Slow Cooker Lamb Curry

Full of warming spice and vegetable goodness, this slow cooker lamb curry is perfect for weekday meals and will make your house smell divine as it cooks away.

My fridge is finally free of leftovers and I have a need to make warming dishes to help ward off freezing cold, icy days. Curries are just what is needed. Bring on my slow cooker lamb curry, which is also packed with vegetables to make it go further and add loads of goodness.

What do you need to make a simple curry?

You don’t need a spice cupboard filled to the rafters to make this curry, just ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala.

Then you’ll also need fresh onions, garlic, ginger (can be replaced with lazy ginger in a jar) and a red chilli (can also be replaced with lazy red chilli in a jar), which are staples I usually have on hand.

And once you have the spices in you can make lots of different curries too.

Tips for a thick sauce

Slow cooker sauces can go watery if you are not careful.

I like to make my curry sauce in a pan first to ensure that it is thick and not watery, and that the spices are fried off to release their flavours. This way I can reduce the sauce, which isnit really possible in the slow cooker as it keeps in all the moisture.

I used the same technique for my slow cooker vegetable curry too. If you make my slow cooker chicken pasanda you can even just throw all the ingredients in if you are short on time, it still works well.

If you want to save time and not bother with making the sauce up in a pan first, you could also cook the lamb curry on high with the lid off for a couple of hours at the end of the cooking time, which should help achieve similar results.

The lamb pieces are so tender from the long slow cooking, they melt in the mouth.

The flavours of the curry spices combine and develop too during the long cooking time, making a lovely rich flavour.

Cut of lamb

I used lamb neck fillet for this recipe as it is cheap and works well with the long slow cooking. You sometimes have to dice it yourself but that doesn’t take long to do and is worth it for saving a few pence!

Other cuts of lamb you could use in this slow cooker lamb curry are lamb leg or shoulder or diced lamb from the supermarket. All would work well.

The dish is also even better reheated the next day when the flavours have mingled even more.

Slow cooker lamb curry is such a great way to cook up a curry and make sure it is full of flavour!

Ingredients needed

• 4 onions
• oil
• fresh garlic (or switch to dried or puree)
• fresh ginger (or switch to dried or puree)
• ground cumin
• ground coriander
• ground turmeric
• garam masala
• a red chilli
• a tin of tomatoes
• 550 g lamb neck fillet
• mange tout
• broccoli
• fresh coriander
• water

How to make slow cooker lamb curry – step by step

To ensure a thick sauce, I prepare the sauce in a pan first and reduce it.

Step 1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions for a few minutes.

Step 2. Add the fresh garlic and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes more.

Step 3. Add the spices and red chilli and fry for 1-2 minutes more.

Step 4. Add the tin of tomatoes and water and bring to the boil.

Step 5. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and the water has evaporated. Add salt to taste.

Step 6. Place the sauce in the slow cooker.

Step 7. Brown the lamb cubes in the same pan.

Step 8. Put the lamb and vegetables into the sauce in the slow cooker.

Step 9. Cook on high f or 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

Step 10. Serve with fresh coriander and red chilli, with rice.

Note: If you are short on time and are not worried about the sauce being thinner or having to use cornflour to thicken it, you can skip the part where you prepare the sauce in a pan and put all the ingredients straight in the slow cooker. Do still brown off the meat if you can. Flavours will be better if you follow the instructions above.

Recipe tips

Side dishes

Serve with naan bread, basmati rice, raita (cucumber/onion/natural yoghurt), onion bhajis, pakora, poppadoms.

Adding a vegetable curry as a side dish will make it more like an Indian restaurant meal!

Adjustments to the recipe

Switch the vegetables to whatever you have on hand. Butternut squash, red peppers, baby sweetcorn and spinach all work well.

Add more chilli if you are a spice fiend!

How to thicken the sauce (alternative method)

• If you skipped the sauce preparation, thicken with cornflour or by leaving the lid off for an hour, on high.

More slow cooker curries

If you love this lamb curry check out the other slow cooker curries on the blog:

• slow cooker beef curry
• slow cooker chicken saag curry
• slow cooker coconut fish curry
• slow cooker chicken pasanda
• slow cooker chickpea and paneer curry

Pin this slow cooker lamb curry for later!

Recipe

Slow Cooker Lamb Curry

A delicious warming lamb curry cooked in your slow cooker, packed with vegetables and with a thick spiced sauce. Adjust the spice level to suit your household.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

• 4 small onions sliced
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 red chilli chopped finely, I remove the seeds
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 can cold water
• salt to taste
• 550 g lamb neck fillet diced in cubes
• 75 g mange tout
• 100 g broccoli
• fresh coriander, to serve chopped

UK Measurements - US Measurements

Instructions 

• Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the onions for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute or two.
• Add the spices and red chilli and fry for another minute or two, then add the tin of chopped tomatoes and water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, and most of the water has evaporated. Add salt to taste.
• Once the sauce has thickened, transfer it to your slow cooker pot.
• In the same wok or pan, fry the lamb cubes for 4-5 minutes (no need to add any more oil) until brown all over.
• Add the lamb and vegetables to the slow cooker pot, stir to combine, and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
• Garnish with fresh coriander and extra red chilli, if you like, and serve with basmati rice.

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