This Slow Cooker Beef Curry comes together in just five minutes. A delicious fakeaway option, it’s lighter than many takeaways because it uses no cream or coconut milk.
If you’re looking for an easy Friday-night favourite, this recipe is ideal. Add everything to the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a fragrant, comforting meal.
This slow cooker beef curry doesn’t require browning the meat, so prep is minimal. It’s packed with vegetables and flavour, freezes well and the spice level can be adjusted to suit the family.
You’ll love this Slow Cooker Beef Curry because:
✅ It’s full of vegetables and a rich, tasty sauce.✅ Minimal preparation — no need to brown the beef.✅ Freezes brilliantly, so you can cook once and enjoy twice.
FAQs about the Slow Cooker Beef Curry recipe
What is the best cut of beef for this recipe?
I use braising steak, which is how supermarkets and butchers often label cuts suited to slow cooking. This includes chuck, skirt, leg and flank. It’s also sometimes called stewing steak. Any slow-cook cut will work well here.
Do I really not need to brown the beef first?
Browning produces the Maillard reaction, which deepens flavour. It does add something, but this recipe is already robustly flavoured from the paste, spices and tomatoes, so browning is optional. Skipping it saves time and still gives an excellent result.
Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste?
Yes. Use about 3–4 tablespoons of curry powder in place of the paste, depending on how strong your powder is and your personal taste. Curry paste tends to provide a more concentrated, consistent flavour, which I prefer for beef, but powder will still work.
What should I serve with Beef Curry?
Serve it with pilau or basmati rice, poppadoms, cooling yogurt with mint, and a simple cucumber and tomato salad. Warm flatbreads are also great for dipping into the sauce.
More easy slow cooker ideas
- Super Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Curry — a popular, fuss-free option.
- Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Gammon Ham — a hands-off Sunday roast joint.
- Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Beef Joint — another easy roast with gravy.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make it, please come back and rate it — your feedback helps improve future recipes. If you share a photo on Instagram, tag the original author; they love to see readers’ dishes.
This post was originally published on March 28, 2018 and updated on February 9, 2021.
Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Ingredients
For the slow cooker:
- 1 kg braising steak
- 200 g curry spice paste
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 400 g tin of tomatoes
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 beef stock cube, undiluted and crumbled
To serve:
- 100 g spinach leaves
- 2 tsp extra garam masala
- 4 tbsp mango chutney
Instructions
- Put all the slow cooker ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.
- Stir in the spinach leaves, remaining garam masala and mango chutney just before serving.
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Notes
Beef (Braising Steak) — Braising steak covers several cuts that benefit from slow cooking, such as chuck, skirt, leg and flank. Stewing steak is also fine.
Curry paste — Use any paste you like. Patak’s Jalfrezi or Madras are good choices; paste tends to give a deeper, more consistent flavour than powder.
Onions, garlic and ginger — Pre-chopped frozen options work well. One onion is roughly 150 g; four cloves of garlic equal about 20 g; 1 inch of ginger is about 5 g.
Spinach — Stir fresh spinach in to wilt from the curry’s heat. If using frozen, defrost and drain well first to avoid excess water in the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation. Values are per portion unless stated.
Additional Info
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