Tender pressure cooker curry beef (Instant Pot Friendly)

Want flavorful, tender curry beef in a fraction of the time? This pressure cooker recipe has your name written all over it. Quick, bold, and done with zero flavor sacrifice.

This curry beef, simmered down with potatoes, brings all the vibes of traditional Caribbean curry. Just way faster. Whether you’re using an Instant Pot or another pressure cooker, the result is juicy, well-seasoned beef in a rich curry gravy. Serve it with roti, rice, or a good spoon and get comfy.

What beef is best to curry

Chuck steak wins every time. It’s lean, tender after pressure cooking, and full of collagen (a.k.a. flavor magic). Look for “beef for stewing” at your butcher or Caribbean/Latin markets. It saves you some slicing time.

How to make pressure cooker curry beef

Ingredients needed

Pressure cooker beef curry is an easy recipe that doesn’t really require any fancy ingredients.

• Cubed beef – ask your butcher to cut or buy pre-packaged
• Curry powder + cumin
• Onion, green onions, garlic, ginger, celery
• Salt + black pepper
• Lime or vinegar – to clean the meat
• Potatoes (optional – use Idaho/Irish, not sweet)
• Water

Instructions

Clean and season the beef. Wash with lime or vinegar to get rid of the raw scent. Season with fresh aromatics and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best)

2. Saute the curry in the Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) using the sauté setting. “Burn” the curry until it darkens slightly—this helps bring out flavor.
3. Add the beef, coat it in the curry base, then pour in water. Pressure cook for 30 minutes using the “meat” setting.
4. Quick release the pressure, then add in your remaining fresh seasonings. Cook again on the meat setting for 10 more minutes.
5. Gravy too thin? Use sauté mode again and simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serving suggestions

Sure, white rice is classic—but here are some ways to take it up a notch:

• Roti or buss-up shut
• Pumpkin talkari
• Ground provision pie
• Channa and potato
• Red beans and rice

Tips

• Try to keep your beef pieces uniform and bite-sized for even cooking.
• Potatoes help thicken the gravy and add texture but are optional.
• Double-check that your pressure valve pops up to seal. One test run with an unsealed lid = uncooked beef and high annoyance. Don’t be like past me

Storage & Reheating

Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to one day.
Freezer: Keeps for about a month if sealed well to prevent freezer burn.
Reheating: Best on the stovetop with a little water added. You can microwave too—even from frozen.

Oh, and when your Instant Pot is holding on to that curry scent for dear life, here’s how to get it smelling fresh again.

More pressure cooker recipes

• Instant pot pelau
• Saltfish and rice
• Curry chickpeas

Recipe

Delicious Pressure Cooker Curry Beef

This curry beef recipe is quick, easy, and full of rich Caribbean flavor—thanks to curry, fresh seasoning, and a short cook time in the pressure cooker.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 lbs beef cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp vinegar or juice of 1 lemon
• 4 cloves garlic 2 for marinade, 2 for sautéing
• 1 large onion
• 1 sprig chive
• 1 piece ginger
• 1 stem celery
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin geera
• 1/2 + 1/4 tsp salt divided
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp pimento sauce
• 1 large potato peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 shado beni / culantro leaves optional
• 1 whole hot pepper optional

Method

 

For Electric Pressure Cooker (e.g. Instant Pot)

1. Wash beef with lemon juice or vinegar. Rinse and drain well.
2. Blend (or finely chop) 2 garlic cloves, onion, chive, ginger, and celery. Add to beef and mix to coat. Set aside to marinate briefly.
3. Set cooker to sauté mode. Heat oil, add remaining 2 garlic cloves (crushed) and curry powder. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes until fragrant and slightly toasted.
4. Add seasoned beef to pot. Stir to coat with curry. Sauté for a few minutes.
5. Add 1 cup hot water. Cancel sauté, seal lid, and cook on Meat setting for 20 minutes.
6. While beef cooks, peel and cube potato. Keep in water to prevent browning.
7. Once done, manually release pressure. Check beef for tenderness.
8. Stir in remaining salt (1/4 tsp), black pepper, pimento sauce, thyme, cumin, shado beni (if using), cubed potato, and hot pepper (if using).
9. Reseal lid and cook again on Meat setting for 10 minutes.
10. Release pressure. If liquid needs thickening, switch to sauté mode and simmer for 5–10 minutes until desired consistency.

For Traditional Weighted Pressure Cooker

1. Follow steps 1–4 above using your stovetop pressure cooker.
2. Add 1 cup hot water, cover, and cook over low heat until beef is tender (add an extra ½–1 cup hot water as needed).
3. Add remaining ingredients (step 8 above) and continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked and flavors meld.
4. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Notes

Using bottled green seasoning? Use 3 tablespoons as a substitute for the fresh seasoning blend.

No pressure cooker? Use a regular pot and simmer gently until beef is tender. You may need to add more hot water during cooking.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!