When you crave curry, nothing else but curry will do – we get it! That’s why we love this Instant Pot Lamb Curry for a hearty, satisfying meal with very little clean up.
Fancy a quick curry without the wait and all that stirring?
Stacie and I both adore curry and have, what may be, a borderline obsession with the stuff. The warm, aromatic spices and silky smooth coconut milk-infused sauce…oh curry, why you gotta be so good?!
What we aren’t all that jazzed about though is the time it takes to make a really badass curry. There’s a lot of stirring and sautéing that goes on and a fairly long simmer time if you’re using lamb because you want it to be really tender (which I do and I suspect you do, too). But all that stirring and waiting is a thing of the past thanks to this super easy Instant Pot Lamb Curry!
So for a curry in a relative hurry my go-to is this Instant Pot Lamb Curry. I bought an Instant Pot just over two years ago with the intention of using it to make bone broth. But since then I’ve starting making everything from soup to chili to rice and even yogurt in it. It’s one of the few appliances that gets a full-time spot on my kitchen counter because I use it nearly everyday. And sometimes even 2 or 3 times a day.
I know what you’re thinking. Pressure cooking is SCARY and you could blow up. We’ve all heard the horror stories of pressure cooking gone terribly wrong but I’m here to say that the Instant Pot is so easy to use that it’s nearly foolproof. And it has a load of safety mechanisms built in so you’d be hard pressed to blow the thing up.
I have the Instant Pot IP-Duo60. It’s a 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker that functions as a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Steamer and Warmer and has a indispensable sauté/browning feature. This last feature means I no longer have to brown my meat or sauté my onions on the stovetop first (something I like to do to enhance the flavor of a dish – but it’s not necessary if you’re short on time).
In this recipe we use the sauté function to simmer the curry after cooking to reduce and thicken the sauce and cook the zucchini before serving.
Save time and energy with pressure cooking
Pressure cooking uses roughly 70% less energy than stovetop or oven cooking methods and you need only a quarter of the water you’d normally use making it a great way to save energy and water. I love using mine in the summer when I want to keep the kitchen cool – for example, it’s a great for making corn on the cob in just 4 minutes or steaming cubed potatoes for the perfect potato salad in just 10 minutes.
I also love using it in the cooler months when I don’t have time to plan for an 8-10 hour slow cook time for a stew or when I want to make the easiest spaghetti squash or sweet potatoes. The fact that it’s not making my energy meter spin out of control is another bonus (and cash that stays in my pocket).
Not only does pressure cooking use less energy, it also reduces the amount of time it takes to get a meal on the table. That’s why I love the pressure cooker for dishes like stews and curries that use tougher cuts of meat or hard vegetables like carrots or winter squashes.
Prep ahead for an easy weeknight dinner
To save time I add the lamb to a mixture of coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, ginger and salt and pepper either the night before or in the morning and allow it to marinate until I’m ready to cook. I also chop up the veggies and store them in the fridge so I can knock another thing off the list. This takes me about 10-15 minutes.
Then when I’m ready to cook I just need to add the lamb with marinade, canned tomatoes, spices, vegetables and ghee to the pot of the Instant Pot. I set the cooker to Manual (high pressure) for 20 minutes then turn my focus to making some cauliflower rice. (If you’re new to cauliflower rice, be sure to check out our step-by-step photo tutorial for making it here.) Or sometimes I use Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower rice and take the extra time to go outside and check on the garden or the chickens or read a book to my daughters or help them with their knitting projects.
Wondering if you should purchase grass-fed beef? Learn how to choose quality red meat in this post!
You can release the pressure as soon as the pot signals that cooking time has ended, however, if you can give it another 15 minutes to naturally release some of the pressure on it’s own before you open the steam release valve. Waiting to release is called ‘natural release’ and you get a much richer tasting curry and the meat will be more tender as it has a chance to rest and absorb some of the juices in the sauce. But if you can’t wait, that’s fine. Release the pressure and get onto the important things – like filling your belly and nourishing your body.
