Easy Curry Beef Recipe from The Food Charlatan.

This slow cooker beef curry could not be easier! Thick chunks of slow-cooked, tender beef, in a rich and thick curry sauce that is just waiting to be scooped up with some naan. Serve with this Coconut Jasmine Rice and some Homemade Naan! Originally published July 6, 2018.

Table of Contents

Perfectly Easy Curry Beef Recipe
Why you’ll love this Beef Curry Slow Cooker Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Curry Ingredients
How to make Beef Curry
Beef Curry Recipe Tips
Beef Curry Recipe Slow Cooker Variations
How to serve Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Storing leftover Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Easy Beef Curry Recipe FAQs
Beef Curry Slow Cooker Recipe Recipe

How was everyone’s 4th of July celebrations?? We had so much fun. I decided to pretend that my kids are 5 years older than they are, and hosted a giant water fight. I invited a bunch of kids, bought 500 water balloons (I’m not exaggerating. The rapid-fill kind are worth every penny. They were still gone within 10 minutes) and planned relay races and water guns and everything.

The only problem is that my kids and all their friends are still at the age where when someone pelts them with a water balloon, they start screaming that someone threw a water balloon at them. Yeah, kid, that’s the point. Try explaining this logic to a 5 year old.

beef curry in a slow cooker with red onion and cilantro.

And then 2 hours before the party the kids tore a hole in our blow-up kiddie pool. That’s because I always let them play in it, even when the pool is empty, because watching kids play ‘pirate ship’ in an empty kiddie pool is kind of hilarious. (We have to dump the water out of the pool every time we’re done with it, otherwise Valentine (who is not quite 2) would be perpetually wet for the entire summer.)

So we had no kiddie pool, half the kids are screaming, and I had to bribe Truman with Otter Pops to get him to play relay races with me. Also, when I ended up being the only adult in a swimsuit, my entire extended family decided it was fair game to do water balloon target practice on me. I definitely got more wet than any of the kids.

Ah well. Summertime, right? It was actually really fun. I’m sure this will be a golden memory for my kids 10 years from now. Right? Right???

Perfectly Easy Curry Beef Recipe

No, I’m not sending you to speciality stores. No, you don’t have to babysit this on the stovetop all day. Grab your crockpot and a short list of ingredients – we’re making curry, easy-style!

Why you’ll love this Beef Curry Slow Cooker Recipe

This cozy curry combines the comfort food feels of an American pot roast with the spice and flavor of an Indian curry. It’s not too spicy – just flavorful. You can get everything you need at your regular grocery store (with the possible exception of the garam masala – click that link if you need to buy some online). I love serving it with jasmine rice (or cauliflower rice) and naan. It’s pretty kid-pleasing because we’re keeping the heat level under control, and leftovers just keep getting better in the fridge with every day that passes.

Slow Cooker Beef Curry Ingredients

Here’s a quick list of everything you’ll need to make this curry. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more details.

Chopped stew beef or chuck roast (I prefer chuck roast)
Tomato sauce (one 8-oz can)
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Better Than Bouillon Beef Base

Yellow curry powder
Garam masala (you can find this at most grocery stores these days!)
Yellow onion
Cilantro (to garnish)
Red onion (chopped, to garnish)

How to make Beef Curry

Who’s ready for some slow cooking?? Every time I use my slow cooker now, I remember this lady who commented on one of my slow cooker recipes (can’t remember which one) with tons of details about how to secure your slow cooker lid if you are using it out on your deck and have large animals. I think it involved using a broom handle to lock it in place under the arms of a deck chair, or something elaborate like that. I never even thought to put my slow cooker outside! But I guess if you really want to keep your kitchen cool, that’s the way to go! Just don’t let your pooch get into it.

I love this recipe because it’s very simple. I’m not going to make you go out and buy fish sauce or lemongrass. It’s basic, but you get tons of flavor from just a few simple spices. The one that you might not have is called garam masala. It’s a blend of Indian spices, and it adds so much flavor. If you can’t find it, this would still be good with just the yellow curry powder called for. You might want to increase the amount a little bit.

beef curry with cilantro, naan, and rice.

