Instant Pot Lamb Curry With Potatoes

If you are in the mood for a quick and easy mouth-watering curry this Instant Pot Lamb Curry is for you!

Knowing how to make a good curry, will get you through the blues😀

The lamb is cooked in a blend of warm Indian spices and a rich curry sauce.

The sauce, is quite frankly a meal on it's own, it's that good! Dunk a piece of soft & fluffy naan with a dollop of yogurt, and that my friends, is the real BLISS of good food!

Add extra time for the Instant Pot to do a natural natural pressure release, and it rewards you with the most tender lamb pieces and fork tender potatoes.

The wait for the onions to go brown is the beginning of a great curry, so don't rush it. Besides, once you seal the lid the Instant Pot does the rest!

I'm all about cooking in layers and that's what this whole blog is about and the reason why I love making curry. The flavored layers truly build up.

So how long exactly does this curry take? 25 minutes and remember that the Instant Pot has to build up pressure before it actually starts. Plus add the time for the natural release after its cooked.

Roughly 10-15 minutes before and after should be added to the actual cooking time. BUT it's worth every bite!

• The benefit of using the Instant Pot is not only how it cooks the food, it's also that you are not having to check on it for the full allocated time.

This lamb curry recipe cooks for roughly 2 hours on the stove-top and 6-8 hours for slow cooker lamb curry.

Our main meals are based around pasta dinners, air fryer meat dishes, fish, salmon, chicken, beef and lamb.

When we do make Indian curries, we always get rather excited about it, maybe that's just me😃 Point is, we love curry and often serve it with naan bread, rice, roti.

Adding Vegetables to Curry? This a very popular way of cooking curry. You can add vegetables, its just a matter of adding the harder veggies first and the quicker cook time veggies last.

• Onions and garlic first followed by veg like carrots and parsnips. Parsnips are sweet so closer to carrots than say turnips.

• Turnips are more like radish. So, can be eaten raw and are not as sweet.

• Spinach last because it literally wilts in the pot (baby spinach). Remember that food always continues cooking after you turn the heat off. I often said to my daughter, even with the oven baking scones. Remove them from the oven tray once baked, transfer to a rack to cool or they will over-bake.

• Potatoes generally go in later on the stove-top but they cooked perfectly in this Instant Pot lamb recipe and at the same time as the meat.

Serve this lamb curry with soft and fluffy naan bread, rice or crunchy bread to scoop it all up!

Best Lamb Curry in the Instant Pot

With this recipe, I went with lamb because there is no meat tastier than lamb when cooked till tender.

• If you do add potatoes, remember that baby potatoes (new potatoes) are also great with lamb curry.
  • Peel and slice in half just to make sure that everything cooks at the same time.

In terms of spices, I use both whole and ground. One thing I do want to say is to not complicate it.

• If you don't have whole coriander for example, use ground coriander.

Work with the spices that you have because this curry is so good you're going to want to make it again anyway!

Need a slow cooker lamb recipe? Click on the link for the easiest overnight lamb. Overnight Slow Cooker Lamb Leg Roast

Lamb Curry with Potatoes (Instant Pot)

• Plan Ahead: My suggestion with this recipe is to plan ahead so that you can make the time to leave it overnight in the fridge.

• Overnight Marinade: I know most people say you don't have to do an overnight marinade and they are right, BUT the magic really does happen in the overnight marinade!

• Meat Quantity: You can certainly double the amount of lamb for a larger crowd. I am using 500g which is roughly 1lb serves 4 people who want seconds. Serves 6 people who don't eat a lot😃

• Mutton Curry: If you wondering whether you can use mutton meat, then yes you can!
  • You will need to increase the time by roughly 10 to 15 minutes for mutton depending on which part of the meat you're using.

• Mutton vs Lamb: Lamb sometimes can become so soft that it's more like a stew instead of a curry so stick to the recipe time.