Clean up is a breeze – just wash the inner pot and lid (I remove the seal and allow it to air dry) and toss all the dishes into the dishwasher. Done.
So when time has you under pressure why not take the pressure off with this easy Instant Pot Lamb Curry?
You’ll be so glad you did because the leftovers are outrageous (and one of my favorite egg-free breakfasts). Now, get cooking!
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Instant Pot Lamb Curry
Nothing warms you up and satisfies a big hunger like a hearty bowl of curry with vegetables. Using the Instant Pot gives you tender meat and veggies in very little time. Adapted from Lamb Curry recipe in The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Instant Pot, Soups & Stews, Main Entree

Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. cubed lamb stew meat (may substitute chicken or beef)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¼ tsp. salt + more to taste
- Pinch of black pepper + more to taste
- 1 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil (omit or decrease if the lamb is well-marbled and fatty)
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ Tbsp. garam masala (may substitute yellow curry powder)
- ¾ tsp. turmeric (omit if using curry powder)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- Cilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Combine meat, minced garlic, grated ginger, coconut milk, lime juice, sea salt and black pepper in a container with a lid. Mix together and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
- After marinating, add meat with marinade, tomatoes with their juice, ghee, garam masala, onions and carrots. Lock lid into place then set the steam release handle to ‘Sealing’. Select Manual and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
- When cooking time is up, allow Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes then flip the steam release handle to ‘Venting’ to release the remaining steam before attempting to open the lid.
- Remove the lid then switch the Instant Pot to saute (normal) setting, stir in diced zucchini and simmer for 5-6 minutes without the lid or until zucchini is tender and sauce is slightly thickened.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 432mg
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
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Tricia says
Could you also use a crock pot for this recipe? If so, what would you recommend changing with the instructions and cooking time?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Tricia,
You could definitely use a slow cooker for this recipe. I would still marinate the meat overnight then add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker (make you carrot slices a little thicker to prevent them from getting too mushy with the longer cooking time) – Cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours as you would other stews. You may need to add a cup of water since liquid evaporates in a slow cooker and not in a pressure cooker. Then I would steam or saute the zucchini and stir it in before serving. Hope that helps!
Rainer says
Hello, i would like To try this recipe but am afraid i Will Get the burn sign on my instant pot, has it happened to you with this recipe? Thanks
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Rainer,
I haven’t gotten that error when making this recipe.
Jimmy says
Hi,
First of all,I must admit I am an Instant Pot newbie (just bought mine 2 weeks ago) and a curry junkie (the main reason I bought the IP).This recipe sounds nice and simple and the photo of the dish looks so delicious.We are having a dinner party next week and I shall give this recipe a try.I would be grateful if you could answer a simple question regarding IP cooking.If I double the ingredients,should I double the cooking time?Eg.for this recipe,if I double the ingredients (it’s going to be a big party!),should I increase the cooking time to 40 minutes?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jimmy,
Congrats on being a new InstantPot owner! Generally, I add just a few extra minutes when doubling a recipe and that seems to do the trick. You can always release the steam and check to see if you need to cook for a few extra minutes – once the contents of the pot are hot it takes considerably less time to bring the pot back up to pressure if you need to add a few more minutes of cooking time (just be sure to close the steam vent again).
I hope that helps! Enjoy your party!
Jimmy says
Thank you Jessica for the quick reply and useful information.I look forward to trying out the recipe and tasting the curry!Thank you again.
Jimmy.
Jessica Beacom says
I’m happy to help, Jimmy – Bon appetit!
Angela says
This was AMAZING!! My entire family liked it (Husband said it’s in his “top ten” and both my teens liked it as well). I used beef stew meat from Aldi instead of the lamb and a 10 oz can of Rotel for the tomatoes…everything else was the same. Delicious!! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Awesome!!! We love this! Thanks for sharing your substitutions and the rave reviews from your family.
Alicia says
So good!! This was my first time cooking lamb and my family loved it. Keep the Paleo and Instant Pot recipes coming!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Alicia!
