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Slow Cooker Indian Beef Curry

Slow Cooker Indian beef curry with fall-apart stew meat and a creamy yogurt finish. Simmer low-and-slow until tender, then stir in full-fat plain yogurt for a rich, velvety sauce served over basmati rice.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and aromatics
  • 2 lb beef stew meat
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 4 garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 0.5 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp oil
Spice mixture
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 0.5 tsp turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp sugar
Creamy finish and serving
  • 0.5 cup plain full-fat yogurt
  • 1 fresh cilantro for garnishing
  • 1 basmati rice for serving
  • 1 naan bread warm, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Build the curry in the slow cooker
  1. Add the beef stew meat to the slow cooker. Spread it out so the pieces sit in an even layer.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and oil to the slow cooker. Stir briefly to start coating the beef.
  3. Combine garam masala, curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well so the spices are evenly distributed before adding.
  4. Pour the spice mixture into the slow cooker and stir to coat the beef. Make sure the beef and onions are covered with the spices and tomato mixture.
Slow-cook until fall-apart tender
  1. Cook on low for 7–8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Cook until the beef is fall-apart tender when pressed with a spoon, with steady bubbling through the sauce.
Finish with yogurt and serve
  1. Stir in the plain full-fat yogurt during the last 30 minutes. Continue cooking just until the sauce looks creamy and smooth with a lighter, glossy color.
  2. Taste the curry and adjust seasoning as needed. Look for balanced heat and salt, and correct with more salt if it tastes flat.
  3. Serve the curry over basmati rice with warm naan and garnish with fresh cilantro. The finished dish should have rich sauce clinging to the meat and visible flecks of herbs on top.

Notes

For the smoothest curry, stir the yogurt in during the final 30 minutes so it doesn’t break. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot. Freezing is not recommended because yogurt-based sauces can grain after thawing. For a dairy-free swap, use full-fat coconut yogurt in the last 30 minutes to keep the creamy texture.