• Mutton taste is stronger and gamier than lamb, because mutton comes from an older fully grown animal (sheep) with more deveopled muscle fibres.

• Lamb on the other hand, has tender meat because the sheep is younger. You will also find that the curry taste is more evident in lamb because it's so tender.

Growing up, we never really ate lamb curry as often as we ate mutton curry, but there was always a curry or stew that was extra delicious!

Tip: A good tasting curry is more than just the spices. Other elements to consider are: meat type, meat quality and how you handle the layers while cooking. Together all these will contribute to the flavor and texture in your mouth.

Which Lamb Meat Cut to Buy?

Lamb shoulder (including the neck) lamb leg bone-in and boneless leg are the cuts most used. Although there is also the breast and rack. Personally, I find lamb neck fillets can be really tender on low and slow cooking style because of the connective tissue.

Slow Cooking Lamb Cuts

If you are new to meat cuts, or don't cook meat often, there is one tip I can give you.

I am not actually a meat person myself (although I cook a lot of meat) I do come from and have a full on carnivore family!

Tip: Consider if the meat cut you are buying is a highly used part of the animal. Like the leg. Lamb leg and lamb shoulder have a lot of connecive tissue (due to being used the most) so those cuts are best suited to low and slow methods.

• This is what I want to say about buying meat. Just because it says lamb or mutton doesnt mean it's the best that you deserve.

• Choose clean, fresh, organic or grass fed that's up to you, but make sure that you are looking at meat that's good enough for you and your family.

• Using high-quality meat will significantly impact the final flavor of your curry (and overall health).

Quality over quantity because you will taste the difference. Just as I said in this Easy Air Fryer Pork Belly happy pig = tasty meat.

Ingredients

Lamb Curry Ingredients

This recipe was made using all of the above simple ingredients and a garlic ginger paste which is in the curry but not the picture.

Lamb Meat: Cubed, boneless leg of lamb, however you can use bone-in lamb or even lamb stew meat.

• If you are cutting the lamb into cubes, make them into approxiamately 2-inch cubes for even cooking.

Curry Powder - Use any curry powder that you like or make a blend of Indian spices to create your own specific curry.

Whole Spices - Bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardomom and cloves (opional). I do add about 6 green cardamom pods but even 4 is good.

Ground Spices - Coriander, turmeric and cumin.

Yogurt - Any plain yogurt.

Salt - To taste.

Onions - 1 large or 2 small to medium onions. You can dice or slice it as long as you cook the onion until golden brown.

Garlic Ginger Paste - Making your own garlic ginger paste as opposed to a store-bought version is not a question when it comes to curry. It only takes a few minutes to mix together and stores very well in an airtight container for a few weeks.

• Freezing garlic ginger paste - It also freezes well and you can use from frozen for your next curry. Freeze for 3-4 months in either ice trays or I also use a silicone cube set if you're making a big bunch.

Tomato Sauce - My preference is tomato passata but fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes or just tomato paste can also be used.

Water - Roughly a ½ cup water. If the passata bottle is empty, pour the water in, shake and use it from there.

• I like to pour the water into the container that held the meat overnight, shake and add it in.

Oil - Sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil and olive oil. Other fats traditionally used in curry are mustard oil and ghee.

Coriander - Fresh chopped coriander to garnish.

Garam Masala: Is not in this recipe, however you can add garam masala to your curry at the end of cooking. If you're make your own curry powder and use most of the warm spices that usually go into garam masala, then it's not necessary to add.

How to Make Lamb Curry in Instant Pot

Let's make this absolutely phenominal Indian Lamb Curry! This is a step-by-step method with tips and suggestions in-between. You can find the full recipe in the recipe card below.

STEP 1 - Marinade the Lamb

Dry the meat: Use kitchen paper to pat the meat dry and add it into a large bowl.

Add the spices: To the meat, add the ground spices, yougurt and salt.

• Combine until all the meat is well coated. It will look a little dry, there's no need to add more yogurt, keep mixing, it will come together. Seal and refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes.

