This fragrant and flavorful Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry recipe has creamy coconut, tender beef, potatoes and crunchy peanuts that combine to make this a highly satisfying dish that can be put together quickly for a delicious weeknight meal.
Have I already mentioned how much I love Thai food? I especially love Thai coconut curries! One of my favorite Thai curries is Massaman (pronounced muss-uh-maan) curry, which is a mild curry and doesn’t taste as spicy as a red, green , panang or yellow curry.
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My other Thai curry recipes are as delicious as this Massaman curry recipe, but they all have different flavors. And of course, you’ve got to serve this Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice – oh my, so satisfying and good!
Tips and Substitutions
This recipe requires tamarind paste, which is easy to make from slabs of tamarind pulp that you can find at East Asian or South Asian stores. This is my Instant Pot Tamarind Paste recipe (try and make it ahead of time). Tamarind paste adds tartness to dishes.
If you use a purchased tamarind paste, the quantity required varies. If using Indian tamarind paste like Tamicon, you should start out with a smaller quantity (about 1 teaspoon mixed with some hot water) and taste at the end before you add more.
If using this Thai tamarind concentrate, you might need to use more than the Massaman curry recipe suggests. The first time you make the dish, be on the safe side and add one tablespoon to start with, and adjust at the end. If you don’t want to use tamarind at all, you can substitute lime juice.
For the Thai massaman curry paste, there are two brands that I like: Maesri and Mae Ploy. I use Maesri because I use the whole can for the massaman curry recipe. No leftover curry paste to store in the fridge.
Thai massaman curry is not a spicy dish, so people who don’t like spicy foods will probably be okay with using a whole can of Thai massaman curry paste.
If you’re concerned about spice, reduce the quantity of massaman curry paste. If you use Mae Ploy brand of massaman curry paste, you might need to go easy on the fish sauce because it’s saltier than the Maesri brand and fish sauce is salty too.
For the fish sauce, I like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it is more affordably priced.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to the curry. But if you’re vegetarian, I’ve had readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. But I haven’t tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
For the coconut milk, try and use regular fat and not the light variety because there’s a definite taste difference! I really like the brands Aroy-D and Chaokoh.
If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can omit the water. The brands of coconut milk I use are thick, so the water doesn’t make the curry too thin, for my tastes.
I use beef stew meat or London broil and the cooking time I’ve provided is just right. If you use a different cut of beef, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
The potatoes come out well done if using the 5-minute pressure cook time. If you would like them to be more firm, you can reduce the pressure cook time to 3 minutes.
You can also substitute the beef with chicken to make it a Thai Chicken Massaman Curry recipe. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time, of course. If using boneless skinless bite-size pieces, pressure cook for 4 minutes. You can cook the chicken, potatoes and remaining ingredients altogether.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot
and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry Recipe Ingredients
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’.
- Stir together Thai massaman curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. *
* Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.
Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘15’ (15 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 15 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release: to open the Instant Pot, first move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Note: you can let the pressure drop naturally by waiting for the float valve to go down on its own. This can take 15 to 30 minutes.
- Stir in potatoes, onions, and roasted peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘5’ (5 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 5 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a quick release again: to open the Instant Pot, first move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. If using a towel to turn the handle, remove the towel after turning the handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as required.
- Stir Instant Pot Massaman Curry and serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef
Ingredients
- 4 oz. (7 1/2 Tbsp) Thai massaman curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 14 oz. (1 can) regular fat coconut milk
- 2 lb beef stew meat 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp homemade tamarind paste or Thai tamarind concentrate **
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste
- 2 cups potatoes 1-inch cubes *
- 1/2 cup onion 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Stir together massaman curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk and cook in 'Saute' mode until mixture is bubbly, about two minutes.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot. Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure (You can also choose to do a natural release).
- Open Instant Pot and stir in potatoes, onions, and peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on 'Manual' (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- Carefully stir Instant Pot Thai Beef Massaman Curry.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Transfer Instant Pot Beef Massaman Curry to a serving dish. Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Use a
splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk bubbling up. - You may substitute chicken for the beef. Be sure to adjust the cooking time.
- * I prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes.
- ** If using purchased tamarind paste, the quantity required may vary. If using Tamicon brand, start with 1 tsp; if using Thai tamarind concentrate, start with 1 Tbsp. Adjust for more at the end.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips
Nutrition
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.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Thai Red Curry | Instant Pot Thai Green Curry | Instant Pot Panang Curry |
Kunal
So easy to make, and so delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Glad to hear you liked the recipe, Kunal!
Blake
Really enjoyed the recipe. I added broccoli, bell pepper, and cauliflower with the potatoes and onions. I also added an extra tablespoon of red curry for a kick and to compensate for extra veggies. Turned out amazing! Thanks will make again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Blake, thank you very much – glad you enjoyed it.
Virginia
We had this for dinner tonight and even my fussiest kids enjoyed it.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for your comment, Virginia.
Jesse
This looks great – I can’t wait to try it out this week!
Couple of questions – how does the beef turn out on this? I’ve always loved the ‘pull-apart’ effect that the authentic beef massaman curries get from hours of stewing. Does this happen with your recipe?
Finally, is there a reason you opted for coconut milk instead of coconut cream? I’ve always seen massaman made with the latter, so just wondered how this works out in comparison..
Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jesse, I find it to be quite tender because I use chuck roast. If you use a leaner beef, you wouldn’t get that. You can cook for the stated time, and if it’s not tender enough for you, just pressure cook it for another 2 minutes. Hope you like it. Do let me know.
Ceri
Unfortunately for us this recipe was very underwhelming! I used mae ploy massaman sauce, tamarind from the Asian supermarket etc.. it was quite thin which in itself wasn’t that much of an issue, but it had no flavour at all really.. I think it needs a lot more massaman paste and some salt in there. It barely even had a mild Thai flavour to it. It looked like a massaman but unfortunately tasted like a very bland stew. Such a shame! Won’t be making this one again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ceri, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t meet your expectations. I write the recipes as I make them and they suit my family’s tastes. But it’s possible that you need to have a very strong massaman curry flavor, so I’d suggest you add 1 more tablespoon of curry paste to suit your tastes.
Molly
Massaman Curry is my most favorite thing to get from Thai restaurants, and I was so excited to try this! While it was cooking, my whole kitchen smelled EXACTLY like it does at the restaurant! I was so excited to try it, but when we actually started eating it, the flavors were extremely muted. My husband and I could barely taste any of the delicious flavor we smelled. Did I do something wrong?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Molly, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t meet your expectations. Did you use the Maesri or Mae Ploy brand paste? If so, then I think your palate requires about 25 to 50% more spice paste. Pressure cooking does mute spices (in my experience). I like the spice level as is, but I would be open to increasing the quantity. Thanks for your feedback.
Jen
We loved this recipe, especially my kid who doesn’t do spicy food. I forgot to get tamarind paste, so substituted lime juice instead. (Will try with tamarind next time!) I had bigger chunks of beef (frozen and cut previously), so I increased cooking time to 25 minutes. It was perfect. Thanks!!
Yolie
Hi – I’ve never cooked with Tamarind before, is the taste similar to lime juice if I were to substitute it as you mentioned or will the curry taste “different” without tamarind? also would tamarind sauce be ok too or is paste better?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Yolie, tamarind is very different from lime. It has a sour sweet flavor, but you could substitute lime if you can’t get your hands on tamarind.