In this easy Instant Pot recipe for Lamb Korma, lamb stew meat is cooked in a creamy coconut sauce, seasoned with toasted Indian spices and pressure cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth perfection. Pair this curry with homemade naan or saffron rice and enjoy a cozy Indian feast in the comfort of your home.
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Korma is known for its creamy and luxurious texture. Traditionally, the meat is simmered for hours to reach the perfect tenderness and rich flavor. In this much easier version, I cook lamb stew meat with aromatics in a creamy coconut sauce. I season it with toasted Indian spices, and pressure cook it in the electric pressure cooker, until it tenderizes and soaks up all the flavors.
My girls always ask for this curry for their birthday treat. I serve it alongside homemade garlic naan or cumin rice and cucumber raita to complete this Indian feast. Today I'm sharing this easy lamb korma recipe that's been made and loved by many readers!
What is Korma? What is Korma Sauce Made of?
Korma is a dish from Mughal cuisine that originated in the Indian subcontinent around the 16th century. The word ‘Korma’ comes from the Urdu word ‘Kormah’, which means ‘braising.’
What is Lamb Korma? Lamb Korma, also known as Mutton Korma, is very popular in most Indian and Pakistani restaurants. In this mild curry, meat or vegetables are braised in a yogurt, cream, or a nut-paste based sauce, and seasoned with mild aromatic Indian spices like cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander.
Building the Flavors in this Curry
The process of cooking Korma is all about building layers of flavor. A big part of that comes from using a high quality Garam Masala, an aromatic Indian Spice blend that includes cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and a few other spices. Here's an easy homemade recipe, but you can also use any high-quality store-ready brand.
The creamy component of the sauce comes from using either yogurt, heavy whipping cream, cashew paste or coconut cream. The spices and aromatics flavor the base curry and the meat is simmered in this sauce till it cooks through and gets infused with all the flavors.
Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
Here is a list of lamb korma ingredients I use to make this simple yet satisfying curry:
- Lamb: For best results, I prefer to use 'grass-fed' lamb stew meat, which I get from Whole foods or any quality halal shop. If that's not available, then I get lamb leg steak and cut it in 1½ -2-inch pieces. Goat meat is another alternative, just increase the pressure cooking time to 30 minutes.
- Aromatics: Freshly chopped onions, ginger and garlic form the foundation of this curry. I prefer to use red or white onion in this recipe. If you can't find fresh ginger and garlic, look for frozen cube trays available in most stores like Trader Joes, Safeway and Whole Foods. You can also use this make-ahead ginger garlic paste instead.
- Tomato paste: This adds a perfect blend of acidity and a subtle sweetness, which compliments the coconut milk. If using fresh tomatoes, substitute with 2 medium Roma tomatoes and remove the seeds for best results.
- Coconut Milk: Korma curry base can be made with either coconut milk, yogurt, heavy whipping cream or a cashew paste. My family loves the taste of a coconut milk based sauce, so that's what I end up making most of the time. Using coconut milk also makes this dish dairy-free.
- Alternatively, use ½ cup of heavy whipping cream with an additional ½ cup water to make a Lamb Shahi Korma.
- For a cashew cream sauce, refer to this recipe for Vegetable korma. See instructions for yogurt below.
- Spices: I season this curry with mild spices, including salt, turmeric and garam masala. Paprika adds a wonderful color and a touch of cayenne balances the sweetness from coconut milk. You can skip the cayenne to make it absolutely mild.
How to Make Korma with Yogurt Instead?
- Follow the recipe and skip the coconut milk. Add ½ cup water to cook the lamb. Pressure cook and wait 10 mins before releasing pressure.
- In a small mixing bowl, add ½ cup plain full-fat yogurt, and whisk until smooth.
- Now take a ladle (2-3 tablespoons) of the hot curry sauce and mix it in to temper the yogurt.
- Add that yogurt-curry mix in the curry while stirring. This prevents the yogurt from curdling and results in a smooth sauce.
- Turn on Saute and simmer for 2-3 minutes till the yogurt gets incorporated in the curry and it thickens.
How to Make Lamb Korma
In this simple lamb korma recipe, I am able to mimic the slow-cooked taste of an authentic lamb korma curry recipe by pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot. Pressure cooking not only tenderizes the meat, but it also infuses it with the spices and aromatics.
