Instant Pot Thai Red Beef Curry. Do you have an Instant Pot, a can of Thai red curry paste, a can of coconut milk, and a flat iron steak? You can have Thai red beef curry in under an hour. This is one of my go-to weeknight dinner recipes from my Instant Pot.
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I loved the Thai green chicken curry you did the other day - but I couldn't find green curry paste at my grocery store. They had red curry paste - is that OK?
Of course it is! My pressure cooker curry recipes follow a basic technique: sauté the aromatics, fry the curry paste and coconut cream, stir in the protein and the rest of the coconut milk, pressure cook, then simmer any last minute vegetables and serve. The interesting parts of the recipes are the variations - what curry paste, meat, and vegetable combination do you want to use?
Flat iron steak (from my friends at Certified Angus Beef) is my favorite cut for Instant Pot curry. Flat iron steak is cut from the chuck blade roast. It is as tender as steak, but has enough connective tissue to hold up to pressure cooking. It's also the perfect thickness to make bite sized beef strips - I cut it in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ½ inch thick pieces.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Curry Paste: My favorite curry paste for this recipe is Maesri Thai Red Curry Paste, but any brand of curry paste will work. I have to make a trip to my local Asian market for it, though.
The other good brand at my local Asian markets is Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste, but it comes in large 14-ounce tubs, and I don't use red curry paste often enough to need that much at once.
My local grocery stores only carry Thai Kitchen red curry paste; I prefer Maesri or Mae Ploy, but Thai Kitchen is good in a pinch. - Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste? That changes the recipe completely - curry paste and curry powder have very different flavors. If you have no choice, stir 2 tablespoons of curry powder in after sautéing the onions, and toast the curry powder and onions for a minute. Then add the whole can of coconut milk, and continue with the "Everything in the pot" step.
- Mild vs Hot Curry: I consider Thai red curry paste a medium-hot level of heat. If you want less heat, cut back on the curry paste - use ¼ cup/2 ounces of curry paste instead of the whole 4-ounce can or jar.
- Coconut Milk: My preference is for full-fat coconut milk, because I want to fry the curry paste in the thick layer of coconut cream on the top of the coconut milk. In the recipe, I scoop the heavy cream layer from the top of the can of coconut milk, leaving the coconut juice in the can for later in the recipe. (I use the whole can, but in two parts).
If you are looking to cut calories, light coconut milk will also work, but see the note below on "my coconut milk doesn't have a cream layer".
One thing to avoid is sweetened coconut milk - you want unsweetened coconut milk for this recipe. - Fish sauce and soy sauce: Why add both fish sauce and soy sauce? Both add depth (umami) and salt to the recipe, with different flavors; I like the mix of both.
Thai fish sauce has a very strong smell, which some people don't like. (When they were younger, my kids were not fans.) But, fish sauce is one of the key flavors to Thai cuisine. If you don't like the smell, replace all of the fish sauce with soy sauce. It won't be authentic, but if the option is scaring the kids away… - Bamboo shoots: I like the crunchy texture the bamboo shoots add to the recipe - they hold up to the pressure cooking. You can skip them if you want, or add an extra bell pepper to replace them.
- Other cuts of beef: Flat iron steak is a convenient shape and size to slice up for this recipe, but it is a little more expensive. To save money, buy a chuck roast steak instead. It's the same cut, basically, but you'll have to do more knife work to get rid of the fat and cut the pieces to size. Bottom round roast is another good substitute. No matter what you get, cut it into ½-inch thick by 2-inch long strips. (The thickness is what determines the cooking time.)
Pre-cut "stir fry beef" strips are perfect for this recipe - use as directed.
Pre-cut "stew meat" cubes OK, and will cook in the same amount of time as long as the pieces are 1-inch cubes or less. - Chicken Broth: I like the extra depth chicken broth brings to the recipe, especially since I always have some homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth on hand. But, ½ cup is not much liquid - store-bought broth is fine, or you can just substitute water.
How to make Instant Pot Thai Red Beef Curry in pictures
Sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger
Heat a tablespoon of oil, then sauté the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger until the onion starts to soften.
