This tasty and simple Whole30-friendly Thai beef curry recipe can be made quickly in an Instant Pot!
As I mentioned before, I’m on a mission to convert some of my most popular slow cooker recipes into pressure cooker ones—mostly ’cause the Instant Pot rocks my socks off. Yeah—I know I sound like a broken record, but an electric pressure cooker really is a joy-sparking, life-changing, time-saving kitchen appliance. I’m not the only one who thinks so; many of you have also jumped on the pressure cooker bandwagon, and asked me to make more recipes for the Instant Pot. There’s nothing like peer pressure to keep me motivated, so without further ado, here’s a revamp of my classic recipe for Slow Cooker Thai Yellow Curry with Beef Brisket!
Did I mention that this recipe works with whatever Paleo-friendly curry paste you have on hand? Just read the labels carefully to make sure there aren’t any weird preservatives or sugar. These are two commercially available Paleo-friendly curry pastes I picked up at my local Asian supermarket and they’re just as tasty as Thai yellow curry paste:
Ready or not, here’s the recipe!
Time to make Instant Pot Thai Beef Curry!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds grass fed beef brisket, chuck roast, or boneless short ribs, cut in 1½-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons Thai curry paste
- 1½ cup full-fat coconut milk, plus ½ cup (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons apple juice (I like Martinelli’s brand)
- 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in large cubes
- 2 small onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- Handful of chopped mixed herbs, like cilantro and scallions
Equipment:
- Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Large bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Silicone spatula
- Blender or food processor (optional)
Method:
In a large bowl, toss the cubed beef with the salt.
Use your hands to distribute the salt evenly.
Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot and add the coconut oil. (No Instant Pot? Simply heat the oil in your stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat.)
When the oil is hot, add the curry paste and stir until fragrant.
Pour in the coconut milk, coconut aminos, apple juice, and fish sauce.
Stir the sauce to combine.
Add the beef cubes…
…and sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots.
Stir everything well.
Press the “Cancel/Warm” button on the Instant Pot and lock the lid with the top dial pointed towards the sealed position.
Press the “Meat” button to cook the stew for 35 minutes under high pressure. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, lock the lid and crank the heat to high to bring the contents to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, decrease the heat to low, or just enough to maintain high pressure. Set a timer for 35 minutes as your stew cooks under high pressure.)
When the stew is finished cooking, unplug the electric pressure cooker and let the pressure drop naturally. If it’s still pressurized after 10 minutes, turn the knob at the top to release the pressure manually. (For stovetop pressure cookers, turn off the burner and let the pressure drop naturally.)
Once the pressure is released, take off the lid and taste the stew. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt or fish sauce to taste.
Don’t worry if the sauce looks kind of curdled—it’ll still be delicious. For those of you who want a creamier sauce, you can transfer the meat to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Pour the sauce and vegetables into a blender or food processor and add the optional ½ cup of coconut milk. Purée the sauce until smooth, and combine it back with the beef before serving.
I’m too lazy to wash a blender so I don’t bother with this extra step. I simply ladle the yummy stew on top of a bowl of cauliflower rice, hide the stew under a pile of fresh herbs, and dig in!
Hungry for more pressure cooker recipes? Check out My Top Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot Recipes!
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
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Thai Beef Curry
Ingredients
- 3 pounds grass fed beef brisket chuck roast, or boneless short ribs, cut in 1½-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons Thai curry paste
- 1½ cup full-fat coconut milk plus ½ cup (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons apple juice I like Martinelli’s brand
- 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut in large cubes
- 2 small onions peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- Handful of chopped mixed herbs like cilantro and scallions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the cubed beef with the salt.
- Use your hands to distribute the salt evenly.
- Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot and add the coconut oil. (No Instant Pot? Simply heat the oil in your stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat.)
- When the oil is hot, add the curry paste and stir until fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut milk, coconut aminos, apple juice, and fish sauce.
- Stir the sauce to combine.
- Add the beef cubes, sweet potatoes, onions, and carrots. Stir everything well.