This recipe will also work with any comparable electric pressure cooker. Here's how I make this lamb curry:
- Turn on Instant Pot in SAUTE mode. Wait 30 seconds. Add oil, chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes, until the onions become tender. Add a pinch of salt at this stage to speed up the sweating of the onions. (Pic 1)
- Add tomato paste with ¼ cup of water. This deglazes the pot as well as helps blend the tomato paste. (Pic 2)
- Add all spices and stir well. (Pic 3)
- Add coconut milk, remaining water and lamb cubes. Stir. (Pic 4)
- Lock the lid in place and set Manual or Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on sealing mode.(Pic 5)
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then follow the quick release instructions. If not in a rush, let it release naturally. Add chopped cilantro and ground cardamom. (Pic 6) You can add a few drops of fresh lime juice before serving, but this is totally an optional step.
Stovetop Recipe
- Heat a heavy bottom sauce pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Follow the instructions above to prepare the sauce. Add lamb, coconut milk and water (with an additional 1 cup).
- Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 40-45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
- Note: Keep stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking at the bottom.
Serving Suggestions
Here's what to eat with lamb korma. Enjoy a comforting Indian meal by pairing this lamb korma with:
- Naan: Try my homemade garlic naan recipe or a no-yeast Butter Naan.
- Rice: It goes really well with Saffron rice, cumin rice, or plain basmati rice. Use brown rice for a healthier alternative.
- Popular Sides: Aloo Gobi, Bhindi masala or Cucumber Raita.
- Low Carb pairing: Pair it with Indian Cauliflower Rice.
Recipe Tips
- Lamb- For best results, use lamb leg meat, cut in 1½ -2-inch pieces. Fresh meat gives better results than frozen.
- Cook time Varies: Pressure cooking time varies depending on the size of the meat stew. For 2-inch pieces, set 20 minutes. For 1-inch pieces, reduce pressure cook time to 15 minutes.
- Add salt while sautéing aromatics: Adding a pinch of salt to chopped onions helps them caramelize faster, which enhances the end flavor.
- Coconut Milk substitute: You can add ½ cup heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk if you like. add an additional ½ cup water in that case. For using yogurt instead, follow the recipe above.
FAQs
No, lamb korma is a mild Indian curry using aromatic spices. You can skip the cayenne powder in this recipe to keep it very mild.
As per this recipe, each serving contains about 271 calories.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Lamb Korma
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lamb leg steak cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced or grated (1 inch ginger )
- 1½ tablespoon garlic minced (5-6 cloves garlic)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup coconut milk or plain yogurt
- ¾ cup water added in two steps
Spices
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala adjust to taste (add 2 teaspoon for mild taste)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (skip for mild)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
For Finishing
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder fresh is ideal (2-3 green pods)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped for garnish
- ½ teaspoon lime juice before serving (optional)
Instructions
- Turn on Instant Pot in SAUTE mode. Wait 30 seconds. Add oil, chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes, until the onions become tender. Add a pinch of salt at this stage to speed up the sweating of the onions.
- Add tomato paste with ¼ cup of water. This deglazes the pot as well as helps blend the tomato paste. Add all spices and stir well.
- Add coconut milk, remaining water and lamb cubes. Stir well.
- Lock the lid in place and set Manual or Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on sealing mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes at least, and then follow the quick release instructions. If not in a rush, let it release naturally.
- Add chopped cilantro and ground cardamom. You can add a few drops of fresh lime juice before serving, but this is totally an optional step.
Video
Notes
- Lamb– Use the best quality of stew meat you can find. I typically get mine from Whole Foods.
- Cook time Varies: Pressure cooking time varies depending on the size of the meat stew. For 1-inch pieces, set 15 minutes. If the lamb is cut in 2-inch pieces, increase pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
- Add salt while sautéing aromatics: Adding a pinch of salt to chopped onions helps them caramelize faster, which enhances the end flavor.
- Coconut Milk substitute: You can add ½ cup heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk if you like. add an additional ½ cup water in that case. For using yogurt instead, follow the recipe above.
Nutrition
This recipe was updated in 2020 with updated images, recipe tips and process shots.
Laurel says
Hi, your recipe calls for onion but in the pictures you’re using red onion. Which is correct?
Aneesha says
Hi Laurel, you can use any onion in this recipe- white, yellow or red. Enjoy!
Vanessa says
Very good, but I will brown the meat first. Even though it was very tender, it had that cooked meat taste.
Aneesha says
Hi Vanessa, thank you, I'm glad you liked the taste!
Rob says
Great recipe. Added crushed spinach, finely chopped bell pepper. Used tomato sauce instead of paste. Can pair with farro, kaput, wheat berries instead of rice.