Fry the curry paste in the cream from the coconut milk
Add the cream from the top of the can of coconut milk, stir in the red curry paste, and cook, stirring often, until the curry paste starts to darken.
Everything in the pot, pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural release
Sprinkle the beef with the fine sea salt. Stir the beef, bamboo shoots, chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, and the rest of the can of coconut milk into the pot. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release.
Season and serve
Unlock the lid, stir in the lime juice, and serve with white rice, minced basil and cilantro, and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Equipment
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Pressure Cooker Thai Red Beef Curry
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
Description
Instant Pot Thai Red Beef Curry recipe - spicy Thai beef in a thick curry sauce, in a hurry thanks to the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into ½ inch wedges
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, stemmed, and sliced into ½ inch strips
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
- Cream from the top of a (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
- ½ cup red curry paste (a whole 4-ounce can)
- 2 pounds flat iron steak (or chuck blade steak, or boneless chuck roast), cut into 2-inch by ½-inch strips
- The rest of the liquid from the can of coconut milk
- 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
Garnish and Sides
- Minced cilantro
- Minced basil (preferably Thai basil)
- Lime wedges
- Jasmine rice (see my Instant Pot White Rice recipe)
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High until the oil starts shimmering. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Stir in the onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Fry the curry paste in the cream from the coconut milk: Scoop the cream from the top of the can of coconut milk and add it to the pot, then stir in the curry paste. Cook until the curry paste darkens, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking.
- Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the beef with the salt. Add the beef to the pot, and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, bamboo shoots, chicken stock, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time with the flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking.
- Pressure cook the curry for 12 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set to 12 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Then, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
- Finish the curry: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker. Stir in the lime juice, then taste the curry for seasoning, adding more soy sauce or fish sauce as needed. Ladle the curry into bowls, sprinkle with minced cilantro and basil, and serve with jasmine rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 570.1 mg
- Fat: 21.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25.7 g
- Cholesterol: 83.9 mg
Tips and Tricks
- Don't shake the can of coconut milk: You want the solid layer of cream on the top to stay separate from the liquid underneath. That lets you fry the curry paste in the coconut cream, then add the coconut liquid later.
- My coconut milk doesn't have a cream layer:If your coconut milk is mixed, don't bother with frying the curry paste step. Instead, stir the curry paste and coconut milk into the onions, and keep stirring until the curry paste has blended into the coconut milk, then continue with the "everything in the pot" step.
- Can I use frozen stir-fry strips? You can, but increase the pressure cooking time to 20 minutes at high pressure.
Leftovers and storage
This curry keeps in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for months. I like to make freezer lunches in 2-cup containers so they are easy to reheat and serve. (It's best if you make fresh rice, but sometimes I add ½ cup of rice to the 2-cup container so I have an easy heat-and-serve meal.)
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Thai curry is traditionally served with jasmine rice - see my Pressure Cooker White Rice recipe if you need cooking instructions. Once you make this recipe, you'll know the basic technique of my other Thai curry recipes, like Pressure Cooker Thai Green Chicken Curry, Pressure Cooker Massaman Beef Curry, or Instant Pot Shrimp Curry. For a similar technique with Chinese flavors, try my Instant Pot Pepper Steak Recipe.
My list of Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes
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Renee says
Made this and it was AMAZING. I was surprised at your alternate recommendation of using chuck steak, but it worked! My only concern was cooking the veggies in the beginning -- I figured that would make them too soft in the end. I was even worried about putting them in the pressure cooker from the beginning and yes, they were indeed too soft at the end. Next time, I'll split the cooking time and not add them until the last couple of minutes. That will add total cooking time, but it will be worth it.....or I'll add them completely at the end and just let them simmer in the curry while the InstaPot is still on warm. In any case, thank you-- this will be a favorite in my house.
Mike Vrobel says
Glad you enjoyed it!
B says
I just made this last weekend - used chuck roast. No bamboo shoots. Used a smaller amount of red curry paste, but added some galangal, lemongrass, and Thai basil (had them already) and it was so good! The beef was really tender. I will make this again for sure.
