This recipe for coconut beef stew takes an old favorite to the tropics! Full of spices and some coconut milk that makes a creamy, dreamy sauce…this is a beef stew that is going to have them ask for seconds and thirds. And it’s Whole 30 compliant, too!
Imagine this. You get a hankering for a nice, hot, comforting beef stew with all the wonderful ingredients: chunks of beef, pieces of carrot and potato, etc. But instead of the usual beef broth or wine that you usually make beef stew with…you use coconut milk. And you throw in a few spices that are usually not found in beef stew, like cinnamon and cumin.
And when the stew is done, all tender and with a hint of coconut taste after simmering for hours in the coconut milk, you ladle it out into bowls and take your first bite, and you are transported into a land that is a confusingly wonderful mixture of tropical comfort food. I promise you, this is one beef stew that you are going to remember lovingly for a good long time. Let’s make it!And not only that, if you are a Whole 30-er like me, you will be delighted to know that this is not only scrumptious but 100% compliant. Yep. It just keeps getting better and better.
This recipe for coconut beef stew takes an old favorite to the tropics! Full of spices and some coconut milk that makes a creamy, dreamy sauce. It was actually my adventures in cooking with coconut milk via the Whole 30 that led me down this tropical beef stew road, but even if I wasn’t a Whole 30 aficionado, I would still be head over heels for this creamy, dreamy, slightly spicy spin on an old classic. Which all goes to show you, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.
Any excuse to put a puppy picture up.
Anyway…coconut beef stew. Try it!
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Coconut Beef Stew
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop and Oven
Cuisine: American
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This recipe for coconut beef stew takes an old favorite to the tropics! Full of spices and some coconut milk that makes a creamy, dreamy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14oz can coconut milk
- 2 pounds beef chuck steak, cut into cubes
- 4 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
- 2 cups carrots, cut into 1–2 inch pieces
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350. Put oil in Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot over medium heat. Cook onions for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and spices and stir for one minute. Stir in tomato paste and then coconut milk. Bring to a boil and add beef.
- Cover and transfer to oven, Cook for 1 hour, then remove from oven and add potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook for an additional hour and 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle each serving with flaked coconut and parsley and serve.
Updated from a previous Framed Cooks post
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!
I must confess coconut and beef stew together doesn't sound appetizing to me…but I'll try just about anything once! And who knows…maybe I'll grow a liking for it. :-] At any rate, reading about it was worth it just to see the puppy!! ^_^
I just made Indian style chili so the next logical step seems to be to make coconut beef stew. Maybe with some red curry paste thrown in. Yeah? Looks fantastic! I've never seen stew look so good.
I love any blog post that finds an excuse to put an adorable puppy picture up!
A Gujarati friend makes a traditional Indian dish with coconut and potatoes. The spices are similar to the ones in this recipe so I can only imagine it's quite tasty. The aroma must have been heavenly!
oooooooh….coconut milk AND flakes…that sounds delectable!
What kind of coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened? Or does it not matter? Thanks.
I love anything about coconut. This is another tasty treat. Save it from my file, I'll make this soon as possible. TAG!
Catherine: I use sweetened flakes, but I think either would be fine – whatever tastes best to you!
I saw this recipe and had to try it…the results were fantastic!
I am making this tomorrow night with a few modifications. I love coconut and beef but I have a pork roast so that might be the change. And I’m a crock potter so that might be the other change. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sounds delicious – let me know how it comes out with the pork! :)
It was a bit dry after the first hour in the oven. I had to add liquid.
Hi Kelly! Thanks for the feedback – hope it was delicious for you after adding the extra liquid! Different ovens behave differently, so great that you were able to adjust the ingredients. :)
This looks so good!The perfect weekend dinner. Thank you!
Thanks Mary – I hope you love it!
I’m intrigued by this stew! I’m generally not a fan of coconut, but I do love cooking with coconut oil, so I’m thinking this would pass with flying colors. So warm and comforting, too!
I think you will love it Gail – it’s unexpectedly spicily scrumptious!
The stew sounds delish! Can’t wait to try it. And you never need an excuse to put a puppy picture up! What a cutie!
I know, right? I need ALL THE PUPPIES.
Wow! What a great idea Kate! I would have never thought of adding coconut milk! I love the addition of the cinnamon too! Need to try this one. Thanks!
Try it Mary Ann – it is right up your alley! :)
What an interesting idea! I love all the spices you’ve used and I’ll be this tastes spectacular!
Oh it does- I promise! :)
I would love to try this stew, it looks and sound absolutely delicious and I am a fan of good, hearty beef stews. Can I have that puppy? :)
This was really tasty thought I cooked it for 3 hours in the end as the beef was too tough after 1h 15 mins.
Thanks Annis! Sometimes cutting the meat into even smaller pieces will help the cooking time. I’m so glad you liked it in the end, though! :)
Flavour was nice, but my stew was full of grease (most apparent after refrigerating leftovers).
I did make adjustments to the recipe: we can’t tolerate onions or garlic, so I substituted my dried mixed spice with these flavours; I added the cream of a second can of coconut milk because it didn’t have enough liquid; at the very end (last 10 minutes) I added mushrooms and chopped pok choy.
Would searing the meat first help with the grease? Any tips? I would try this again if I could control that grease.
★★
Hi Maisy! Your additions sound delicious. :) As for the grease, it definitely could have been the particular cut of meat you used. Searing can definitely help with that (and will also add another level of flavor!), and I would look for a cut that has just a medium amount of marbled fat – and of course cut off any big chunks of fat that you see. And a quick fix for anything that is turning out too greasy – lay a clean paper towel on the top of the stew and press it down gently. It will soak up the excess oil which always floats to the top. Sometimes you need more than one. But hopefully you won’t need this trick next time. Hope this helps! :)
Add juice of two limes, a few jalapenos and some diced red bell peppers, two keffir lime leaves and a small can of fire roasted tomatoes.
Hi Tim! Love these suggestions! :)
Sounds delicious! Do you recommend full fat or light coconut milk?
Hi Mindy! I usually use light, but I’ve made it with both and it comes out fine either way. Happy cooking!