Goan Lamb Vindaloo Curry is a Portuguese-influenced lamb curry where lamb is cooked in a fiery red, spicy, and tangy vindaloo sauce. Make it in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or an instant pot using my easy recipe (gluten-free, keto, paleo, whole 30, dairy-free).

You can also try my other vindaloo variations here – Aloo Vindaloo, Chicken Vindaloo, and Goan Shrimp Vindaloo.

About Lamb Vindaloo Curry

Lamb Vindaloo Curry is a fiery red Indian curry with tender lamb cooked in spicy and tangy vindaloo sauce. It is quite popular in Goan households, and you will also find it on the menu of all Goan-style restaurants.

For the uninitiated, Vindaloo is a Goan dish derived from the Portuguese Carne De Vinha D’alhos, which translates to “meat in a garlic wine marinade.” It was brought to Goa by the Portuguese colonizers.

This curry was traditionally made using pork. Over time, the local people experimented with making it with different kinds of meat, vinegar, and even veggies and this lamb vindaloo is also one of the variations.

My recipe to make this curry is authentic and traditional, unlike the ones they sell at fancy restaurants in the name of vindaloo. It tastes like the one you will get in Goan homes.

This Goan lamb curry gets its unique taste and flavor from the vindaloo paste, which is freshly made with simple ingredients such as dry red chilies, ginger, garlic, vinegar, tamarind, and a few spices.

This lamb vindaloo recipe can be made in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or in an instant pot. I am sharing both methods in the post below; choose the one that suits you the best.

This curry is gluten-free, keto, whole 30, paleo, and dairy-free.

You can double or triple the recipe easily. I use my 3-quart instant pot (or 3-liter stovetop cooker) to make this recipe. If you want to scale it, use a 6-quart instant pot (or a 5-liter stovetop cooker). The time of pressure cooking will remain the same.

Ingredients

Vindaloo Paste

To make the flavorful paste, you will need an array of ingredients such as Kashmiri dry red chilies, whole coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks (dalchini), cloves (laung), green cardamoms (hari elaichi), black peppercorns (kali mirch), cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, garlic, fresh ginger, white vinegar, and tamarind paste.

I prefer to use Kashmiri dry red chillies as they give a beautiful red color to the curry without making it too spicy. You can use any other dry red chilies, but adjust the quantity depending upon its spiciness.

Traditionally, toddy vinegar (coconut palm wine) was used to make the paste, but if it’s unavailable, you can use regular white vinegar as I did. Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar can also be used.

For The Curry

You will need oil, red onions, bone-in lamb (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces), tomato puree, salt, turmeric powder, and white granulated sugar to make the curry.

I like to use bone-in lamb pieces for this recipe as the bones release their flavor and add a lot of flavor to the curry making it more delicious.

You can use boneless lamb pieces if you are not a bone-in lamb person.

I recommend using canned tomato puree instead of homemade one for better taste and flavor. You can replace it with canned tomato paste too.

You can replace lamb with goat meat too.

How To Make Lamb Vindaloo

Make The Vindaloo Paste

Add

• 10-12 whole Kashmiri red chilies (stalks removed)
• 2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 2-3 whole green cardamoms
• 8-10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

to a skillet.

Dry roast on medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned (3-4 minutes). Keep stirring while roasting.

Once the spices are roasted, remove the skillet from the heat and let the spices cool down completely.

Add the roasted spices to a high-speed blender along with

• 1-inch piece of ginger (chopped)
• 8-10 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 and ½ tablespoon tamarind paste
• ½ cup of water

and blend to make a smooth paste. 

Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while making the paste.

Vindaloo masala paste is ready. Set it aside.

Make Lamb Vindaloo Curry

In An Instant Pot

Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.

Add 6 tablespoon oil to the pot.

When the oil is hot, add 2 cups of chopped onions and cook until they turn golden brown (10-12 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add 2 pounds (1kg) of bone-in lamb (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.

Add 1 cup of canned tomato puree (or ½ cup tomato paste) and the vindaloo masala paste you made earlier to the pot and mix well.

Now add 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, and 1 cup of water to the pot and stir gently.

Cover the instant pot with the lid.

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 30 minutes at high pressure.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.

Add ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar to the pot and mix well. The curry is ready to serve.

In A Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker

Follow the steps until adding water in a 3-liter pressure cooker over medium-high heat.

Close the lid and cook for one whistle over medium-high heat.

Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid.

Add ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar to the pot and mix well. The curry is ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

This curry tastes best the next day, so if possible, plan this.

Lamb Vindaloo tastes great with Goan bread poi or steamed rice. It can also be served with pav, white bread, white rice, or dinner rolls.

You can also try it with phulka, plain tawa paratha, lachha paratha, neer dosa, or ghee roast dosa.

Storage Suggestions

Lamb Vindaloo can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. Reheat in a pan or microwave until hot before serving.

It is also freezer-friendly. Once it cools down completely, store it in a freezer-safe container or zip-lock bag and freeze for about a month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or counter for a few hours and reheat until nice and hot.

You can also make vindaloo paste in bulk and freeze it in small one-time-use portions for up to a year.

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