Aneesha says
Hi Rob, thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your customizations sound delish!
andrea says
Thank you, your Lamb Korma was easy-peasy and absolutely delicious. I used a stove top pressure cooker.
Aneesha says
Hi Andrea, I'm so happy to hear that. Hope you try other recipes on the blog too! Thanks again for rating the recipe!
Anya says
Hi, I have the 3 qt Instant Pot. Do you know if this recipe would fit in there too?
Aneesha says
Yes, 3qt can handle 1 pound of meat. Enjoy!
Debra Meier says
I made this for the first time tonight, and will be serving it as part of our Christmas Day meal. It was almost the korma that wasn't, as halfway through the pressure cooking, the seal failed on my Instant Pot. I turned the unit off, waited until it stopped spitting steam, and opened up the unit. I always keep an extra gasket around, so I replaced the gasket, sealed it back up again, and then cooked it for the remaining time. In the process, i think my onions basically became part of the sauce, but it tastes incredible. I love that there is a lot of sauce with this recipe. Besides rice, I will be serving it with naan, and butternut squash noodle cakes (basically spiralized butternut squash with some panko bread crumbs and egg, pan fried into little pancakes.
Aneesha says
Hi Debra, I am so glad you enjoyed it. Your menu sounds exotic and delicious 🙂 Hope you had a great Christmas evening and thank you for taking the time to rate this recipe. I wish you Happy Holidays!
Andrea Grantham says
Hi Can you tel l me if I can make this earlier in the day and then re-heat before my dinner party?
Aneesha says
Hi Andrea, absolutely . The sauce gets thicker as it sits. After re-heating it if the sauce seems too thick, add a 'couple of tbsps' of hot water and stir.Enjoy!
Cath Courtney says
I made EVERYTHING EXACTLY as above and my color is no where near the photo or any regular korma color ???? It’s a deep red.
Aneesha says
Hi Courtney, the color could've been a result of two variables. Maybe the coconut milk you used had a lower cream/fat content as cream makes the curry lighter. The other possibility is that your paprika or red chili powder was more potent in color which made the curry darker. Either way, the flavor shouldn't have been affected. I hope you enjoyed it.
JENNIFER FRONZAGLIA says
hi this recipe looks amazing!! Can this be done in a crockpot? how would the prep stages differ?
Aneesha says
Hi Jennifer, thank you! I have never made this in a crockpot, but you can simply saute the aromatics in a fry-pan and follow the remaining recipe in your crockpot. I wouldn't happen to know the cook time for crockpot, but I'm pretty sure you can find that online. Hope you love it!
jmeador says
I can't wait to make this. We have a local Indian restaurant that I always get lamb Korma from but I have been wanting to make it at home. I am curious if you could share your lemon vinaigrette recipe? Or if you have a lime one? This sounded like the perfect thing to serve with it to me as well! 🙂
Aneesha | Spice Cravings says
Hi There! Thank you and I hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂 As for the lemon vinaigrette recipe, it is posted here: http://spicecravings.com/quinoa-tabbouleh-salad. Sorry it took sometime to reply to your post, I am traveling so internet is a bit choppy:) Happy Cooking!
Neelam Singh says
Thanks for the recipe. This was very authentic and my family loved it. The lamb was so tender my daughter could "cut" it with her spoon. I only added 1/2 cup water and cut the time to 12 mins on high pressure. I didn't add extra cardomom as I thought my garam masala had enough, but was wondering later if I missed out on some flavor that was supposed to be part of the tase of the dish.
looking forward to trying your other dishes
aneeshasg says
Hi Neelam, I am so glad your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for sharing that. I would highly recommend adding the freshly ground cardamom next time, it really enhances this dish. I would love to hear from you when you try other dishes! Thanks!
Kenady says
This recipe was so incredible! I doubled it and added red bell pepper along with the onions. So good! I am really glad I found your website!
aneeshasg says
Hi Kenady, That is awesome! I am super glad that you customized this recipe and enjoyed it, it's a favorite in my home 🙂 I really appreciate your sweet words! Thank you!
Natasha Soares says
Hi Aneeshasg,
I my daughter is a big fan of potatoes in curry, just wondering if I'd need to adjist anything ?
I'm thinking maybe if I use beef it'd be better as the beef takes a little longer to cook.
aneeshasg says
Hi Natasha, potatoes go really well in this curry. Just cube them and add them, no time adjustment needed. This cooking time is enough for potatoes to cook through and become creamy. If you wish to make this korma with beef, increase the pressure cooking time to 30 mins, NPR. Hope your daughter loves it!