The magic is in the overnight marinade, so if you can, it's worth it!

STEP 2 - Make the Garlic Paste

Make the garlic paste. What you don't use can be stored in a sealed jar/container in the fridge for another recipe. It will last up to a week, if not yet used, then consider freezing it (see notes under ingredients above).

How to Make Garlic Paste? Use equal parts garlic and ginger, both peeled and sliced. Add a little salt in with the garlic and ginger, oil and a little water to get things moving.

• Be mindful when adding water, going with a little at a time, you want a paste not a liquid. The mixing can happen in a mortar pestle or in a blender.

• I've tried the food processor and it's just not a thing, it doesnt work so great. As a matter of fact my small little food processor also does a good job (for a smaller quantity) but the blender and mortar and pestle are great!

Stick to the above and you have an easy garlic and ginger paste!

Garlic & Ginger Paste Tips

There are my own tips based on personal experience, each cook has their own ideal way of making this recipe.

How to peel the ginger: Use a spoon to peel the ginger, it's the best ginger peeling tool in the kitchen.

How to peel garlic: You probably see most cooks on Youtube and Instagram shake a bunch of garlic cloves in a plastic container to loosen the leaves?

That doesnt work for me and I can't be bothered (maybe my arms are weak).

I find it easier to either press the garlic cloves with a flat knife side or remove the hard root bit at the end. Both these methods loosen the leaves making it easier to peel the garlic.

Garlic Ginger Ratio: You can add more ginger than you do garlic, it depends on your taste preferences. Equal parts or I sometimes use 2 parts ginger and 1 part garlic.

Adding water: My suggestion is go with a tablespoon as needed because, too much liquid and you have to end up peeling more garlic and ginger to get the correct paste consistency.

Spices: I'm always going to go there 🙂 I love spices so this is natural for me but it's only a suggestion.

• Add a touch of turmeric and touch of cumin. If your curry powder is mild, you can add chilies into the garlic ginger paste or any hot chili type paste too.

How Much Garlic Paste to Add to the Curry? That will depend on your taste. For this recipe I use 1-2 tablespoons for 500g (1lb) lamb.

My favorite way to mix garlic and ginger is in a mortar and pestle. It gives you lots of control in terms of consistency. For a smooth blend, use a blender.

STEP 3 - Potatoes

Peel the potatoes and half them and then leave them in a bowl of cold water for later.

STEP 4 - Start Cooking the Aromatics

Saute: Set the instant pot to sauté mode and add the cooking oil to heat. The instant pot may make a loud crackling sound, don't be alarmed, it's warming up.

Whole Spices: Add the cloves (if using), bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Use a wooden spoon to move the spices around from time to time to avoid them burning.

• The whole spices only need a few seconds to a couple of minutes to cook or until fragrant. I watch them for a slight change in color and texture since I cannot smell them.

Add the Onions: Add the onions and a pinch of salt and let this cook on sauté normal mode for about 7-8 minutes or until a light golden brown.

• Now set the saute mode to "less" and add the garlic paste. Setting it to "less" instead of "more"lowers the IP heat allowing more time to cook without burning.
• Remember that the Instant Pot is not like the stove, you can't just lower the heat. You must first press "cancel" to cancel out the current setting and then set it to your preferred setting.

Ginger Garlic Paste: Add the 2 tablespoons of the paste and saute for 2-3 minutes.

• Set the saute mode to "normal" while cooking the aromatics.

Tip: Add a dash of the tomato passata (2-3 tablespoons) and mix it into the onions to prevent them from burning.

• The above steps also gives the aromatics time to properly marry each other.

Look at this mouthwatering lamb curry in the making, talk to me please!

STEP 5 - Sauce

Lamb Meat: Add the marinated lamb, scraping any leftover marinade in the container and then mix it in. Don't wash the container yet!

Salt: Add salt to taste and keep mixing. You will see the flavors really coming together now.

