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Spicy Simple Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry. Enjoy on nights when you’re craving your favorite creamy beef curry but don’t feel like ordering carry-out. Tender beef short ribs slow-cooked in a spicy, creamy coconut curry sauce until the beef is caramelized around the edges and falling off the bone. Shred the meat and serve it over steamy rice. Add fresh cilantro, green onions, and soft, buttery naan. Each bowl is spicy, creamy, and full of yummy Indian curry flavors. All cooked in one pot – either in the crockpot or on the stove. An almost effortless deliciously slow-cooked dinner!
The final days of January are upon us, and the temps are bitter cold. Yes, we’re deep into winter. But I will say that the sun is staying up longer, which means longer days are quickly approaching. For us, the snow is here to stay for a while, so I’ll be in cozy mode for many more weeks to come!
That means slow-cooked dinners, soups, and yummy baked goods! I’m not complaining, I love cozy meals.
Today, we have a seriously delicious curry. Inspired by the Madras Chicken recipe I have in my Every Day cookbook. I swapped the chicken for beef short ribs, and I think I like this variation even more. I was so happy with the way this turned out!
If you have the cookbook, you know that Madras curry is made with curry powder, spices, tomatoes, and coconut milk. It is a spicier curry but an easy-to-make dinner.
We LOVE that curry sauce, and I wanted to give the dish new light here on the website. Using short ribs was the perfect idea! I slow-cooked the meat in the creamy curry sauce. The end result is the most delicious creamy coconut beef curry!
Here are the details
Step 1: make the curry paste
For this recipe, we’re making a quick curry paste with fresh shallots, ginger, and garlic. Then a bit of tomato paste too.
Blend all these ingredients together in a blender or use a food processor.
Step 2: mix everything
Next, season the ribs with curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and cinnamon. Then rub with the curry paste. You can do this in the crockpot or in a large Dutch oven.
Add the tomatoes, the coconut milk, some butter, and a little bit of vinegar plus honey.
Step 3: slow cook
At this point, you can slow cook in the crockpot or braise the meat low and slowly cook in the oven. Either way will yield the same result.
When the meat is cooked low and slow, it will fall off the bone after a few hours of cooking.
Step 4: finish it up
Now, lightly shred the meat and toss it with that yummy coconut curry sauce. If there’s a lot of excess grease from the ribs, I recommend draining that away.
Serve this creamy beef curry over rice. And I always make fresh naan, you’ll need it to scoop up the creamy curry sauce! Absolutely DELICIOUS. You can’t skip the naan, it’s reason enough to make any kind of curry.
This curry is simple, and I love that the short ribs make it feel even more special!
As you can guess, my oldest brother, Creighton, loved this recipe. I know he’s already looking forward to me, hopefully, making it again soon. It’s the spicy curry sauce, it certainly is the best!
Looking for other Indian-inspired dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil
Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Lastly, if you make this Simple Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Simple Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 694 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 shallots, halved
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 fresno or jalapeño, seeded if desired
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- salt and black pepper
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- chopped cilantro and green onion, for serving
Instructions
Stove
- 1. To make the curry paste. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, fresno/jalapeño, and tomato paste to a blender. Pulse until a paste forms. 2. Preheat the oven to 325° F. In a large, oven-safe brasier, season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add the curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and cinnamon. Add the curry paste. Toss the ribs in the seasonings and curry paste to coat. Pour over the crushed tomatoes and coconut milk. Add the butter, vinegar, and honey. Toss to lightly mix. 3. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone. 5. Lightly shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the meat into the creamy curry sauce.6. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with cilantro and green onion.
Crockpot
- 1. To make the curry paste. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, fresno/jalapeño, and tomato paste to a blender. Pulse until a paste forms. 2. In the bowl of the crockpot, season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Add the curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and cinnamon. Add the curry paste. Toss the ribs in the seasonings and curry paste to coat. Pour over the crushed tomatoes and coconut milk. Add the butter, vinegar, and honey. Toss to lightly mix. 3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.4. Lightly shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the meat into the creamy curry sauce.5. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with cilantro and green onion.
For the crockpot I always season and brown short ribs in a frying pan to remove some of the fat first then add to crockpot – Also “boneless” short ribs are easier imo! GREAT recipe! I’m always looking for more short rib recipes! Highly recommend
Hey Missy,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try and your comment! x
I just finished this! It was soooo good, I love the coconut milk, it makes the dish so creamy and delicious. The only thing I did different was using a chuck roast cut into chunks instead of short ribs.
I put everything in the crockpot the night before, and kept it in the fridge until right before I left for work in the morning. By the time I got home the meat was easily shreddable!
Hey Valerienne,
Fantastic! Love to hear that this dish turned out nicely for you, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
I’m curious how long you had it in crockpot with this cut of meat since it wasn’t bone in?
As usual, another Tieghan recipe was a HUGE hit for my family. I struggled with the curry paste for consistency (let’s assume it’s user error on my part) – I started in the food processor and then moved to a blender. I finally channeled my inner Half Baked Harvest, started over and leveraged other recipes and used a combo of harissa and Thai curry paste and it was perfect. I also used chuck roast and let the meat marinate with the spices and paste in the fridge. Two hours at 325 was perfect, my house smelled amazing, and I had to send people away “no dinner is not ready yet!” My boys ate two huge platefuls!! Tieghan thank you for your amazing recipes and giving me the confidence to leverage other recipes when I hit roadblocks mid cooking!
Hey Joy,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you trying this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Sorry for any struggles you had while making the recipe, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
What type/size shallots do you use? A red/Pikant or smaller like a banana shallot?
Hi Collin,
I use banana shallots. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Delicious 👌
Thanks so much Kellie!! Have a great Sunday! Xx
I’m wondering if you have a recommendation of a veggie to mix into the sauce to serve with this dish? Thanks! Looking forward to making it!
Hi Kathryn,
Sure, cauliflower would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
We thought this was delicious and a great way to use my very expensive short ribs! I only had 3 pounds of them so halved the spices but made the full amount of sauce, and it worked out well, although I found it challenging to get the spices, sauce ingredients and ribs mixed up adequately in the pan. In any case, one of the better short rib recipes I’ve tried, and one I’ll definitely be making again!
Thanks so much Helen!! I appreciate you making this dish and your feedback:) So glad it was enjoyed! xT
Wonderful!!! I substituted chuck roast (cut into chunks) and added about a cup of plain yogurt at the end to balance out the spiciness. So yummy and comforting and now I have leftovers for a week. Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Zoe,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This was delicious, thanks!
Hi there,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit! xT
Sauce is very yummy. Beef not so much. I used a chuck roast that I had. Suggest sticking with short ribs.
Hi Barita,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear the chuck roast wasn’t the best option! xx
Looks delish. Could I make this in the instapot? I’d love to make it for dinner tonight but don’t have time to roast for several hours.
Thanks so much Catherine!! Yes, I would do 20 minutes in the instant pot! I hope you love this dish! xT