Indian Butter Pot Roast is your new favorite one-pot dinner! Made with beef, veggies, and chickpeas in a creamy, buttery curry tomato sauce.
Classic Pot Roast meets Indian Butter Chicken in this new Dinner Recipe that brings comfort food from around the world into an amazing one-pot meal.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Indian Butter Pot Roast Recipe
Pot roast is one of those classic, rustic recipes that you’ll find on diner menus and in fancy five-star restaurants alike. It’s a hearty dish with fork-tender beef full of the flavors it braised in for hours. This new recipe adds the flavors of an Indian restaurant favorite, Butter Chicken, to make a melt-in-your-mouth roast that’s out of this world. This one pot meal is so easy and budget friendly! Indian Butter Pot Roast can feed a crowd or double as lunch or dinner leftovers, making that meal budget stretch even further.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Beef Chuck Roast: Chuck roast is an inexpensive cut of meat because it’s generally tough, but after braising for hours in this butter sauce, you’ll think it was a prime cut.
- 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil: This is used to sear the beef. Olive oil or any high-smoke-point oil, like avocado oil, works too.
- 1 tablespoon Butter: This adds a richness to the sauce. Ghee (clarified butter) would work well here!
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced: If you love the pungent flavor of garlic, you can add 3 cloves. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder can also be used.
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped: This is going to bring some peppery flavor and some heat. If you don’t want a spicy dish, you can leave this out.
- Spices: 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin and 2 teaspoons Paprika will together add smokiness and flavor to the dish.
- 8 ounces Tomato Sauce: This is going to be the base of the curry that will hold the spices together.
- 2 cups Beef Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth works if you’re in a pinch, although beef is going to add to that beefy flavor.
- 4 Carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks: These will soften and add a slight sweetness and even soak up some of the curry flavor.
- 15 ounces Chickpeas, drained and rinsed: The hearty chickpeas add a delicious creamy texture and nutty flavor to the dish.
- ¾ cup Peas, thawed if frozen: Peas bring a pop of color and garden zest to the curry.
- 1 cup Heavy Cream: This will bring a creaminess to the curry sauce and help tame the bold spices and heat. You could also use full fat coconut milk.
How to Make Indian Butter Pot Roast
Time needed: 3 hours and 45 minutes.
- Season Beef
Rub beef with salt and pepper.
- Sear Beef
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add beef, searing until browned, about 6-8 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Create Flavor Base
Reduce heat, add butter, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute briefly then stir in cumin and paprika.
- Add Liquids
Pour in tomato sauce and broth. Scrape up browned bits.
- Combine Ingredients
Place carrots, chickpeas, and seared beef back into the pot.
- Slow Cook in Oven
Cover pot with the lid and transfer to a 325 degree oven. Let cook for 3 hours.
- Finish with Cream and Peas
Stir in peas and cream, return to oven uncovered, and cook another 30 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Enjoy!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper , finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 4 carrots , peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 15 ounces chickpeas , drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup peas , thawed if frozen
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper, then add to a large Dutch oven with oil on medium-high heat.
- Cook on both sides until seared well, 6-8 minutes on each side.
- Remove the beef from the pot.
- Add in the butter, garlic, jalapeno, and remaining spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce and stir until combined.
- Add the carrots, chickpeas, and beef to the pot, cover pot with lid. Place in a 325 degree oven and cook for 3 hours.
- Mix in the peas and the heavy cream and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Curry Spices
The sauce used for this Indian Butter Pot Roast is an easy American-fusion recipe that doesn’t require any extra trips to the spice aisle. Using common pantry items, you can get the same flavors you love. Spices like garam masala or 5-spice blend are delicious and I use them in other Indian recipes on the site; but if you don’t cook with them often, they are a costly seasoning you don’t really need. Don’t worry, I promise this will still be very tasty! If you’re looking for a deeper and more traditional curry flavor, you can add 2 tablespoons of garam masala or a curry seasoning blend to the recipe for extra flavor.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes! Make and store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Indian Butter Pot Roast also makes a fantastic meal prep. You can freeze the pot roast ahead of time and store it for later. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or microwave. If your sauce has separated or is too thin, add a bit of heavy cream to bring it back.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Store: Indian Butter Pot Roast can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before you will need to refrigerate or freeze it. Cool Indian Butter Pot Roast completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: This can easily be reheated on the stovetop or covered in the microwave. Just reheat it over low-medium heat or on low power so that it doesn’t dry out.