Woohooo!!! We love hearing when families love one of our recipes. No worries, there are lots of great paleo, Whole30 and Instant Pot recipes to come!
Kimie Pruessner says
This was so yummy!!! I followed the recipe exactly and served it over cilantro lime rice. It was a big hit with the adults. My young kids (5 and under) didn’t love it, but I would absolutely make it again. The meat was really tender. I appreciated that the zucchini was still crisp tender. My hubby added cayenne to his and loved that. Thanks for a great recipe!!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Kimie!
Glad to hear you loved it – cilantro-lime rice sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!
DL says
I want to make lamb curry in the Instant Pot, and I also want (separately) to make rice in the Instant Pot. I guess I would do the rice after the lamb curry is done, but rice seems to take a while in the Instant Pot. How do I work that out, timewise? I want to take advantage of the “natural” pressure release for the lamb curry, because (I presume) there is still some pressure that helps it “rest and absorb.” If I do the “quick release” of the pressure, instead — so I can get the lamb curry out of the Instant Pot so I can start the rice right away — should I put the lamb curry in the oven (at a warm temperature) so it keeps warm? But, will it still “rest and absorb” as well in the oven as it would in an Instant Pot that is in the process of “naturally” releasing pressure?
Can’t wait to try this!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi DL,
I’ve been resisting the urge to buy a 2nd Instant Pot I struggle with this ALLLLLL the time in my kitchen. Here’s a few scenarios that come to my mind for navigating this situation:
1) Prepare the Lamb Curry first and allow for a 15 minute natural release then transfer to an oven-proof dish with lid (or cover with foil) to keep warm in a 200F oven (or lower if your oven goes lower) – then prepare the rice. This should give you the best of both worlds – some ‘rest and absorb’ time and the ability to free up the Instant Pot for the rice — which if you’re using basmati or a similar white rice, should only take 4-5 minutes of active cooking time (plus time to come up to pressure)
2) Prepare the Lamb Curry up to 2 days in advance and store in the fridge until ready to reheat and eat. Like most spicy/saucy dishes, this once only gets better with time as the meat has a chance to really soak up all the flavors
3) Prepare the rice first and transfer to a slow cooker set on low or a covered oven-safe dish in a low temp oven (with a few tablespoons of water) to keep warm – then prepare the Lamb Curry. Though honestly, this would be the least preferential way to do this as the rice would be holding for a long time and may start to break down.
I hope this helps!
DL says
Thanks! Options 1 and 2 (especially 2 — how delicious!) sound like great solutions to this issue I have been struggling with, as well.
Jessica Beacom says
Awesome! So glad I could help and save you the cost of 2nd Instant Pot.
Cege says
I just made this in a crock pot. I put it on low for 10 hours, added the zucchini when I got home from work (about 9 hours into cooking time) and left it for about 3 more hours (total 12 hours). I did add about a half cup of water, but it came out a little watery so if you are doing this in a slow cooker, just follow the standard recipe, don’t add any extra water. It turned out delicious!! Thank you for the recipe.
Jessica Beacom says
Great advice – thanks for sharing for those who want to make this in the slow cooker!
Stacey says
Can I replace the ghee with butter or coconut oil?
Stacie Hassing says
Yes you sure can!
Roma says
Great recipe! Big hit last night however the prep time is misleading. It states 15 minutes yet the meat needs to marinate for 30 minutes. Other than that great recipe and easy to follow directions. Would probably omit the ghee as lamb tends to be abut fatty. Served it over leftover mashed potatoes and they obsorbed all the delicious gravy!r
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Roma,
Thanks for pointing out the error in the prep time (it does take about 15 minutes to cut the veggies and meat – but you’re right about the marinating time) – I’ve updated the recipe accordingly. Glad you enjoyed it- serving it over mashed potatoes sounds delicious.
