Beef Vindaloo
Posted: 09/09/21
Updated: 12/11/24
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Restaurant-quality beef vindaloo made right in the comfort of your kitchen delivers all the depth, flavor, and kick you expect from your favorite Indian take-out dish. Tender beef is cooked low and slow with a rich blend of spices for a juicy, high-protein, one-skillet curry that pairs beautifully with basmati rice and warm naan.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Inspired by the classic dish you’d find at your local Indian restaurant in the West, this spicy beef vindaloo is easy enough to make at home, even if you’re new to cooking Indian cuisine.
- Beef vindaloo is traditionally packed full of delicious flavors, spices, and a hearty helping of heat, and this recipe is no different. With rich, warm spices like garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, ground mustard, ground ginger, cayenne, and cinnamon, it’s hard to resist going back for another serving.
- I won’t lie, this is a pretty hot dish. You can control that a little, though! If you’re sensitive to heat, use caution when adding the cayenne (or omit it altogether if you know it’s not your thing). If you’re not one to shy away from spice, feel free to double the cayenne or even add some red chili peppers for another layer of flavor.
About Beef Vindaloo
Traditionally a Goan recipe, beef vindaloo can be traced back to Portuguese explorers of the early 1400s. The Portuguese would preserve meats in a marinade of vinegar, wine, garlic, and salt, to ensure the meats would keep for their travels.
Fast forward 400 or so years, and you have Goan cooks preparing vindaloo for the British imperialists colonizing India. Beef, pork, and duck vindaloo (or “vindalho”) can even be found in a British-Indian cookbook dating back to 1888.
The colonizers took the recipe with them through other parts of the world, though it didn’t really surge in popularity across Britain until the late 1900s. Of course, the recipe’s been adapted and transformed so much over time and across regions that what we typically think of as vindaloo today differs quite a bit from the original Goan/Portuguese dish. Our recipe below is more in line with the British take on beef vindaloo than the authentic Goan rendition.
Chef’s Tips
- Vindaloo can be made with a variety of proteins. You’ll commonly find it with beef, pork, lamb, or chicken. This beef version is my personal favorite, but feel free to swap in a different type of meat if you’d rather. Keep in mind that a protein like chicken won’t need to cook as long as the beef chuck we used here.
- To save yourself a little prep time, you can purchase pre-chopped beef chuck. You might find it at your grocery store as “stew meat”. Whether you buy it already chopped or you chop the beef chuck yourself, make sure the pieces are fairly even in size so they cook at the same speed.
- When you’re cooking the diced onion, don’t rush things. Cooking them until they’ve caramelized brings out SO much flavor and really makes a difference in the sauce. If you notice the onions start to burn, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to slow the process.
- I mentioned before you can skip the cayenne entirely if you’re cooking for someone with a low spice tolerance. You can also serve your beef vindaloo with a dollop or two of plain Greek yogurt. It’ll help cut through the heat, and it adds a really nice creaminess to the dish. I also recommend serving it with a side of basmati rice and some warm naan, too.
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Beef Vindaloo
This delicious one-skillet curry delivers all the rich depth, flavor, and spice you expect from restaurant beef vindaloo. It's almost hard to believe it's homemade!
servings
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 2 pounds beef chuck see Notes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
For the Sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper omit for more mild flavor
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup low-sodium beef stock plus more as needed
To Serve (All Optional)
- cooked basmati rice
- warmed naan
- plain Greek yogurt
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Large bowl
- Large skillet with lid or heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- large wooden spoon or spatula
- large plate or bowl
Instructions
- Use sharp kitchen knife to cut beef chuck into 2-inch thick cubes, then transfer cubed beef chuck to large mixing bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to mixing bowl. Toss or gently stir beef to coat thoroughly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add neutral oil and swirl pan to coat bottom with oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat until oil is hot and shimmery.
- Once oil is hot and shimmery, add seasoned beef chuck to skillet. Sauté beef chuck until browned on all sides, approximately 6 minutes. Transfer browned beef to plate or bowl and set aside.
- Reduce heat under skillet to medium. Do not drain skillet.
- Add chopped onion to skillet. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion has browned and caramelized. Be careful not to burn onions.
- Once onion has caramelized, add minced garlic to skillet. Stir to incorporate, then let onions and garlic cook together 2 minutes or until garlic has softened.
- After 2 minutes, add garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, ground mustard, cayenne, ground ginger, and cinnamon to skillet. Stir to fully incorporate all spices. Continue stirring, cooking 1 minute or until spices are fragrant.
- Add tomato paste to skillet. Stir just until paste and spices are fully incorporated.
- Pour in apple cider vinegar to deglaze skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits that might be stuck to bottom of skillet.
