These Whole30-friendly Instant Pot Indian curry lamb spare ribs are packed with flavor and super simple to make!

Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs in a white bowl topped with cilantro.

I got the inspiration for this dish after tasting my buddy Noopur’s bright and fresh-tasting curried mutton the other day. She’s a fellow CrossFitting foodie who obsesses about what’s she’s going to eat all the time – just like me. Noopur told me the secret to her recipe is to use lots of lemon juice and chopped cilantro.  Here’s a simplified (and bastardized) American version of her phenomenal Indian lamb spare ribs recipe that you can throw into your Instant Pot!

Time to make Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs!

Serves 4

Ingredients  

For the lamb

  • 2½ pounds pastured lamb spare ribs
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder

For the sauce

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • ½ pound ripe tomatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 1¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Method:

Toss the lamb spare ribs with 2 teaspoons salt…

Salted raw lamb spare ribs in an instant pot.

…and 1 tablespoon curry powder.

One tablespoon of yellow curry powder being added to an instant pot for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

Raw spare ribs in an instant pot with curry powder.

Use your hands to thoroughly coat the ribs.

Someone massaging the Indian spices into the lamb spare ribs.

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours and up to a day.

When you’re ready to cook off the ribs, melt the coconut oil on the sauté function of your Instant Pot. Brown the spare ribs in two batches…

Browning the lamb spare ribs in the instant pot for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

…and remove them to a plate when they’re done.

Seared lamb ribs on a white plate.

While the ribs are sizzling, grab the onion and tomatoes…

A yellow onion and tomatoes on a vine sitting on a wood cutting board.

…throw them in a blender

Tomatoes in a blender to make the marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

…and blitz until smooth.

The blended marinade in a blender for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

Once the spare ribs are seared…

A pile of seared lamb ribs piled on a white plate.

…add the minced garlic.

The marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs sizzling.

Stir the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds) before adding the tomato and onion puree.

The marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs in an instant pot.

Mix well.

Someone mixing the marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs with a rubber spatula.

Add curry powder, salt, 1 cup chopped cilantro, and lemon juice.

Someone mixing in curry powder, salt, cilantro, and lemon juice into the instant pot.

Stir well to combine…

The marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs mixed well in an instant pot.

…and add the lamb back in.

Adding lamb into the instant pot marinade.

Mix the spareribs to coat with curry sauce.

Lamb spare ribs coated in the marinade for Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

Lock on the pressure cooker lid and cook for 20 minutes under high pressure. When the ribs are done cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally (10-15 minutes).

Cooked Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

Scoop the grease off the top and discard. Taste and adjust for seasoning and stir in scallions and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.

Fresh scallions and cilantro added to the Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.

Enjoy!

Plated Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs

5 from 4 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Marinating time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4
These Whole30-friendly Instant Pot Curry Lamb Spare Ribs are packed with flavor and super simple to make!

Ingredients 
 

For the lamb spare ribs

For the sauce

  • 1 tablespooon coconut oil or ghee
  • 1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
  • ½ pound tomatoes coarsely chopped
  • 5 medium garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • cup chopped cilantro divided
  • 4 scallions thinly sliced
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Instructions 

  • Toss the lamb spare ribs with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours and up to a day.
  • When you’re ready to cook off the ribs, melt the coconut oil or ghee on the sauté function of your Instant Pot. Brown the spare ribs in two batches and remove them to a plate when they’re done.
  • While the ribs are sizzling, grab the onion and tomatoes and toss them in a blender. Blitz until smooth.
  • After the lamb is seared, add minced garlic to the cooking fat in the empty Instant Pot insert. Stir the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds) before adding the tomato and onion puree.
  • Mix in 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 cup chopped cilantro, and lemon juice. Stir in the seared lamb spare ribs.
  • Lock on the pressure cooker lid and cook for 20 minutes under high pressure. When the ribs are done cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally (10-15 minutes).
  • Scoop the grease off the top and discard. Taste and adjust for seasoning and stir in scallions and remaining ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Serve!

Notes

Serve with Simple Cauliflower Rice!
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 27g | Fiber: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is such a delicious recipe, and very quick. Everyone in my family loves it, and that’s very rare. We buy a whole lamb a few times a year and this is always one of the first dishes I make from it!

  2. I don’t know if my ribs are spare or not, they came in a slab all connected, am I supposed to slice between them before I pressure cook them? And I’m not sure how to remove the grease off the top, when I do beef ribs, I refrigerate overnight and then scrape off. Thank you in advance, Nomsters

  3. 5 stars
    I made this over the weekend, although I used half lamb and half goat since that’s all that was available at the nearest Mediterranean market. It was super easy to make, and the flavor is fabulous! I served it with turmeric roasted cauliflower florets. I will definitely be making this again and again!

  4. I made a small batch to try it. My husband, who is an omnivore from Hungary, liked it so much, he asked me to save the grease so he could spread it on bread.