Rich and creamy, this Instant Pot lamb curry will be a hit with the whole family. Indian spices, tomatoes and coconut pair beautifully with nourishing lamb meat and the whole stew can be on the table in 60 minutes, much quicker than cooking it on a stovetop. In this recipe, we show you how to make this Indian lamb curry in your pressure cooker.
Made with warm Indian spices, tomatoes and rich coconut milk, this Instant Pot lamb curry is inspired by the south Indian cuisine. It’s creamy and delicious and the meat is succulent and soft. Cooking lamb on the stovetop would require 2-2.25 hours to get the same results but it’s much quicker in the pressure cooker.
This curry has a lot of flavor from the species and aromatics but it’s not hot. The spice level is mellowed down by tomatoes and coconut milk. Finished with cilantro, this dish can be served with your favourite rice or with some naan bread or chapati.
INGREDIENTS FOR INDIAN LAMB CURRY
As with most Indian curries, you begin with the aromatics such as sweet onions, pungent garlic and ginger, and aromatic cilantro. These will be sauteed with butter (or ghee for a more authentic version) until softened. Fresh garlic and ginger are best but you could use grated stuff you get in a jar or a tube.
INDIAN CURRY SPICES
Ah, the spices! Where would Indian cuisine be without them? Every curry has a different combination of spices and seasonings but to be honest, you can’t go wrong with a few essentials such as garam masala, mild curry, paprika, turmeric, cumin and chili. All of the spices used in our Instant pot lamb curry are available in supermarkets and online. If you don’t have one of them, simply double up on something else.
Many recipes call for whole spices which you have to grind and toast but we’re keeping it simple. Powdered stuff will do the trick and you don’t have to go out and buy anything special.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT LAMB CURRY
There are two cooking parts to this lamb curry. You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown below but here are the basic steps.
Part 1. Diced lamb shoulder, warm Indian spices, and tomatoes are stewed under HIGH pressure for 25 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. This will result in very tender meat and tasty sauce broth.
Part 2. Once the lamb curry is cooked, we are going to switch the Instant Pot to Saute mode again and add our vegetables as don’t need as much time to cook. We are also using this stage to thicken the sauce, which will happen when you cook it uncovered for 5-7 minutes. It will start to bubble away and you have to stir it frequently. You finish the sauce by stirring in thickened coconut milk right at the end.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH Lamb CURRY
The lamb curry takes about an hour, which gives you plenty of time to prepare some side dishes.
Making a batch of rice or using some you made ahead of time is the simplest option. You can also get those 2-minute rice packets to make things very easy. We opted for our tasty spinach rice, which cooked prior in the Instant Pot. Also, try our turmeric rice here.
You can get some pre-made naan bread or chapati bread, which might need to be reheated. One little trick is to brush the bread with a little butter or olive oil and sprinkle it with cumin and diced garlic for extra flavor. Or, you can make your own naan bread.
Low-Carb/Paleo/Whole30/Keto: If you’re following any of these diets, this curry is absolutely suitable. You can swap butter for ghee or olive oil if needed. Serve with cauliflower rice, broccoli rice, low-carb naan bread, zucchini noodles or steamed greens. Try this paleo naan bread recipe.
MORE INSTANT POT CURRIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Creamy & Coconuty Thai Chicken Curry
Japanese Chicken & Potato Curry
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Instant Pot Lamb Curry With Coconut & Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Made with warm Indian spices, tomatoes and rich coconut milk, this Instant Pot lamb curry is creamy and delicious and the meat is succulent and soft. Cooking on the stovetop would require 2-2.25 hours to get the same results but it’s much quicker in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
Part 1 cooking
1.5 tablespoons / 25 g ghee or butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon grated garlic (4 garlic cloves)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (stalks and some leaves, reserve the rest of the leaves for garnish)
1.7 lb / 800 g diced lamb shoulder or diced lamb (trim off the fat)
Spices
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mild curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon coriander seed powder
1–2 small chili (for extra heat, otherwise leave out)
1 can (400 g) chopped tinned tomatoes or passata
Part 2 of cooking
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 cup thickened coconut milk (1 can, use the thickened part only, discard the liquid or use in smoothies)
Instructions
- Part 1. Prepare all the ingredients for part 1 and turn the Instant Pot. Press the Saute function key and allow the pot to heat up slightly.
- Add the ghee or butter and onions and cook for 2 minutes, to soften. Add garlic, ginger and cilantro and cook together for another minute, stirring well.
- Finally, add all the spices and salt and stir through the onion mixture to release the aromas. Press Cancel to stop the Sauteing process. The mixture will brown and get pretty sticky and some of it may get stuck to the bottom. Add a little splash of water to the pot and stir through scraping off any stuck mixture from the bottom. This will prevent any burning during pressure cooking.
- Add the lamb and tomatoes and stir through well. Pop the lid and lock, making sure the top valve is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual/Pressure Cook, set to HIGH pressure for 25 minutes. It will take 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to build up the pressure and the timer will commence. Once done, release pressure naturally (should take 15 minutes). In the meantime, prepare ingredients for Part 2.
- Part 2. Open the lid and stir the curry. Press the Saute function again. Add the carrots and peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes on Saute, stirring frequently. The curry will bubble away, which will thicken the broth.
- To finish the curry, add the thickened coconut milk and stir through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 402
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 1123.8 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.5 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 33.5 g
- Cholesterol: 116.4 mg
Keywords: Indian,
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Not the best lamb curry I’ve had. I cooked this in an instapotrr.
★★★
Can you make this curry using frozen lamb or beef? Or must the meat be at room temperature?
You can but adjust the pressure cooking time accordingly, about 10 extra minutes.
Absolutely beautiful definitely will be cooking this again,the lamb was so tender..
★★★★★
Thanks, Danielle. I agree,the Instant Pot really makes tender lamb meat and is so lovely in this curry recipe.
I made this in my IP Duo 8 Qt. with the steel inner pot. Flavors were good. cooking times for Tripling this recipe were wrong. I even started with room temp lamb. and 3 cans of coconut milk was too much- it came out soupy. (maybe it was the brand?) I now have enough of this to last me for weeks… I’m going to have to freeze it.
★★★★
I made this tonight using venison chip steak (steakums) instead of lamb. Served over coconut rice.
It was delicious. I would have liked to add the chili pepper, but didn’t have any on hand. Sriracha worked well after serving.
A dollop of Greek yogurt is recommended.
★★★★★
Goodness me this was so easy and melt in the mouth delicious! I’ve had my instant pot about 2 years but have been nervous about trying lamb, but this has turned that around! Recipe firmly in my favourites thanks so much for sharing.
★★★★★
That’s so good to hear Jane. Glad you found a lamb recipe that you enjoyed and found easy to make too.
Very good!
I added the carrot and the red pepper in the first part, because I like them to dissolve in the sauce. I was really amazed with the flavours! Definitely stays on the menu.
★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it, Barbara 🙂