Fancy a spicy, creamy, and tender curry without spending hours in the kitchen? This slow cooker beef madras curry is perfect! While the slow cooker does its work, your house will be filled with the delicious smell of spices, coconut milk, and slow-cooked beef. It's a real comfort food meal that is easy to make and tastes perfect with rice or naan.
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Tender Beef Madras Curry in the Slow Cooker
What makes this curry so delicious? The beef becomes buttery tender and absorbs all the flavors of the spice mix. Greek yogurt, tamarind, and coconut milk combine to create a creamy, slightly spicy sauce with a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and savory. This is one of those dishes you want to enjoy again and again!
What do you Need?
The recipe card below contains the complete list of ingredients, but here are some handy tips:
Ingredients Beef and Marinade
- Beef chuck roast: Chuck roast is used in this recipe. But you can also use a round roast (top or bottom) or tri-tip roast. These remain nice and tender in the slow cooker. Lean beef dries out in the slow cooker, while beef steaks become buttery soft.
- Curry Madras Spices: A mix of cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chili. You can use ready-made spices or make your own curry madras spice mix.
- Greek Yogurt: Makes the meat extra tender and helps the spices to soak in well.
Ingredients Curry Madras Sauce
- Coconut milk: Provides a soft, creamy sauce without overpowering the spices.
- Tamarind paste: It gives a fresh, slightly sour taste. If you don't have tamarind, replace it with a dash of vinegar or lemon juice.
How to Make It – 4 Easy Steps
- Step 1 Make the Marinade: Mix the Curry Madras spices, garlic, salt, tomato puree, and Greek yogurt until you have a thick paste.
- Step 2 Marinate the Meat: Cut the beef into chunks, mix it with the marinade, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (preferably longer).
- Step 3 Slow Cooker: Mix the remaining marinade, onion, ginger, tamarind paste, sugar, and beef stock in the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes and bay leaves and cook on low for 6–8 hours.
- Step 4 Finish the Sauce: Add the coconut milk and lime juice and stir well. Thicken the sauce with a slurry of cornflour and water and simmer for another 30 minutes.
What do you Serve With It?
- Basmati rice: Soaks up the creamy sauce perfectly.
- Freshly baked naan bread with garlic and parsley.
- Fresh cucumber salad with a kick: Brings balance to the dish.
Top Tip
Can I make this dish without a slow cooker?
No problem! Let the meat simmer gently in a casserole dish on low heat for 3 hours.
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
Beef and marinade
- 3 ½ tablespoons curry madras spice mix
- 4 cloves garlic, squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
For the stew
- 1 ¾ pound chuck roast, cut into large pieces (about 1 ½ inch / 4 cm)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ½ cup beef broth
- 14 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Marinade
- Mix the curry Madras spices, garlic, salt, tomato paste, and Greek yogurt in a bowl until you have a smooth paste.3 ½ tablespoons curry madras spice mix, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- Add the beef chunks to the marinade and coat them well.1 ¾ pound chuck roast
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1–2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavor.
- Transfer the marinated beef to the slow cooker.
Prepare the sauce
- Add the remaining marinade, chopped onion, ginger, tamarind paste, brown sugar, and beef broth in the same pan. Stir well.1 onion, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, ½ cup beef broth
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, coconut milk and lime juice and mix.14 oz. diced tomatoes, 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Pour the sauce over the beef in the slow cooker.
- Add the bay leaves on top.2 bay leaves
Slow cook the stew
- Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours until the meat is tender.
- Mix cornstarch with two tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Stir it into the sauce.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- Set the slow cooker to High for 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving.
- Serve with rice or naan bread for a complete meal.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the curry in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the curry in portions and store for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Defrost in the fridge and reheat in a pan over medium heat, while stirring.
Nutrition
Andréa Janssen says
Our family loved this slow cooker curry madras recipe with beef. It was easy to prepare and got a lot of flavors. Certainly going to make this more often.