Thai Instant Pot Yellow Curry with Chicken has the perfect combination of flavors: creamy coconut milk, Thai yellow curry paste, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. To top it off, curry powder gives this Thai yellow curry its unique taste. This Thai yellow curry recipe is soul-nourishing comfort food perfect for any time of year.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I’ve had many requests for an Instant Pot Yellow Curry recipe but I just didn’t get a chance to share one until now. I think you’re going to love this Instant Pot chicken curry with potatoes and carrots.
It’s very important that you get good quality and authentic ingredients if you want to replicate the flavors of your favorite Thai restaurant. Please read my Instant Pot Thai Red Curry recipe post to find out more about my quest to create a recipe for the perfect Thai Red Curry, first on the stovetop and then the pressure cooker!
When I used to make Thai Yellow Curry on the stovetop, I didn’t add extra curry powder. I found that the yellow curry paste gives the curry amazing and authentic flavor. But when I make this curry in the pressure cooker, I like to add that extra curry powder because pressure cooking can dull some of the spices.
I love to serve Thai curries with Jasmine rice rather than long grain, basmati, or even brown rice. I feel that Jasmine rice is best for soaking up the curry – it tastes so good!!
This pressure cooker Thai yellow curry recipe can be made quickly and easily, even on a busy weeknight. I always keep coconut milk and curry paste in my pantry and I use whatever meat and vegetables I have on hand.
[Read More: Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Cooking Method to cook rice and curry together!]
All my Thai recipes are as delicious and easy as this curry, but with different flavors! Massaman curry is milder, and Green Curry is the spiciest, with Red Curry somewhere in the middle. Try Thai fish curry (choo chee curry) for a change from the ordinary.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Yellow Curry Paste
To make this curry taste like a restaurant-quality curry, you’ve got to get the right curry paste. There are two brands of Thai curry pastes that I really like: Maesri (which I like best) and Mae Ploy.
These brands have a much more authentic flavor than the most common brand found in regular grocery stores in the US.
If the curry is too spicy at the end, add some more coconut milk when you’re cooking the vegetables.
Spiciness
When I use Maesri, I use 3 tablespoons of paste, but with Mae Ploy, I use 2 tablespoons because I find it to be spicier. Adjust to your tastes.
If the curry is too spicy at the end, add some more coconut milk when cooking the vegetables. The level of spice in the recipe as written is medium spicy. Vary the spice by adding more or less Thai yellow curry paste.
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.
Curry Powder
Curry powder can lose its freshness if kept for too long. So if you have a jar of curry powder that’s been sitting in your cabinet for ages, you should try and get a fresh jar.
Lime Leaves
Lime leaves (also known as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves) add unique flavor to Thai curries.
You can find them at Asian grocery stores. I highly recommend using them. They keep very well in the freezer!
I like to scrunch up the lime leaves and bruise them before adding them to the curry. This releases the oils from the leaves and adds a stronger flavor.
If you can’t find lime leaves, add an extra teaspoon or two of lime juice. Taste as you go.
Thai Basil
Thai yellow curry recipes vary widely. I like to use lime leaves but I don’t use Thai basil in this curry. If you’re used to the flavor of Thai basil in your yellow curry, feel free to add some in at the end, after pressure cooking.
Fish Sauce
I use Red Boat brand of fish sauce. It’s more pricey, but very good quality.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to the curry. But for vegetarians, I’ve had readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. I have not tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
Palm Sugar
Thai yellow curries at Thai restaurants can vary in the amount of sweetness, so feel free to adjust the quantity of sugar.
Palm sugar is more authentic to a Thai curry than brown sugar is. However, I frequently use brown sugar without sacrificing taste.
Coconut Milk
I frequently get questions about the coconut milk curdling after being pressure cooked in the Instant Pot. Yes, it will appear to be curdled when you open the Instant Pot. But once you stir it up and cook the vegetables in the curry sauce, the curry should be very smooth.
It’s important to buy good-quality coconut milk. I have had less-than-perfect Thai curry when I’ve used lower quality brands and/or light coconut milk. I use full-fat coconut milk. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh.
