When it comes to quick and satisfying meals Beef Masala Curry has to be at the top of the list. Fragrant spices paired with tender meat feature weeknight dish that can be on the table in 30 minutes with the help of Instant Pot!
This is one of those outrageously delicious curries, which will make you mop your plate clean and ask for more. We love curry and for us it’s something that’s never boring.
It’s so comforting, spicy-sweet-savory and it just generally puts me in a good mood about life. Most of my life revolves around food that is quick and easy and I’m always looking for shortcuts or ways to save time. Using the Instant Pot
If you love curry. If you love cooking. Make this delicious beef masala curry and enjoy eating well.
HOW TO COOK BEEF MASALA CURRY IN THE INSTANT POT
Turn the pressure cooker into sauté mode, add oil, chopped onions, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cook until onion becomes soft and golden, for about 3 minutes. Then stir in the tomato passata, brown sugar and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the food processor and blend it all into a paste.
The most exciting thing about this paste is that you can make a batch of it in the beginning of the week, use a little bit, and refrigerate the rest. You will love yourself next time craving curry and the paste is already done!
Then brown the meat on all sides, pour in the blended spice paste, stock and add lemon zest. Cover the lid and cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.
Serve this incredibly tender and flavourful beef masala curry with steamed rice and chopped cilantro.
What else can I cook in pressure cooker?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
Be sure to try some of my other favourite pressure cooker recipes listed here:
Korean Beef Brisket – Meal Prep Bowls with melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket, rice and kimchi all sectioned out for you to enjoy all week long!
Homemade Ramen – With the pressure cooker help it’s the best way to make this Miso Chashu Ramen because not only does it make dinner easy, but the pork gets cooked very quickly and creates an incredible broth.
Oxtail Stew – The machine does all the heavy lifting for you and in less than 1 hour creates yummy, rich, succulent and perfect stew.
Cabbage Rolls – Done in 30 minutes! That’s right, easy, fast weeknight meal!
Beef Masala Curry
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 big yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 lb stewing beef
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Spice Mix
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Garnish: fresh cilantro
Instructions
Curry Paste
- Turn the pressure cooker into sauté mode. Add oil, chopped onions, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cook until onions become soft and golden, for about 3 minutes. Then stir in the tomato passata, brown sugar and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the food processor and blend all into a paste. Set aside.
- Then brown the meat on all sides, pour in the blended spice paste, stock and add lemon zest. Cover the lid and cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- Serve this incredibly tender and flavorful beef masala curry with steamed rice and chopped cilantro.
This looks absolutely amazing! I’d love to try it!
Thank you! 🙂
I made this curry. Was amazing.
Thank you so much Sal!
How long does it take to cook WITHOUT a pressure cooker? Does every indian curry recipe require a pressure cooker? I am a new beginner in the kitchen and it is so darn annoying to not able to find a decent recipe on foodgawker.
Kristall, I cooked this without a pressure cooker and it was delicious, I used a large pan with a cover. But i didnt add anything to the onion while cooking it, after onion is done i added the tomato, onion and spices to a blender to make the paste. Then when you reach the point to add the paste to the pan, just cover and simmer for 30 minutes
Hi Kristall and Craig, thank you for stopping by! You definitely don’t have to use a pressure cooker. Feel free to use your favorite heavy bottomed pan instead. It might take a little longer, but use your taste buds and decide how tender you want the meat to be. The pressure cooker is just a simple time saver that’s all! Cheers!
Hi can you use a slow cooker on high? Thank you and is the corriander just for decoration or part of the paste mix? Thanks
Coriander is a must! The cilantro is a garnish in this recipe for looks more than taste but, I still wouldn’t skip it. I used a crock pot for 1 Hr after braising beef in flour salt and pepper in sauce pan. Removed beef from pan then cooked onion in same pan…Added remaining ingredients to a gentle boil before adding to meat in crock pot. Added red skinned potatoes and still put over rice! Delish!!!!! I would add carrots next time also
You didn’t actually answer his question.
