This easy Instant Pot Lamb Curry recipe features tender lamb meat, butternut squash (or another hardy veggie), warm curry spices, and a creamy sauce of tomato paste and coconut milk. This easy-to-make recipe is a delicious and healthy meal for busy weeknights. Pair it with rice and garnish with cilantro, and you have a perfect meal!
This pressure cooker lamb curry is a delicious, flavorful, and easy meal for any occasion.
You will love this mouthwatering dish. It combines succulent lamb with butternut squash's sweet, nutty flavor, all in a rich aromatic curry sauce that will satisfy your cravings. Double the recipe for easy meal prep that you can enjoy later.
The best part, it's all made in your pressure cooker. This versatile kitchen appliance is excellent at creating other tasty and convenient meals like Creamy Chicken Wild Rice soup and Sprouted Brown Rice with Beef.
The Instant Pot also makes perfectly fluffy and tender grains like buckwheat and millet to accompany this curry recipe.
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Why you'll love this lamb curry recipe
Flavorful: The combination of tender meat, creamy coconut, and rich warm spices creates a complex and satisfying flavor profile.
Nutritious: Lamb curry contains anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric, ginger, and paprika. This curry recipe also has butternut squash, rich in fiber and vitamins. Plus, lamb is an excellent source of protein and iron.
Easy to make: Using an Instant Pot makes this recipe a breeze to prepare, perfect for busy days. And this also makes fantastic leftovers.
Versatile: Customize this lamb coconut curry to your liking by adding more or less spice, adjusting vegetables, or swapping out the lamb for another protein. Check out specific suggestions below.
Ingredients
- Lamb: The star of the show, adding a rich, meaty flavor and texture to the curry, as well as a good source of protein and iron. I used boneless lamb shoulder cut into small pieces.
- Onion: Common ingredient in many curries, adding a savory and slightly sweet flavor. It also provides texture and helps to balance the spices.
- Butternut squash: This vegetable adds a sweet flavor and smooth texture to the curry. It also helps to thicken the sauce and provides a nice contrast to the tender lamb.
- Coconut milk: This adds a creamy and mildly sweet note to the curry and helps to balance the spices while providing a cooling contrast to the heat.
- Tomato paste: Adds a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to the lamb coconut curry. It also helps to thicken the sauce and provides a savory base for the spices.
- Aromatics and seasonings: Zesty garlic and aromatic spices like ground coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne pepper add excellent flavor.
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
💭Make it Nutrient Dense: When possible, buy New Zealand lamb as they are entirely 100% fed and finished on grass.
Variations
Swap out the butternut squash for another hardy veggie like pumpkin, acorn squash, or sweet potatoes. You can even use russet potatoes.
Use your favorite seasonings or whatever you happen to have on hand. Use a similar spice blend like tikka masala, curry powder, garam masala, or another spice mix. You can also add whole spices like bay leaves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks, then retrieve them before serving.
Try a different cut of meat, like chicken. Cut the cooking time by half since the chicken will cook faster. I have a stovetop butter chicken recipe that you may love with similar flavors. This recipe will also be terrific with the beef roast, but you may need to adjust the cook time.
Helpful Tips
Sear lamb first for best flavor. This makes a very tender lamb curry and creates a beautiful crust on the meat. Doing this on saute function in the Instant Pot liner will keep the splatters contained.
Dice butternut squash into uniform pieces. Cutting them into ½" cubes will ensure a smooth but distinct texture.
Serve lamb curry over rice cooked in bone broth for extra nutrition. Cook the rice in the morning and set it aside to cool down so it produces resistant starch. Curious to learn more about resistant starch? Read this article from Chris Kresser on that topic.
💭Pro tip: If the list of the spices and seasonings is overwhelming to you, use a storebought blend mix like garam masala. In lieu of the spices listed in recipe card, use three tablespoons of the garam masala mix.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience.
This easy lamb curry recipe comes together quickly in one pot. The hardest part is waiting for the pressure to release fully.
Step 1. Brown lamb
Saute lamb pieces directly in the instant pot liner and brown on all sides. Stir occasionally after it has browned.
Step 2. Add onions
Cook diced onions to the lamb until softened and translucent. Add garlic and stir.
💭Pro tip: If browning lamb has produced stuck pieces to the bottom of the inner pot, the juices released from onions should loosen all of that. Ensure that nothing is stuck to the bottom to avoid a burn notice.
Step 3. Season
Add all seasonings to the meat and onions and stir to combine. Add tomato paste, coconut milk, and diced butternut squash. Stir to mix well.
Step 4. Pressure cook
Program the Instant Pot to cook manually for 10 minutes. Followed by natural release of pressure. Stir to ensure all ingredients are combined well.
💭Pro tip: Ensure the safety valve is down indicating the pressure has fully released before opening the lid.
Helpful Tools & Links
Below are some affiliate links that may be helpful to you as you make this recipe. You can find some of these items cheaper at your local store, but having a link helps you know what you're looking for.