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this curry. For complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat. Add oil to the pan and swirl; it will shimmer when ready.
Salt and pepper the beef chunks, then add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Place the pieces of meat so that they are not touching each other. Turn the pieces with tongs to brown all sides. Remove the beef to the slow cooker and repeat 2 more batches, adding more oil as necessary.
Once all of the beef is browned and in the slow cooker, turn the heat on the pan down to medium. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, beef bouillon, black pepper, curry powder, and garam masala.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is bubbly and the bouillon has dissolved, then pour the mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
Add the chopped onion and stir it all together. Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours, until the beef is fork tender. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice.

Beef Curry Recipe Tips

You’ll want to brown the meat in batches. If you throw it all in at once, it will start steaming the meat instead of searing it, which is not what you want. You want it to get nice and brown on the outside, like this:

Beef Curry Recipe Slow Cooker Variations

I love this recipe! Make it your own, maybe trying one of the following variations:

Make it on the stove. Once you have removed all the meat and made the sauce in the pan, add the beef back into the sauce. Cover with a tilted lid (so steam can escape) and set it to a low simmer. Let cook for 2-3 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
Try lamb! If you can get your hands on a lamb shoulder, it would be absolutely incredible in this recipe.
Cool things down. You can temper the heat of this curry with some plain yogurt, either mixed in or served on the side.

How to serve Slow Cooker Beef Curry

The curry has a little heat but I don’t think it’s over the top spicy. My kids ate it. If you serve it with rice and/or naan, I think it’s perfect. You could also serve it with some plain yogurt, which would help to cool things off.

I like to serve this beef curry with Coconut Jasmine Rice with Cilantro and this Homemade Naan. You can also buy naan in the bakery section of your grocery store. If you really want to go all out, make Strawberry Lassis too! YUM.

slow cooker beef curry with rice and naan.

Storing leftover Slow Cooker Beef Curry

Leftover beef curry can be stored in the fridge and is good for 3-4 days. If you’d like to freeze this curry, good news, it freezes beautifully! Make sure that you label the ziplock or tupperware you put it in and use it within 2-3 months.

How to reheat Beef Curry

When I’m reheating a whole bunch of beef curry for my family’s dinner, I often put it in a pot on the stove on low heat, stirring until it’s warmed through. If I just want a serving for lunch, I’ll throw it in the microwave for about a minute.

Easy Beef Curry Recipe FAQs

Can I put raw beef in slow cooker?

Yes, absolutely. Sometimes recipes like this one will call for browning beef before placing it in the slow cooker, but that’s just to add flavor to the meat. The slow cooker is perfectly capable of fully cooking any meat you put in it.

Why is my beef tough in curry?

The type of beef you put in a slow cooker has a lot of connective tissues. These connective tissues break down when cooked, making for very tender meat, but they need time. LOTS of time. This beef curry is done in about 6-7 hours, but it may need more. Poke a fork into a chunk of beef and give it a little twist. The piece of beef should easily come apart. If it doesn’t, you need to let the meat cook for at least another 45 minutes.

Why does curry go watery in slow cooker?

If you’ve added too much liquid, your curry may be watery. It’s surprising how little liquid you need to add to a slow cooker! Because the temperature is so low, you can add just a small amount of liquid and still not burn your meat. You’ll notice we’re only adding ⅓ cup water to this recipe. Don’t be tempted to add more, you don’t need it! The tomato sauce adds additional liquid and the beef will release juices as it cooks.

What is the best cut of beef for curry?

While you can buy beef stew meat for this curry, I recommend buying a chuck roast and cutting it up yourself. Sometimes beef stew meat is just offcuts that the butcher didn’t want, and you can’t rely on it to be consistent from day to day, even at the same grocery store.