Beef Panang Curry [Rich, Creamy & Fragrant]

This rich and creamy coconut Thai curry has got a little bit of spice, but not too much. It’s made with thin slices of tender steak, cooked in the rich sauce. Kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil make this a beautifully fragrant beef panang curry. All finished off with lime wedges and crunchy peanuts.

A plate of rice topped with creamy Beef Panang Curry, Asian cucumber salad, chopped peanuts, spring onions, lime wedges, and fresh Thai basil on a wooden table. Kaffir lime leaves, spring onions and part of a dark green napkin are also in shot.

Nicky’s Notes

A woman with long brown hair and a black top smiles at the camera, sitting indoors with a brick wall and some greenery in the background.

Chris and I can’t get enough of this curry! Every mouthful is just a flavour explosion. And that beef? Meltingly delicious!!

This is a bit of a treat dinner for us, as it does use steak. But it’s the first thing on my list if that steak is on offer!

I use store-bought panang paste. Mae Ploy (<– aff link) is my top choice for an intense, authentic flavour and that lovely rich orange colour.

Ingredients for Beef Panang

***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***

Top-down view of ingredients for a Beef Panang Curry, including sliced steak, peppers, onion, coconut milk, herbs, spices, sauces, and condiments arranged on a wooden surface.

Panang Curry Paste – I buy mine from amazon. I love the Mae Ploy brand. Maesri is also great and I’ve heard good things about Nittaya.
Peanut butter – I like smooth peanut butter, but crunchy works well too and gives extra texture.

Steak for Beef Panang

For the absolute best flavour and tender meat in a beef panang, use good quality steak. Ribeye and sirloin is best. I know it’s on the expensive side, but this is a quick-cook curry and the flavour and texture of the steak is SO important.

Recipe Tip

Can I use cheaper cut of steak?

Whilst I would recommend the more expensive cut, it is possible to go cheaper, but we need to make a couple of changes.
When using ribeye or sirloin – which is a naturally more tender and flavourful cut, the steak is lightly fried and then simmered in the sauce. This results in tender, soft, melt-in-the-mouth beef.
For a cheaper cut, it needs seasoning and frying off first to give it more flavour (simmering in the sauce will make it chewy). If you want to use a cheaper cut here are my recommendations:

Use velveted beef (a method of tenderising a cheaper cut). You’ll need to season and fry it off first, then add it to the curry in the last couple of minutes of simmering.
Use minute steak or thin frying steak. This is usually made from a cheaper cut of beef. Slice it thinly, season and fry it off first, then slice it up and add it to the curry in the last couple of minutes of simmering.

A wok beef panang curry topped with Thai basil, peanuts, and spring onions; lime wedges and herbs surround it.

Abbreviated Recipe

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***

Fry onion, peppers, garlic and ginger in a wok in oil. Add panang paste, peanut butter and kaffir lime leaves. Fry for 3 mins. Add steak and cook for 2-3 mins. Add coconut milk, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce, simmer 5 mins. Stir in Thai basil and serve over rice, topped with chopped peanuts and spring onions.

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What to serve it with

Some of my favourite sides:

Make ahead and Leftovers Guide

This curry tastes best when cooked and eaten right away, but leftovers reheat well too.
Cool, cover and refrigerate leftover curry for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on high, with a loose cover on top for 3-4 mins per portion, in 1 minute bursts, until piping hot throughout.

Watch how to make it

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat.

2 tbsp oil
Add the onion, peppers, garlic and ginger, and stir fry for two minutes.

1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ginger paste
Add the panang curry paste, peanut butter and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. You should be able to smell the spices and kaffir.

2 tbsp panang curry paste, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 6 kaffir lime leaves
Add the steak and fry for 2-3 minutes, constantly moving and separating the steak with your spatula. The steak should be semi-cooked at this point.

400 g (14oz) thick beef steak, thinly sliced, against the grain
Add the coconut milk, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce, stir then bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.

400 ml (14 oz) tin full-fat coconut milk, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp palm sugar or light brown sugar, 1 tbsp fish sauce
Stir through the Thai basil leaves and turn off the heat.

10 Thai basil leaves
Serve the curry with rice. Top with chopped peanuts, spring onions, and a few fresh Thai basil leaves.

boiled rice, 2 tbsp chopped unsalted peanuts, 2 spring onions (scallions), 8-12 Thai basil leaves

Steak for Beef Panang

Can I use cheaper cut of steak?

Use velveted beef (a method of tenderising a cheaper cut). You’ll need to season and fry it off first, then add it to the curry in the last couple of minutes of simmering.
Use minute steak or thin frying steak. This is usually made from a cheaper cut of beef. Slice it thinly, season and fry it off first, then slice it up and add it to the curry in the last couple of minutes of simmering.

How to scale up and scale down this recipe

You can halve or double this recipe, sticking to the same ratios. If you double the recipe, it will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook, and you may need to add in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken if desired.

Nutritional information is approximate, per person, not including rice (but it does include the chopped peanuts, spring onions and Thai basil). This recipe serves 4.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Thai-Inspired recipes

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