Easy and Flavorful Coconut Shrimp Curry made in the Pressure Cooker in just 20 minutes. This is the simple Indian shrimp curry made with ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes along with flavorful spices, and finished with coconut milk. Pair this curry with rice for a perfect experience. Gluten-free, Paleo, and Low carb!
This is one of the easiest Indian shrimp recipes to make when you want to impress someone and have less time to cook. The second reason also makes it a perfect dish for a weekday in just 20 minutes.
While the curry was cooking, I cooked white rice on the stovetop (can be done in a second instant pot or rice cooker), and dinner was served in no time.
If you like Indian coconut-based curries, check out my Coconut Chicken Curry and Coconut Chickpea Curry recipes!
Are you ready for this delicious Shrimp Curry? Let's get started!
How to make Coconut Shrimp Curry in the Pressure Cooker?
The main thing to note in this recipe is that Shrimp cooks very quickly, so we will use the low-pressure setting in the electric pressure cooker (instant pot in my case).
We will cook the shrimp for 3 minutes on low pressure and then quick release the pressure manually to get perfectly cooked shrimp.
I used tail-on deveined large raw frozen shrimp that I got from Costco. If you use a smaller size shrimp, decrease the cooking time.
The base of this curry is the same as many other Indian curries, with ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. I also add very basic spices, which you will have in your pantry if you have done Indian cooking before.
I have also provided links to Amazon for the spices if you are new to them. However, I highly recommend finding the nearest Indian grocery store for a much cheaper price.
I add coconut milk to the curry to give it a creamier texture. Use full-fat coconut milk for the best results.
That said, even with the very simple preparation, this curry is such a flavor bomb with shrimp, similar to my shrimp masala recipe. This is a must-try!
Garnish with some lime juice and cilantro, and enjoy over rice!
Doesn't the curry look gorgeous? I am ready to eat this again, it is so easy to make!
Looking for more seafood instant pot recipes, check out this delicious Salmon Tikka Masala.
Blast from the past:
- Posted 3 months ago – Seviyan / Vermicelli Kheer
- Posted 6 months ago – Mom's Chicken Curry
- Posted one year ago - Palak Tofu
Want to find easy Instant Pot Indian Recipes? Here are 23 Best Instant Pot Indian Recipes for you to try!
Coconut Shrimp Curry - Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shrimp deveined tail-on, frozen (about 25-30)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- 1 Green chili pepper slit in 2 pieces
- 1 cup Onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger minced
- ½ tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 cup Tomato chopped
- ¼ can Coconut Milk (~3.5 oz) full-fat
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- ¼ cup Cilantro to garnish
Spices
- ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne or Red Chili powder adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in Sauté mode and let it heat. Add oil, mustard seeds and let them sizzle.
- Add green chili, onions, ginger and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions turn golden brown.
- Add tomato and spices. Mix and let it sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and shrimp to the pot. Stir and press cancel. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Start the instant pot in Manual or Pressure cook mode at low pressure for 3 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually.
- Stir in the lime juice and garnish with cilantro. Coconut Shrimp Curry is ready to be served. Enjoy with rice.
- Tip: Take the steel insert out of the instant pot, so the curry is not cooking more from residual heat.
Video
Notes
- I used large raw deveined tail-on shrimp that were frozen for this recipe. If using smaller or already thawed shrimp, reduce pressure cooking time.
- We add less liquid in this curry as instant pot retains the liquid and less is needed to cook. If you like, you can add ¼ cup coconut milk after the curry is cooked. The curry does get thicker as you refrigerate it.
- Which Green chili to use? I typically use Thai, Birdeye or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don't forget to adjust to your taste.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Kurt says
This was phenomenal, can't say enough good about it. Paired it with yellow rice and Garlic Naan. The hit of the weekend. Thanks so much.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Urvashi says
Hi - for this recipe and your egg curry, is there any change in cook times if I double the recipe? Can the instapot handle that?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Urvashi - yes, you can double the recipe in a 6qt instant pot for both. The pressure cooking time will remain the same.
Ted says
By how much would you reduce the pressure cooking time for already thawed shrimp? Half?
Also any adjustments if using whole shrimp?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Ted - I suggest to pressure cook on low pressure for 2 minutes for thawed shrimp. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Priya says
This was another great recipe. I changed it up a little though. I used whole can of coconut and added little bit of water and after manually releasing the pressure I put back on sauté mode as you suggested which thickened up the gravy much more. Overall, it was a fantastic dish!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Priya - That makes me happy. Thank you for sharing back 🙂
Mark Anderson says
Instead of an InstaPot, I chose to use a sauté pan. Sauce turned out nice, not too watery after a brief period on a low simmer. I also used thawed shrimp which decreased the cooking time.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Mark - Glad you enjoyed the curry. Thanks for sharing!
oliver says
Good flavor, but needed 5-10x the quantity of seasoning
Meeta Arora says
Hi Oliver - Thanks for sharing your experience!
Mary Bianchetti says
is the nutrition for one serving?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Mary - yes, the nutritional information is per serving.
Izzy says
Delicious but the sauce came out far too watery. I followed the recipe and added the coconut milk before putting the lid. How can the sauce be thickened?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Izzy - Sorry to hear the curry was not as thick. I use full-fat coconut milk in the recipe, just in case they would make a difference. You can also just put it on sauté for a minute, and the milk coconut milk thickens quickly. I know we want to make sure to not overcook the shrimp, so just a minute or two would be good. Hope that helps!
Kal says
Can I use tail off frozen shrimp?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Kal - I have not tried, but I think the recipe will work fine with tail off shrimp too. Hope you enjoy the curry!
Rebecca says
Hello, thank you for the recipe. I tried it tonight and while the shrimp cooked perfectly, I found that the curry looked slightly curdled and non-homogenous. Any thoughts on how to improve this? Otherwise, the taste was good.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Rebecca - Glad you enjoyed the taste. If the coconut milk is curdling under pressure. You can skip adding the coconut milk before pressure cooking, and add 1/4 cup water. Then add the coconut milk after pressure cooking.
Mary Bianchetti says
Great recipe. I put in full fat unsweetened coconut milk after pressure cook was done and it didn’t curdle. I did add a little water before starting pressure cook to prevent burn. I wonder how coconut cream would do and what is difference between coconut cream and milk,
Meeta Arora says
Hi Mary - Glad to hear you enjoyed the curry. Coconut cream is much thicker compared to coconut milk. Here are some more details - https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-coconut-m-75446