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
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.
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Lindsie says
Super delicious! I see no need for take out from our local favorite Thai restaurant!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Lindsie! I’m happy to hear that 🙂
Todd says
Excellent recipe. I added cut up red pepper along with onions, brown sugar step and I sautéed it a little longer to make sure the carrots were cooked through. I also used fresh lime zest instead of lime leaves. I’ll make this again for guests.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Todd, thank you for the comment and the details on how you changed up the recipe. I’m so glad you liked it.
Alex says
Lime leaves? As in the leaves from the tree? If so, yay for me as I have a lime tree!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Alex, the lime leaves are actually ‘makrut’ lime leaves or k-lime leaves which are sometimes referred to as kaffir lime leaves. I’m really not sure if they can be substituted with regular lime leaves!
Peggy Meek says
Rivals the best chicken yellow curry I’ve had in my favorite Thai restaurants!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m so happy to hear that, Peggy! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Boudica says
Wonderful curry! I did it vegetarian style by using 3 large potatoes, 1 can drained chickpeas, 1 whole onion chunked and chunks of raw carrot. Put all of it into the pot and added a can of coconut milk and a full can of water, into which I stirred 4T yellow curry paste. It was absolutely divinely flavored, yet thin, so I added about 2C cooked brown rice. Turned out perfectly! Definitely going to become a staple, as well all love curry here.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m happy to hear that you made the recipe your own. Thanks for sharing!
Anthony says
I am making this tonight as it is one of my wife’s favorite dishes. If I was to make a double batch, do I double the cook time?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sorry Anthony if this is too late! You will keep the cook time the same and double all ingredients. Enjoy!
Lynn says
Flavor was perfect. Used the full three tablespoons of yellow curry paste, a little spicy but delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Awesome, Lynn. You can always add a bit more coconut milk if you find the curry is too spicy. Thanks for your comment.
Cherie says
I didn’t have lime leaves or a lime so I increased the lime juice to 1 Tbl. My husband, the yellow curry chicken nut, loved it. I had to add a little extra brown sugar to my bowl to tone down the heat but I also thought the flavor was fantastic. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Cherie – thanks for the review and I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
Mike says
Hi, I was just wondering can I used chicken legs with the bone in for this recipes? I have chicken legs but no chicken breasts. I intend to chop the bone in pieces to smaller pieces. My question is should i sate the chicken abit before cooking them on high pressure? 3 mins for bone in may be too little time?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mike, you sure can use bone-in chicken; I don’t think you need to saute the chicken. Just make sure the liquid and spices cover the pieces. And pressure cook for about 10 to 12 minutes depending on if you want it fall-off-the-bone tender. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Christine Piggott says
I made this for dinner last night and my husband absolutely loved it! He has requested it for dinner again soon. The recipe was super easy to follow and it turned out great. I had to order the yellow curry paste from Amazon as I couldn’t find any in my local stores but that was pretty easy too.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
That’s wonderful to hear, Christine! You should also try the massaman curry; similar but different too 🙂
Lisa S. says
Absolutely delish! I’ve tried other Thai curry recipes and was always disappointed. The curry paste is the secret! I added 1/2 cup of chicken broth at the beginning because I was really afraid of getting a Burn warning, and it worked out fine. (A little watery, though – next time I’ll try 1/4 cup as you suggest in the notes.) I didn’t have lime leaves so I added a little extra lime juice, and it still tasted great. Next time I’m going to try doubling the recipe, because it disappears so fast!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Wow, what a wonderful comment! Trial and error is the best way to get good at using your IP, so you did the right thing by adding extra water, so you can reduce it next time. I am able to make it with no added water, and just the coconut milk. All the best!
Hitee says
Hi. Love your recipe but would like to try next time with tofu instead. Any suggestions on what changes I should make to the cooking time?
Hitee says
I just saw your note about the tofu on the cooking instructions 🙂 ignore me
Beth says
Beat EVER! No need to go out when I can make this!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m so glad you liked it, Beth!
Anna says
ANy suggestions for doing this without paste and just dry spices? Should I not attempt without?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Anna, sorry, but these Thai recipes really hinge on the right ingredients. I would say you should try and get the correct spice paste and ingredients.
Alexia Isaak says
How many servings are in the recipe to come out to that nutritional value?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Alexia, I calculate the nutrition using myfitnesspal.com and for this recipe it’s 6 servings. You can see the number of servings at the top of the recipe card in the red section.
Diane says
This was my first time making curry and I am so glad I stumbled across your yellow curry recipe. It was amazing! It was as good as any yellow curry I’ve had at a restaurant, if not better. I don’t like fish, but I went ahead and used fish sauce based on your recommendation and it came out perfect. I was concerned it would taste fishy, but it didn’t. I doubled the recipe and the only changes I made were to add a pack of mushrooms, a can of chickpeas, and a bunch of kale. I also tried to use tofu instead of chicken, but I wasn’t overly excited about how that turned out. I didn’t want to omit the potatoes, so I just added the tofu at the end while I was sauteing the vegetables. That wasn’t really enough time for the tofu to absorb the flavors. Hopefully the tofu will taste better tomorrow when I reheat the leftovers.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Diane and thank you for the kind words! You’ll need to try all my Thai curries – they’re all equally good.
Courtney says
I have thoroughly enjoyed your red and green curry recipes. I will be trying this one next. Thank you for sharing these!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Courtney, you’ll love the panang too – you should put that on your list 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
Siran says
Thanks so much for sharing! I would love to make a vegetarian version of this. Do you know what changes I have to make to the cooking steps if I remove the chicken? Could I add mushrooms, broccoli and bell peppers etc and how does that impact pressure cook timings? Sorry for the questions, I’m new to instant pot cooking 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Siran, thanks for your question. Some of those veggies will become mushy if pressure cooked. You could just make the recipe on ‘Saute’ mode if you’re not using chicken. You could use tofu and pressure cook for a minute or two.
Jen says
This Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken was amazing!!! My husband made it a little too spicy but my kids and I ate it. Next time less yellow curry paste. I believe he put in 2.5 tablespoons. Next time we’ll try 1.5. This was one on the best meals we’ve ever prepared and LOVED it so much. I purchased all of the ingredients from amazon so I wouldn’t have to hunt them down at several stores in my area. Thank you for this fabulous recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Wow! What a great comment, Jen! It’s great to hear that y’all liked the recipe. My kids sometimes find the curries spicy, but they just add extra rice 🙂
elaine says
Hi Neena…any suggestions how to prepare black mustard seeds…when I purchased them I never realized one has to soak for 12 hours and use lemon juice…isn’t there an easier way? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all your recipes…just need 60 hours a day to cook everything!!!! I’m the one who mentioned to you I only cook my beets for 3 minutes…
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yes, I remember you Elaine! I have never done that with black mustard seeds. The way we use them in Indian cooking is to heat oil (a couple teaspoons) to a high heat, add the mustard seeds and let them pop like popcorn, while covering with a lid until popping stops. Thank you so much for your lovely words – they really do make my day, my week….
Saaz pettitt says
Hi Neena, I just finished making your amazing instant pot Thai Red curry. . I was just going to ask you when you were going to share yellow curry recipe. This is such a pleasant surprise. Thank you!,
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Saaz – you discovered it before I’ve had a chance to get the word out 🙂 I hope you like it. Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting the blog.