- Tools: chef knife, cutting board, Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Ingredients: real salt, black pepper, ground ginger, ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground paprika, cayenne pepper.
- Storage Supplies: glass snap containers
Serving Suggestions
We love serving this lamb curry with jasmine or basmati rice. Here's a foolproof method of getting perfect rice in Instant Pot every time. Better yet, cook it in bone broth for an excellent nutrient boost.
You can serve this lamb and butternut squash curry over cauliflower rice to make it grain-free. And dip with sourdough naan bread for that ultimate experience.
Lamb Coconut Curry pairing suggestions
- Oven-Roasted Broccolini Recipe17 Minutes
- How to Cut and Cook Spaghetti Squash for Long Strands1 Hours 10 Minutes
- Instant Pot Millet (Quick and Fluffy!)35 Minutes
- Crispy Oven Roasted Garlic Potatoes50 Minutes
Storage and Reheating Instructions
To store: Leftover pressure cooker lamb curry can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes great the next day when flavors melded together.
Storage containers: These glass snap containers are perfect for leftovers
To reheat: To reheat, gently warm lamb tikka masala in a small saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, stirring often.
FAQs
Yes, this curry recipe can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop over medium heat when ready to eat.
Use a boneless lamb cut such as the leg of lamb, lamb shoulder, or lamb roast when making lamb curry. These cuts are tough and benefit from the pressure cooking. You can also use lamb stew meat, which is a combination of different cuts and is already conveniently cut into bite-sized pieces.
Tikka masala is a specific type of curry made of a blend of spices and creamy, tomato-based sauce. Curry is a more general term that often refers to a wide variety of dishes that include vegetables. This Indian lamb curry recipe has tikka masala flavors.
Looking for more related recipes? Here are some ideas:
Did you make this? Please leave a ⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚
Printable Recipe
Easy Instant Pot Lamb Curry Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee or pastured butter
- 2 pounds boneless lamb meat (shoulder, leg lamb, roast) cut into ½" pieces
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced approximately 1 large yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced approximately 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup water or broth, for deglazing
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 13.5 oz full fat coconut milk
- 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes approximately 1 - 1¼ pounds of squash
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1-2 teaspoons garam masala to finish optional
- ¼ bunch cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Brown lamb: Press Saute and melt the ghee. Working in batches so you don't crowd the pot, brown the lamb on all sides. It'll release easily once it's actually browned, don't force it before then. Set the lamb aside.
- Add aromatics: Add the onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Press the "Cancel/Keep Warm" setting.
- Deglaze. Pour in the broth or water and scrape the bottom of the pot well with a wooden spoon. This part matters, any browned bits stuck to the bottom can trigger a burn warning once the tomato paste and coconut milk go in, so don't skip it.
- Add seasonings and squash: Stir in the coriander, cumin, salt, ginger, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne. Return the lamb to the pot along with any juices. Add the tomato paste and coconut milk, and stir to combine. Add the squash on top, no need to stir it in.
- Pressure cook: Press "Manual" and adjust the time to 10 minutes of cook time. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully do a quick release for the rest. This keeps the lamb tender without cooking the squash into mush during a long natural release.
- Serve: Stir in the lime juice and garam masala, if using. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice, topped with fresh cilantro.
Gina L Orlando says
This tastes incredible. So rich and hearty. I worried the squash would disintegrate but it didn't. Made this as a meal prep for the week but we can't stop tasting it. Husband loves it too.
Steve Palmer says
I made this last night for my family and it’s the best instant pot receipt I’ve ever made - simply unbelievable!
Hopefully there are more instant pot recipes in future- thank you so so much! This will be a weekly regular for sure!
Anya says
Thank you Steve for the kind comment. I do have more Instant Pot recipes here: https://prepareandnourish.com/tag/pressure-cooker/. Enjoy!
valerie says
Made this for the first time tonight and was delicious enough to prompt my first recipe comment ever! We had neighbors for dinner and everyone from the 7 year old to the 75 year old loved it. I find so many of the quick and easy Instant Pot recipes lack good depth of flavor, but this was not the case. My first recipe from this blog as well, so will definitely look around for more!
Anya says
So thrilled to hear that Valerie! Thank you for leaving your sweet comment.
Mike Pine says
Respectfully, this recipe was disappointing. It was very bland and oily and for what I paid for the lamb, it certainly didn’t make very much. Won’t be using this recipe again. I’ve had much better!
Anya says
Hi Mike! I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you. I don't think the recipe is bland at all - especially considering the amount of rich spices called for in the recipe card. As far as oily - that could depend on the quality of lamb. You could try using lite coconut milk but you'd be sacrificing the creaminess of the lamb curry. Lastly, if you use 1.5 pounds of lamb as per recipe, you would comfortably end up with 8 servings, served over rice, so not sure why you didn't have a lot. So sorry this recipe wasn't a success for you. Hope you try others. 🙂