Esther says
Can I make this with beef ? If yes, should the cooking time be adjusted ?
aneeshasg says
Hi Esther, Absolutely! If you're making this with beef chunks, increase the cook time to 30 minutes, with a 10-15 minute natural pressure release. Hope you love it!
Andrea says
I also like a thicker korma. How do I keep my coconut cream from curdling/seperating in the instapot? Is it the same as with tempering the yogurt?... Or could i use an immersion blender to re-emulsify?
I make Thai coconut milk soups often. Never in my instapot but, on the stove top so that i can control the heat to not let it boil. Texture is important to me.
aneeshasg says
Hi Andrea! For a thicker Korma, I would suggest simmering the curry on saute mode for a few minutes after pressure cooking. That's what I do too. Regarding coconut milk curdling, it happens to me too sometimes. Tempering will help, also make sure it comes to a simmer before you close the lid for pressure cooking. If it still curdles, turn on saute and whisk it a few times and it becomes creamy again. As for Thai coconut soup, try this Instant Pot recipe- it never fails me: http://spicecravings.com/thai-red-curry-soup
Michelle says
Thanks Aneesha, this is a fantastic recipe. This one will be on high rotation in our house from now on!
aneeshasg says
Yeah! It's on repeat in my home too. My kids LOVE lamb Korma. I'm so glad you liked this recipe. Have you tried the lamb chops recipe? It's not for pressure cooker, but a real quick stove-top or oven recipe: http://spicecravings.com/grilled-lamb-chops
M says
HI! If I choose to use the yogurt instead of coconut milk, do I still add it at the same point in the recipe? Often, yogurt seems to curdle if added during pressure cooking in instapot so I see many recipes suggest adding it after the pressure cooking is done. Please let me know what you suggest with this recipe.
I'm excited to try and make this. I make a lot of your yummy recipes. Thanks!!
aneeshasg says
Hi M! So glad to hear that you're enjoying my recipes, thanks for sharing that, it always makes my day! You can add yogurt instead of coconut milk, and add it at the same point. I beat/whisk yogurt to a smooth consistency and add it a tbsp at a time and stir. This tempers the yogurt and helps it blend with the onion and spices and prevents curdling. Check out the video in this recipe for clarity: http://spicecravings.com/no-cream-skinny-instant-pot-chicken-tikka-masala. Hope you love this Korma!
ben says
Thanks for this recipe- just made it and it tastes amazing. Super easy to follow. Definitely making this again. I might try to figure out how to make the sauce a touch thicker/creamier next time, but this is just a personal taste thing and definitely not a complaint. Nice one!
aneeshasg says
Yeah! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. You can skip the water next time. The lamb also releases some juices, so there should be enough liquid for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
Gery says
Hello, what is ginger-garlic?
Thanks. ..
aneeshasg says
Hi Gery, by that I meant ginger 'and' garlic. I have made some changes to the text, and hopefully it's clearer now. For this recipe, I use about 2 tablespoons of fine-chopped, grated or ground, ginger & garlic, which is about an inch of peeled ginger, and about 6 cloves of peeled garlic. Hope that helps.
Ben says
Does this mean 2 tbsp of ginger and 2 tbsp of garlic? Or 2 tbsp total?
Aneesha | Spice Cravings says
Hi Ben, it is 1 tbsp each. Roughly 1 inch ginger + 6 cloves of garlic should be good. Hope you enjoy it!
TimT says
Brown rice is not low carb. It has nearly the same carb content and glycemic index numbers as white rice.
aneeshasg says
Hi Tim, I buy both kinds, white Jasmine and Brown Jasmine from Trader Joe's. Here is what the label says: White Jasmine Rice: Total Carbs: 42g, Fiber: 0g; Net Carbs= 42g. Brown Jasmine Rice: Total Carbs: 37g, Fiber: 3g, Net Carbs=34g. So per every serving, there is a saving of 8g of carbs in Brown rice as compared to White Rice. I agree with you that every kind of rice has carbs, perhaps I should say "lower" carb instead of "low" carb. Thanks for pointing that out.
aneeshasg says
And I do suggest cauli-rice as a low-carb option in this post.
CLee says
Do I need to brown the lamb cubes first? Or is It better to just put lamb cubes as is when we add it in with the coconut milk?
Aneesha says
Hi there, Ive done both and the curry comes out the same. I would say, just add it as-is. Hope you enjoy it!