- Freeze: Once cooled, place the leftovers in a sealed container and freeze up to 3 months. Before reheating, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving Ideas
You can serve this hearty, warm dish on its own or with easy side dishes that can be made in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve Indian Butter Pot Roast with White Rice, Mashed Potatoes, or Dinner Rolls so you don’t miss a drop of the amazing sauce. A spoonful of cool Indian Raita on top will tame the spiciness and add extra creaminess to the Indian Butter Sauce.
Alternative Cooking Methods
- Slow Cooker Indian Butter Pot Roast: Season and sear beef as usual in a large skillet. Set aside. Toast spices for more flavor, if desired. Add all ingredients except heavy cream, peas, and beef to the crockpot. Stir to combine. Place beef in slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook on low for 8 hours. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in peas and heavy cream. Cover and continue cooking until hot.
- Instant Pot Indian Butter Pot Roast: Season beef and add oil to Instant Pot. Set to Sauté function and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add garlic, jalapeños, and spices to Instant Pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef broth and tomato sauce to pot and stir. Return beef to the pot along with carrots and chickpeas. Secure the lid, seal the valve, and set Instant Pot on Manual High Pressure for 70 minutes. Release pressure naturally. Stir in peas and heavy cream and turn on Soup function. Bring to a boil and cook until peas are hot.
Frequent Questions
Yes, top round roast or rump roast works well! Also, boneless pork shoulder, boneless lamb roast, or boneless chicken breasts can be substituted.
You can substitute with equal parts coconut milk which also happens to be a dairy-free option, or you can use half-and-half.
To reduce spiciness, omit the jalapeno and adjust other spices to taste.
Variations
- Meat: You can substitute boneless pork shoulder, boneless lamb roast, or boneless chicken breasts for the chuck roast. Make sure it’s cooked thoroughly before serving.
- Veggies: Use vegetables like green beans, celery, or cauliflower. If you use frozen vegetables, add them at the time of the peas.
- Potatoes: If you want a heartier dish, add 1 pound of Yukon potatoes, gold potatoes, or red potatoes, chopped in 1-inch chunks, with the carrots and beef.
- Spices: More traditional Indian spices you can add are coriander, garam masala, or curry powder. If you prefer a milder sauce, omit the jalapeño.
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The following images were included in previous versions of this post:
The recipe looks delicious! In the picture that shows the meat seared and all of the spices added in you can see the heavy cream off to the side in a measuring cup and also a bowl of what looks like yogurt but I can’t find yogurt in the recipe. I just wanted to ask if you added it so I make it correctly :). Thank you!
You’re right Meredith! I reviewed my recipe and it doesn’t call for yogurt. We created a number of Indian dishes that week and accidentally placed the yogurt bowl in the photos. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! Please let us know how your Indian Butter Pot Roast turns out!
What a great recipe! We loved it and I will be keeping this one. The meat was very tender and tasty. I used hot tomato sauce and added Garam Masala, Sri Lankan curry powder, and due to my Hubby’s lactose intolerance, I skipped the heavy cream and used coconut cream. Served with Naan and cucumber salad, we passed Sambal at the table. Delicious!
Glad to hear! Thank you Laurel and thanks for the five stars.
I find myself coming back to this recipe time and time again, so delicious as is! I usually double the amount of chickpeas and peas for a heartier meal.
That sounds delicious Adrian. Thanks for the 5 star review!
I served this last night for Christmas Eve. It was fabulous! I made it the afternoon before, then sliced the meat, poured the sauce over it and reheated in the oven.
The only things I altered – I didn’t have beef stock so used vegetable stock. And before heating it on Christmas Eve I brought the sauce to a boil and added a little bit of curry powder to make it slightly more spicy.
This is so so delish! It’s one of my family’s favorite! All of your recipes that I tried are amazing!
Thank you Sue. Really appreciate the 5 star rating.
Hi ! I would love to know if this recipe can be made in an instant pot ?
Great question! I haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot. Will have to add it to the list of recipes to try!
