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.
Table of Contents
Introduction
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.
Massaman curry is typically made with beef or chicken in Thai restaurants. The taste of Thai massaman curry reminds me so much of Indian coconut-based curries because the massaman curry paste has cumin, coriander, and some of the essential ingredients of the Indian spice garam masala: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves.
Thai massaman curry is said to have come to Thailand from Persia, which is also how many North Indian curries came to India. Massaman curry is also known as Muslim Curry because it originated in the Muslim communities of Thailand.
But Massaman Curry is Thai through and through, due to the addition of quintessential Thai ingredients in the massaman curry paste (galangal ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass).
When I posted my Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken recipe, I got a few messages/comments about fish sauce. Raw fish sauce, yes, can smell fishy. But when you put it in a dish, the fish taste and smell go away, and I believe it’s essential to Thai curries.
There is no substitute. If you want Thai dishes like the ones you get in your favorite Thai restaurant, you should use fish sauce. In a pinch – and I’m not saying it’ll be the same – you can use soy sauce.
My other Instant Pot Thai curry recipes are as delicious as this recipe, but they all have different flavors. And of course, you’ve got to serve this pressure cooker beef massaman curry with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice – oh my, it’s so satisfying and good!
Here are some other super easy Thai recipes you’re going to love!
– Instant Pot Thai Red Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Green Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
– Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
– Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
[Read: Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Cooking Method to learn how to cook rice and curry together!]
Tips and Substitutions
Tamarind Paste
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 such as 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 beef 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.
Thai Curry Paste
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.
If you use the Mae Ploy brand of massaman curry paste, you might need to go easy on the fish sauce because Mae Ploy is saltier than the Maesri brand and fish sauce is salty too.
Fish Sauce
I really like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce which you can find at Asian grocery stores or on amazon. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it’s more affordably priced.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to dishes. I’ve had vegetarian readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. But I haven’t tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
Soy sauce is also a substitute for fish sauce, but there is a flavor difference.
Also note that Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you’re not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
Coconut Milk
I use full-fat coconut milk. I find some coconut milk brands don’t do well during pressure cooking, including some brands that are widely available at grocery stores. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh. Some readers recommend Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk.
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.
Palm Sugar
Palm sugar is more authentic to a Thai curry than brown sugar is. However, I frequently use brown sugar without sacrificing taste.
Meats and Tofu
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.
You can easily substitute other meats or tofu for the beef, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time – here are some approximate times. Note: the timing for meat is for bite-size pieces!
- Pork shoulder: 8 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
- Chicken: 4 minutes NPR
- Extra-firm tofu, cubed: 2 minutes, Quick Release (QR)
Potatoes
I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. 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.
Spiciness
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 the curry paste. Start with just 3 or 4 tablespoons of the massaman curry paste, and next time you can adjust the heat as needed.
Doubling the Recipe
You can double all the ingredients in the recipe and pressure cook for the same amount of time. Just make sure your ingredients don’t go past the 2/3-full mark.
Splatter Screen
When you’re sauteing ingredients in the Instant Pot, the bubbling mixture can splatter. I like to use a splatter screen to cover the inner pot during this saute process.
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 Thai Massaman Curry Ingredients
- Beef
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Peanuts
- Curry paste
- Coconut milk
- Fish sauce
- Tamarind paste
- Brown sugar
How to Pressure Cook Thai Massaman Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute spices and coconut milk
- Add beef and remaining coconut milk
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Stir to combine
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute spices and coconut milk
- Stir together Thai massaman curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk.
- Saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. A splatter screen is very useful to prevent splatters and a mess on your countertops.
Add beef and remaining coconut milk
- Press Cancel to turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in beef, remaining coconut milk, water, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘15′ (15 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 15 minutes (00:15).
- 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. ]
Add vegetables
- Stir in potatoes, onions, and roasted peanuts.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 minutes (00:05).
- 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. ]
Stir to combine
- Stir up the curry and serve over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Thai Instant Pot Massaman Curry with Beef
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Thai massaman curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 14 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand
- 2 lb beef stew meat 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp tamarind paste or Thai tamarind concentrate **
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar, 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 pressure cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure (You can also choose to do a natural release). [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Open Instant Pot and stir in potatoes, onions, and peanuts.
- Close Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot and carefully stir Instant Pot 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.
- Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you’re not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
- 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
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
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 five ⭐ 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!
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Vanessa Dionne
Excellent Massaman Curry recipe! Better than the stove top one I originally used. One of my favorite things I have made in my IP to date!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Vanessa! That is a great compliment 🙂
Shannon Hurlburt
Made this today for the first time, lunch prep for the week to come. As I have to watch the amount of carbs I take in due to dietary restrictions, I subbed the potatoes with radishes, and kept the cooking steps the same. Turned out pretty tasty! Almost can’t even tell due to all the other lovely flavours from the curry. Served with a side of riced cauliflower, and no other changes to the recipe, I have a really yummy low carb meal
Paint the Kitchen Red
Great ideas for making this a low-carb recipe – thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you found my recipes 🙂
Molly
Have you ever made this with chicken instead of beef?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Molly, you can cook the chicken and potatoes together for 4 or 5 minutes. Hope you like it and thanks for your question.
