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Rich, savory beef curry is full of delectable flavors and spices, and making it couldn’t be easier! Using a low-and-slow stovetop method to lock in those flavors and juices gives you succulent, tender beef with minimal effort.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Beef curry is a delicious, savory, stew-like dish that’s full of amazingly rich flavors. Bonus: it’s SO easy to make! A little sautéing here, a little browning there, then leave it alone to simmer for a couple of hours.
- It’s easy to customize beef curry and change up the flavor profile. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, until you’ve got the perfect sauce for you. For more kick, increase the cayenne. You can dial the amount of curry powder up or down depending on your preferences. Use 3 or 4 bay leaves instead of 2 if you’re a big fan. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
- As amazing as this dish is fresh, the next-day leftovers might be even better. Store any leftover beef curry in the fridge, in an airtight container. Reheat it slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring periodically. If it’s too thick, you can add a little more milk to thin it out again.
Chef’s Tips
- Don’t cut the cook time short. I know it’s tempting – 2 hours seems like such a long time, especially when your house is full of this amazing smell. The longer the chuck roast cooks, though, the more tender it becomes. If you don’t want tough beef curry, you need to simmer the full 2 hours.
- Adding cold milk to the hot dutch oven could cause the milk to incorporate poorly. For best results, bring the milk to room temperature first, or even warm it slightly in the microwave. Slowly add it to the dutch oven, stirring constantly.
- For the ultimate beef curry dinner, serve this with white rice, warmed naan, and a couple of lime wedges. A squeeze of lime juice over the beef adds a little bright flavor to the dish. It’s great on the rice, too!
Easy Beef Curry
Fragrant, savory beef curry full of delectable flavors and spices and a simple, effective, low-and-slow cooking process.
servings
Equipment
- Cutting board
- large dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- Tongs
- Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Large bowl
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 2 pounds boneless chuck roast cut into chunks
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.
For the Curry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral-cooking oil avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.
- 1 large onion sliced, approximately 10 ounces
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic approximately 4 large cloves
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger approximately 1 2-inch-long piece of ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups milk of choice at room temperature
- 2 large bay leaves
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- rice
- warmed naan
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Place 2 pounds boneless chuck roast on cutting board. Season chuck roast liberally on all sides with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Set aside.
- Place large dutch oven on stovetop over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil and heat pot until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, place seasoned chuck roast in dutch oven. Sear chuck roast 2 minutes, then flip chuck roast and sear 2 minutes more. Repeat until all sides are browned. Note: If needed due to size of dutch oven, cut chuck roast in half first and sear chuck roast in batches.
- Once chuck roast is seared on all sides, transfer chuck roast to large bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon neutral-cooking oil to dutch oven. Heat pot until oil is hot and shimmery.
- Add slices of 1 large onion, 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic, and 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger to dutch oven. Stir to incorporate, then sauté ingredients approximately 5 minutes, until onions have softened and ingredients are fragrant.
- Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3 tablespoons curry powder, and 1 cup chopped tomatoes to dutch oven. Stir to incorporate.
- Remove dutch oven from heat and let cool slightly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Once cooled, add 1 ½ cups milk of choice to pot and stir to incorporate.
- Return pot to heat and bring mixture to strong simmer, stirring constantly.
- Once mixture begins to simmer, add seared chuck roast and 2 large bay leaves to pot. Bring mixture to boil, then immediately reduce heat to low and place lid on dutch oven.
- Simmer mixture on low approximately 2 hours or until meat is tender.
- After 2 hours, remove lid and set aside. Increase heat under pot to high and bring mixture to boil. Boil mixture until sauce has reduced and thickened as desired.
- Taste sauce and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired.
- When satisfied with flavor and consistency of sauce, transfer beef curry to serving bowls. Serve warm with rice, warmed naan, and lime wedges if desired.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use an unsweetened, dairy-free milk of choice. Coconut milk would work well!
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1serving (without rice)Calories: 402calProtein: 32gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 206mgPotassium: 770mgTotal Carbs: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 8gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of beef is best for beef curry?
Beef chuck! The flavor is amazing, and it’s a tougher cut of meat – which means it holds up beautifully to the long braising method, becoming juicy and tender, not mushy or rubbery.
Can I make this beef curry dairy free?
Of course! I recommend a full-fat coconut milk in place of the dairy milk.
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Can’t wait ro make this
Hope you enjoyed it! 😊
Delicious! Used a spoonful of chutney and a dash of red pepper flakes, creme fraiche instead of milk.
That sounds great! Thanks for the review, Mitsi!
Add a tea spoon of Smoked Paparica to the beef curry and taste the spices before…lighty toste.
Smoked paprika is a great add-in! Thanks so much for that suggestion, Brad. So happy you enjoyed the curry!
This was excellent! I cooked my roast whole for hours and then added chopped up. I also added green peas to add a vegetable and some color. I would add red pepper flakes for more heat if you need. Excellent recipe!
Thank you so much for your review, Ginger! Those are great tips and additions. Thanks for sharing them with us!
I tried this and it came out very tasty.
That’s wonderful, Cliff! Thank you so much for sharing your review with us!
Sometimes I make curry just to satisfy myself (I do all the dinners in this home). This curry gets my wife and young kids asking for more. Slow cooking is something I really enjoy; time is a precious seasoning and when used well creates incredible results. Thanks for this recipe.
We’re so glad you and the family enjoyed this recipe! Agree with you completely about time.
So good!! I actually replaced the milk with coconut milk. I will definitely making this often
Yum! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This recipe was super simple and explosive with flavor! I used almond milk and it turned out fantastic!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So glad you enjoyed this beef curry recipe, Sabrina!
great dish and nice that it’s easy and doesn’t require making an entire stew, thank you!