Carolyn says
I’m an instant pot newbie and this was the first ever meal I cooked in my instant pot. The recipe is delicious and my husband loved it. If I cooked it again, however, I would cook it for less time and figure out how to make sauce thicker. The meat and veggies were very soft, probably because I used the 20 minute cook time but only had 1 pound of lamb. As others have mentioned, I would omit the ghee. I might drain the tomatoes a bit too as the sauce was very thin even after simmering for 5 to 6 minutes. Any thoughts or suggestions that you had would be appreciated.
★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Carolyn,
I think what you’ve suggested (draining the tomatoes) would be a good place to start. You can also mix 1 Tbsp. arrowroot starch with 2 Tbsp. water and stir that into the curry while it’s simmering to give you a thicker sauce.
Tamara says
What if I don’t have a lime?
Any substitutions for that?
I would like to marinate it over night.
Can’t wait to try it.
Cheers.
Tamara
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Tamara,
A lemon will work but if you don’t have a lemon you could use a little apple cider vinegar to give you that acidity to help tenderize the meat.
Becky says
This is a great recipe! I got an instant pot for Christmas so I was excited to try this. The flavors were delicious and my whole family enjoyed it. Thanks so much! (The only change I made was to use goat meat which has a similar flavor to lamb. I increased the cooking time because it takes a little longer to get tender.)
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Best Christmas gift ever! So happy to hear you enjoyed this delicious recipe!
Maureen says
Delicious!!!! I did substitute butternut squash for zucchini because I didn’t have zucchini. Will definitely make it again
Len says
Tried this yesterday and was it ever good. Even with several mistakes errrr changes 😉
1)lamb shoulder chops on sale. BIG mistake. After spending an hour deboning and de fatting 2 lb of chops I got 3/4 lb meat. Downer; I had to cut this recipe in half.
2)read the recipe several times but still added the zuchini at the start. They sort of disappeared in the final product.
3)making curry, I actually forgot to add the curry! Did it at the end when I was “sauteing” to reduce the liquid. Turned out ok.
I wasn’t going to open a 28oz can of tomatoes for a measly cup of tomatoes . I had one large roma that I diced (remember, only doing half the recipe). Was perfect.
Did it all for 20 min hi pressure and it turned out great.
One thing: when you put the marinated meat into the pot, it’ll look like there’s no way there’s enough liquid. And using a roma tomato (remember, it’s meatier (less juice) than a beefsteak, it looks even less. Don’t be fooled. There’s plenty of liquid for the pressure to build.
Great recipe. Give it a try!
★★★★★
Len says
Also
:
1) used 1T of butter instead of ghee.
2) used 1/4C of half & half instead of coconut milk (remember, only making half the recipe). I know it’s a substantial flavour changer but it worked out all right in the end.
Stacie Hassing says
Thanks for the thorough feedback and glad it turned out for you. That hour of prepping the lamb shoulder chops was worth it!
Maxine says
Any suggestion on what to substitute for the tomatoes? I try to avoid nightshades.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Maxine,
I would just leave them out and substitute 1 cup of water plus additional coconut milk.
Sue says
Can I substitute cashew cream for the coconut milk? I’m allergic to coconut
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Sue,
Yes, you can substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk.
Sara says
This sounds wonderful! I love curry dishes! Can this be done in a slow cooker or on the stove top?
Stacie Hassing says
Yes you could also make this in a slow cooker. Cook it on low for 6-8 hours or until everything is tender.
Linda says
I made this last night with slight modifications – didn’t have the zucchini and used some extra coconut milk for a creamier sauce. Also, before I made it, I used the Instapot to make basmati rice that I kept warm in another bowl while the lamb cooked. Additionally, I added extra salt, pepper, garam, turmeric in the marinade, then again added to the pot. Excellent meal
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks for sharing! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Kelly says
I’m new to both the instant pot and cooking lamb. I got 1 lb ground lamb from the store. Do you think I could use that for this recipe? If not, do you have any recipe referrals that use ground lamb? Thanks! 🙂
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Kelly,
You can use ground lamb in this recipe, you’ll just want to cook it first then add the other ingredients.
Rose says
How much curry?
Stacie Hassing says
This recipe calls for 1 ½ Tbsp. garam masala but you may substitute yellow curry powder if you wish. So 1 1/2 Tbsp. yellow curry. Enjoy!
