Quick and easy beef curry recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in instant pot in 30 minutes. Thick and creamy. Packed with rich Indian spices.
This dish goes by many names such as Indian korma or beef korma. However, do NOT confuse it with ground beef curry. Regardless of the name, it always delivers a tender beef with the warm, rich Indian spices. It's just as comforting as my Easy Beef Stew Recipe (One Pot).
One of the reasons this recipe is such a hit is because cooking in a pressure cooker ensures that the meat cooks quickly and is also very tender.
Achieving the same results on a stovetop would take hours. No one has time for that on a busy weeknight! This recipe allows you to have it all- a quick home-cooked meal, packed with flavor!
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How to make beef curry in instant pot or pressure cooker?
- Saute aromatics- Heat Instant Pot on Saute mode with oil. Then add garlic, ginger, and onion. Saute for a few minutes till the onion is golden brown. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Add ingredients- Add tomatoes, yogurt, cilantro, red chili flakes, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, and water. Use a hand- held blender to puree everything. It doesn't need to be smooth.
- Add meat- Add cubed chuck roast and mix till coated.
- Set Insant Pot- Close the lid. Set the valve to "Sealing". Select "Manual" mode and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Release pressure- When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Then Remove the lid and stir.
- Saute- Cook uncovered, on "Saute" mode to reduce the liquid and thicken the curry.
- Garnish- Top with Cilantro. Enjoy!
What sides to serve with Indian beef curry?
It is traditionally served with white rice, but if you are looking for a spin on the expected, try this Garlic Rice (One Pot) option.
Bread, such as naan or chapati bread, is also typically served with this dish because it soaks up the sauce and helps calm the flavors. You could use other carbohydrates such as breadsticks, pita chips or crackers, or biscuits to serve as a side.
If you prefer vegetables as your side, try a simple green salad. Other great options are Sautéed Green Beans (One Pot), Easy Garlic Mushrooms (One Pot), or Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes (One Pot). These vegetables will pair so well with the creamy sauce and rich beef.
What cut of meat to use for beef curry?
I used a cubed chuck roast, but you can also use stew meat which is very affordable. You could also use beef short ribs if you prefer.
Variations
Beef curry stew- Add vegetables that you would typically add to a stew such as potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Chinese beef curry- Use Asian herbs and spices such as ginger, coriander, cardamom, and garlic.
Beef coconut curry- Add some coconut milk at the end to make it creamy. It also cuts the spiciness.
Make it a bowl- Serve with rice, lettuce, cilantro, toasted almonds.
Make it a salad- Serve the meat over a simple salad. The sauce will act as a flavorful dressing.
Serve over noodles- For a non-traditional flair, serve it over your favorite pasta such as linguini, macaroni, egg noodles, rice noodles, or even over Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash for a low-carb option.
Make it vegetarian- Use tofu instead of beef but please note that cooking time will vary.
Tips and Techniques
Why is my curry so watery and runny? How to thicken curry? Allow the curry to cook on Saute mode with the lid open until the liquid is reduced, and the consistency is to your liking.
How to make curry thinner? Simply add a little more water.
Can I use chicken or pork in this curry recipe? Yes, but the cooking time will vary in the Instant Pot.
Do not add cornstarch- I am not fond of it because it changes the flavor slightly. You can easily thicken the curry by letting it cook uncovered until the extra liquid evaporates. If you are short on time and really must use cornstarch, dissolve 1-2 tablespoon cornstarch in 1-2 tablespoon water and mix that into the curry.
Use ripe, juicy tomatoes- Since not a lot of water is being added to this recipe, the tomatoes are adding a lot of juices/ liquid . If your tomatoes are not ripe tomatoes then there is a possibility of burning during cooking due to the lack of liquid.
Stovetop instructions- Brown the beef. Saute Aromatics. Add ingredients and cook on the stovetop for 25-30 minutes or until beef is cooked through.
Adjust spices- Increase or decrease the spices according to your taste.
I don't have a hand-held blender? A regular blender can be used to make a thick and smooth puree, and then pour it back into the Instant Pot.
Do I have to saute the onions? Some people don't saute onions, but I recommend it since it adds a wonderful flavor and aroma.
Cook time may vary- Depends on quality of meat and type.
Can I add a liquid other than water? Yes, you can add an equivalent amount of beef broth. I would only use beef broth so as to not alter the flavor too much.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt? Yes, as long as it is plain and not flavored.
More Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
- Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
- Instant Pot Shredded Beef
- Beef Noodle Soup (One Pot)
Recipe
Instant Pot Indian Beef Curry
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Onion Large, Finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic Finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Grated
- 2 Tomatoes Medium size, Roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon Yogurt Full fat
- ⅓ cup Cilantro Roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1-2 teaspoon Garam masala
- Salt To taste
- ¼ cup Water
- 1.5 pounds Chuck roast Cut into small cubes, Or use stew meat
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro Finely chopped, For garnish
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat oil.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger and saute for a few minutes until onion is golden brown.
- Turn off Instant pot.
- Add tomatoes, yogurt, cilantro, red chili flakes, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, water and use a hand- held blender to puree everything. Don't worry if it's not super smooth.
- Add meat and mix until coated.
- Put the lid on and turn up the the valve to “Sealing.”
- Select “Manual” mode and set the timer for 20 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir the curry.
- Cook uncovered, on “Saute” mode for a little longer to reduce the liquid and thicken the curry.
- Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave or stovetop.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Happy cooking everyone!
Marina says
I browned the chuck roast meat on 2 sides, then cut it up in 1 in cubes. I used canned crushed tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. I added halved potatoes and carrots. Stew turned out very delicious! Thanks for the recipe. Meat was very soft. Potatoes overcooked, but they helped to thicken the sauce.
Sab says
Tried this recipe, hoping to get a similar curry to my mothers Bengali beef curry. I put pureed diced tinned tomatos (most of the can) in instead of fresh and added potatos. It was really tasty, the beef was tender, potatos were soft but still intact and the texture of the sauce was amazing.
John C Prince says
use Madras curry powder instead of Garam Massala, it was lovely and quite hot but melt in your mouth beed, thanks for the inspiration, very Indian i9ndeed!
Charlotte says
This was excellent! And the whole family loved it. Made exactly as written - though replaced tomatoes and water with one can peeled tomatoes (due to seasonality). Added ground cumin and coriander to the onion-garlic-ginger-mixture for about 30-60 seconds for more flavour. And I think the amount of salt is crucial here. Used 1,5 teaspoons. Will definitely add this recipe to our rotation. Thanks, Abeer.
Abeer Rizvi says
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Anu says
Looks like a wonderful recipe! What is the cooking time if using boneless chicken thighs?
Abeer Rizvi says
Check out this chicken version: https://onepotrecipes.com/instant-pot-chicken-curry/
Stephanie Allen says
This wasn’t a bad recipe but did not get the deep rich color as pictured. I followed the recipe exactly but felt that the tomatoes should have been substituted with tomato sauce or something. Beef was cooked great and spices were amazing so it was almost a home run.
Nosipho says
Absolutely delicious! I also had to cook it a bit longer but maybe my meat pieces were big. Definitely making this again. Thanks!
Oh and the smell! I couldn't wait to tuck in because it was smelling so good!