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Paleo AIP Coconut Ground Beef Curry with Turmeric is a great dish to make every single week! This hearty basic dinner staple has healthy ingredients, an easy delicious sauce and all compliant ingredients that you probably always have on hand. This recipe is also Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free and Whole30.
For the Keto low carb version of this recipe, see the Notes section under the recipe.
Paleo AIP Ground Beef Curry gives you an easy one-pan dinner with a rich satisfying sauce. So you’ll never feel wanting at dinner time for an easy recipe or a delicious meal!
Paleo AIP ground beef recipes
The Paleo and AIP diets need as many ground beef recipes as possible!
That’s because beef, when it’s pasture-raised, is the healthiest meat for our bodies, other than red meat wild game (and arguably some seafood) — more so than chicken. And, ground beef is convenient and affordable.
While Americans love chicken, and often buy conventional beef, grass-finished beef is higher in omega 3 fatty acids and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA).
Grass-finished beef is also richer in polyphenols, glutathione, vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins and iron.
(Little known fact: Grass-finished beef has more protein + twice as many omega 3s, Vitamin E and Vitamin K, plus fewer calories.)
Because the Paleo and AIP diets emphasize nutrient-dense foods, we should focus more on beef recipes. And ground beef makes that affordable and convenient.
Ingredients in AIP Coconut Ground Beef Curry with Turmeric
Hopefully most of these ingredients you have on hand already:
- ground beef
- 1 large onion OR for Low-FODMAP: 1 parsnip — If you’re not used to eating parsnips, they are my favorite veggie! and so so delicious, versatile and fun. If you need another Low-FODMAP alternative, use zucchini! But, I highly recommend you fall in love with parsnips. I use them myself when I make this recipe, and they’re what you see in the photos. Perfect for curry.
- coconut milk and coconut cream — always great bases for a simple Paleo curry
- coconut aminos
- lime juice from a fresh lime
- coconut oil
- fresh ginger root and one clove fresh garlic (omit the latter for Low-FODMAP)
- dried ginger, dried turmeric and cloves
- fresh cilantro, to garnish, optionally
How to make AIP Coconut Ground Beef Curry with Turmeric
This simple recipe uses just one pan:
- Sauté onion or diced parsnips in coconut oil (or both!). Add ground beef and sea salt. Continue to cook, breaking up meat until most of the pink is gone. (I like to keep the meat chunks a little on the bigger side in this recipe, but you can break up the meat as small as you like it.)
- Add spices. Then add coconut milk, coconut cream and remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 5 minutes, during which time the sauce ingredients thicken.
- Serve, garnished with optional cilantro and lime wedges.
And … make some Herb Roasted Cauliflower, cauliflower rice, sautéed greens, sweet potato or another easy side dish if you wish. Have the side dish ready when your curry is done cooking. Or, cover and keep Ground Beef Curry warm over very low heat while you prepare the side dish.
For Paleo and Gluten-free, you may wish to make a pot of Basmati white rice (not for AIP), which is now considered Paleo by some, and is Low-FODMAP.
Paleo AIP Coconut Ground Beef Curry with Turmeric (Low-FODMAP, Whole30, Keto)
Equipment
- large skillet or broad-bottomed low pot
- stove top
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef preferably grass-finished/pasture-raised
- 1 large yellow onion diced OR, for Low-FODMAP/if preferred: use ½ pound parsnips (1 medium), which are wonderful in this dish! (Peel and dice parsnip.) For Keto: See the Notes section below.
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut cream
- 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 lime use half in the recipe, juiced, and save half to garnish the dishes with wedges of lime
- 2 to 3 inch nub ginger root grated or minced
- 1 clove garlic crushed or minced (omit for Low-FODMAP)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, heat large skillet or broad-bottomed pot. Once hot, add fat and then onions or parsnips (or both). Reduce heat to medium, and sauté for 5 minutes until beginning to brown and soften.
- Add ground beef and sea salt to the pan, and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula. Cook until most of the pink is gone, about 8 minutes.
- Add turmeric, dried ground ginger and cloves, and stir in.
- Now add: coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut aminos, lime juice from ½ the lime, fresh ginger root and garlic. Stir and simmer about 5 minutes.
- Serve with cauliflower rice, sautéed greens, steamed zucchini, a baked sweet potato or other favorite side dish. Garnish with fresh lime wedges and optional fresh cilantro.
