Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
This Thai red curry recipe is so easy to make at home! It's much tastier than takeout and healthier, too. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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.
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.
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
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.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
This was delicious!! I didn’t have time to buy the Thai red curry paste, so I made my own with shrimp sauce, white pepper, garlic, ginger, shallot, coconut sugar, coriander, cumin seeds, and tomato paste. I ground it all together in a mortar & pestle. I didn’t have any lemongrass, but that was part of the recipe. I did not add any chilis because I didn’t want the kids to complain. I added broccoli and an extra can of coconut milk. My husband requested potatoes next time. My 11yr old daughter liked it so much that we are making it again this week.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I appreciate your review, Dina.
This was the most delicious curry I’ve ever had. Very authentic flavour and easy to make.
I find it hilarious when people who essentially didn’t follow the recipe and made tons of changes make a comment on how they made it and it was great. Its great to improvise and tweak, but let’s not pretend like you made the same recipe at all- moreover your were ‘inspired’ by the original.
Hello! I just made this recipe and it tastes amazing at first but has a very bitter aftertaste…. any idea how I can correct it? We were looking so forward to it, especially after reading all the wonderful reviews!
You could add a little more salt if you like. Let me know!
I love Thai Curry using the Red curry paste from Thai kitchen, I find that bell peppers in general are bitter when cooked so I add mine very close to the end. This gives it more of a crunch but so much more palatable. I also add green beans with the carrots, add shrimp, mushrooms and cook broccoli separate to add at the end (Since broccoli can change the taste of a dish). I love all the juices and savory veggies!
Thank you for sharing, Lauren! I’m happy you loved it.
My first vegan meal!!! Came out way better than I expected and was very filling. For sure will be trying more of your recipes, thank you! :)
I have been making this for a few years, and love it!! I always add shrimp to mine…. I started keto a few months ago and was wondering if you could post the nutritional info? Thanks so much!
I love this recipe! Thai red curry with coconut & jasmine rice is one of my favorite dishes & its comfort food. I made this & added sauteed boneless skiinless thighs cut into small strips. It was delish!
This is absolutely delicious – I agree with you that it’s the best ever – even better than many Thai restaurants’ curries! I’ll be making this again and again with various veggies to “mix it up.”
This was amazing and made a ton!!! Question I feel like mine was missing something and I can’t place what it was. I used all ingredients but still a bit flat. Any suggestions?!?! Thank you for this recipe I will DEFINITELY make again!!!!!
Made this for the second time tonight! Did three tablespoons of the curry paste, two tablespoons of the soy sauce, and a whole lime worth of juice! I also sautéed chicken ahead of time to add in. Chicken was marinated in red pepper paste, soy sauce, water, and lime juice. Veggies were broccoli, carrots, and yellow bell pepper. Amazing!!!!
Thank you for sharing, Jen!
Hi Kate,
I am going to try this recipe this week. But I have a question. You suggested baking the tofu before putting it into the curry. I wonder how one bakes tofu as you are suggesting. Do I just put it in slices on a baking sheet and bake it at…. 350? until it … ? Then pull it out and cut into smaller pieces?
I have not cooked with tofu much so I am unfamiliar.
Sincerely,
Wendy
Hi Wendy, I suggest following my crispy tofu recipe: https://capital-flux.pro/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
So delicious!
Kate, you nailed it! I have been searching for a curry recipe that could come close to my favorite Thai restaurant and this is it! Thank you for perfecting this – it is so delicious. I made a couple of modifications to the sauce just based on what I had on hand – fresh lime juice instead of vinegar and maple syrup instead of coconut sugar. I also used broccoli and tiny potatoes with the red and yellow peppers and added baked tofu at the end with the coconut milk. I like the tangy fresh flavor of the lime juice, which was further complemented by the fresh cilantro garnish. Thank you!!
One more thing – I also added vegan dashi granules at the coconut milk stage. Dashi is Japanese I believe, and a key ingredient in miso soup to provide more depth of flavor. Non vegan dashi is fish-based, vegan dashi is sea kelp. Can be hard to find so I’ve purchase on Amazon.
