This vegetable Thai red curry is so creamy and delicious with the perfect amount of spiciness. Super easy to make and better than a restaurant!
We’re huge fans of Thai food in our house and a good Thai red curry is one of our favorite dishes ever.
And it’s so simple to make at home. So bringing the restaurant experience home is so easy to do. And it’s so good and so flavorful that you’ll probably put this on the regular dinner rotation.
Not to mention that you can have dinner on the table in around 40 minutes.
And if you love a good curry that comes together fast then also check out our fabulous Thai green curry and red curry pasta. You’ll also love our easy lentil curry, black bean curry and vegetarian katsu curry.
How To Make Thai Red Curry
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Heat oil in a pot and then add crushed garlic, minced ginger and red curry paste and sauté to toast the spices.
- Add in coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and blended with the spices.
- Add in your chopped vegetables (shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby corn, red bell pepper, carrot) as well as some lime leaves and lemongrass (lightly crush the lemongrass with a knife first).
- Bring it to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft but firm.
- Now add in some soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, sliced red chilies and fresh basil leaves.
- Cook until the basil leaves have just wilted.
- Serve with basmati rice and some fresh basil and lime wedges.
Recipe Tips
Coconut Milk: This must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk for the most delicious and rich curry. If you use a drinking coconut milk (usually sweetened) this will dramatically influence the result and it won’t be nearly as good. The same goes for a light coconut milk. It just won’t be as good.
The Veggies: You can really be flexible on the veggies that you use in this curry. The main attraction is that wonderful red curry sauce, what you put in it, doesn’t matter as much. We used shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby corn, red bell pepper and carrot. But other veggies like zucchini, snow peas, sugar snap peas, garden peas, button mushrooms would all also work great.
Spiciness: This is a fairly mild curry. Feel free to use more red curry paste if you like things hotter. If you like things really mild though then feel free to also reduce the red curry paste to one tablespoon. You can also omit the sliced red chilis if you want a milder version.
How To Serve Red Curry
It’s wonderful served with some basmati rice or really any variety of rice. Some fresh basil for decoration is also lovely. Another good option is some lime wedges on the side.
Make It Gluten-Free
The only thing to change in this recipe if you want it to be entirely gluten-free is to use tamari instead of soy sauce. Alternatively just ensure that the soy sauce you use is gluten-free. Everything else is naturally gluten-free.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for 4-5 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
It is also freezer friendly if you want to freeze some.
More Delicious Dinner Recipes
Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Minced Ginger
- 2 Tbsp Red Curry Paste
- 28 ounces Canned Coconut Milk Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 1 cup Shiitake Mushrooms Sliced, Stalks Removed
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets
- 1 cup Cauliflower Florets
- 1 cup Baby Corn Sliced
- 1 cup Red Bell Pepper Sliced, about 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper
- 1 cup Carrot Sliced, Matchsticks, about 1 Large Carrot
- 4 Lime Leaves
- 2 Stalks Lemongrass Three inches each, lightly crushed with a knife
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 2 Red Chilies Seeds Removed, Sliced
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
For Serving:
- Basmati Rice
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot and then add the crushed garlic, minced ginger and red curry paste and sauté to toast the spices.
- Add in the coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and blended with the spices.
- Add in the chopped vegetables, lime leaves and lemongrass stalks.
- Bring it to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft but firm.
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, sliced red chilies and fresh basil leaves. Cook until the basil leaves have just wilted.
- Serve with basmati rice and some fresh basil and lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- The coconut milk must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk for the most delicious and rich curry.
- You can be flexible on the vegetables that you use in this curry. Other veggies like zucchini, snow peas, sugar snap peas, garden peas, button mushrooms would all work well.
- This is a fairly mild curry. Feel free to use more red curry paste if you like things hotter and if you like things really mild then reduce the red curry paste to one tablespoon. You can also omit the sliced red chilis if you want a milder version.
- Make It Gluten-Free: Use tamari or a gluten-free soy sauce to ensure gluten-free friendliness in this dish. Everything else is naturally gluten-free.
- Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days. It is also freezer friendly if you want to freeze it.
- Nutritional information does not include rice.
I eat Thai a lot but I’ve never had Thai curry. This came out fantastic. I was skeptical because I tasted it as I went but the flavors really don’t come together until you add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and basil at the end. I used bay leaves and lime juice in place of lime leaves and 4 Thai chiles.
So glad you enjoyed it Samantha! Thanks for the wonderful review!
This does taste better than a restaurant! Truly. And I can’t believe how easy it is to make this at home. Five stars and will definitely make this again.
Yay, thanks James!