Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe (2024)

byBeth Le Manach

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This Vegan Thai Red Curry is one of my favorite Vegetarian Recipes because you can make the whole thing ahead of time. All you have to do is reheat it. In fact, I think it’s even better when made the day before because the flavors become even more pronounced.

It also makes for a wonderful vegan holiday meal too, and I often serve it as an option for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner if I have vegan friends or family attending.

For a lighter, low-carb curry try my Shrimp Curry Recipe with Cauliflower Rice which is equally delicious and comes together in 15-minutes or less!

Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe (1)

Why You’ll Love This:

  • When it’s cold outside and you want something comforting and warming, you can’t beat a curry dish. The sweet potatoes, kale, and cauliflower also pack a nutritional punch!
  • It’s also a quick dinner recipe for a weeknight, thanks to the store-bought, jarred curry paste. Of course, you could make your own Thai Red Curry paste, but I find you can’t beat the convenience of the jarred paste. Just look for a quality brand, and refrigerate it after opening.
  • This recipe is very similar to my Vegetarian Pot Pie with Root Vegetables Recipe, but I think it’s even easier since there’s no pastry to fuss over!

Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe (2)

Watch a Video Demo of this Recipe Below!

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Saute the Onions, Garlic, and Ginger

You’ll first begin by sauteing the aromatics this will help deepen the flavor of this dish, by giving the onions, ginger, and garlic a head start. It also sweetens up the onions.

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Add the Red Curry Paste And Coconut Milk

  • I begin with 4 tablespoons of the red curry paste, but keep the jar standing by in case you want to add more heat or prefer a bolder flavor.
  • You will be able to add more after you add the coconut milk and adjust the seasonings.
  • Stir the curry paste in with the onions until combined and then you’ll add the coconut milk.

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What’s The Difference Between All The Coconut Milk Choices?

  • When you get to the market you’ll likely see 3 types of coconut milk. This can be completely confusing and leave you wondering what’s the difference?! Here’s the cheat sheet.
  • Classic or “full-fat” coconut milk. Thick consistency. Great for curries or my Coconut Cream Pie!
  • Coconut Cream. Very thick coconut milk. Great for making whipped coconut cream or to thicken light coconut milk
  • Light Coconut Milk. Great for lighter soups, chia puddings, or smoothies.

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The Best Coconut Milk For Curries

  • For this recipe, I prefer the “Classic, Full-Fat” Coconut Milk.
  • The thickness is best for a hearty dish like this curry.
  • If you can’t find it you can always use Light Coconut Milk and add a can of coconut cream to get the same consistency.

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Add the Vegetables

  • I think vegetables that have a combination of starchiness and texture go best with Thai red curry.
  • For this curry, I add a combination of sweet potatoes and kale, for a fall twist.
  • Then add a few garbanzo beans and cauliflower for some additional protein and texture.

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Cook According to Density

  • The vegetables in this recipe cook at different rates. It’s best to not add them all at once, but add them in stages.
  • Add the sweet potatoes first since they’ll take the most time to become tender, then the cauliflower, garbanzo beans, and then the kale.

Use Red Kale for a Pretty Color

  • If you can find the Red Kale it will add wonderful color to your curry, but really any type of kale will be tasty.
  • Just be sure to remove the stem and only use the leaves, since the stems can be tough to eat.
  • You could also use fresh spinach instead of kale if you prefer.

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Garnish and Serve!

Once the vegetables are cooked through, the final step is to garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh cilantro. If you need to reduce the heat, you can add a squeeze of lime!

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What to Serve with Red Thai Curry?

  • This dish pairs beautifully with brown rice or quinoa or cauliflower rice is a wonderful option too!
  • If you go the route of cauliflower rice, you could omit the whole cauliflower in the curry itself and add some broccoli florets instead.

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Make-Ahead Tips:

  • The whole thing could be made the day before and just reheated the day you plan to serve it. How’s that for easy!
  • Just add the kale on the day of serving to prevent it from getting too wilted.

More Warming Recipes!