- Press the “Cancel/Warm” button on the Instant Pot and lock the lid with the top dial pointed towards the sealed position.
- Program the Instant Pot to cook the stew for 35 minutes under high pressure. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, lock the lid and crank the heat to high to bring the contents to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, decrease the heat to low, or just enough to maintain high pressure. Set a timer for 35 minutes as your stew cooks under high pressure.)
- When the stew is finished cooking, unplug the electric pressure cooker and let the pressure drop naturally. If it’s still pressurized after 10 minutes, turn the knob at the top to release the pressure manually. (For stovetop pressure cookers, turn off the burner and let the pressure drop naturally.)
- Once the pressure is released, take off the lid and taste the stew. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt or fish sauce to taste.
- Don’t worry if the sauce looks kind of curdled—it’ll still be delicious. For those of you who want a creamier sauce, you can transfer the meat to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Pour the sauce and vegetables into a blender or food processor and add the optional ½ cup of coconut milk. Purée the sauce until smooth, and combine it back with the beef before serving.
- I’m too lazy to wash a blender so I don’t bother with this extra step. I simply ladle the yummy stew on top of a bowl of cauliflower rice, hide the stew under a pile of fresh herbs, and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
16
LucyDC says
This recipe is INCREDIBLE. I’ve made it twice with beef brisket and Maesri-brand yellow curry, and the sweet potatoes make this dish so creamy and memorable. The last time I made it, I cooked up a big batch and immediately froze half for a future weeknight when I wouldn’t have time to cook. It reheated wonderfully; topped with fresh cilantro, it was every bit as good.
Serena says
Has anyone added extra green veggies to beef up this recipe? It’s delicious but I have a lot of people to feed, and would like to add veggies to make it a one dish meal.
Michelle Tam says
You can stir in baby spinach at the end and cook until wilted!
Rebekah says
Great recipe! I made this using red curry paste and some cubed goose breasts my husband brought home from a successful hunt. I also tossed in some sliced mushrooms that were about to go bad and I did the blender part at the end. Really easy and delicious! Will make again!
Jfree says
One of my favorite recipes. I usually partially blend the sauce at the end with an immersion blender (after removing most of the meat. Also steam some green beans while it’s cooking and mix those in just before serving. And when I don’t have apple juice, apple sauce works well too.
Christie Thomson says
This recipe is amazing! We truly enjoyed this as a family. 1/2 way through the dinner, we decided to complete step 12 and cream the sauce. We thought that this recipe went from a 5 to a 10 just completing that step! I was concerned also that 2 TBS of Red Curry might be too spicy for my kids and realized that it wasn’t. When we blended up the sauce, we added more curry. Great recipe and thank you! Will continue to try more recipes from you! We have loved everything we have eaten so far! Thank you!
Nan Nowell says
Could I use beef tips in this? Love you and ALL your stuff!
Michelle Tam says
I don’t love using beef tips because they’re so lean…
Liz says
I really want to make this recipe!! It looks amazing!! However, I don’t have an instant pot… I’m assuming it will come out just as amazing in the crockpot. Can you recommend the cook time for this please?
Michelle Tam says
Cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
Eli Adams says
I only Had skirt steak. Should i decrease the 35 minute cook time?
Carrie Stallwitz says
This was a huge hit for my picky teens. I loved it too! I made a ton of substitutions for things I didn’t have and it still tasted great. No curry paste so I mixed curry powder and ginger w a bit of sambal oelek, used apple sauce instead of apple juice, shallot instead of onion, and baby potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. Delicious!!
Joni Renee says
Amazing. My brother likes food spicy. Do you have a recommendation to make it spicy or should I just hand him some sriracha sauce?
Regina Chan says
You can always add more thai curry paste, or I like the kick from fresh thai bird chilies!
Amanda says
This looks awesome. I’d love to add eggplant into the recipe. Would you recommending roasting it before? Or throwing it in with everything else?
Regina Chan says
Roasting will always bring out more flavors but if you’re in a hurry, you can just throw it in!