spiciness.
🥩 Meat: Use tougher cuts like stew meat, beef chuck, chuck roast, bottom roast, or bottom round for Instant Pot recipes. Trim the fat and cut it into cubes.
Pro tip: Freeze the meat for 20-30 minutes to make slicing easier.
🥘 Browning: Don’t crowd the pot. Work in batches and use a large non-stick frying pan if needed.
🍶 Secret Ingredient: A1 Steak Sauce, a tip from my mother-in-law, adds flavor and umami to beef.
🥕 Vegetables: I use baby carrots and Yukon gold potatoes. Substitute any vegetables with a similar cooking time. For quick-cooking vegetables, use Sauté mode.
🥃 Broth -Use either beef broth or chicken broth.
🥄 Thickness – Eat it as a stew or curry. To make it thicker, increase beef and vegetables and/or decrease broth.
❓FAQS
This curry has a lot of sauce for those who like to eat it as a stew. Reduce the broth to 1 cup to make it thicker.
Yes, you can double the recipe. Keep the cooking time the same. You can also halve the recipe with no other changes.
Make the recipe spicier by adding more green chili peppers (serrano or jalapeno). To make it less spicy, reduce the quantity or omit the chiles.
First, prepare the ingredients on the stovetop (sear beef, saute onions) and transfer all ingredients to a slow cooker, including the coconut milk. Omit or halve the broth if you want a thicker curry. Slow cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.
How to Make Coconut Beef Curry
⏲️ Instant Pot Method
- Saute Beef Cubes and Add Onion, Garlic, Ginger
- Deglaze, Add Spices, Broth, and Beef
- Pressure cook and release pressure
- Pressure Cook the Vegetables and Add Coconut Milk
- Put Instant Pot on Saute mode. Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, add oil and heat until it’s shimmering. Add the beef cubes.
- Working in batches, stirring frequently, sear cubed beef pieces until browned on all sides. *
- Remove beef and set aside. Press Cancel to turn Instant Pot off. This keeps the onions from burning in the next step.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, and mix well.
* This step can be done in a large nonstick frying pan, which is quicker.
- Select Saute again. Add a tablespoon or two of broth and deglaze the inner pot. Saute till the onion mixture is golden brown, stirring often. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze as needed if the onions start browning too much or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Season with salt and pepper, turmeric, and A1 steak sauce. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. *
- Stir in the remaining broth and make sure there are no brown bits stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. The bottom of the pot should be completely clear.
- Stir in reserved beef pieces.
* If the Instant Pot becomes too hot and the ingredients are burning, turn it off to cool it down and turn it back on once cooled. You don’t want to burn the spices! Again, if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pot, deglaze by adding a tablespoon of broth and stirring to remove the browned bits.
- Close the Instant Pot lid.
- Program the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 15:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Release the pressure using the quick release method. The float valve will go down, and the lid can be opened.
You can also do a full natural release or 15-minute natural pressure release where you wait for 15 minutes and then release the remaining pressure by moving the steam release valve from Sealing to Venting.
- Stir in the carrots and potatoes. Close the lid again and pressure cook for 3 minutes on high pressure.
- Release the pressure using the quick release method and remove the lid.
- Stir in coconut milk.
- Heat through on Saute mode to thicken the sauce. Stir in chopped cilantro.
Serve as an Indian beef stew with bread or as a curry with Instant Pot white rice, jasmine rice, or naan.
♨ Stovetop Method
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear cubed beef until browned. Remove beef and set aside.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in salt and pepper, turmeric, and A1 steak sauce.
- Stir in the broth and reserved beef.
- Cover the pot and simmer until the beef is tender.
- Add carrots and potatoes and simmer until vegetables are cooked through.