  • Curried Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa
  • Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
  • Gardner’s Pie
  • White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

Please let me know if you make this recipe

by leaving a rating and review below

Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe (11)

Vegan Thai Red Curry

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe is a great vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Idea. You can also make the whole thing ahead of time. Includes recipe video too.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) unflavored cooking oil
  • 2 cups (475 ml) white onion, sliced into half moons
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) grated ginger
  • 4 tbsp (60 ml) red curry paste
  • 3 (15-oz) cans full fat coconut milk (3 (398ml) cans)
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
  • 2 cups (475 ml) sweet potatoes cut into bite-sized half moons or chunks
  • 1 cup (240 ml) cauliflower florets
  • 1 (15-0z) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (1- 425g can)
  • 1 cup kale (240 ml)

Garnish:

  • Red pepper flakes
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large stock pot. Cook onions until fragrant, then add garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant then add curry paste, cook stirring paste with the vegetables for 1 minute.
  2. Whisk in coconut milk. The full fat variety will have the cream risen to the top, no worries it will melt and combined once heated and stirred.
  3. Add the brown sugar and salt. Then add the sweet potatoes. Allow to cook in the curry for 5-8 mins until tender. Then add the cauliflower, garbanzo beans and kale. Cook until heated through and tender about 5 mins more.
  4. Transfer to a large serving tureen. Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh cilantro.
  5. Serve along side of brown rice. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 206Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 869mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g

Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Thai red curry usually vegan? ›

Some usually vegan friendly dishes are Red Curry, Pad Thai ordered without egg, and Massaman Curry. But as previously stated, don't be afraid to ask if they can make a certain dish vegan without fish sauce. Happy eating!

How to make Thai red curry thicker? ›

How can I thicken up a Thai red curry sauce? Make a slurry of cornflour and water, say a teaspoon of flour to a tablespoon of cold water, mix it well and drizzle it into the curry sauce, drizzle half in and stir to thicken and if not thick enough add more and so on.

What gives red curry its flavor? ›

Red Curry. This type of curry is moderately spiced and one of the most versatile. Red curry is made with several red chilies, which gives it a bold and spicy flavor. Ingredients for the curry base include coriander, cumin, red bell pepper, red chile, lemongrass, and ginger.

Is Thai Kitchen red curry vegan? ›

Thai Kitchen.

Thai Kitchen brand curry pastes are vegan and gluten-free.

Which Thai curry paste is vegan? ›

Thai Red Curry Paste 4 Oz Pack of 2 | Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free | Elevate your dishes with Authentic Spices | Eastern Blue Thai Curry Paste | 125 gm.

Which Thai curry is vegan? ›

Thai red curry is one of the most popular Thai curries and is so easy to make into a meat-free meal. The long-lasting spice is fresh and authentic, the herbs and spices you will find in the curry paste is red chilli, galangal, lemongrass, white pepper and coriander seeds.

How to make Thai red curry taste better? ›

Thai Red Curry Tips

Choose full-fat coconut milk for its richness (you won't regret it!). Stirring in just a little bit of rice vinegar and sugar adds tons of complexity. Readily available store-bought Thai red curry paste adds characteristic Thai flavor and, bonus, the Thai Kitchen brand is vegetarian.

Which Thai curry is healthiest? ›

People love green curry because of the gentle balance of heat, sweet, and acid from the chiles, lime, and fresh herbs. Green curry is great with chicken and shrimp because it offers a punch of seasoning to the protein. The long list of herbs also makes green curry one of the healthiest Thai cuisine dishes.

What to add to Thai curry to make it taste better? ›

Add in more dried spices. Nearly all the Central Thai curry pastes call for a small amount of white pepper, cumin and coriander seeds. To my taste, the aroma from these spices are among the first I notice when I eat green, masaman or panang curry.

What is vegan in Thai? ›

The word for vegetarian is mangsawerat (มังสวิรัติ). The word for vegan is jey (เจ).

Can vegans eat Thai curry? ›

Thailand is traditionally a Buddhist country and many Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan, making Thai food generally plant based. This has changed over time and meat and seafood are now common ingredients in Thai food, but it's still vegan-friendly cuisine.

Can vegans eat Thai? ›

While many Thai recipes contain fermented fish paste, seafood, or meat, dishes are frequently made to order with the removal of non-vegan products or can easily be veganized at home. The variety of fresh herbs and spices more than compensate for the lack of animal ingredients.

What Thai dishes are usually vegan? ›

4 Must-Try Vegan Thai Dishes
  • Yellow Thai Curry With Mixed Vegetables. With subtle flavors of coconut milk, turmeric, garlic, and curry powder, this curry is a Thai classic, whether you choose to have it with meat, or the vegan version. ...
  • Thai-Style Spring Rolls. ...
  • Thai Tom Kha. ...
  • Thai Sticky Rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)
Jul 3, 2023

Is Thai food mostly vegan? ›

The first thing you might realize when learning about the different varieties of Thai foods is that most items are vegan. But you should note that there are a few dishes that use are not completely plant based. A common ingredient found in a lot Thai dishes are fish based seasonings such as fish sauce and oyster sauce.

What is Thai red curry made of? ›

The base Thai red curry paste is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle that grinds dried red chile peppers, garlic, shallots, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, Makrut lime leaves, coriander, cumin, peppercorns and lemongrass.

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