Best Beef Masala Curry (Whole30 & Paleo)
This Beef Masala Curry is incredibly flavorful. The meat is melt in your mouth tender and the sauce is bursting with flavor. This one pot meal is so simple! It can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It is easy, healthy and so tasty!
Why You’ll Love This Beef Tikka Masala
This Beef Masala Curry is at the corner of healthy and delicious. Here is why you will enjoy it:
- The spices add a little heat, a ton of flavor, and they are fragrant and aromatic when cooking.
- This is a great way to use beef stew meat. If you have extra, make this Beef Tips and Rice or this Dutch Oven Beef Stew.
- This beef curry uses only one pot (Instant Pot) or one skillet.
- It is quick and easy enough for any night of the week.
- The leftovers are even better!
- This beef curry stores well and reheats well.
- It is a family friendly recipe that both kids and adults love.
- This recipe is Whole30 approved, Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, and Low Carb.
- Check out this Butternut Squash Curry or this Yellow Curry for another healthy dinner!
What is Masala?
Masala is a blend of spices that is commonly used in Indian dishes. Garam masala is a mix of ground spices that can be used alone or in combination with other spices.
What is Curry?
Curry is a type of dish common in Indian cuisine that uses a combination of spices of herbs. Turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, chilies and garam masala are typically used. Making a curry involves cooking a meat or vegetable dish in a spiced sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Curry
Step 1
First, sauté onions and spices in olive oil in pressure cooker. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are soft.
Step 2
Remove onions to a plate. Brown meat on all sides in pot.
Step 3
Once browned, add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) to the pot. Secure lid and pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
Step 4
After timer goes off, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then, carefully release remaining pressure manually.
Step 5
Press sauté. Sauté for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
Step 6
Press cancel. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.
How to Cook Stovetop Beef Curry
Step 1
First, season beef with salt and pepper. Add to a skillet over medium heat with olive oil.
Step 2
Brown meat on all sides. Then, add in onion and minced garlic.
Step 3
Once onion is soft, add all remaining ingredients except cilantro.
Step 4
Bring to a light simmer and simmer for an hour.
Step 5
Once beef is tender, turn heat off. Finally, ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro and lime juice.
Expert Tips
Dice onions finely. Sauté onions until softened.
Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pot before adding beef for a crispier result.
For a thicker sauce, sauté for longer than 5 minutes after pressure cooking.
For a thinner sauce, add more beef broth until desired consistency is reached.
To add creaminess, add an optional 1/4 cup of canned coconut milk to the sauce after pressure cooking. This makes the sauce extra creamy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! See recipe steps above for a stovetop beef curry recipe.
Yes, this can be made in the crock pot. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
This pressure cooker curry is so versatile. Serve with cauliflower rice or potatoes for a Whole30 and Paleo option. Otherwise, serve with white rice or brown rice.
Yes, this beef curry can be made with chicken. Follow the recipe steps, but use 1 inch chicken cubes. Pressure cook on high for only 10 minutes. Or, try this Tandoori Chicken with delicious Indian flavors.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This recipe also freezes well!
Add leftovers to a skillet over low heat. Heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Yes, this beef curry is Whole30 approved. For more Whole30 ideas, see my Whole30 recipes page.
Sure. Pressure cook for only 5 minutes for ground beef. Follow the rest of the recipe the same. After browning meat, remove any excess grease from pot.
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If you make this recipe, I would love to see it! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!
Get the Recipe: Best Beef Masala Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 lbs beef stew meat
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1.5 cups beef broth or stock
- cilantro, for garnish
- lime juice, optional
Instructions
- First, press Sauté on pressure cooker and set to high.
- Add olive oil, diced onion, minced garlic and all spices and seasonings to the pot. Gently stir.
- Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions become soft. Place contents of pot onto a plate. Set aside.
- Add beef stew meat to the pot. If needed, add another drizzle of olive oil. Sauté until meat is browned on all sides.
- Once browned, add back in onion and spice mixture. Add tomato paste and beef broth to pot.
- Press cancel. Secure lid on pressure cooker and turn valve to Seal.
- Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Mine took about 5 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once timer has gone off, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, carefully flip valve to Vent and manually release pressure.
- Press cancel. Then, press Sauté and sauté on high for 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly.
- Finally, press cancel and remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.
Notes
- Sauté diced onions until they are slightly soft.
- Use beef stew meat for best results. Another cut of beef will work, but will not be as tender.
- My pressure cooker took about 5 minutes to come to pressure.
- After pressure cooking, let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. Then, manually release remaining pressure.
- For a thicker sauce, sauté more than 5 minutes after it has cooked.
- For a thinner sauce, simply add more beef broth to pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, add leftovers to a skillet over low heat until warmed.
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7 Comments on “Best Beef Masala Curry (Whole30 & Paleo)”
This is sooo good. It’s only of the only meats my picky 3 year old will eat. I cut it up small and he loves pouring the sauce over his rice. A great way to introduce new flavors. I do find that 30 minutes in the instant pot is a lot for this.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Julie!
This is awful. The meat is dry and it needs about two more teaspoons of salt to enhance the flavor.
Sounds Good!
Made this last night and the whole family loved it—even the picky eaters. I roasted some golden potatoes to put the masala on top of and chopped up some fresh baby bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime for the top. Definitely will make this again.
I did add a little extra garam masala, cumin, curry, and turmeric once it was done in the pressure cooker,
Hi Stefani! I am so happy to hear that. Always a win when the picky eaters love it. Thank you for your kind comment!
This beef curry is incredibly tender! My whole family loved it.