I have tried at least a dozen different Thai curry recipes from around the web, and this one is absolutely my favorite! You’re right: It’s restaurant quality. I used collard greens instead of kale, fish sauce instead of soy sauce (because that’s what I had in my pantry), and added a can of chickpeas. Literally so good. And it’s really colorful and pretty, too. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad this one hit the spot for you, Lydia! I appreciate your review.
My friend made this for dinner last night. The four of us agreed it was amazing! I can’t wait to make it for my family.
Absolutely Amazing!!! Love this recipe have made it twice in a week . Used the same red curry paste as suggested, added zucchini to my veggie mix, because it’s that time of year and a most delicious dinner. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Suzanne!
Loved this recipe!! I will definitely make this again. I was looking for what to cook with my red curry paste before it goes bad and this was just the ticket. I usually add it to my roasted tomato soup but wanted a stir fry recipe. Your recipes are always my first stop when I’m looking for something new. :)
Next time I will add a few more and different vegetables and leave out the sugar. I find it sweet enough with just the paste. I also used more paste than you suggested and it was preeeeety hot!! Added more coconut milk to tone it down and ate it with a glass of milk to keep my taste receptors from being overwhelmed. Now I’m already daydreaming about having it for dinner again tonight!
Thank you, Lin! I’m glad you loved it and added your own kick to it.
Added a serano pepper, baby broccoli, asparagus, and baked tofu in addition to the ingredients you’ve listed.. and wow, it was just incredible! Served on top of brown jasmine rice; totally hit the spot. Ended up with about 5 servings in total so there’s a good amount of leftovers :) Appreciate the recipe
WOW! We all love it as written and that includes my picky eaters. I did add some lemongrass and heirloom tomato’s because I had them on hand. Heck, anything I tossed in – even a lamp – would be made better by this sauce. Megawatt YUM!!! And thank you. Just WOW!
Love this recipe! Thank you
First time trying it, and it was amazing. I did add a can of chickpeas, but other than that it was perfect on it’s own!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Added some tofu, otherwise made as written. Lime juice at the end is a must! Thank you for the great recipe.
You’re welcome, Nicole!
Love, love, love this recipe! I add tofu and a little extra hot pepper for a kick.
My family loves Thai food, but I rarely make it at home because the restaurants make it so yummy. Well, I made this recipe and it was a huge hit! I added fresh organic pineapple also. Can’t wait to make it again.
Wow Kate! I tried two of your other recipes including hummus and quinoa – both came out great. This Thai red curry blew me away. I am pregnant and was craving something different and healthy to eat. The minor tweaks I did were: added 1.5 cups of chopped baby spinach, 1 orange bell pepper with a little bit carrots, little bit more of the red curry paste, and I skipped on the soy sauce entirely. Thank you so much for posting such a great recipe that is easy to follow!! Many blessings to you.
I actually looveeeee it! Thank you! I’m a student and i would say it was very easy to make too, so whoever’s reading this go make it that curry!
I want to start off by saying that I am not one to write reviews, but I’ve made over a dozen of your recipes so far and they are all fabulous. This is definitely another winner! I added crispy baked tofu (one of your other recipes) and substituted kale for broccoli. My whole family loved it, including my husband who is not vegetarian. This is my favorite website for vegetarian recipes!!!
Thank you, Nina! I’m so glad you love my recipes. I appreciate your comment.
If I want to use fish sauce, do I substitute it for the soy/tamari sauce in the same amount? And, would I still use the rice vinegar?
I’m not quite sure as I don’t cook with fish sauce, sorry Sara!
This recipe is so versatile and has become one of our go-to’s. We eat it as a “soup”, with basmati rice, chicken or shrimp etc. So many things you can do with it! And we’re constantly changing the veggies. I’m currently on an elimination diet and love that I can easily make this sugar, and gluten free.
I find myself landing on this website a lot for recipes. Keep up the good work!
It is! Thank you for your review, Dana.
Love this recipe so much. I always use cauliflower, shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion when I make it, and the kale if it’s available at Trader Joe’s. Made it for our DnD group tonight and even the carnivores loved it! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Do you cook the cauliflower beforehand or does it become soft enough when simmering in the sauce?
