Ground Beef Curry
If you’re looking for an easy South African meal, ground beef curry, aka minced curry, delivers the earthy and aromatic flavors you want. Minced or ground beef, potatoes, and peas seasoned with curry spices guarantee a fabulous meal even on busy weeknights!
We love anything curry in our house, especially me! There’s something captivating about that aroma and the earthy, perfect balance of sweet and savory with a hint of heat.
My obsession led me to create my own curry powder recipe that tastes way better than the store-bought version. Trust me! You won’t buy it at the grocery store after you have your first meal using my homemade curry powder. My top-performing curry posts could attest to that.
The Power of Curry
There are so many ways you can enjoy curry spices. Jamaican curry shrimp for us and chickpea curry for my vegan friends are our favorite staples. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it’s now considered a superfood.
Aside from that, it uses readily available ingredients that are probably in your pantry right now. Even new home cooks can totally nail this minced curry recipe on a whim.
Seasoning minced meat, potatoes, and that beautiful pop of green from peas is still healthy-ish, right?!? Serve it over a plateful of steaming white rice (or brown rice) for a weeknight meal any time of year, whether it’s the coldest winter day or in the heat of summer.
How to Make Ground Beef Curry
- Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, curry, paprika, and chili pepper for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning. (Photo 1)
- Add the ground beef, break it up, and add the tomatoes, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. (Photos 2-3)
- Stir in the potatoes, cayenne pepper, and white pepper until well combined. (Photo 4)
- Pour in half of the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or more until potatoes are tender. Add more water as needed for the desired consistency. (Photo 5)
- Serve: Toss in the peas and optional green onions, cook for another minute or two, adjust the seasoning to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley. Remove from the heat and serve hot or let it cool if making in advance. Enjoy! (Photo 6)
Recipe Notes
- You can brown the beef if you want, but I haven’t noticed a difference in the flavor. Plus, not browning it eliminates an extra step.
- Feel free to replace the water with beef broth.
Make Ahead and Leftover Storage
This recipe is a perfect make-ahead for a crazy busy weeknight. Let it cool, then transfer it to an airtight container or freezer ziplock bag. It will last in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When ready to enjoy, pop it in a saucepan and heat over low until bubbling. If frozen and you don’t have time to thaw it overnight in the fridge, the microwave will take care of it.
Menu Suggestions for Ground Beef Curry
Traditional pairings include basmati rice, flatbread, or roti. A refreshing cucumber tomato salad balances the warming curry spices, and a dollop of tzatziki on top is incredible.
More Economically Tasty Ground Beef Recipes
- Ground Beef and Cabbage
- Picadillo
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Ground Beef and Potato Casserole
- Stuffed Shells With Ground Beef
Watch How to Make It
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This recipe was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Ground Beef Curry
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (5g) freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon (7-8g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) paprika
- 1-2 whole chili peppers
- 1 pound (450g) ground beef or minced beef
- 2-3 tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups (500g) diced potatoes
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) white pepper
- 1 cup (260g) peas, thawed if frozen
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) parsley, cilantro, or sliced green onions
- salt to taste
- 1½-2 cups (350-470ml) water (more or less for desired consistency)
Instructions
- In a medium-large skillet, heat the oil, then add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry, paprika, and chili pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Follow with the ground beef, breaking it up, then adding the tomatoes. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cayenne pepper, and white pepper, and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour in 1½ cups of water and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or more until potatoes are tender. Add water as needed to maintain the desired consistency.
- Finally, throw in peas, cook for another minute or two, add parsley, and adjust the seasoning to taste. Remove from the heat and serve hot or let it cool if making in advance.
Tips & Notes:
- Adjust the amount of paprika and cayenne pepper based on your family’s heat preference, especially when cooking for kids.
- Aside from beef, you can also use this recipe for ground pork, chicken, or turkey.
- Throw in some diced carrots along with peas for another pop of color.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Thank you for this recipe! I made it tonight and it smelled wonderful cooking. It’s so appetizing with the colors and tastes great! I look forward to trying some of your other dishes.
Your recipes are awesome. First time I tried it absolutely gorgeous. thanks
So glad it worked out for you. Thanks for dropping by.