Absolutely amazing. The wife loved it. I loved it. Had to do it with an old school pressure cooker. Watch your temps and bring it to a medium low on 15 lbs pressure 30 minutes to perfection. 🤤
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously restaurant quality. I did not have a pressure cooker either. I sautéed everything on my stove in my Dutch oven, combined everything (as stated in the recipe), and cooked it in the oven at 325 for one hr. I also used a rump roast to cube (meat turned out very tender). Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
That’s amazing! Thanks for you feedback!
Looks very nice but is only 1 cup of liquid (stock and tomatoes) enough?
Thanks, Andrew! I cooked the curry in my pressure cooker. And yes, 1 cup f liquid was enough. With pressure cookers you don’t have to add a lot of liquids, as it almost doesn’t evaporate at all. If you are cooking on the stove, you might want to use a little more stock. Best of luck!
Much thanks for that, will give it a try!
I too was wondering about the relatively small amount of liquid but followed the recipe exactly. Unfortunately when I opened the pressure cooker it was all burned and I had to throw it out. I’m not a pressure cooking guru, but I placed it on high until the steam started and then backed it off to maintain a steady hiss. After 30 minutes I took the lid off.
Any tips for next time? It did smell delicious before I could tell it was burning.
Sorry this happened to you Darren! Have you tried it with more liquid?
Shouldn’t have a steady hiss when cooking with a pressure cooker. The hiss is your liquid evaporating into steam and escaping the pressure cooker. That’s why you didn’t have any liquid left when you were done. Likely, you cooked it on too high of a temperature. Since the lid is always on when cooking with a pressure cooker, no heat is escaping so you cook on a much lower temp than you would a pot on the stove.
If you were using an instant pot, it’s the same… should be no hissing, and the display will tell you if something is burning. I usually just jiggke the instant pot to move the contents and that resolves it. If it doesn’t, turn it down or add a touch more liquid. 🤞❤
There shouldn’t be a steady hiss, there should be a short hiss and then the valve should close, sounds like you kept the valve open so all the moisture basically left the pot hence your dried up burnt offerings.
Hello! This recipe sounds delicious. Would it be possible to cook it in a crock pot instead? If so how long do you think would be best and would you recommend increasing the amount of liquid?
Thank you!
Sure, I would recommend at least 6 hours in slow cooker and probably up to 2 cups of feef stock.
This is absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
I purchased a roast on sale but had no time to make a roast dinner on the weekend, so I cut up 2 lbs of it to try this recipe. Really great for a quick, weekday meal. No fancy ingredients, I had everything on hand. We had it with basmati, canned lentil dahl (gimme a break, it’s Wednesday), and naan. yum!
Fantastic! So happy you liked it!
Is there anyway to alternate the stock? Or maybe an easy way to make it? I don’t know much about it so I didn’t really know what it was exactly..
Hi quick question do you add the coriander with there herbs or at the end for decoration only? Thanks
I recommend serving with fresh coriander at the end for flavor.
Hey there Lily and Dmitriy
Just got an electric pressure cooker and this was a perfect recipe to put it to the test.
It tasted sublime! Thank you so much for sharing. Finished it off on saute setting for 5 mins to evaporate some of the excess liquid, as well as a little cornflour to make a slightly thicker gravy. Mmm!
Will definitely be checking out your other recipes, they look fantastic!
Greetings from New Zealand 🙂
Alister
I left out the pepper and the cayenne pepper as I was cooking for children. Everyone loved it! I used a stove top pressure cooker and I was so happy with the tender meat!
Great recipe! 5 stars!
Great to hear! Thanks Linda!
I tried this today and I followed the instructions and ingredients to the letter. Delicious. Will definitely do it again. Thanks for the recipe.
Made it with moose meat. Tender and delicious. Will definitely make it again.
Love it! Thanks!
Do you do a quick release or natural release (how long) for the pressure cooker?
Hi Ashley! I tried both, natural and quick release and they both work. Cheers!
