This easy beef curry is super quick and easy to make in the instant pot and will fit right into your rotation of weeknight dinners whether or not you are joining us for the challenge!
More Keto Curries, Please!
We’ve been experimenting a lot lately, and the curry route is one of our favorites to take. You can go one of two ways, and you’ll never go wrong. You can go the creamy base route using canned coconut milk or heavy cream, or keep it lighter like we did with this beef curry and use a tomato paste base and some broth or water. Some of our favorite curries are:
- Shrimp Keto Curry (swap out the meat for chicken or pork!)
- Curry Lamb Shanks (oldie, but goodie)
- Butter chicken (fan fave!!)
What Beef Is Best For Curry?
Great question! You definitely don’t want something too tough. However, the thing to note in this recipe is that most meats will come out pretty tender when pressurized in the instant pot. If you don’t have one we highly recommend you get one!
Most grocery stores will sell “meat for stew” which is usually is chuck or round cut that is tough, but tenderizes when used in soups/curries and cooked for a long time or under pressure like we did with this beef curry. It’s also usually chopped up into 1-2 inch sized pieces so just season and add to whatever dish you are preparing.
If you can’t find the stew meat at your local grocery a large chuck roast will do the job. It won’t have a lot of external fat on it (no trimming required), but it will have a lot of nice marbling!
What Can I Serve My Curry With?
Growing up in an Indian household my diet was heavy on the breads and rice. It seems that you can’t go without carbs when trying to eat Indian and make it “complete.” Well, I’m here to tell you that is totally false!
To ensure I could enjoy my favorite Indian dishes and take out, we made an amazing low carb naan recipe that will leave you impressed and satisfied. It is nut free (using coconut flour) and can also be dairy free/vegetarian! You can also serve up your dish alongside some riced cauliflower as a perfect (maybe not perfect) rice substitute.
Easy Beef Curry
My favorite part about this is not the intense and rich flavors. It’s actually the fall of the bone (even though there is no bone haha), tender meat that basically melts in your mouth. Another cool part about this recipe is that you can swap in any meat and you’ll achieve the same delicious result! We’ve made this a couple times since and have used chicken thighs as a substitute.
This not only meal preps well and lasts in the fridge up to one week, but it freezes well so you can store it up to a month and pull it out on a busy night! I love to meal prep this and then freeze a portion of it in a fat bomb mold for our 9 month old son so he can enjoy the beef curry and flavors of his ancestry any day of the week!
Want More Challenge Recipes And Support?
All month long we’ll be sharing recipes we love to make on a weekly basis and fit perfectly into this challenge. The one thing we’ve learned from doing it last month was that if you keep your recipes fun and packed with flavor you won’t feel like you’re missing out!
Easy Beef Curry
What You Need:
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 medium onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 2 small bay leaves
- 2 lbs chuck roast, cubed
Instructions:
- In a dutch oven or other large skillet safe pot heat avocado oil over medium heat, add onion and cook until tender.
- Add garlic and ginger then cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, water, ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala, cinnamon salt and red chili powder. Still well. Then add bay leaves..
- Add cubed beef to the pot, stir well. Cook, covered on low for 1-1.5 hours until beef is tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves and top with fresh cilantro, is desired, and serve!
- Note: If you want to thicken the curry you can allow it to heat over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes to allow it to reduce. You can also stir in 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum and heat for 3-5 minutes as you continuously stir until the sauce has thickened!
Video:
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
I love the sound of this recipe – I want to make it in an Instant Pot though. I noticed two comments but the times suggested are quite different – one person did 25 min on stew setting, and one did 50 min with 10 min slow release. So which would YOU recommend, if you have tried it in your Instant Pot? Thank you!
Can you do this dish but substitute beef for Chicken. If yes do change any cooking times?
I used a Dutch Oven and browned off the meat first, which if you have the time really increases the flavour profile. I also cooked for 5 hours very slowly covered then did the last hour with the lid off to thicken the sauce. Really delicious and for sure will make again.
This was my first experience eating beef curry (any Indian Dish) and it was Great!!!! I used an instant pot. cooked for 50 min. slow release for 10 min then fast release. I was unsure of turning this into an instant pot recipe so I added extra water. NOT NEEDED. I had to thicken it with xantham Gum. Hubby said to add steamed carrots & mushrooms. I could have added them to the instant pot but worry about the veggies getting mushy.
I want to try making this! Do you think a slow cooker will work? I’m thinking that about trying 6-8 hours on the low setting. Has one made this recipe with their slow cooker? What setting and time worked for you?
I made this today and added red pepper, mushrooms and asparagus pieces at the end and my husband licked the plate like a kid. This will be a staple :))
Love it!
You recommend using an Instant Pot (I love mine!) but your recipe uses a Dutch Oven (I’m guessing the cast iron variation I’ve seen you guys use, and which I have). Can you post instructions for using the Instant Pot?
I love curry recipes and this is such a great recipe!!! My non-Keto husband also loved it!
Lately, I have been experimenting with Ras-el-Hanout Moraccan seasoning. Have you ever tried this curry-type spice blend?
You two make the best recipes! Thank you for another winner!
I used the stew setting for about 25 min on the instant pot. So good.