With the Instant Pot on "Saute" - Normal mode - add the passata.

Tomato Puree: Pour in the remaining tomato passata and mix.

Potatoes: Add the potatoes with about ½ cup of water.

• Pour the water into the container that held the marinade and scrape any leftover marinade into the curry. You need roughly ½-1/3 cup of water. If you add too much water then you have to simmer the sauce afterwards with the IP on saute, uncovered to reduce the liquid.

Taste: Mix the curry and let it saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Taste for salt before sealing the Instant Pot.

Seal the Instant-Pot and Cook the Lamb Curry!

• Cancel the saute function.

Cook the Lamb Curry: Place the lid on the instant pot, turn the valve to SEAL. Set on HIGH PRESSURE for 25 minutes.

The instant pot will take about 10 minutes or so in this recipe to build up steam while displaying the ON sign.

Once it has built up steam, it will start the cooking process and the 25 minute time will start.

Instant Pot Natural Release: When the instant pot is done, it will beep, leave it to do a natural release.

When the natural release is finished, the pin will drop and you can safely take the lid off.

Once the lid is off, press the CANCEL button and then press saute mode. Let the lamb curry simmer uncovered (stir in between so it doesn't burn). This will allow the excess liquid to evaporate and the sauce to thicken further. (I do this regardless, to thicken the sauce).

Instant Pot Lamb Curry Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add coconut milk?

Yes, for a richer flavor, use full-fat coconut milk and add it with the tomatoes.

How do I know when my curry is ready?

When the oil and all the lamb fat rise to the surface, then your curry is ready.

My curry has too much sauce/liquid?

Simply remove the lamb pieces from the instant pot (or stovetop-pot) (to prevent overcooking) and set it aside on a plate.

Set the instant pot to saute mode and leave the sauce to simmer without the lid until the sauce has reduced.

Same method with the stovetop version. Return the meat when you are happy with the thickness of the sauce.

Can I make lamb curry ahead?

Yes. To make this curry ahead of time, simply cook the curry as per recipe, let it cool completely and then store it in airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days before serving. Reheat the curry over medium heat until warmed through.

Can I use sliced garlic and fresh ginger instead of the paste?

Yes. You can add about 3 chopped garlic gloves and a tablespoon of grated ginger with the onions and cook until softened then continue with the rest of the recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Basmati Rice: Curry and rice go together like fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in an Italian Caprese Salad (Insalata Caprese). Which by the way, could be a refreshing cold side dish! Must remember that for next time.

A good tip that I have for you if you do decide to go with rice, is to add whole spices to your rice when cooking it. Spices like star anise, cloves and cardomom are great with rice. The types of spices you add to rice will depend on the recipe, but be creative with the spices.

We cannot talk about curry and not mention roti and naan! If ever there was the perfect pairing of food, curry and side of naan bread are perfect together.

Naan Bread: You can buy so many types of naan but there will never be any naan as good as your own homemade naan - Soft and Fluffy Naan Bread

Potatoes: If you are not adding potatoes to your curry, you can serve them as a side dish. A good start would definitely be this Buttery Mashed Potatoes, and these Hasselback Potatoes.

Vegetables: Roasted mixed vegetables serve well with curry if you didn't add any. Personally, I love roasted butternut squash with curry!

Salad: Similar to an Indian Kachumber salad is my easy Tomato Cumber Salad. It's fresh and light which is the perfect side for spicy Indian flavors.

How to Store Left Over Lamb Curry

Store any leftover lamb curry in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days. Needless to say, it always tastes better the next day! This is the reason why I prefer to marinade overnight, the magic really does happen as it sits.

Reheating Lamb Curry

Reheat on a low to medium stovetop setting with a splash of water till heated through.

More Lamb Recipes

⭐Rate & Review

I would love for you to please rate this recipe and leave a comment! It's a huge help and can be done in the recipe card below. THANK YOU!