Emily Schomann says
Hello! What would you increase the time to if you had bone in lamb? About 2 lbs. thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Emily,
You only need to increase the time if the piece of meat is large (as opposed to small cubes of stew meat). According to the Instant Pot website, you’d expect 10-15 minutes of cooking time for cubes and 35-45 minutes for a leg of lamb. However, since that longer cooking time would all but obliterate the vegetables, I’d suggest either cutting the meat from the bone and into smaller pieces or cooking the meat in the liquid and spices first, then releasing the pressure and adding the vegetables for another 12-13 minutes of cooking time. Hope that helps!
Nancy says
This was really good! I followed the recipe exactly & served it over brown basmati rice. Definitely a keeper!
Janet Valdes-Dapena says
This has become one of our favorite recipes. We’ve just been asked to bring it to our niece’s house for dinner again tomorrow. So delicious! We’ve also added dried fruits to the recipe in the past as well as cauliflower or potatoes, even kale.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Yes! We love hearing stories like this. Thanks so much for sharing and love the idea of adding cauliflower and dried fruits to the dish as well.
Jan says
Made this for supper tonight turned out pretty good. Thanks for the recipe
★★★★
Tanvi says
I would love to try this recipe can I use potatoes instead of zucchini? At what point would I add or pls ?
Stacie Hassing says
You sure can! Add them along with everything else 🙂
Judy Clawson says
Followed the recipe and had (2) “burn” alerts while it was coming up to pressure. Just scraped the bottom of the pot to remove the stuck bits the first time, there seemed to be plenty of liquid, Repeated the same step for the second alert and added 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken stock. The result was still really tasty but, to no surprise, was soupier than planned. Any ideas on what went wrong in the first place?
★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
I’m sorry to hear that you had that experience. It seems unusual that you would get a burn alert as we’ve never had that happen. It may be that your Instant Pot runs really hot. If you’ve had this issue with other recipes I’d suggest reaching out to Instant Pot to have them help you troubleshoot the issue as adding additional broth should have definitely fixed the problem.
Pat says
How can I adjust this recipe for a 3 quart due 7 in 1?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Pat,
You don’t need to adjust anything for the smaller Instant Pot. As long as the ingredients don’t exceed the ‘Max’ fill line inside the pot you can cook it according to the directions in the recipe.
Kevin says
I really want to make this recipe but I want to use lamb shanks and if possible no tomatoes. Any advice?
Jessica Beacom says
You can use lamb shanks and probably not need to increase the cooking time. As for the tomatoes, you could leave them out and add an additional cup of water or broth (this is just a guess).
A D says
Hi! The flavors are great and it was super duper simple.
However, i followed the recipe exactly and it came out SUPER watery. Like more watery than soup.
I didn’t have arrowroot powder…so I sauteed for over an hour and still watery. The lamb was of great consistency when i first started sauteeing, but by the end…it was just mush.
I think I should have probably reduced much more BEFORE adding the zucchini since it added so much water.
Kristen W says
This dish was so delicious and easy to make!
★★★★★
Ann says
Wow. This is really, really good. Followed the recipe exactly, except I only had one pound of lamb. Very tender, and the zucchini thickened up the broth just fine. My favorite instant pot curry recipe.
Sheri says
Delicious dish—we modified it heavily due to dietary restrictions: no butter, no tomatoes, and I had no zucchini available. We marinated the lamb as per the recipe. We used more carrots, onions and added 1 yam (which sweetened it up nicely). Also added about 1/2 c non-dairy yogurt. Since we didn’t have Garam masala, we used turmeric, a cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, saffron, S&P and bay leaves. We shortened the cooking time to 10 minutes and manually reduced the pressure. Then added a cup of rice and some water so that the rice would absorb the delicious flavors, we cooked under pressure for another 6 minutes and let the pressure reduce naturally. Tender and tasty! Great jumping off point for a yummy dinner, thanks!
Stacie Hassing says
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing.