Slow Cooker Beef Madras

  • 15MINS
  • 4HR 30MINS
  • Serves 4
  • 288KCAL

Come home to the delicious smells of this Slow Cooker Beef Madras. We’ve made it medium hot and far more slimming friendly than a takeaway!

  • Batch Cook pinchofnom.com
  • Dairy Free pinchofnom.com
  • Fakeaways pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Beef Madras pinchofnom.com
5

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories288
  • Carbs15g
  • Protein38g
  • Fat6.4g
  • Saturates2.2g
  • Sugars12g

Beef Madras - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

If you love your slow cooker as much as we love ours, we’re sure you’ll be giving this Slow Cooker Beef Madras a go very soon! Proving that a slow cooker is for more than just soups and stews, this recipe gives your local takeaway a run for its money. 

We’ve made ours medium hot, but you can add as much spice as you like – so if you can handle the heat, feel free to sprinkle in some more chilli powder. 

The beauty of slow cooking is that all the flavours have the chance to develop and become more intense as the ingredients slowly bubble away. It’s important to cook this recipe low and slow, so the beef can get really tender. It should melt in your mouth by the time it’s done cooking!

Chuck all the ingredients in the slow cooker before you head out for the day and come home to a perfectly cooked curry – it doesn’t get any easier or more convenient than that!

Why not try this recipe for your next Fakeaway night and create an Indian themed feast including starters such as Onion Bhajis and Samosas?

If you don’t have a slow cooker you can also cook this recipe in the oven or in an instant pot.

What diets is this Slow Cooker Beef Madras suitable for?

This Slow Cooker Beef Madras recipe is suitable for anyone on a dairy free diet. 

It can be made gluten free as long as you use a gluten free stock cube.

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Slow Cooker Beef Madras?

Nope! Everything you need for this recipe should be easy to find in your local supermarket. 

There are a couple of bits of equipment that will make cooking this dish easier:

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

Reduce after slow cooking
I took the lid off the slow cooker and put it on high for the last hour to reduce the curry and make a nice, rich, thick sauce.
1
Beef Madras
I did this on low in the slow cooker all day and it was lovely . It is not very hot so you can add more spice if required

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‘A super easy curry to make, especially in the slow cooker. Tasty and comforting and satisfying, I don’t know when I last bought a take away curry. PON recipes are so healthy, easy to make and my husband loves them all. Looking forward to the new book’

Lynne Armstrong

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You’ll need a slow cooker. We used a Morphy Richards 460017 3.5 Litre Ceramic Slow Cooker, One-Pot Solution like this one to make ours. 

A good quality large frying pan like this one from Amazon will always be handy. 

How many calories are in this Slow Cooker Beef Madras?

There are 288 calories per portion in this Slow Cooker Beef Madras recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category. If you’re counting calories or following one of the popular diet plans like Weight Watchers, this recipe fits in perfectly!

NHS guidelines suggest men should aim for 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and women require around 2000 calories. Each person has different calorie requirements depending on their goal, so you may want to adjust your daily calorie intake according to your own personal goal.

Step 1

Spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.

Step 2

Add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli and fry gently for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring, until softened and golden.

Step 2 pinchofnom.com

Step 3

Add the beef, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and cinnamon to the frying pan. Stir together and fry gently for 2 – 3 minutes to seal the beef on all sides.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

Transfer to the slow cooker. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, vinegar, salt and sweetener to the slow cooker and stir until well mixed. Cover with the lid and turn on to the high setting and cook for 4 – 5 hours. The curry will be ready when the beef is tender, and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

 

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander leaves if wished and serve with some basmati rice or other accompaniments of your choice.

Beef Madras - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Slow Cooker Beef Madras?

You can serve this Slow Cooker Beef Madras with a 125g portion of cooked basmati rice for a total of 461 calories. 

If you fancy, you could also serve with a variety of Indian inspired snacks and side dishes for a Fakeaway feast! Just remember to work out the calories accordingly.

Any of the following would go perfectly with this dish:

Onion Bhajis pinchofnom.com
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Indian-Style Fried Rice pinchofnom.com
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Spinach and Ricotta Samosas pinchofnom.com
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How do you know when Slow Cooker Beef Madras is cooked?

You’ll need to cook this Slow Cooker Beef Madras until the sauce has thickened and the beef is soft and tender. This should take 4 – 5 hours in the slow cooker. 

Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe! 

How long can you keep Slow Cooker Beef Madras in the fridge?

We recommend that you eat this dish within 4 hours of serving it.

If you have any leftovers, then make sure that you allow them to cool before popping them in a container with a lid and refrigerating. Leftovers of this Slow Cooker Beef Madras can be kept in the fridge for 1 – 2 days.

Can I freeze Slow Cooker Beef Madras?

Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

  • Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer! 

How do I reheat Slow Cooker Beef Madras?

From chilled: Place in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes. You could also reheat this Slow Cooker Beef Madras in a saucepan on the hob. Just make sure it is piping hot throughout before serving. 

From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat following the instructions above. 

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Slow Cooker Beef Madras

Come home to the delicious smells of this Slow Cooker Beef Madras. We’ve made it medium hot and far more slimming friendly than a takeaway!
  • Prep Time
    15 MINS
  • Cook Time
    4 HR 30
  • KCals 288
  • Carbs 15G

Ingredients

  • 600 g lean diced stewing steak or braising steak all visible fat removed
  • 2 medium onions peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
  • 3 cm piece of root ginger (1 inch) peeled and finely grated
  • 1 medium green chilli seeds left in and finely chopped (approx 8g)
  • 1 tsp mild chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 300 ml boiling water
  • 3 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp white granulated sweetener
  • low-calorie cooking spray
  • a few fresh coriander leaves stalks removed and roughly chopped, to garnish (optional)

large frying pan

3.5 litre slow cooker

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli and fry gently for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring, until softened and golden.
  3. Add the beef, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and cinnamon to the frying pan. Stir together and fry gently for 2 - 3 minutes to seal the beef on all sides.
  4. Transfer to the slow cooker. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, vinegar, salt and sweetener to the slow cooker and stir until well mixed. Cover with the lid and turn on to the high setting and cook for 4 - 5 hours. The curry will be ready when the beef is tender, and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
  5. Serve sprinkled with chopped coriander leaves if wished and serve with some basmati rice or other accompaniments of your choice.

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Recipe notes

Tip: This curry is medium hot in our opinion, but if you'd like it hotter, try adding another 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder to suit your taste.
Tip: You can use 1 tsp caster sugar instead of sweetener if preferred.

If you’ve made Slow Cooker Beef Madras and love it, let us know by tagging us in your photos!

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30 comments

See what others have to say

SharonMonday 29th January 2024

I made this yesterday, I put it on low for 5 hours and for 1 hour put on high and took the lid off to thicken up the sauce. Very tasty and will be making this again. Next time I will add a little more chilli 😁

Reply

Shirley Hughes.Sunday 7th May 2023

Hello I love your recipes got all your books last one is on pre order, I was wondering which book is this beef madras in please .
Kind Regards
Shirley Hughes.

Reply

    SharonTuesday 9th May 2023

    Hi Shirley, Beef Madras doesn’t feature in any of our books currently and is exclusive to our website. We’re so pleased to hear you love our recipes and have got all our books; thanks so much for letting us know!

    Reply

ChristineThursday 16th March 2023

I cooked this for 2 people but the amount of water (500ml) was the same as it was for cooking for 10 people. It was just the amount of stock cube that changed. After 4 hours on high, including 1 hour with the lid off, it still had the consistency of soup.

Reply

    SharonWednesday 12th July 2023

    Hi Christine, we’re sorry you had a problem with our Slow Cooker Beef Madras recipe. The slow cooker recipe uses 300ml of water to serve 4 not 500ml. Our oven method uses 500ml. This will help to explain why your Slow Cooker Beef Madras was too watery. If you were making the recipe to serve two, the amount of water used should be then be halved from 300ml to 150ml. We have updated the recipe on the website so that the stock cube and water are listed separately and the quantity will adjust if you alter the number of servings. Hope this helps.

    Reply

Carol BurtonSunday 5th February 2023

Which book is this from please?
It’s sounds delicious 😋

Reply

    SharonTuesday 7th February 2023

    Hi Carol, our Slow Cooker Beef Madras recipe doesn’t appear in any of our books; it’s exclusive to our website. We hope you give the recipe a try!

    Reply

TanyaFriday 11th November 2022

Hi,
I’ve had this on for 3 hours and it’s very very watery, what can I do to thicken it up please? I can’t use cornflour as daughter is intolerant. Smells amazeballs though!

Reply

    SharonMonday 14th November 2022

    Hi Tanya, you need to give the recipe it’s full cooking time of 4 – 5 hours and you should find the sauce has reduced and thickened. If the sauce it hasn’t thickened to your liking, remove the lid and continue to cook for around 30 minutes until it has reduced and thickened.

    Reply

    AngSaturday 24th December 2022

    Put a tea towel under the lid which will absorb the excess moisture rather than it dripping back into pot.

    Reply

      HollyThursday 5th January 2023

      Thanks so much for your helpful tip!

JMMonday 31st October 2022

Why does this Madras Curry have Garam Masala instead of Mild/Hot Madras Curry Powder?

Reply

    SharonMonday 31st October 2022

    Hi JM, we’ve used garam masala in our Beef Madras as it gives the curry delicious warming flavours. It is a traditional spice blend that gives authentic warm, aromatic flavours and a deep colour. Madras curry powder is a more earthy blend of spices with more heat and will make the curry lighter in colour. Hope that helps!

    Reply

NickiWednesday 17th August 2022

Can you do it in the pressure cooker?

Reply

    SharonThursday 18th August 2022

    Hi Nicki, yes you can cook Beef Madras in the pressure cooker. You can find the method here: Instant Pot Beef Madras Enjoy the recipe!

    Reply

Jo McBrideThursday 9th June 2022

I chucked all my ingredients straight into slow cooker, but it tastes quite bitter, how can I make it sweeter please ?? Thanks

Reply

    HollyFriday 10th June 2022

    Hi Jo, if you think this is a little bitteryou can add a little sweetener to taste, hope that helps!

    Reply

    SharonFriday 10th June 2022

    Hi Jo, it’s important to fry the onions, beef and spices first in steps 1 – 3, as this will create a good depth of flavour for the dish.Frying the onions first until they’re golden will add a sweetness. You could try adding a pinch or two of sweetener or sugar and see if that helps.Thanks for getting in touch.

    Reply

AlexFriday 25th March 2022

Can you also use red chillies along with the green chillies?

Reply

    HollyMonday 28th March 2022

    Hey Alex, yes you could use red chillis instead of the green, hope that helps!

    Reply

SamTuesday 22nd March 2022

Hi, Can I leave this in the slow cooker for longer e.g 6-7 hours?

Reply

    HollyTuesday 22nd March 2022

    Hey Sam, you can use the low setting on your slow cooker and cook for longer which would be more like 6-7 hours, hope that helps!

    Reply

AshleyThursday 3rd March 2022

How do you make a portion for 288 calories? Without any rice or veg each portion is around 400 calories, with over 300 of those being from the braising steak…

Reply

    HollyThursday 3rd March 2022

    Hey Ashley, this recipe doesn’t include an accompaniment so the nutritional information shown is just for the Slow Cooker Beef Madras. We understand that it can be frustrating that apps and websites might not match up exactly to our calorie counts. However, the recipes have been double & triple checked for accuracy. There are a lot of reasons that the calories can differ; calories can be different after an ingredient is cooked in a particular way, or different brands of ingredients can vary the calorie count substantially, for example. Unfortunately the apps available to the general public do not account for this. We have a handy guide HERE which can help you understand how we work out our nutritional information. Hope that helps!

    Reply

CharlieTuesday 1st March 2022

Hiya, just wondering if this recipe would work with chicken? Thanks

Reply

    SharonWednesday 2nd March 2022

    Hi Charlie, we haven’t tried this ourselves but it should work perfectly well. Enjoy the recipe!

    Reply

      StaceyMonday 5th September 2022

      Would you need to brown the chicken or could you put into the slow cooker as is, and shred the breasts at the end? Thinking of making this with chicken breasts and leaving on all day on low setting.

      HollyThursday 8th September 2022

      Hey Stacey, it’s always best to brown any meat before adding to the slow cooker, you could still shred the chicken breasts once the madras is cooked or leave whole. Hope that helps!

TraceySaturday 5th February 2022

Hi, can you use chilli flakes in this recipe. Thanks

Reply

    HollyMonday 7th February 2022

    Hey Tracey, yes you can swap the chilli powder for chilli flakes if you prefer, hope that helps!

    Reply

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