I made this today and I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!
I made it in a ditch oven with huge hunks of chuck beef steak, chilli oil and cooked on 325 for 3hrs. Needed a little more broth/toms for the sauce due to my over cooking but oh my goodness this is seriously amazing! I cannot wait to cook it again for a dinner party. Just enough heat but not too much! Thank you so much!!
Awww thanks so much for lovely feedback Bonnie! I am over the moon happy you loved it!
Bonnie, I have a Dutch oven as well…if 3hrs was too long, what do you recommend?
What a tasty curry! First one I have ever made, the instructions were so easy to follow . Thanks so much for the recipe:)
That is amazing! Thank you so much for your feedback Amy!
Best curry recipe ever ! I did mine in pressure cooker and it burned slightly so next time I will double beef stock. I also added a couple of table spoons of fresh cream and coconut milk each at the end.
Still giving the recipe 5 stars, even slightly burned , the taste was amazing .
This is becoming a regular dish in our household.
Thank you Daniela! So happy you liked the flavors on this one!
Lily can this curry recipe be used for chicken ?
Sure.. Maybe just adjust the cooking time.
We love our curries and enjoyed the flavours in this recipe, we also found there wasn’t enough liquid in our pressure cooker, but will definitely cook this again, thank you for a Yummy curry. I also added a teaspoon of chilli powder, we love heat.
Thank you for your feedback Kim! Great to hear you will be making this again!
Made this for dinner tonight. Huge success!
Found a London Broil beef roast in the deep freezer and, with curry on my mind, found your recipe. I made the spice paste as directed, seasoned the meat with garlic, salt and pepper and Tony Chachere’s, put it all in a dutch oven and roasted covered for an hour at 325F. I used a little psyllium powder to thicken it up and this was sooooo good! I will make this again and soon! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Aww love to hear this Melinda! Thank you so much for your feedback!
I was out of coriander and turmeric but this was still delicious.
Glad it worked out well Mandy. Thanks for stopping by!
Ive got this cooking on the stovetop at the moment for the second time. First time i was out of beef stock and only had lamb stock in the freezer so used that and it tasted amazing. I think it would be hard to go wrong with this one. We love it.
Perfect! Thank you so much Karl!
Good easy recipe – flavoursome.
Thank you for this recipe… it was SO good. I used a dutch oven and just simmered it in the oven for an hour. I probably needed to use about 1/3 less stock – it was a bit watery, but I managed to thicken it up with some tomato paste. Also, I didn’t have coriander, but I don’t think that took away from flavour. Served this with a dollop of sour cream (yoghurt would have been good too!).
Thank you so much Victoria! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thinking of cooking this today? What gas mark would you recommend and how long for please? Many thanks, Sophie
I cooked on the hob initially. Then I placed in the oven on gas mark 4 for about an hr and half. Wasnt meant to be that long but I got distracted and it was delicious, the meat fell apart!
I love this recipe. I use beef shin and cook it in the slow cooker for about 5-6 hrs. I also had more lime juice, a tsp of lemon grass and a thumb of fresh grated ginger to make it even more aromatic and fresh. So good! Thank you 🙌🏼
I have this simmering in my Dutch oven on the stove right now. I used chicken stock, because I didn’t have beef stock or hand. I will remove the lid half way through so some of the liquid can reduce to thicken the sauce. Looking forward to enjoying this dish!
Thank you so much Sharon! I hope it turned out delicious for you!
Coriander is a must! The cilantro is a garnish in this recipe for looks more than taste but, I still wouldn’t skip it. I used a crock pot for 1 Hr after braising beef in flour salt and pepper in sauce pan. Removed beef from pan then cooked onion in same pan…Added remaining ingredients to a gentle boil before adding to meat in crock pot. Added red skinned potatoes and still put over rice! Delish!!!!! I would add carrots next time also
Thanks so much Carol! I’m so happy you loved it!
