Coconut Curry Beef

Coconut Curry Beef is loaded with spice and flavor that you are sure to love. This easy, creamy recipe is made with chunks of tender beef, onions and sweet peppers in a curry coconut milk and tomato based gravy. Serve it over rice or cauliflower rice to keep it low carb and keto friendly.

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I make Coconut Curry Chicken or Vadouvan Curry Chicken at least once every couple of weeks. Curry is one of my favorite meals ever, not only to make but also to order out.

But, I rarely see or hear of curry beef, so I decided to give it a try and prepare it very similar to how I prepare my chicken recipes.

I’m trying to find some new, creative meals and this Coconut Curry Beef is one of the best curry recipes that I’ve made yet. It’s definitely a must try!

Why This Recipe Works

Curry is an easy recipe to make and from start to finish takes less than an hour to prepare.

This recipe is incredibly flavorful due to the combination of curry powder, tomato paste, coconut milk, juicy chunks of beef, and bell peppers. Leftovers are even better!

The recipe can be prepared to be low carb and is naturally gluten free. Serve it over rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, konjac noodles, or enjoy it straight from the pan.

How to Make Coconut Curry Beef

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 sweet bell peppers (diced)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 1 1/2 pounds beef (cut into bite size pieces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (full fat)
• 1 tablespoon sugar: if you are low carb, keto tor just looking to reduce your sugar intake, you can use a sugar substitute like monk fruit.

Chef’s Tip: use a tender cut of beef for the best results. Some tender cuts include sirloin, ribeye, tenderloin, and flat iron.

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

Mince the garlic and cut the onion and peppers and beef into bite size pieces.

Create!

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet over medium-high. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.

Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, onions and peppers. Cook until the peppers are just starting to soften, about 3-4 minutes.

Season the beef with the salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Brown on all sides. It’s okay if the beef isn’t cooked through at this point. 

Pour in the coconut milk and add the sugar. Cover, leaving one end slightly open to vent, and cook for about 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chef’s Tip: leaving the lid cracked allows the liquid to reduce which will thicken the sauce and amplify the flavor.

Present!

Serve over rice, or as desired.

Tips and Techniques

• Use tender cuts of beef for the best results. Some tender cuts include sirloin, ribeye, tenderloin, and flat iron.
• Fresh or ground ginger is also a good addition to this recipe. Add ground ginger in with the curry powder, or fresh ginger in with the garlic, onions and pepper.
• Leave the lid slightly open to vent while cooking the curry to allow the sauce to reduce and to intensify the flavors.
• To make the recipe low carb, use a sugar substitute, like monk fruit, and serve over cauliflower rice, konjac noodles, or as is.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.

FAQ’s

How Do You Thicken Curry?

While you can add flour or cornstarch to quickly thicken curry, you can also raise the heat and allow the liquid to reduce. This will also amplify the flavor.

Is Curry Healthy?

Curry powder itself has a lot of healthy benefits like reducing inflammation, however not all curry recipes are healthy.

You will have to look at recipes individually to determine if they fit into your way of eating. Some curries are very high in fat.

This Coconut Beef Curry recipe has just over 500 calories per serving when made with top round steak and monk fruit in place of sugar. It’s also low in carbohydrates with just 7 grams of net carbs per generous serving and is naturally gluten free.

More Curry Recipes

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If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!

This recipe was originally posted on November 4, 2020. It was updated with an improved recipe with step-by-step instructions, tips and techniques on January 7, 2026.