Meats and Tofu
You can easily substitute other meats or tofu for the chicken, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time – here are some approximate times. Note: the timing for meat is for bite-size strips!
- Pork shoulder: 8 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
- Beef chuck: 12 minutes NPR
- Extra-firm tofu, cubed: 2 minutes, Quick Release (QR)
Vegetables
I sometimes choose to decrease the quantity of chicken and double the quantity of vegetables, so we eat less meat and more veggies.
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 ⅔-full mark.
Splatter Screen
When you’re sauteing the coconut milk with the curry paste, the mixture can bubble up and splatter. I like to use a splatter screen to cover the inner pot during the saute process.
Burn Message
If you regularly encounter the ‘burn’ message, feel free to add ¼ cup of broth when pressure cooking the coconut milk. (I frequently do this not because of the ‘burn’ error but just because I don’t like to waste the remnants of coconut milk in the can; I add a bit of broth to the emptied can, swirl it around and use a spoon or silicone spatula to scrape out all the coconut milk.)
[Read more: Instant Pot Burn Message]
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.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- 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
Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry – Ingredients
- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Yellow curry paste
- Brown sugar
- Lime juice
- Carrots
- Fish sauce
- Curry powder
- Lime leaves
- Coconut milk
How to Make Thai Yellow Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute curry paste and coconut milk
- Add curry powder and rest of coconut milk
- Stir in chicken and potatoes
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables and seasonings and saute
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Curry Paste and Coconut Milk
- Stir together yellow curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk and saute for about a minute. Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
Add Curry Powder and Rest of Coconut Milk
- Add curry powder and stir until mixture is bubbly and oil begins to separate, about two to three minutes. *
- Select Cancel and stir in remaining coconut milk.
Stir in Chicken and Potatoes
- Stir in chicken and potatoes.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 3 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 3 (3 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 3 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 3 minutes (00:03).
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 and Seasonings and Saute
- Select the Saute function.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, onions, carrots, and lime leaves.
- Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t overcook, as the vegetables will continue to cook in the residual heat.
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
More Chicken Favorites
Love cooking chicken in the Instant Pot but looking for new recipes? Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes that are easy, delicious, and fast to make.
- Chicken tinga Instant Pot
- Instant Pot chicken korma
- Instant Pot teriyaki chicken wings
- Instant Pot chicken curry soup
For more chicken recipes, be sure to head over to my list of amazing Instant Pot chicken recipes you need to try!
Thai Instant Pot Yellow Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand *
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand – 411 ml
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (⅔ kg) cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ cups Yukon gold potatoes about 2 medium, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce more to taste
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ cup onion cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised **
Instructions
- Select Saute and stir together yellow curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk in the inner pot for about a minute.
- Add curry powder and stir constantly until mixture is bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Press Cancel.
- Stir in remaining coconut milk, chicken and potatoes.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, onions, carrots, and lime leaves.
- Select Saute and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Be sure not to overcook. Vegetables will continue to cook in the residual heat.)
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar, or lime juice.
- 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, to guard against the 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.
- * I use 3 tablespoon of Maesri brand or 2 tablespoon of Mae Ploy brand.
- ** lime leaves also referred to as k-lime, makrut, or kaffir lime leaves.
splatter screen, if necessary, to guard against the coconut milk bubbling up.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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Daniel says
A great recipe! I made it with Harvest Moon Potatoes (Potatoes with yellow flesh and dark purple skin) that I got from my local farmer’s market. It was a good recipe for my household, as some of my family don’t like really spicy food, and as this is more mild, it was a hit!
Neena Panicker says
Hi Daniel! Thanks for leaving a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the Thai yellow curry using harvest moon potatoes!
Lauren says
I cannot wait to make this recipe for dinner tomorrow. If I were to triple it, would it all fit in a 6 qt instant pot?
Neena Panicker says
Lauren, I’ve doubled it easily but never tripled it. Officially you’re supposed to stay at the 2/3 full mark or below. But if you go a bit above, you should be okay. Just don’t fill it up too high.
