Easy Coconut Milk Lamb Curry Recipe (video)
Irresistibly delicious and aromatic coconut milk lamb curry recipe! You’ll love the slow-cooked, tender lamb meat coated in a hearty curry gravy, served with white rice. This lamb curry is made of leg of lamb cooked with onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, coconut milk, and tons of aromatic curry spices like cinnamon, coriander, and turmeric. Every bite is hearty, warming, and so delicious! This lamb recipe is a family favorite for a reason!
Watch My Lamb Curry Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube lamb curry video tutorial for step-by-step instructions and see just how easy this dish is to make at home! Want to stay up to date on my newest recipes? Make sure to subscribe to my website email list and my YouTube channel for notifications.
Ingredients for Lamb Curry Recipe
Here are my tips for the main ingredients you’ll need to prepare this delicious lamb curry. Find the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card below.
- Lamb – this recipe works well with boneless leg of lamb or with bone-in lamb loin chops. If using lamb shoulder, cube it into large chunks.
- Curry Spices – for the most aromatic curry, this recipe uses a combination of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, chili, cardamom, and pre-mixed curry powder. You’ll also need whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and a whole star anise.
- Diced Tomatoes – canned, diced tomatoes work best for this recipe.
- Coconut Milk – use whole fat, unsweetened coconut milk for an extra creamy and rich curry sauce.
- Beef Broth – if you don’t have broth, water will work in a pinch!
- Garlic & Onion – I love having lots of garlic in this curry recipe.
Preparing the Lamb for the Recipe
This lamb curry recipe works great with boneless leg of lamb or lamb loin chops. If using chops, leave them whole. If using lamb shoulder, cube the lamb into large, 1 to 1 ½-inch chunks.
- Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of avocado oil. Add a portion of the lamb meat to the pot, allowing ample room between the pieces. Season generously with salt and brown all over.
- To avoid overcrowding the pan, brown the lamb meat in batches. Since this recipe uses a large amount of meat, consider browning some of the meat in a separate frying pan on the side to speed up this process.
- Remove the browned lamb meat from the pot and set it aside.
Preparing the Lamb Curry Gravy
Once you have all the lamb meat browned, it’s time to prepare the curry gravy.
- Add a few tablespoons of butter into the same pot, along with the diced onion. Sauté the onion over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until it’s tender and translucent.
- Next, add in the sliced garlic, sea salt, and all the spices – curry powder, coriander, cumin, chili, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk next to the mixture. Stir until the coconut milk fats are melted.
How to Make Lamb Curry
- Return the browned lamb meat back into the pan. Pour beef broth over the lamb, just enough to cover the meat.
- Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat down to very low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
- Cook the lamb curry until the meat is very tender and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.
- At the very end of the cooking process, combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the curry, cooking for a few more minutes, until the gravy is thickened. Stir in a few tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro.
Serving Coconut Milk Lamb Curry
This lamb dish can be enjoyed right away once it’s done cooking. Make sure to remove the whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise before enjoying. Garnish the curry with fresh chopped cilantro and serve over a bed of steamed white rice.
Have some leftovers? Try freezing the leftovers in a freeze-friendly container. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.
More Recipes to Try!
Enjoyed this hearty and delicious lamb recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Mango Chicken Curry – a delicious combination of juicy chicken and sweet mango in a creamy curry sauce, served with rice.
- Roasted Leg of Lamb – an easy, classic recipe for the juiciest and most delicious roasted lamb!
- Garlic & Herb Rack of Lamb – my go-to recipe for juicy and delicious lamb chops!
- Pistachio-Stuffed Leg of Lamb – a unique and impressive dish that’s fit for any holiday or special occasion.
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Easy Coconut Milk Lamb Curry
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone-less leg of lamb, cubed into chunks
- OR
- 3 1/2 to 4 lbs bone-in lamb loin chops
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- sea salt, as needed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 12 medium garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp EACH: ground cumin; chili powder; turmeric; ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 3 large bay leaves
- 1 whole star anise
- 18 oz canned, diced tomatoes
- 13.5 oz coconut milk, whole fat; unsweetened
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- steamed white rice, for serving
Instructions
Browning the Lamb Meat:
- This lamb curry recipe works great with boneless leg of lamb or lamb loin chops. If using chops, leave them whole. If using lamb leg, cube the lamb into large, 1 to 1 ½-inch chunks.
- Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of avocado oil. Add a portion of the lamb meat to the pot, allowing ample room between the pieces. Season generously with salt and brown all over.
- To avoid overcrowding the pan, brown the lamb meat in batches. Since this recipe uses a large amount of meat, consider browning some of the meat in a separate frying pan on the side to speed up this process.
- Remove the browned lamb meat from the pot and set it aside.
Preparing the Curry Sauce:
- Add a few tablespoons of butter into the same pot, along with the diced onion. Sauté the onion over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until it’s tender and translucent.
- Next, add in the sliced garlic, sea salt, and all the spices – curry powder, coriander, cumin, chili, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk next to the mixture. Stir until the coconut milk fats are melted.
- Return the browned lamb meat back into the pan. Pour beef broth over the lamb, just enough to cover the meat.
Cooking the Curry:
- Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat down to very low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
- Cook the lamb curry until the meat is very tender and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.
- At the very end of the cooking process, combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the curry, cooking for a few more minutes, until the gravy is thickened. Stir in a few tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro.
Serving the Lamb Curry:
- This lamb dish can be enjoyed right away once it’s done cooking. Make sure to remove the whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise before enjoying. Garnish the curry with fresh chopped cilantro and serve over a bed of steamed white rice.