- Add coconut milk and heat through to thicken the sauce. Stir in chopped cilantro.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Beef Curry Recipe with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil for searing
- 2 lbs beef stew meat (1 kg) cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 5 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger chopped finely
- 1 serrano pepper (or jalapeno), seeded and chopped finely (See Note 1)
- 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth (See Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder or to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon A1 steak sauce optional
- 1 ½ cups potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 ½ cups carrots peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk (400 ml) unsweetened, regular fat (1 can)
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Select the Saute function. Add 3 tablespoon vegetable oil to Instant Pot and working in batches, sear 2 lbs beef stew meat until browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn. Turn off Instant Pot if it gets too hot. Remove beef with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot off and add 1 cup onion, 5 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 serrano pepper and stir well.
- Select Saute again and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of broth to deglaze Instant Pot, scraping up all the brown bits.
- Saute onion mixture till golden brown, stirring often. This will take about 3 minutes. If the mixture sticks to the bottom, add a tablespoon or two of broth.
- Add reserved beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoon A1 steak sauce and saute briefly to coat the beef with spices.
- Add broth and stir.
- Close Instant Pot Lid and pressure cook on HIgh Pressure for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure (QR) and open the lid. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Add 1 ½ cups potatoes and 1 ½ cups carrots to Instant Pot and close the lid again.
- Pressure cook for 3 minutes on high pressure and do a quick release of pressure (QR).
- Add 13.5 oz. coconut milk to the beef and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt to taste.
- Select Saute mode and heat through.
- Turn off Instant Pot, sprinkle beef curry with ½ cup cilantro and stir. Serve with crusty bread, naan or over rice.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear cubed beef until browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Remove beef and set aside.
- Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, and cook until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze the pot with some broth as needed.
- Add salt and pepper, turmeric, and A1 steak sauce, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the broth and reserved beef, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pot. Simmer until the beef is tender, about 1 hour. If the curry becomes too thick, add some extra broth as needed
- Add carrots and potatoes and simmer until vegetables are cooked through,, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add coconut milk and heat through to thicken the sauce. Stir in chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, cubed beef, etc.
- Note 1: Use jalapeno or serrano peppers with care; add them per your spice tolerance.
- Note 2: This curry, as written, has a lot of gravy because that’s how we like to eat it – as a stew. If you prefer a thicker curry, reduce the liquid at the end in Saute mode, or use 1 ½ cups broth instead of 2.
- Adapted from Chef Asha Gomez in Bon Appetit.
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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Stephanie says
This was delicious and the whole family (kids 10 & 8 loved too)! We did not have A1 sauce so I left that out and the flavor was still so delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Stephanie, this is a special recipe because it comes from Kerala, where I’m from. So I’m always thrilled when I hear that people like the recipe!
Abd says
I wanted to try my Instant Pot which I got for Christmas and found this recipe online. It’s definitely a keeper! The whole family loved it! The only thing I would probably do the next time I make it is to slightly cut down the amount of broth. Thank you so much for such an amazing, delicious, & easy to follow recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you had a good experience with your new Instant Pot!
Mark Formby says
Quick tasty what’s not to like.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Mark!
Lauren C says
Made this last night with some substitutions and it turned out amazing! I bet it would be even more so with the right ingredients! We purposely substituted the beef for venison (because we have plenty on hand and I wanted a new way of cooking it besides the typical country roast or steak smothered in gravy. We didn’t have ginger so i used half nutmeg and half allspice. We also didn’t have turmeric but had curry powder. Will definitely make again & share with friends!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
That’s fantastic, Lauren. Curry powder is a good substitution because it does have turmeric and more Indian spices. The beauty of this recipe is that even with a few simple spices like turmeric and black pepper, the taste is so good! Thank you for taking a moment to comment – much appreciated!