Mike Vrobel says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Katherine says
the whole family loved it, thanks. I added the capsicum after pressure cooking along with carrots, beans and diced potato. Even without lime/lemon or bamboo shoots (none on hand!) it was still delicious.
Phil says
Just found your recipe. Curious, why use chicken broth instead of beef broth if you’re cooking beef? Does it overpower the intended curry flavor to much?
Mike Vrobel says
Because I always have homemade pressure cooker chicken broth on hand, and the broth adds more body than flavor to the recipe. If you have beef broth, go ahead and use it!
Kathy_S says
I don't see brown sugar listed in the ingredients list, nor do I see it in the instructions besides where it states to add more as needed. Regardless we really enjoyed this recipe - next time I will add the peppers after pressure cooking and saute for a minute or two as we found that they turned to mush.
Mike Vrobel says
Fixed, thanks. There is no brown sugar in the recipe - cut and paste will be the death of me.
Debbie says
Could you make the Thai Red Curry with sliced chuck roast? Would I need to adjust the cook time?
Thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, you can used chuck roast - that's actually what a flat iron steak is, a piece of the chuck. It won't change the cooking time.
Susan says
We made this for the first time tonight and LOVED it so much! I found 3 Tbsp of curry paste perfect for our taste (I love Mae Ploy brand). The only change I made was to add 2 Tbsp of coconut sugar, which we liked but it didn't make it sweet overall. Thank you so much for the recipe - the green curry is next! 🙂
Mike says
How strong is the taste of the Coconut milk in the final result? I love curry dishes but my wife dislikes the strong milky coconut flavor that comes from many of the Thai dishes. Any possibility to lessen, remove or replace the Coconut milk? Maybe use half coconut milk and half regular or maybe half almond milk>
Mike V says
Try chicken broth instead.
DaWn Edwards says
Thank you! One more question, do you have a recipe for a Pnang curry? You got me on a roll now! 😉
Mike V says
Sorry, don't have one for Pnang curry.
DaWn Edwards says
Am I able to substitute chicken for the beef? Not a big beef eater but this sounds ds delish.
Mike V says
Yes - do everything as listed here, but use the time under pressure from this recipe: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry/
Katie says
Just contemplating taking the plunge on the Instant Pot and looking at recipes. By the time the natural pressure release is taken into account the cooking time is not that disimilar to cooking on a stove top in a conventional pan (depending on the type and cut of meat obviously). What would you say are the advantages of the Instant Pot method? Thanks
Mike V says
I have to disagree with your basic statement - this recipe would take 2 hours of simmering on the stovetop, instead of 10 minutes under pressure plus a 20 minute natural pressure release.
Now, there are some pressure cooker recipes that take about the same amount of time - those I usually make on the stovetop, or use the pressure cooker because it's convenient to have the hands-off, timed cooking. The pressure cooker really shines with any recipe that would require an hour or more of stovetop simmering; it cuts that down to minutes.
Olivia says
Can you use flank steak instead ? Looks delicious btw !
Mike V says
You can, and it will be good - but it will come out just a little tougher. Flank steak is a leaner cut of meat than flat iron or chuck.
Aaron Friedman says
So why do you not use the extra cup of water/broth and the Tbs of brown sugar in this version? Also, have you tried the Chaudoc coconut milk (the can looks very similar) that has 350 calories per can instead of 750?
Mike V says
> Why not 1 cup chicken broth in this recipe?
Um...because I wasn't paying attention? It worked with 1/2 cup, so if you want to cut back in the chicken curry, that's OK. (The extra 1/2 cup of liquid didn't seem to make much of a difference in the final product.)
I've never tried the low-cal coconut milk. I assume that means the cream wouldn't be as thick (lowfat = low cream), so don't bother frying the curry paste with the cream. Dry fry the curry paste in the pot (or add a tablespoon of vegetable oil), and add the whole can of coconut milk where the recipe says to add "the rest of the can."