Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (2024)

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Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (1)

You know dinner was good when you want to eat it for breakfast. Speaking of, it’s 10 am and I’m writing with a happy belly.

This Thai red curry made a fantastic meal last night and perhaps an even better breakfast this morning. It’s warm, comforting, and perfect for cool days. It’s a little rich, too, but so full of vegetables that it doesn’t feel too indulgent.

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (2)

I’ve been meaning to try a red Thai curry based on my green curry for a while now, and I’m so glad I finally did. It’s the best curry I’ve ever had, restaurant versions included! Yeah, I said it.

Bonus? You should be able to find everything you need for this simple curry at a well-stocked grocery store.

Watch How to Make Thai Red Curry

Thai Red Curry Tips

  • The secret to making amazing Thai curries is to use plenty of aromatics, like onion, ginger and garlic.
  • 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. You can make your own if you’re so inclined, though.
  • Feel free to change up the vegetables, as long as you slice them so they’re all pretty small and about the same size. You could try broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, diced butternut or sweet potato (which will probably require a longer cooking time), sliced zucchini and/or yellow squash.

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (3)

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (4)

Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments. I love to hear from you.

If you enjoy this hearty dinner recipe, be sure to check out my cookbook for more!

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (5)

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (6)

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Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

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  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

4.9 from 1171 reviews

This Thai red curry recipe is so easy to make at home! It’s much tastier than takeout and healthier, too. Feel free to change up the vegetables (you’ll need about 3 cups total) and skip the kale if you want a more traditional Thai curry. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy. Recipe yields 4 servings.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼cups brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 small white onion,chopped (about 1 cup)
  • Pinch of salt, more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
  • 1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick rounds (about 1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste*
  • 1 can (14 ounces) regular coconut milk**
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ cups packed thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first), preferably the Tuscan/lacinato/dinosaur variety
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce***
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
  • Garnishes/sides: handful of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, optional red pepper flakes, optional sriracha or chili garlic sauce

Instructions

  1. To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
  2. To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring continuously.
  3. Add the bell peppers and carrots. Cook until the bell peppers are fork-tender, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the coconut milk, water, kale and sugar, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers, carrots and kale have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat and season with tamari and rice vinegar. Add salt (I added ¼ teaspoon for optimal flavor), to taste. If the curry needs a little more punch, add ½ teaspoon more tamari, or for more acidity, add ½ teaspoon more rice vinegar. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you’d like. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Thai green curry recipe.
*Red Thai curry paste: Look for it in the Asian section of the grocery store. I like Thai Kitchen brand, which is vegetarian. Not all brands are (they can contain fish sauce and/or shrimp paste).
**Coconut milk: For rich and creamy curry, you need to use regular (not light/reduced fat) coconut milk that contains guar gum. My favorite is Native Forest Classic. The varieties without guar gum (which are becoming more widely available) aren’t nearly as creamy, even though their fat content is the same.
***Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
If you want to add tofu: I’d suggest baking it first and adding it with the coconut milk in step 4. If you add raw tofu, it will soak up too much of the liquid, and baking it greatly improves the texture, anyway.
Update 8/10/2016: I tweaked this recipe a tiny bit to make it richer and more flavorful (decreased water from ¾ cup to ½ cup, and increased tamari to 1 tablespoon and vinegar to 2 teaspoons). I also updated the post with better photos!
If you love this recipe: Be sure to check out my other Thai-inspired recipes here! Don’t miss the Thai pineapple fried rice.

▸ Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.

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By Kathryne Taylor

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (7)Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a comment below:

  1. Alice

    This was excellent. I added snow peas and baked crispy tofu, but I made the remainder of the recipe as you wrote it. I’ll be making this again for company next weekend.

    Reply

  2. Z

    this recipe sounds amazing and I love all the recipes I’ve tried from your site. Is there a way to make it without the red curry paste? I can’t handle spicy food and when I’ve cooked with that paste in the past it has been too spicy for me and my kids.

    Reply

    • Kate

      Hi Z, I find that brands do vary on how spicy they are and you can decrease how much you use. I do recommend using some otherwise it will be lacking in flavor.

  3. Jill Rydblom

    This curry was so cozy and warming! Really hits the spot of what I needed! I can’t tell you how GOOD this was and I definitely recommend this delicious curry recipe!

    Reply

  4. T.P.

    This was so easy, and delicious! I didn’t use carrots, but other than that I made it exactly as you wrote it. Will definitely keep this in my dinner rotation!

    Reply

    • Kate

      That’s great to hear, TP!

      Reply

  5. PGN

    Very tasty! I made the recipe as written, with the exception of a change to the red curry amount. I used the Thai Kitchen brand red curry, and used the entire 4 oz jar. For me, the curry flavors were too weak and the heat too mild if only 2 tablespoons were used.

    Reply

    • Kate

      Great to hear, PGN! Thank you for your review.