John R Fernando says
Most of your recipe’s are simple and easy to cook. Thank you. Thank you also for posting useful tips.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Aww, thank you so much John! I’m very happy to hear that because I always wonder about the amount of detail I put in the recipes 🙂
Jan says
I made this tonight. I also added a tablespoon of guaram marsala. This was so tasty. Will definitely be making it again. Thank you so much for the recipe. Fyi, I usually do enjoy your recipes. I’ve made a few others, & they were delicious also.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jan, thank you for your comment – I’m so glad you liked one of our favorite recipes 🙂
Jules Julian says
Could I use baby yellow potatoes?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jules, yes you absolutely can. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Randy POLACSEK says
Thanks so much for the separation of the meat and veggies, new to me. Will let you know., i am Adding Garam Masala 2 tsp, 1 cup yogurt, 2 xtra tsp ginger Iuv it, and a can of diced tomatoes with the potatoes and carrots. Cross your fingers
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Randy – hope it turned out well 🙂
Matthew says
Hi Neena,
In step 1, when i try to brown the beef, a whole bunch of water got released. What would you recommend? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mathew, that can happen sometimes, especially if the meat has been previously frozen. In the future, you can saute in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan. You can also do this in a frying pan on the stove. But in the case of the water already having been released, I would remove the beef using a slotted spoon and saute the liquid till it evaporates (should be quick), then add the beef back in and continue as usual. Hope you like the recipe – one of my faves!
Matthew says
Came out great. Thanks, Neena!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mathew, I’m so glad to hear it. Love this recipe especially in winter 🙂
Catherine says
Thank you for sharing. My husband I really enjoyed this beef curry. Think I include the seeds from the jalapeno pepper to add some more spicy heat to the dish.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Catherine, glad to hear you like one of my favorite recipes. My husband also likes it spicy 🙂
TimeParadogs says
Really good recipe. Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavor was quite nice, especially considering how simple it was. I ended up using a cup of broth which I reduced a bit and thickened with corn starch, and it went perfectly with rice. I’d recommend adding cayenne; the one jalapeno I used didn’t add nearly enough spiciness.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks so much for your comment. This is one of my family’s all-time favorite recipes! Here’s a tip: use serrano chiles. They’re so much more consistent in their heat content (in my experience). Cayenne works too 🙂
John says
Not sure…it’s pretty standard but I forget the brand. But I’ll decrease the broth. Thanks!
KS says
I used white turmeric because it is all that I had. I added some flour mixed in some cold water at the end and cooked for an extra minute to thicken it up. You have to do it in the saute mode because otherwise it will gunk up your lid.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you KS! I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t even know what white turmeric is! I needed to look it up 🙂
John says
Do you recommend adding corn starch to thicken it a bit? I’m finding it not very thick even after reducing some of the liquid
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi John – what kind of coconut milk did you use? Some brands and also light coconut milk can be quite watery. Also, sometimes beef can give off liquid e.g. if it’s been frozen. Yes, you could thicken with some cornstarch if you needed to. Next time, I would decrease the quantity of broth to 1 1/2 cups.
Aaron says
Hi, do you think this recipe will fit in a 3-quart Instant Pot?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Aaron, as long as you don’t go over the 2/3 full mark, you should be okay. I think it will fit. Hope you like the recipe – it’s one of my family’s favorites.
Mary says
Wow! Great taste! I didn’t have jalapeño so used a chipotle in adobo sauce (just one!). Gave it great heat.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Mary, thanks for trying out the recipe. It’s one of our absolute favorites!
Roger senior says
Very good
Emily says
Delicious curry. The kids loved it.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
It is such a comforting curry – I’m glad your family enjoyed it.
Joyce says
A1 sauce! :O this must add another dimension of spices and flavours! This is so cool! Such a comforting dish, I love your step by steps! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I said that the secret ingredient is coconut milk, but maybe it should be the A1. My mother-in-law gave me this trick!
Romain says
What a fascination fusion of styles. I have never been able to meld Indian with any other cuisine but you have taken a traditional beef stew and put an Indian twist on it with the ginger, chili, turmeric and coconut milk. Bravo. Oh, and I would never skip the browning step personally. You would lose too much flavour. Maillard reaction rules!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Romain! I hope you get to try it out.