I have been trying to cook a good curry for years and this is perfect I did tweak it by also adding 1/2tsp of Fenugreek seeds (gives a really nice curry flavour) I also add a tablespoon of Meat Masala (MDH Brand) .
I also make my own tomato paste to add instead of raw tomatoes which is:
1 can of tomatos
3 long red chillies
3 raw tomatoes
2 tablespoon tandoori masala
1 small can of tomato paste
blend all together then add
about half a cup to curries but cook it out
I place into 1 cup portions in sealed plastic bags which I freeze
I have been using this with Pork scotch fillet as well and it is so yummy thanx for sharing this
Amazing recipe , easy to cook and taste great. Many thanks.
hi sounds amazing this recipe…can i make it without blending the spices and onion into a paste
I made this in my dutch oven and it turned out amazing! Very flavorful and tender! Making it again tonight 🙂
Thank you so much Addie!
I love this recipe, I’ve done it twice now, first time as the recipe stated, the second time for 50 mins at full pressure with a frozen fatty joint of beef 800g and it was amazing too. I didn’t have the fresh cilantro, so I put in 2-3 tbsp of dried chopped coriander. My mum has just had it with us and said it was as good as in a restaurant and now wants the recipe. Cheers loved it.
Thanks Helen!
This recipe was great! next time I will try to replace cumin powder with seeds, and crushed tomatoes with 2 diced tomatoes.
Elaborate more on step 2,3,4 :
not all at once, heat oil, garlic first, cumin seeds in, till garlic gold, add onions and spices(salt/pepper too), till onions gold, then add 2 diced tomatoes and brown sugar. simmer for food processor.
I tried making curries before but none of them was as good as this recipe.
This recipe is our new favourite, tonight we’re making it with chicken!
Yay, thanks so much Sterre!
Do you use all the paste ?
Can this be made with Lamb and if so, would the cooking time change?
Either way, I cannot wit to try this… I keep making your Ox Tail….Mmmmmmm
Hi Dave! Lamb would work wonderfully here too. No need to change the timing.
Hi,
Thank you very much for this recipe. I look forward to trying it.
I was wondering if you can help me with one issue.
I am a beginner in cooking and I would like to use my new Fissler pressure cooker that has a cooking time of 3-5 minutes for cooking for beef stew. Do you think if I cook it for 30 minutes the beef would burn or be overcooked or something?
I don’t know what to do.
Was skeptical about the smoked paprica and katenne pepper but really enjojed thes curry a lot. If you have coiander I would use that instead by chopping the roots and adding to the curry why trow the roots in the bin fresh spices are always better than dreid I believe.
Thanks for the recipie:)
Tasted great but like others above, there was nowhere near enough liquid in the pan and as a consequence a lot of the beef burned.
Wonderful, quick curry. I used an Instant Pot and it came out a bit soupy so will modify next time (perhaps dredge the beef in flour before sautéing as someone mentioned above). Also, I only puréed half of the sauce and added it back to the sauce with sautéed onion as we like some texture).
I will triple the recipe next time so I can freeze a few meals.
FYI
If you live above 6-7000 ft elevation, add more stock to the pan if not using a pressure cooker or it will dry out.
Amazing recipe!
My family loved this recipe. One of the easier and tastier pressure cooker meals. We replace about half the beef with veggies like carrot, sweet potato and potato as my son is not a big meat eater. It still works great. Honestly you could probably replace the beef completely with veggies and it would be just as tasty.
Fantastic, easy recipe.
The sauce is soooo delicious I could eat it all on it’s own. Just added the beef and know the finished product will be outstanding after trying the sauce on its own. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading 🙂
Yummmmm. Can’t wait to try this. Mouthwatering recipe, thanks for posting.
I made this recipe for my family for our Sunday lunch and they absolutely loved it!!! Some even came for seconds, this will definitely be a repeat in my kitchen. It was mouthwatering and delicious. Thanks for this amazing recipe.
This meal was absolutely delicious.
My husband and I kept going back for extra helpings.
