Kerala Beef Curry Recipe (Instant Pot Version)

Small pieces of tender cooked beef in a spicy coconut sauce. This Kerala beef curry recipe is full of flavor and all made in the Instant Pot. 

Okay, okay. I know that the majority of what I put on this site is baking-related. But sometimes, you need a little something savory, ya know? 😉 

You can thank my husband for this delicious curry recipe. His family is from the south Indian state of Kerala and when we got married and were coming up with dinner recipes, he insisted that we try to make this.

This isn’t technically the version he grew up with as the original recipe he’s used to is more of a Kerala beef fry recipe. This is made in the Instant Pot and is more like a beef stew. Either way, it’s still super delicious and unlike anything I had ever had before. 

While I love Indian food, I don’t make a ton of it because whatever I make, I want to make good food that tastes authentic. This coconut beef recipe, this easy butter chicken recipe, and these Indian chicken curry puffs are two that my husband says he would serve to his family (which in my mind is a win for this basic white girl 😉 ). 

Why You’ll Love This Kerala Beef Curry Recipe

Easy to Make: Because it’s all made in the Instant Pot, the most challenging part of this recipe is chopping up all the ingredients. This easy beef curry recipe is a great introduction to South Indian food if you’re new to it (as I was when I first made it).  

Full of flavor: The blend of spices in this dish is amazing. While there is a bit of cayenne pepper and a few serrano peppers you can adjust the heat level to whatever you want. If you want to get fancy you can use whole spices and grind them yourself, which would really make the flavor pop. I use ground spices that you can easily find and your local grocery store. 

Tender Beef Curry: Pressure cooking beef in the Instant Pot gives it a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The beef is so juicy and tender as the electric pressure cooker tenderizes the meat in a low and slow way.  

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Ginger and garlic: The flavors of ginger and garlic paired together are one of my all-time favorite combinations for cooking. For this recipe, you can use fresh ginger and fresh garlic or you can use a paste. They make a ginger paste and a garlic paste, or you can combine the two and make a ginger garlic paste. I wouldn’t recommend using ground ginger or garlic as you won’t get the punch of flavor. 

Spices: Mustard seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper make up the spice blend for this Kerala style beef curry. There is a bit of a spicy kick with the garam masala and cayenne pepper. If you’re not a spicy food fan, I’d recommend removing the cayenne pepper and you’ll still get the wonderful aromatic spices flavor. 

Fresh Curry Leaves: Wow do these bring a powerful flavor (and smell so beware and make sure to air out your kitchen afterward!). If you can’t find them at your local grocery store, you can get them at a local Indian or international grocery store. My mother-in-law gave us a curry leaf plant that by some miracle I’ve been able to keep alive for the past year.

While they give off a powerful flavor, if you can’t find them, you can leave them out and it will still be delicious. Most of the time, I pick them out before eating so that I get the flavor but don’t eat the actual leaf. 

Beef: I typically use steak tips for this recipe. I’ve also used stew meat or a chuck roast and they also work great. Anything that gives you small to medium size thick beef pieces will work. I’d rather use thick pieces and chop them down than have long, thin pieces of beef. 

Variations & Substitutions

Take the heat level down: If you don’t want it to be spicy, remove the serrano peppers and the cayenne pepper. For reference, when I use 2 serrano peppers and all the cayenne pepper, it is a medium spice level. If you can’t find serrano peppers, you can also use green chilies. 

Jump to Recipe

How to Make Kerala Beef Curry

Everything in this recipe is cooked in the Instant Pot so clean-up is a breeze. I’d highly recommend prepping your ingredients before you start cooking. There are a lot of things to chop and the saute setting on the Instant Pot cooks pretty quickly as it goes between medium heat and high heat. 

Step 1: Prep your ingredients. Chop the onion, cut the serrano peppers into long slices (removing the seeds), and finely chop the garlic and ginger if using fresh (or measure out the amount in each paste). Measure out your spices and place them into a bowl. Chop the beef into bite-sized pieces. Set everything aside. 

Step 2: Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting. Add the coconut oil and mustard seeds. Heat coconut oil until you start hearing the mustard seeds pop. Add the chopped onion, peppers, and fresh curry leaves. Stir fry for 10-15 minutes until the onions are golden brown. 

Step 3: Add the spices, ginger, and garlic, and coat the onions and peppers. Finally, add the beef. Saute until the meat is browned on all sides (but not fully cooked). Add the coconut flakes and lemon juice. 

Step 4: Place the lid on the Instant Pot and switch the setting to Manual. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let it slow release once it beeps. It should need about 45 minutes of total cooking time and then release the steam naturally. 

Step 5: Once all the stem has naturally been released and the stopper has gone down, remove the lid and stir the beef curry. If you want to keep the thick gravy, then serve immediately. If you want to have less gravy/sauce and have it be drier, turn the saute setting back on and cook for another 10 minutes until most of the sauce has cooked out. 

Yield

​Depending upon your serving size, this will make 4-6 servings. 

Storage Options

Keep the cooked Kerala beef curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

What to serve with Kerala Beef Curry

Indian Flatbread: Our preference is to serve this with paratha or chapati — both are Indian flatbreads that aren’t as fluffy as a piece of naan bread. You can also use Naan if you’d like. Any flatbread will work and you’ll want something to dip into the curry. We will pile some Indian beef curry into a piece of flatbread and eat them together (like a little mini burrito). 

Green veggies: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, salad, anything green goes really well with beef dishes and this one is no exception.  

Desserts: Of course, I am going to give you some dessert recommendations! Cool down your spicy palette with some homemade 4 ingredient banana pudding, key lime pie, or white chocolate raspberry cake.

Bonus suggestion: Serve with this iced guava passionfruit drink. It’s made with coconut milk and pairs so well with the Indian flavors.