Vegetarian Thai Red Curry is an easy dinner loaded with the best aromatic Asian spices and plenty of nutritious, good-for-you veggies, and it is true comfort food made in one pot.
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Thai Red Vegetable Curry
It is beautifully fragrant, creamy, and mildly spicy (or not!), and can be eaten on its own with Thai shrimp chips (prawn crackers).
If you're into Thai curries, don't miss my cabbage curry, pumpkin curry and chickpea curry.
Ingredients
- Red Thai curry paste - This is the star of the show and can easily be found in Asian markets. If you can't get your hands on it, Massaman paste or even tomato paste can work in a pinch. Just keep in mind that tomato paste won't have the same bold flavor or heat. To make up for that, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes, cayenne, or chili powder to spice things up! This chickpea curry is naturally creamy and mild, but it does have a little spicy kick.
- Coconut milk - Whether you choose low-fat or full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk is a must. For the creamiest results, go for full-fat-lite versions just don't give the same richness.
- Fresh lime juice - A big, heaping tablespoon is key to balancing the flavors, but if you're new to curry, you might want to let your guests drizzle lime juice over their plates to suit their taste.
- Ginger - I've added a generous spoonful of fresh ginger for a zingy kick that warms up the sauce. Add more for extra spice-just know that the more ginger, the spicier it gets!
- Garlic - Two medium cloves are listed in the recipe, but garlic can vary a lot depending on the season and region. If your garlic is especially strong, you might find one clove does the trick. Trust your taste buds and adjust accordingly!
- Optional add-ons - For extra depth, toss in a splash of fish sauce (1-2 teaspoons), a few kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, or some hot peppers.
Bonus tip: I love adding crispy tofu to this curry for a protein boost. It soaks up all the flavors beautifully and makes the dish even heartier. My go-to recipe for crispy tofu never fails.
📋 You can find the full ingredient list in the Recipe Card below the article.
How To Make Vegetable Thai Curry
In a heavy bottom skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil is ho,t saute the onion until softened.
Follow with garlic and ginger, salt, black pepper, veggies (except broccoli, kale, peas), red curry paste, and turmeric.
Saute until veggies are slightly softened.
Stir in coconut milk, vegetable broth, soy sauce and sugar, and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Coconut sugar adds beautiful flavor if you can add it instead of brown sugar!
Here you can also add lemon grass or kaffir leaves if used.
Take it to a gentle simmer and cook until red curry sauce starts to thicken.
Stir in broccoli (you can add broccoli along with the veggies in the beginning.
I personally, like my broccoli with a little crunch to it and with bright green color!), kale and snow peas, drizzle with lime juice.
Simmer until kale is reduced in size. Taste for seasonings once more.
The curry will start to thicken even more once it's cooled. To reheat add a little vegetable broth or coconut milk.
Serve this curry with more lime juice, fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil), scallions, cilantro, coconut shavings, over cauliflower rice, jasmine rice (or any long grain rice), noodles or simply with bread and shrimp crackers.
Tips
- Ginger - keep a bunch in your freezer and grate it! Frozen ginger is actually easier to peel and grate than fresh, there's no need to thaw it first.
- Mushrooms - Several types of mushrooms are used in Thai cuisine such as straw mushrooms, shiitake, and white jelly fungus. In our grocery stores, the most common is shiitake but you can definitely find more options in Asian supermarkets. Cremini and portobello are perfectly fine to use here too.
- Curry will thicken even more once cooked and refrigerated. Add more vegetable broth, coconut milk, milk, or warm water once ready to reheat.
- Don't simmer for too long or boil once you add the coconut milk. It will start curdling and will separate.
- Coconut milk vs lite coconut milk - Basically coconut milk is pulverized coconut flesh mixed with water. Before opening the can of coconut milk, shake it well so the coconut cream and milk are nicely combined (it just makes it so much easier to scoop out of the can!). Basically, any regular coconut milk is good here, other types of coconut milk such as Lite coconut milk are less natural and thinner. The thicker, the better.
Serving Suggestions
What to serve with curry?
As most of you know, curry is served with rice (I like to use brown rice for a healthier option) and homemade GF naan bread.
You can serve with regular bread (gluten-free if used), rice, quinoa, potatoes, or any grain that has a gluten-free label if this is a concern for you. I have also served this as a thicker soup, with bread on the side.
Don't forget the toppings! Mango chutney, yogurt on the side, bean sprouts, shredded coconut, toasted nuts, green onions, chives, chopped red onion, cilantro, basil, and parsley. All these toppings are a great addition and give lots of flavor to this curry.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
Like with all the curries, you can freeze this one too.
Let it cool completely, place the curry in glass airtight container, refrigerate and consume within 2-3 days. Or freeze for 2-3 months.
After thawing, however, the texture will change slightly which is very common with cream sauce, ''milk'' based recipes.
To restore its first look (as much as we can after thawing), and make it more creamy stir in fresh coconut milk or heavy cream when reheating.
The bottom line, some foods just don't freeze well. Avoid freezing creamy recipes unless you really need to freeze the leftovers.
Consume the curry within 2-3 days.
(By the way, the best time to freeze the curry or any dish is on the same day it was prepared. This way it will remain fresh for longer and retain its nutritional value)
Easy Curry Recipes
- Butter Chicken Masala
- Salmon Curry
- Lentil Dhal
- Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
- Thai Red Curry Chicken Noodles
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Recipe Card
Vegetarian Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
Method
- In a heavy bottom skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat add oil and once hot saute onion until softened. Follow with garlic and ginger, salt, black pepper, veggies (except broccoli), red curry paste, and turmeric. Saute until veggies are slightly softened.
- Stir in coconut milk, vegetable broth, and sugar, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Here you can add lemon grass or kaffir leaves if using.
- Take it to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in broccoli (you can add broccoli along with the veggies in the beginning but I like my broccoli with a little crunch to it and bright green colored, personal preference!), kale, and snow peas, drizzle with lime juice, soy sauce.
- Simmer until kale is reduced in size. Taste for seasonings once more.
- The curry will start to thicken even more once it's cooled. To reheat add a little vegetable broth or coconut milk.
- Serve this curry with more lime juice, fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil) or cilantro, coconut shavings over cauliflower rice, jasmine rice (or any long grain rice), noodles, or simply with bread and shrimp crackers.
Nutrition
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