Jeremy Best says
I made this a couple of weeks ago for my mother whom I’ve recently introduced to how amazing Thai cuisine is. I like a strong coconut flavor in my Curries so I doubled the total coconut milk quantity, but in the first step I simmered it until the oil started separating from the liquid, then I added in my curry paste. A couple of other changes I made to the recipe were using palm sugar rather than brown, and I added bell peppers and cherry tomatoes in the final step. This was an amazing recipe to build upon and I am making a tofu version again tonight for my vegetarian daughter. Thank you so much and I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Neena Panicker says
Jeremy, thank you for the comment and your modifications. I’m so glad you were able to make this for your mom, and that she liked it. Hope your daughter enjoyed the vegetarian yellow curry too.
Lisa Gregory says
Can I use a slow cooker for this recipe?
Neena Panicker says
Lisa, I would say you can slow cook for 4 hours on low heat.
Taylor says
Do you have a suggested cook time or other adjustments when using frozen chicken?
Neena Panicker says
Hi Lisa, if the chicken is cut into small pieces and separated (not in one big clump), you pressure cook for the original time. The Instant Pot will just take longer to come to pressure. If you’re using frozen large pieces, you can pressure cook for 8 to 10 minutes and shred it it. I prefer cutting it up.
Brenda says
Hi. Can I make the same recipe on the stove, in a pot? Sounds amazing and delicious.
Neena Panicker says
Brenda, yes, you can make it on the stovetop. Instead of pressure cooking, cook it on the stove till the chicken is cooked through. No other changes.
Bethany says
Does doubling the recipe exactly create any issues? Or do you have any suggestions on how to alter the measurements to double it properly? I’m 100% sure my family will want more than the recipe will make, we love curry.
Neena Panicker says
Bethany, I double it exactly and find it works quite well. However, if you double it and it’s too spicy for you, I would just add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut milk.
Alisha says
I’m making the recipe now but it’s looking a bit watery, I realized I purchased lite coconut milk. Would you mind specifying the level of fat of coconut milk to use?
Neena Panicker says
Hi Alisha, as far as I know you can get lite, regular, or coconut cream. I use regular but you can also do coconut cream and add some broth as needed to thin it out.
paul cooke says
Amazing…..
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Paul. I’m so happy you liked the Thai yellow curry!
Elfie says
I made the Thai red curry and it was delicious! I plan on making this one next. My only question is: why isn’t the fish sauce added during the pressure cooking step? I was worried about the fish sauce not cooking enough on the saute step so I let it cook for about 10 minutes total and ended up over-cooking the sauce (lots of liquid evaporated).
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Elfie, great question. I find that pressure cooking mutes spices and flavorings, in general, and choose to add fish sauce towards the end. You can definitely pressure cook it and see if that works better for you. It will be good.
Steve says
Hello! I have a little one that is sensitive to citrus. Can you recommend a substitute for the lime juice? Not sure if the lime leaves have citrus but maybe they’ll be ok? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
The lime leaves have citrus notes, so you’ll probably need to omit them too. To add sourness you may want to try a bit of vinegar, or maybe even tamarind.
Sandra Reed says
Wonderful recipe loved by all! All of your instructions were very helpful.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sandra, so glad to hear that!
Tim says
I stumbled across your site looking for a recipe for red curry, and boy am I glad I did. It was fantastic, and I am going to try this one next. I accidentally bought yellow sour curry paste. Is that the same thing, or should I go back to the store?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tim, great question. Unfortunately, it isn’t the same thing. This particular curry paste is good for fish and it doesn’t use coconut milk. Pressure cook fish on low pressure for about 3 minutes (or just boil in a saucepan) with curry paste and water. Thank you for trying out my recipes!
Terri says
I appreciated the shopping tips, found the curry paste & fish sauce in my local Safeway. Easy to follow recipe, it was great!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Terri. I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Laura says
We love this recipe. Have used it many time. Just wondering, as I’m a bit of an amateur when it comes to storing food, can this be frozen and reheated at a later date? We just had twins and trying to precook some meals for when they are out of special care.
🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Laura, I freeze the red curry and green curry just fine so this one should also be fine to freeze. The only change I make is add the Thai basil when I’m reheating.