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This Slow Cooker Beef Curry is mixed up in just 5 minutes. A tasty ‘fakeaway’ it also happens to be light and healthy.
Oh hi new favourite Friday night dish! This fakeaway is the perfect throw in a slow cooker in the morning and come home to delicious smells by dinner time.
This Slow Cooker Beef Curry doesn’t use any cream or coconut milk so it’s also is lighter and lower in fat than your usual takeaway.
You have LOVED my Slow Cooker Chicken Curry recipe as it’s so simple to prepare, I decided it was about time to update my beef curry version to make it as easy as possible.
This recipe also freezes well, and you can adjust the spice level to suit all of the family.
You’ll love this Slow Cooker Beef Curry because:
✅ It’s packed with vegetables and a tasty sauce.✅ Hardly any preparation, no need to brown the beef.✅ Freezes brilliantly, cook once, eat twice!
FAQs about the Slow Cooker Beef Curry recipe:
What is the best cut of beef for the Slow Cooker Beef Curry?
I use ‘Braising Steak’, which is the name supermarkets and butchers use for a few different cuts of beef that need slow cooking.
These include chuck, skirt, leg and flank.
It’s also sometimes labelled as Stewing Steak. Any of these cuts that need to be cooked slowly are fine for this recipe.
Do I really not need to brown the beef before cooking in the slow cooker?
If you want to get scientific, the reason we brown meat before slow cooking, is because it causes a Maillard reaction. The process of frying, heating it very hot until it browns, changes the flavour compounds in the meat, basically adding a depth of flavour.
Does it add something to most slow cooked dishes? Yes. Is it vital in this dish, which is packed with other flavour? No.
If you want to brown the meat, it will add another level of delicious flavour BUT I feel that sometimes we need a super quick preparation dinner and it’s worth sacrificing maybe 10% of extra flavour?
I don’t have any curry paste, can I use curry powder?
Yes, depending on your curry powder and your taste, you’ll need to use 3 – 4 tbsp of curry powder instead of the paste.
I would say, I think the paste does work better than powder in this recipe though as unlike in a Slow Cooker Chicken Curry, beef does need a really robust flavour to complement it.
What can you serve with Beef Curry?
You can serve all of the usual curry accompaniments with this Beef Curry.
Pilau Rice, poppadums, yoghurt with some mint mixed through and a salad of tomatoes and cucumber works really well.
My easy flatbreads would be soooo amazing dunked in!
Fancy some other easy Slow Cooker recipes ?
- Super Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Curry – This is one of the most loved recipes on this site, over 175 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews!
- Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Gammon Ham – Such an easy and yummy Sunday roast joint.
- Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Beef Joint – Another super simple and delicious roast joint, complete with gravy.
Hope you enjoy this recipe. I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make this recipe. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below!
Also, if you fancy showing me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations and try and share as many of them as I can.
This post was originally published on March 28, 2018 and updated on February 9, 2021.
Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Ingredients
For the Slow Cook:
- 1 kg (4.25 cups) Braising steak
- 200 g (0.75 cups) Curry spice paste
- 2 Onions, Peeled and chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Peeled and chopped
- 1 Inch piece Fresh ginger, Peeled and chopped finely
- 2 tbsp Ground cumin
- 400 g (2.5 cups) Tin of tomatoes
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 Beef stock cube, undiluted, crumbled
To Serve:
- 100 g (3.0 cups) Spinach leaves
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 4 tbsp Mango chutney
Instructions
- Put all of the slow cooking ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.
- Add the spinach leaves, remaining Garam masala and mango chutney before serving.
Did you make this recipe? Click here to let us know how it went and give it a ⭐️ rating! Your feedback helps us to make more recipes you really want.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
This post was originally published on February 9, 2021 and updated later to make improvements.
I tried this with my new Instant Pot Duo on the ‘slow cooker’ setting and after 4 hours the ‘lean diced beef’ from Lidl was almost inedibly tough and hard, and seemed undercooked. Not sure whether I needed to allow longer? Has anyone used this recipe with the Instant Pot Duo slow cooker setting? Thanks so much
I’m so sorry Tas I haven’t tried in that machine, perhaps it is much lower setting than a regular slow cooker? Also, sometimes I do find that the very lean beef can be not so tender when slow cooked. Perhaps it was a particularly lean packet!
Hi Tas,
you need to press the temperature button on the slow cooker to High for this recipe, it might default to Normal which is around 8 hours, not 4.
I can’t remember the Slow time, maybe something like 18-20 hours !
Have a look in the instruction book for the slow cooker temperature adjustment.
The setting cycles through Low, Normal , High
I have a similar pot, but here in the UK it is named different, but most of the buttons are in the exact same place.
This was delicious! First time making a beef curry in the slow cooker & will definitely become a family favourite. Thank you for sharing
Absolutely amazing curry even my picky daughter loved it.. best thing was once everything was int eh slow cooker you didn’t have to worry about it.. will definitely make it again
The best thing about this is that it can all go in on one, I can work, do gym, school drop off/ pick up and swimming and come home to a delicious meal! Hide all the extra veg in it, serve with rice and naan- kids love it!
Simple and tasty –
😊
We loved this!!!
So easy to be able to use the slow cooker and crack on with emptying boxes after our move home from living over seas!
Just made this tonight after seeing your video on TikTok. Absolutely amazing. Really tasted like a takeaway curry. Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks for sharing!
Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste please? I don’t have any and want to make it today
Love your recipes Sarah, thank you so much for making mealtimes easier.
First time trying this beef curry, so quick to make, the only downside was the smell of it cooking all afternoon made me hungry.
I also added a green pepper and then some coriander at the end.
Really quick to prep and made a very tasty healthy meal. 😀
This was incredible!!! Literally took 5 minutes and was gobbled up in no time. Served with rice and popadoms as suggested and got some mini naans too so have leftovers for another two portions. We’ve been having hello fresh for a few months but I am definitely converted, I’m actually looking forward to putting food on the table. Sarah you’re a ⭐️