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4.94 from 15 votes

Slow Cooker Beef Curry

A tasty beef curry full of delicious vegetables in a light coconut milk curry sauce, all made from scratch, which bubbles away in your slow cooker with delicious results. Quick to prepare!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Slow Cooker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 215kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 40 g broccoli
  • 50 g mange tout
  • 60 g baby corn
  • 200 g butternut squash chunks I used frozen
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes 400 g
  • 1 tin light coconut milk 400 g
  • 400 g diced beef
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp medium curry powder
  • 0.5 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 red chilli sliced
  • 3 spring onions

Instructions

  • Dice the onion and place it in the slow cooker with the vegetables, chopped tomatoes and light coconut milk.
    1 onion, 40 g broccoli, 50 g mange tout, 60 g baby corn, 200 g butternut squash chunks, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin light coconut milk
  • Add the spices and mix gently.
    1 tsp ground coriander, 1.5 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp medium curry powder, 0.5 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala
  • Fry the beef in a hot dry pan until brown all over.
    400 g diced beef
  • Transfer the beef and any juices into the pot and stir well.
  • Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  • Top with slices of red chilli and spring onions and serve, with rice or cauliflower rice.
    1 red chilli, 3 spring onions

Notes

Do I need to brown the meat when cooking in a slow cooker?
I always recommend browning off meat before putting it in the slow cooker because I find that if you don’t then you get a lot of fat which is released from the meat during cooking, and which rises to the top of the sauce. This can make the sauce split which does not look very appetising. By browning the meat off in a frying pan first, this seals the fat into the meat and ensures that it keeps its shape too.
Does coconut milk split in a slow cooker?
Coconut milk is not the same as dairy such as milk or cream sauces, which can curdle if added too near the start of cooking in a slow cooker. Normally coconut milk works fine in slow cooker recipes, but if you cook for too long or use light coconut milk there is sometimes the risk of the coconut milk splitting. In this case what has happened is that through heating, the coconut milk splits into thicker curds. These can normally be removed by stirring which emulsifies the milk again. It may be tricky to stir a cooked slow cooker dish so in that case you can use a cornflour paste, which you add to the dish and then cook through. This will bring it back together.
Can I freeze this curry?
Curries freeze well but for curries with coconut milk sauce the results can vary. When frozen the coconut milk can separate, which could result in a grainy curry. The best results will be obtained if the curry is not frozen for long periods of time. Always freeze curry in freezer bags or tubs, to avoid freezer burn, and in the portions that will be useful for you later.

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 736mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5750IU | Vitamin C: 47.9mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 4.1mg