Wow! Outstanding recipe! Love it! Left out the jalapeño because I didn’t have one. Turned out perfect and the whole family loved it.
The recipe was good and my family enjoyed it, but there was not a strong Indian flavor. The only alteration I made was to double the peas so that there were a few more green vegetables in it. Everything else I did exactly as written.
Excellent easy to make new family favorite!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times using beef (yum!), but want to try boneless chicken thighs. Would I brown the chicken in the same way the beef is done? And is the cooking time roughly the same?
Fantastic recipe! Simple to follow and absolutely delicious. My husband and I loved it!
This is one of the best dinners I have ever made. Out of this world good! Thank you!!!!
Hi Sabrina,
Very Tasty!!!
I went all out with some of your recommendations and comment from Shae.
Added to your base recipe:
* Two heaping teaspoons of Red Curry Paste
* Two regular teaspoons of Garam Masala
* Half White Onion, diced up
* Half Green Pepper, diced up
* Several Sprigs of Celery, diced up
* Cut up Red Potatoes
* Cut up Carrots
* Doubled the quantity of beef broth (or whatever would fit in crock pot)
* Substituted 15oz Regular Coconut Milk, instead of Heavy Cream
(all other ingredients as you specified)
Sauteed onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in spices in iron pan then added to crock pot. Browned roast in left over oil and spices left in iron pan with a little additional oil, then added to crock pot. Cooked potatoes and carrots for about 10 minutes or so with beef broth in iron pan to get all that good flavoring out of the iron pan, and soften up the vegetables a little bit. Added all ingredients to crock pot and cooked at low temperature for 8 hours.
Along with the Jalapeno, made for a nice spicy version of pot roast. Guess with Red Curry Paste and Coconut Milk kind of gave it a Thai twist, but the Garam Masala was very recognizably Indian. Interesting combination of flavors.
Thanks for the recipe. My wife and I loved it.
Gavin
Can this recipe be adapted to use a large cooking bag in the oven, rather than using the Dutch Oven inside the oven. (Last time I made pot roast in the Dutch Oven, which was brand new, by the way, the meat turned out tough, although I believe we may have been using a different cut of beef and higher temps.) If so, what ingredients are safe to put in the cooking bag?
I’ve never tested it but usually don’t use cooking bags at all so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation.
This was so delicious! So very tender and flavorful. I plan to make it again soon. My only question is about the butter. I see it in the ingredients list, but not when to add it to the pot. Is it added in Step #1 or Step #4? And would more butter add to the flavor?
I love your recipes!
Step 4, thank you so much for pointing it out to me! No need for more butter, the cream is plenty! Glad you loved it and thank you for the kind words.
i hate reading a recipe from my I phone. I wish you would add print function.
In the recipe card, there is a print button. Hope this helps!
Can this be cooked in the crock pot??
Yes, I give directions in the post above. Enjoy!
I love a good pot roast as well as classic Indian flavors. Definitely giving this easy recipe a try! 🙂
It’s a fun twist that I hope you’ll enjoy!
Love the flavors in the dish! Turned out delicious!!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Heather. So glad you enjoyed it.
Yummy! The seasonings in the sauce takes this over the top.
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisalia.
When you say cook for 3 hours, is that on low or medium heat? And should I stir occasionally?
You’re going to place it in the oven and cook for 3 hours at 325 degrees F. Enjoy!
Can I use chicken in place of rot roast? Not a big fan of chuck roast.
Yes absolutely!
This is so good.
Added 2 teaspoons Curry Powder and Garam Masala, and a splash of lime juice.
But otherwise left the recipe as is.
Thank you for posting this, it was so good.
Keep the good recipes coming.
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Shae.
In the recipe, you didn’t include the potatoes. . . .
Sorry about that. I was working on two recipes at once and originally planned on adding potatoes to this dish but decided to remove them for the final version. If you’d like to add them though, peel 2-3 russet potatoes and cut into 2 inch cubes. Add them in with the other ingredients in step 6. Hope this helps!
This sounds really good. In step 6 you don’t mention anything about lowering the temperature from medium high. Is this correct or should it be lowered to a simmer?
You’ll want to place it in the oven at 325 degrees and cook for 3 hours. Enjoy!