- Pour in beef stock and gently stir to incorporate. Return browned beef to skillet and let mixture cook over medium heat until liquid begins to boil.
- When liquid just begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet with lid and let beef and sauce simmer 60 minutes. While simmering, stir mixture occasionally and flip beef as needed to ensure even cooking. Note: if sauce becomes too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons beef stock as needed to thin sauce back out. Stir to fully incorporate stock before adding more.
- When beef is fully cooked and tender, and sauce has thickened to desired consistency, taste sauce and adjust salt as needed. Note: if vinegar flavor is too strong, stir in ½ to 1 packed teaspoon brown sugar and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes.
- When satisfied with flavor of sauce, remove skillet from heat. Divide beef vindaloo into equal portions and serve immediately over basmati rice with warmed naan and 1 to 2 dollops plain Greek yogurt if desired.
Notes
- Beef Chuck: Lamb, pork, and chicken will all work in this dish. Chicken will need a shorter cook time.
- Cayenne: For a more mild vindaloo, omit the cayenne entirely.
- Vinegar: White vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar. If the vinegar flavor is too strong after simmering the sauce for 60 minutes, stir in ½-1 packed teaspoon brown sugar and let mixture simmer another 2-3 minutes.
- Greek Yogurt: If you’re sensitive to heat, definitely serve your vindaloo with 1-2 dollops of Greek yogurt. It’ll help offset some of the spiciness of the dish.
- Basmati Rice: Check out our recipe for Instant Pot Basmati Rice! It works perfectly for this vindaloo recipe.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 550kcal | Protein: 46g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Total Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 6g | Vitamin C: 3mg | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 894mg | Potassium: 981mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 6mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Loved it! Made it twice already, making it again tonight. Easy and delicious.
We’re so happy it’s a favorite! Thanks for sharing, Patty!
First time making this. It was excellent. Made it in our Instant Pot. Used radishes instead of onion and added one large carrot. Chopped and diced small and used 5 garlic cloves and 4 red hot chilli peppers for additional heat with seeds. Served over basmati rice with Naan and topped with fresh cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Everyone loved it. Will definitely make again. Seared beef in Instant Pot, removed and added radishes, carrot and followed by remaining ingredients. Added another cup of beef broth. Sealed it and cooked on high for 30 minutes followed by a slow release. Meat was perfectly tender and sauce was a little thin but really flavourable.
Yumm- your additions sound delicious! Thanks so much for sharing, Laura!
Easy and delicious.. family thought is was from an Indian restaurant!!
We’re so glad the family loved it! Thanks for sharing, Dennis!
This was very good. My son thought the spice level was perfect, but I thought it was a little too hot, so used yogurt to tame it down a bit. Easy to make and smells great cooking.
Yumm! Thanks for sharing!
This was amazing! Super flavorful and just the right amount of spice! I did it in the instant pot so the meat was so tender! I followed the recipe exactly- just pressure cooked it on high for 35 mins. Super easy meal!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Hannah!
Wonderful recipe for Vindaloo! I had a monstrous 4+ lb chuck roast, and I doubled everything in the recipe except the vinegar. This turned out so flavorful and delicious! I served it with rice and naan. I will be freezing the rest for 2 more meals later, and I have no doubt that it will freeze well. Thank you for sharing this keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it! Rice and naan sound like delicious sides as well! Thanks for sharing, Laurel.
Absolutely delicious
So glad you like it, Irene!
I love Indian food, my son secretly does but won’t admit it. I had some beef stew cubes ready to use and wanting something different I found this recipe. I was excited but I know my 11 year old. The minute I say Indian, he’s out. So I took the picture from the recipe and collaged it with a picture of beef stew and asked him what he wanted… He of course picked this picture of Vindaloo.I was very excited, he said what is it. I said not going to tell you because I know you and the minute I tell you, you won’t want it. Well that turned I to him picking the beef stew but vindaloo was going to be made. I made it this morning and had him smell it while it was simmering away. He likes the way it smelled so I finally told him it is an Indian dish called Vindaloo, he tried a bite and said it was really good.
I let it cook longer added at least another 3/4 cup liquid, extra garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper. He ate basmati rice and garlic naan with it. I just added peas (and a spoon of cottage cheese- strict high protein diet,RYGB) to mine and skipped the rice and bread.
Will definitely be making this again
* I made the 2 serving size portion.
We’re so glad your son enjoyed it! Your changes and sides sound delicious as well. Thank you for sharing, Tigra!
When it says ground ginger, is that fresh grated or the powdered version?
It’s the powdered version!
Looks delish, and going to make it this week. If I use chicken would I swap the beef broth for chicken broth? Thank you!
Yes, you definitely can!