      Reply

  6. Gavin

    The curry ended up really watery and bland.. had to add loads of seasoning and spice

    Reply

    • Kate

      I’m sorry to hear that, Gavin. Which curry brand did you use?

      Reply

  7. SW

    Hi Kate,

    Thank you for this recipe, I’m made it at least 20 times and it never gets old and never disappoints!!

    Also love your Thai Spiced Rice Bowls recipe – the broth is so moreish :)

    Reply

  8. Karen R Corcoran

    It was so good and I am making this this weekend for my whole family!I loved the great taste and it was so flavorful and wanted more of it but it was gone before I could go for a second dish. Thank you for this and I am sure that I will be making more of it and with different kinds of fresh veggies from my garden will be great as well.

    Reply

  9. Ann

    This is on weekly rotation at my house. So easy and delicious! I buy frozen Asian vegetables from Costco along with microwaveable brown rice and the meal comes together in no time and is far more affordable and healthier than takeout.

    Reply

    • Kate

      Great to hear, Ann! Thank you for your review.

      Reply

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Thai Red Curry with Vegetables (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good Thai curry? ›

The secret to making amazing Thai curries is to use plenty of aromatics, like onion, ginger and garlic. 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.

What vegetables to add to curry? ›

The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.

How to add depth to red curry? ›

3) Season your paste with fish sauce and palm sugar to develop depth of flavor. Both fish sauce and palm sugar need a few minutes of heat to fully incorporate into the curry. The fish sauce needs to "cook" to mellow the fishy aroma, and the palm sugar needs heat to melt.

Why isn't my Thai red curry red? ›

Thai red curries are Thai restaurant favourites. The red colour is from the red curry paste and the colour will vary depending on how many red spur chillies you use in the paste. You can use shop bought red curry paste but add less to begin with as commercial pastes are often a lot spicier and saltier than homemade.

How do Thai restaurants make curry so creamy? ›

Often, Thai curries are made using coconut milk as the main liquid, which results in a creamy consistency. You can use as much or as little coconut milk as you wish based on your preference for texture, spice, and flavor.

How to make Thai curry more flavourful? ›

Toasting the spices wakes them up and makes the curry more aromatic. Toasting the shrimp paste makes it more pungent and adds a smoky flavour.

Which is hotter, red or green Thai curry? ›

In general, Thai yellow curry is the mildest, Thai red curry is medium-hot and Thai green curry is spicy, although it can sometimes vary depending on what region of Thailand you are in.

What is the most important ingredient in curry? ›

The most common ingredient in curry dishes is garlic. Onion, cilantro, tomatoes, vegetable oil, fresh ginger root, white sugar, coconut milk and chicken stock are also common ingredients in curry recipes. For herbs and spices, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper are popular.

How to thicken Thai curry? ›

Cornflour

Ideal for Chinese sauces or Thai curries but can also be used for Indian curries. Add one tablespoon of cornflour to two or three tablespoons of cold water and stir. Pour the mixture into the sauce and allow to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Which doesn't take very long.

Does Thai curry use coconut milk or coconut cream? ›

The majority of Thai curries are made with coconut milk as the main liquid, which produces creamier curries, but they're not necessarily “rich.” The amount of coconut milk can vary by quite a lot, depending on the texture one is looking for: massaman curry, for example, is quite rich because it uses coconut milk and is ...

How do you make Thai red curry milder? ›

Adding more vegetables to the curry can help dilute the spice. Using coconut milk or cream can also reduce the spiciness. Adding citrus or vinegar provides a tangy flavor that balances the heat. Yogurt or sour cream can cool down the curry.

What to serve with red Thai curry? ›

Serve over rice, noodles, chicken, fish, vegetables, or any other way that sounds good to you! Top with crushed peanuts and scallions.

What's the difference between red curry and Thai curry? ›

Traditionally, all Thai curries were made with the same ingredients except for one thing: the chillies. Red curry was made with several red chillies for a fiery hot dish, while green curry was made with green chillies, and yellow curry was made with yellow chillies.

What to add to bland red curry? ›

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

What is the difference between red curry and panang curry? ›

Panang curry is typically milder, sweeter, and richer, due to the addition of peanuts and the lower amount of chili used in the curry paste. Red curry, on the other hand, is often spicier and more aromatic, courtesy of a larger quantity of red chilies used to create the curry paste.

What makes Thai curry so good? ›

To make a Thai curry dish, you can always expect that there are great amount of fresh herbs and spices added to it. And the combination of these ingredients gives the dish a bold and strong flavour that cannot be replicated by other types of curries.

What is the secret ingredient for curry? ›

Whether you may be familiar with the differences between curries from various countries, such as Indian versus Japanese curry, and perhaps even know how to make them at home, there's a special flavor enhancer that you may not have thought to add: honey.

How can I make my curry taste better? ›

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

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