It had such an amazing flavour and was very easy to make in the pressure cooker.
Thank you for an outstanding recipe.
I think the size of chicken breasts has changed dramatically since Julia Child’s day, which could account for some of her shorter cook time.
I will have to look for one of those grill pans, as I eat a lot of chicken. During the warm months I do use a gas grill outside, but have been using a Forman grill in winter. I have found that it will make nice grill marks, but to cook all the way through, wind up with burned grill marks. I never considered just a quick grilling to get the marks and finishing up in the oven. Thank you for the post. now I won’t have to use ketchup to give my chicken a little moisture when I eat it.
This is an amazing recipe, hands down, best curry I have had! The kids loved it too. I don’t have a pressure cooker but it worked great cooking it in a regular pan!
Love this recipe, have been using it for years, the lemon zest makes the dish, for those who are thinking of leaving it out, it is 100 times better with it there has been times i haven’t has a lemon). It also works well with chicken, as a vegetarian with potato/carrot/kumara or lentils/chickpeas and even with goat. i don’t blitz it to make a paste, i leave it as is and its delish! Also you can make the spice mix and have a jar of it ready to go! i usually mix 2 meals work at a time and just use half as needed.
Cooked this last night – SOO delicious! I didn’t have beef stock so used water instead and it turned out great. Cooked it on the stove and took about 45-47 mins. Can’t wait to have more today. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
This is a truly great beef curry recipe, really full flavour.The best of a curry without being that hot that you can’t enjoy all the flavours. I used a dutch oven so doubled the stock and tomato and cooked for 2 hours. Thank you this will be a keeper
My husband made this recipe for dinner and it was amazing! Such a delicious meal. We will definitely do this again! Thank you.
Hi, this sounds delicious. How spicy is it though? I cook for 40 residents at a retirement village and would like to serve this but am just bit concerned about the heat factor. Thanks
This is our family’s go-to beef masala curry recipe – you really nailed it! keep them coming, fellow southern Ontario – you guys really know how to cook. Miriam from Hamilton
This was amazing. I followed your recipe exactly and the meat was so tender. I cooked in pressure cooker and thickened the sauce at the end with cornflour. Many thanks for the recipe 👌🏼
This recipe is amazing! So tasty.. tasted like it was from my local restaurant, even better. I used rump, added a bit of chilli flakes and I made it with coconut rice – but i did it with basmati and ginger in the mixture to compliment the Indian flavours (rather than jasmine/Thai/sweet style etc) so good. Cant wait to make it with veggies!
I made this with stewing beef and added some potatoes. I skipped step 5, (making a paste in the food processor). The flavor of this curry was amazing and the beef turned out so tender. I literally inhaled it along with some basmati rice. My only concern is that the consistency was rather watery, and I’d prefer not to add cornstarch or flour afterwards. Maybe I should have done the paste step, or maybe it was the potatoes. But I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
Hello, I am Indian and I use pressure cookers most of the time when I cook red meats especially. The trick is to use adequate water a little more than you would like your gravy or curry to have, as during cooking your meats will absorb the water and some water will escape as steam. Most meats in a traditional Indian cooker are cooked on high pressure and then on low. More water is always better than less as yes the water can be absorbed and burn the contents.
I love meals that can be made in the pressure cooker, and this one is no exception! I will definitely make this one of my go-to recipes from now on. Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Cathleen!
This Beef Masala curry looks so tempting and flavorful. Love the color of the dish too. yum
Thank you so much!
Indian inspired cuisine at its best, gotta love masala. This dish is so colorful too.
Thank you so much Adriana!
I love how easy this curry is to make. It’s the perfect recipe for a fall and winter’s night…so cozy and warm. Thanks so much!
Thank you Kathryn!
Oh yum! The curry looks absolutely delicious and yeah, I can’t go past a curry where in the end I can mop it all up with either rice or some bread. Going to put my pressure cooker to good use. Thanks!