Dee
This was an amazing recipe, i could not believe how delicious the curry turned out, i tend to always put just a tab bit too much water in instant pot and land up having a watery gravy. i am still discovering the joys of using very little water while cooking in the instant pot. i was a bit concerned but it came out perfectly no more watery gravy for me.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Dee, there is a learning curve initially, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Jennifer
We just tried this, it was actually the first meal we made with our new Instapot, and we used chicken instead of beef. We would have preferred a creamier curry, so my question is this: is the additional water added for a technical reason? Is it somehow necessary or important when using this cooking machine?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Jennifer, thanks for commenting. Some people have trouble with their Instant Pot sealing and require that extra 1/4 cup. I would suggest that you try it out without the water and see if you have any issues. Then if you find that you don’t need the water, you won’t need to add it to any of my Thai curry recipes. If you do need the extra liquid, you can also use broth.
Jason
This looks great! Hope I can handle all the spice.
Paint the Kitchen Red
It’s a pretty mild curry (for me, at least!) But you can just add more coconut milk if you find it too hot.
Justine
This is a wonderful recipe! I had massaman recently at a little Thai joint where they used the stew meat instead of the thin sliced beef that you find most places and your recipe almost perfectly replicated it! Unlike one of the previous commenters, I thought the sauce was a little thin. Instead of adding cornstarch of flour, I simply put a few of the potato chunks through my ricer and it was just what I felt it needed. Thanks for the recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Justine – thank you for taking the time to comment. This is a great tip. I do this with my Instant Pot Indian chicken curry sometimes if I find it to be too thin. Thank you for commenting and for sharing. It’s great when readers share their modifications, very helpful to future readers!
Jeff
Thanks for the recipe. It’s really tasty. I felt the consistency was a little thick compared to my local restaurant. Would you recommend adding a little more water to mix to solve this?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Jeff, I would just thin it with some broth after pressure cooking is complete, and just heat through on Saute mode. That way you can control the consistency. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Lorraine
I understand the recipe is designed for an instant pot, but for those of us without one do you have any recommendation for how long to cook it? I plan to use tofu instead of beef, so that can just be fried and stirred in at the end, so I have no worries about times for cooking meat! Thanks for such a lovely recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Lorraine – since you’re not cooking beef, you can do the initial 1/2 can coconut milk and curry paste step as directed (until bubbly), add all remaining ingredients including potatoes, onions, etc. and cook till the potatoes are done. You can even omit the water for a creamier curry, since you don’t have to worry about pressure. You can either add the tofu in at the end or even with the potatoes. It’s so great to see that you’re adapting an Instant Pot recipe – thanks for visiting the blog!
Lorraine
Thanks so much for the reply. I can’t wait to try it out, it sounds fab!
Webko Wuite
Great stuff. What cooking time do you use for Chicken in the first phase? 4 minutes instead of 15 minutes for beef?
Thanks in advance,
Webko
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Webko – if you’re planning on using potatoes, I would add boneless chicken thigh bite-size pieces, potatoes, onions and peanuts at the same time and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Thanks for the comment!
s
Can you post some vegetarian friendly thai curries as well 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your request, I’ve put it on my calendar! Hardest thing is coming up with a substitute for fish sauce!
Katie Hartsell
Are there any brands of curry paste that do not have shrimp in them? My husband is allergic to shrimp and I love curry.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Katie, thanks for your question. The Mae Ploy container says that the product may contain traces of fish. The Maesri brand does not list shrimp as an ingredient. However it says “Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, sesame and shrimp”. I don’t see that message on the Thai Kitchen, which is available at most grocery stores. It’s not my favorite brand, but it might work for you. I have also heard of Mae Anong brand, but have not used it. Looking at the package it says nothing about containing shrimp. You might also have some luck making the paste, but you’d have to get some specialty ingredients.
malin tate
How would you adjust the time if using chicken instead of beef? We are new to the Instant Pot and love it so far. We made your red city last night and it was delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi there – thanks for your question. To substitute bite-size pieces of chicken, just add in potatoes, onions, and peanuts with the chicken in step 2 and cook for 5 minutes. Thai Green Curry recipe coming up next week!
Adri
Really easy and delicious! Loved it. I had cashews on hand so used those instead of peanuts.
Do you need to refrigerate the tamarind paste after opening? I got the Pure Fresh Tamarind paste from Amazon.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Adri – I’m so glad you got to try it out. Interesting twist with the cashews. I do love cashews, might have to try that out. I would refrigerate the tamarind if you’re not going to use it up quickly, to be on the safe side.
June
What a delicious addition to our meal rotation. It was delicious. Thanks.
Paint the Kitchen Red
You’re so welcome – it’s great for when you don’t know what to make! Just need to pick up the beef and potatoes if you have the other ingredients in your pantry, like I always do.
mara closetohome
it is hard to believe all the recipes in the instant pot can look so amazing and take such little time.
THanks for sharing this quick meal
Paint the Kitchen Red
You’re welcome – it’s a game changer in the kitchen!
Ali from Home & Plate
This recipe looks delicious. What time should I be over for dinner 🙂 My neighbor makes a similar dish and we just love it. Saving this recipe so I can make it myself. Yum.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks Ali! Come on over, the more the merrier! I hope you get to try it out.
Sandi Gaertner
What a delicious recipe. I love the step by step photos you do in your posts…I think I am going to break down and get an instantpot soon…this looks so good.
Paint the Kitchen Red
You should get an Instant Pot – and join the cult 🙂 You’ll love it.
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
Wow, I love all your detailed directions and photos. That really helps someone like me who doesn’t make a lot of Thai food. I love it but just not sure how to do it! Will have to try this one in my Instant Pot!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Karen – you can do it! It’s really simple especially in the Instant Pot – easy cleanup, no babysitting the dish!
Suzy
I love massaman curry! Now I can make my own!
peterson
I had the same thoughts, some years ago, and I now am really into most Thai foods.
My advice, is to get a standard recipe, that you like, and then combine other recipes, until you come up with one that knocks your socks off.
peterson