Notes
Leftovers
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, stored and sealed nicely. To reheat, place in small pan, and cover. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally until hot through. Add a little broth as needed when reheating to make it easier.Keto low carb version of the recipe
Switch out the onion for zucchini. This brings the net carbs to 8 per serving. OR, if you want lower still: use broccoli raab in place of onion, as it's super low carb. Other great very low carb veggies include: celery, bok choy, asparagus, mushrooms or spinach. Any of these will bring the total carb count down to about 7. If you choose to use asparagus or spinach, add them toward the end of cooking, during the last 5 minute simmer, instead of sautéing them at the beginning of the recipe. To lower net carbs a bit further, if you eat dairy: sub the coconut milk and coconut cream both for 1 cup heavy cream.Nutrition
You can Pin this recipe here:
More Paleo, AIP and Low-FODMAP recipes:
- Low-FODMAP Beef Curry Stew (Instant Pot, Paleo, AIP, Keto, Whole30)
- AIP Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)
- Carrot Mint Bisque with Ginger & Bone Broth (Paleo, GAPS, AIP, Whole30, Low-FODMAP)
- Green Plantain Crackers (Paleo, AIP, Low-FODMAP)
- Carrot Cinnamon Milkshake with Ginger & Turmeric (Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Low-FODMAP)
- Tiger Nut Flour Tortillas (Paleo, AIP, egg-free, nut-free, no rolling out!)
Ron N says
Keto version, please
Megan says
Hi Ron, sure: Switch out the onion for zucchini. This brings the net carbs to 8 per serving. OR, if you want lower still: use broccoli raab in place of onion, as it’s super low carb. Other great very low carb veggies include: celery, bok choy, asparagus, mushrooms or spinach. Any of these will bring the total carb count down to about 7. If you choose to use asparagus or spinach, add them toward the end of cooking, during the last 5 minute simmer, instead of sautéing them at the beginning of the recipe.
To lower net carbs a bit further, if you eat dairy: sub the coconut milk and cream both for 1 cup heavy cream. I hope that helps, and enjoy! 🙂
Kelly says
Just a bit confused… it says curry but no mention in the ingredients of curry …how much do you put??
Megan says
Hi Kelly, curry is actually a combination of several spices. If you buy curry powder at the store and look at the ingredients, you’ll see it’s several spices, not made from one plant. There is also a curry plant that is sometimes used in curry powder. So this recipe, instead of using a store bought curry powder, makes our own, which is gentler.
Dorothy says
This looks sooo good and may become a weekly favorite for us. How did you know we needed another way to incorporate ground beef? Thank you also for the optional variations. 🙂
Megan says
Yay, Dorothy, you’re welcome! So glad to hear this. Yes, ground beef for the win! 🙂
Dorothy says
It seems you mentioned that you could sub sour cream for the coconut cream? I used the cream from the top of a can of coconut milk that was refrigerated, which is good, but somewhat cost prohibitive. We may use an RBST free sour cream, as that stretches a little further.
I made this, and it satisfied the “savory tooth”! ?
Megan says
Hi Dorothy!, I haven’t tried the recipe with sour cream, but I have tried it with heavy cream. I used 1/2 cup heavy cream in place of the coconut cream and then in place of the coconut milk, 1/2 cup broth or water. You could probably use sour cream in the same way. I’m glad you found the recipe satisfying!
Dorothy says
Thanks, Megan!!
Megan says
My pleasure! 🙂
ChihYu says
Curry is delicious comfort food to me! Love this recipe because of the coconut and beef combo; the flavors balance so well! Also appreciate that it is low FODMAP! Soothing all the way around!
Megan says
I agree, ChihYu, I love curry so much, and it is one of my favorite comfort foods. I’m so happy you love the recipe, and thank you for sharing!
Yang says
I am in love!!! This curry is absolutely healing and delicious. I actually keep my leftover curry in the freezer. It’s never a bad idea to make too much curry and have them for a quick meal another day.
Megan says
That is such a good inspiration, Yang. I should probably make double when I make the recipe. My boys eat so much that we never have leftovers to freeze. I’m so happy you love the curry, and thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Donny says
I love making simple curries like this but how have I never used ground beef before? Definitely adding this to my weeknight routine!
Megan says
Great, Donny, I know, right? I realized the same thing. I’m so glad it’s a helpful recipe.
Elizabeth says
Loved this recipe!!! I doubled it so we have leftovers. (Yay!) Before sautéeing, I added a couple dozen fresh curry leaves (aka neem leaves) to the hot oil. I also increased the spices quite a bit and added mace, a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf. Loved the addition of diced parsnips, and I added chopped baby spinach at the very end. Don’t skip the freshly squeezed lime. So good! Thank you!
