Display omitted •An efficient wool fabric pad dyeing method with insoluble curcumin was proposed.•The mixed color paste showed excellent stability and dyeing performance.•The higher K/S value (16.15) can be obtained by wet steaming than dry steaming.•Dyeing and fixation can occur simultaneously by adding tannin with content effect. In accord with the general trend of low carbon emissions, aiming at solving the difficulty of insoluble natural dyes pad dyeing, we innovatively proposed an efficient pad dyeing method for wool fabrics with curcumin. In this study, a color paste containing curcumin dispersion and sodium polyacrylate solution (PAAS) was used as a coloring agent to pad dyeing wool fabrics. The mixed color paste showed excellent stability and dyeing performance. The highest K/S value (16.15) can be obtained by wet steaming process under 7.5 g/L of sodium polyacrylate, 8 g/L of curcumin and steaming for 15 min. Dyeing and fixation can occur simultaneously by adding tannin, achieving an outstanding color effect. Utilization rate of natural dyes was significantly improved. This dyeing method endowed wool fabrics excellent color intensity, fastness and antibacterial activity, the wet steaming method eliminated the drying process and reduced energy consumption. It provided a feasible route for natural dyes pad dyeing and showed great potential in environmental dyeing field.