You’re welcome is very enjoyable
Very delicious had this last night even kids loved it
Great! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi,
can I use ground pork for this recipe?
Yes you can.
Hi I made this tonight, added some ingredients to personalise it, your recipe was excellent and the curry turned out great and ahh sooo tasty
Yaaay! So great it turned out well for you. And yes, you can always add your personal touch to this recipe.
Soo easy and delicious. Thank you
You’re welcome, Nadine :).
Trying this out as I speak
, i had no chilli so fingers crossed it dosent make a big difference . It deffinatly smells good cant wait to try 🙂
Hi, Jessie. I hope it turned out well for you. Happy New Year!
My husband liked this a lot. We’re not brave about spice so I substituted green pepper for the Chili pepper, went easy on the curry powder, increased the paprika and added turmeric and coriander. It was a taste explosion. Served it over mashed cauliflower. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. So happy you like this. And thanks for sharing those tips.
Very tasty and such a great use of mince when you’re fed up of bolognese 🙂
Agree. It’s a nice change from the same all stuff.
Going to try this tonight
I hope you’re enjoying it right now! Happy weekend!
isn’t Browning of minced beef required so that it Cooks thoroughly?
Hi Parth,
It also works out just fine using this method .The beef is thoroughly cooked .
This recipe is amazing. I usually cook good curries but mince curry…not so much… After trying your recipe it’s amazing. So tasty. In South Africa we have it with roti. Look forward to trying out more of your recipes
So happy you like this, Claire. I’m going to prepare this next time with some roti. Thanks for dropping by.
my homemade curry powder contains many of the added ingredients besides Curry Powder. Would I omit them as they are already in my curry powder. Seems like a double dose of spices. Or increase the Curry Powder by twice instead of addding the extra spices.
Thank You.
No you shouldn’t remove any ingredients from the recipe . For best results include listed ingredients . Thanks .
Hi there! Thanks for this awesome recipe. When you say “1 tsp. Fresh ground ginger” are you referring to fresh ginger or dried ground ginger?
Bless you! Jesus loves you so much. Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Alison,
I am referring to fresh ginger- not dried . Let me know how it works out for you.
Thanks and God bless !!!
It worked out wonderfully! Such a hit! I used 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger and it worked in a pinch. Could I use this curry base for other meats like chicken?
First time I tried it absolutely gorgeous
Thank you. Happy to hear that.
This is a great go-to weeknight meal. I like the fact you can adjust the seasonings pretty easily for personal taste. You have excellent recipes, so keep up the great work.
Thank you! Feel free to try some of my recipes. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi, do I cook the mince first ? It says to add potatoes and mince with water for 15 mins is that enough time to propetly vook the beef?
Whatever you call it, it was good! Nice and spicy, which I like. And there is no end to variations you can create. I served it with some jasmine rice and it was very filling. Definitely will make it again. Thanks!
Wohoo!! Glad it turned out well for you, Pat.
Oh Imma! This looks exactly what I cooked in Detroit and called it Keema! Haven’t seen it in Tampa Bay but will make it again! Your recipes look very very good and pretty easy, plus I love seasoning and a lot of it as well as spicy! Can’t wait to try what I have printed off! TY
Yaaay! Please do let me know how it turned out for you, Penny. Happy cooking!
Recipe was good but there was no salt in list of ingredients. So it turned out bland. I ended up added some chicken bullion which made it perfect.
Love all your recipes!
Common sense would tell you to add salt or taste for seasoning.
Kathy…the ingredient list even says salt to taste. That’s a standard cooking thing anyway. You always salt to taste for food.
My family has fallen in love with Maafe. We found it in our local grocery store but it’s…… jarred. I much prefer to cook from fresh ingredients so I googled and stumbled upon your website. I’m so excited, we really enjoy trying new, ethnic foods! Thanks so much, I will definitely thumb through your collection. We are so grateful!
Welcome aboard, Trina! Can’t wait for you to try some of my recipes here. Enjoy!
It’s hotdog ethnic food? Asking for a friend…
Glad I stumbled upon your website. I’m salivating as I go through your images and recipes. I can’t wait to try this one. Thx
Welcome to my little online space, Samantha! Please do let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy! =)
hat looks so good. I cant wait to try it
It sure taste good, Terri. Please let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!