Megan says
Great to hear, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing what you did, sounds perfect!! I love the parsnips so much in this dish, too. You’re welcome!
Lora says
Super delicious! I used both the onion and parsnip and now I can’t imagine it without the parsnip! I think it’s a must in this…so good…so simple and just delicious. Thank you so much 🙂
Megan says
Terrific, Lora! Thanks so much for sharing. I agree, I love the parsnip in it so much, and so happy you love the recipe! 🙂
Laura says
Can you recommend a substitute for coconut aminos for a child that cannot tolerate due to histamine?
Megan says
Hi Laura, unfortunately, the only direct sub is shoyu or soy sauce, which will not help the histamine issue. So sorry. You could try replacing it with some strong fresh chicken stock, and add an extra clove of garlic. Should be lovely still.
Beck and Bulow says
I just made this tonight! It was a hit with my husband (who’s as picky as a kid lol) It worked perfectly on the hob in my stainless steel pan on gas ‘lo’.
Sarah says
This is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have ground cloves so substituted with garam masala. Also subbed in tamari (no coco aminos) and lemon juice (no limes). For some reason mine came out a little oily, I think I used too much oil and also the mince was not super lean. Will make a couple of tweaks for next time. Served it with roast pumpkin and broccoli. Lovely!
Megan says
Great, Sarah, so glad you enjoyed, and thank you for sharing!
Kathy Skagen says
Megan,
This was excellent! My family loved it and demanded that we put it in the rotation. My husband just bought 4 cans of coconut cream to be sure we would be ready at a moments notice. I am thrilled to have a ground beef recipe that tastes so good and gives me a break from chicken!
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Kathy
Megan says
So sweet and great, Kathy, YAY! Thank you for all the loving details, and I’m so happy it’s such a good recipe for your family! xx
Fella says
I had to come back to this recipe to say this curry is SO GOOD. I didn’t have parsnips so I threw in some shredded carrot that I had in the fridge. I also used a ground beef blend with organ meat to get extra nutrients. SO. DAMN. GOOD!
Megan says
Great to hear, Fella! Thanks so much for circling back to share, so appreciated! 🙂
Mary says
Such a satisfying recipe and so delicious. Will have to double next time. Thank you so much Megan!!
Cathy says
Thank you for another great recipe! I added about half a head of shredded green cabbage towards the end of the meat cooking. I did not increase the spices, but I think next time I will bump up the spices. I love the flexibility of this recipe and being able to make it a one-pan meal and getting some cruciferous veggies in. Doing low FODMAP, I sauteed half the greens of one leek in lieu of the onion.
Megan says
Great to hear, Cathy! Thank you for sharing, and so glad you enjoyed!!
Dorothy says
I’ve made this several times with parsnip now in place of or in addition to onion. We like it even better now, so good! I’m finishing a batch now, and tried stir frying the parsnips with coconut oil instead of avocado oil, which caused it to cook more quickly, but still hopefully will have a good flavor. I left out turmeric, cloves, and lime; also optional fresh cilantro. I think it’s still a winner, like a gourmet hamburger helper!
Megan says
Yummy, I love that description, Dorothy! Thanks so much for sharing, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying! I agree that the parsnip version is the best. 😀
Dorothy says
I think it was your suggestion I followed to preserve the fresh ginger by peeling and slicing it, then freezing it. Do you have any tips on measuring it? This last time I made this dish, it was probably a little too gingery.
Megan says
Hmm, can you put less than you did last time, and make sure it’s minced small? Do you remember how much you added last time?
Dorothy says
I’m not sure how much I put, maybe a tbsp or one and a half tablespoons. Since the recipe goes by a 2-3 inch nub, I’m not sure how to measure with it already sliced.
Megan says
Aw, I see. Okay, so I’d mince just two slices this next time and see how you like that. How does that sound?
Dorothy says
Sounds good, Megan, thanks. 🙂 I’ll try not to use a lot less, at least.
Your recipes are enjoyed a lot around here. In fact, one of the last times I made this one, I think, my husband said, “you’re a good cook”.
Megan says
Aw, yay, that makes me smile. Thank you for your sweetness, Dorothy. I’m so glad! xo
Cindy says
My husband – “I’d eat this again.” His highest compliment. I used parsnips and loved them. I do think I used too much ginger and it was a little oily, so I’ll remember those things next time. Thanks!
Megan says
Great and fun to hear, Cindy! I love husband comments, lol. 🙂 So glad you both enjoyed!