Thank you so much Amy!:)
This was very yummy and delicious! The taste is amazing. I prepared exactly as directed. Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much Albertina! I am so happy you liked it!
Love curry recipes! This would be so flavorful.
Thank you so much Julie! I hope you give it a try one day!
This is one of hubby’s favorite recipes. I am going to make it for him again next week.
Wow I am so excited to hear this! Thanks Beth!
This beef masala recipe was so so delicious! So much flavor and the meat was melt-in-your-mouth perfect! We will definitely be making this again and again!
I am just soooo happy to heart this, Emily! Thank you!
This is such a delicious recipe. Tried it and everyone in my family loved it. You can’t go wrong with beef and masala!
Yes ineed! Thanks Nart! 🙂 Really happy you liked it!
Hearty and SPicy, my family absolutely loved this curry!
Out of curiosity, did you edit this recently? Going back to the page to remake it (cuz it’s so good) and I could’ve sworn the pic was different and that it said crushed tomatoes instead of passata ??
Me too!
I was pretty sure it was either 1/2 or 1 cup crushed tomatoes.
We make this once a month at least! I was wondering why the change.
Just made this for dinner. Omg this was amazing. Husband said its on my top dinners I’ve ever made. Thr flavor is sooo good. Thank you!!
Hi. How long would this take in a slow cooker on High??
I made this yesterday, O..M..G.. this was delicious!! I used about 2 lbs of beef chuck roast cut up into cubes. I don’t have whatever tomato passatta is so I used a small can of tomato sauce w/garlic and instead of beef stock I used veggie stock because that’s what I had on hand. The one cup of tomato sauce plus the one cup of stock made more than enough sauce for the 2 lbs of meat in the pressure cooker. I served this over some rice and roasted sweet potatoes. Now I can’t stop thinking about it and want to eat it everyday! 🙂
Amazing curry, not too hot and not difficult to make, would highly recommend
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Delicious recipe! Have made it about 3 times now, and just about to make again for our meal tonight! Thank you so much 🙂
I am not sure if I am overlooking but where did you use the spice mix please?
Yummy. Made this tonight on the hob as instructed I did only cook the spices for 2 minutes as I worry they’ll burn. As there is only two of us I made a quarter of the recipe. Added the extra stock and simmered for about 1h 45m I added a little bit of water to it as I was waiting for my other half to get home to prevent drying out. Delicious 😋
i made this at the weekend in a saucepan and it was DELICIOUS.
I made this with both beef and lamb and it was delicious.
How do you think it would work with pork or pork riblets?
Made a double portion of sauce and made do with the low and slow oven method (325 degrees in calpthalon). It turned out really well! and I loved the lightness of the zest and the tenderness of the meat. Thank you for this amazingly satisfying dish, esp for the winter 🙂
Just made this recipe, 2.5#s beef … I have a lot of sauce leftover and might use it to cook some extra veggies in. I served it over rice cauliflower, excellent!
Amazing recipe, so flavourful. The first curry I’ve made in my ninja and I’ll 100% make again.
Absolutely beautiful curry.
It is the only beef curry recipe I use.
My husband and family cannot get enough of it.
Just delicious.
Made this for my family tonight and it was excellent!!! All 3 kiddos and husband enjoyed it as did I. Will definitely make again. Thanks!
I have made this a few times and now keep a jar of the sauce in the freezer ready to go at all times. It’s rich and luxurious, what a treat! I tend to use a pot roast because it is easier to handle, throw in carrots and sometimes potatoes, and put it into the oven (covered) at 325, per other comments. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is amazing comfort food, esp during the cold months. Recipes like this convince me to pass often on the restaurant scene!
Was fantastic. I get the butcher box from my groceries store had some stew meat this was amazing the meat was so tender and the curry sauce was divine!! A+++
Hi Lily,
Making this tomorrow.
I can’t see anywhere how much of the paste to use? You talk in the post earlier on keeping the rest in a jar bit you fingers state Huw much to use for the recipe.
Thanks in advance!
I use it all when I make it