This tasty and simple Whole30-friendly Thai beef curry recipe can be made quickly in an Instant Pot with store-bought Thai curry paste!
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Faster (and better!) beef curry 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!
My favorite store-bought Thai curry pastes
Did I mention that this dish 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. I love the brands Aroy-D and Mae Ploy (which are available at my local Asian markets), but they are significantly spicier than Thai curry pastes you can buy at your neighborhood grocery store.
Ingredients
- Beef brisket, chuck roast, or boneless short ribs: I love using cubed brisket, chuck roast, or boneless short ribs the best for the best texture. I don’t love using packages of generic “stew meat” because it’s normally a random assortment of tough cuts that don’t get tender evenly. Also, don’t use bottom round or round roast because it is way too lean and gets dry and powdery.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Coconut oil
- Thai curry paste: see above for recommendations
- Full-fat coconut milk: My favorite brands are Aroy-D, Whole365 Brand, and Native Forest canned coconut milk.
- Coconut aminos
- Apple juice (I like Martinelli’s brand)
- Red Boat fish sauce
- Sweet potatoes: I love how the sweet potatoes break down and help thicken the sauce!
- Onions
- Carrots
- Chopped fresh herbs: Optional, but it adds freshness and a pop of color to the curry. I normally use green onions or cilantro.
How to make Instant Pot Thai Beef Curry
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 the aromatics are 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 curry 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.
What do you serve it with?
Simply ladle the yummy stew on top of a bowl of cauliflower rice, steamed white rice, or steamed veggies and hide the stew under a pile of fresh herbs, and dig in!
How do you save leftovers?
Leftover beef curry can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
More paleo Instant Pot beef recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes 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 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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?
Roasting will always bring out more flavors but if you’re in a hurry, you can just throw it in!
I want to make this, it sounds so good. To reduce the heat to low, do I have to press cancel first then manual low?
You don’t need to reduce the heat to low if you are using an Instant Pot. Those instructions are if you are using a stovetop pressure cooker.