Omg. I have made this now twice and I always go back to this recipe. This turns out delicious. I like mine spicy so I go ahead and add more chili flakes to it, but I love this recipe beyond words.
I’m happy you loved it, Pure!
This was amazing! Sauteed tofu in coconut oil ahead of time to brown it then added it in at the very end. It was chewy and tasty. I used sweet potato ribbons — they cooked fast and dissolved into the coconut milk. Also used eggplant which gave a rich creaminess. Besides the base veggies (onion, garlic, ginger), also included carrots and shiitake mushrooms. We just ate it as a soup. Planning to make it again in a couple of days. :-)
Thank you so much for this recipe! Definitely a new favorite!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad it’s a new favorite, Tapas.
Left out the kale added chicken and other vegys. Delicious!!!
I love this recipe! I cooked this for a Vegan date night dinner, and it was a hit! I substituted the kale with cauliflower. I also added fresh chopped serrano peppers, (which gave it a nice medium heat) fresh chopped basil, and cilantro. I served it over a turmeric garlic jasmine rice and included fresh sliced serrano peppers, basil, and cilantro as optional garnish.
That sounds delicious! I love your variation. Thanks for sharing, Andrew.
Made the lentil soup tonight for dinner. Wonderful flavor!
Hmmmm, delicious! I just made your recipe and the taste is magnifiqué! I increased garlic and ginger and added a bit of shallots! One can never have too many herbs! Bravo! This will be on repeat! Oh, I did roasted cauliflower instead of asparagus. Yum!
That was such a great dinner!! Thanks for the recipe, it guided me perfectly through. :)
Thank you for your review, Angela!
This was great!! I used green curry since my market was out of red. It was delicious. But I most appreciated your rice cooking method. I have always struggled getting the rice/water ratio just right and the cooking time right to avoid crunchy or mushy rice. Doing it (i used brown) this way turned out perfectly. My husband was skeptical and even agreed it was great! Does it work well for white rice too?
I don’t prefer white rice, but yes you can use it. Adjust temps, time and liquid per instructions
Made this recipe this evening and loved it. Easy to follow and great flavours. We substituted kale with spinach and used Thai fragrant Jasmine rice. Will definitely make it again. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Dawn!
This is a wonderful recipe. It has become our family’s go-to meal. I’d like to serve it for a dinner party. Though it’s a meal in itself, I’d like to serve one side dish and a dessert. Suggesttions for complimentary dishes? Thank you!
I’m happy you are loving this recipe! This salad could work well: https://capital-flux.pro/simple-healthy-coleslaw-recipe/%3C/a%3E and really any dessert to finish the meal with would be lovely: https://capital-flux.pro/category/food-recipes/dessert/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’ve been fasting for 2 days and was having cravings for Thai. Found your recipe and couldn’t wait to try it. I used broccoli instead of 2nd bell pepper and added your baked tofu. Once I started prepping I realized the only curry paste we had was pad prik, so I had to use that instead. Well it turned out delicious and completely satisfied my cravings. Next time I will use green curry paste and kaffir lime leaves, and have fresh chopped chili in fish sauce ready (I like it hot). I have your cookbook and have been working my way through it….love it. Thank you so much for these amazing recipes. Great work.
Thank you for sharing your variation, Laura!
I loved this recipe. I used oatmeal milk since I ran out of coconut milk and I made my own curry paste with some cumin, curry, lemongrass, lemon juice, salt, paprika and tomatoes. I put some mushrooms also.
I’ve made this three times so far. It is absolutely delicious. I have to stop myself from eating it all, and I pretty much lick my plate. I add green beans and cauliflower.
Excellent recipe, I am new to trying recipes, I did not what to expect, the only thing I did different was use coconut cream since didn’t have coconut milk, it is delicious, tastes just like food from a Chinese restaurant
This was really nice. Thanks! I put soy beans, red pepper, spring onions, shiitake mushrooms, potatoes & bamboo shoots in it & a cup of red lentils. I added more water as lentils are thirsty. It’s like a nice thick soup now but very tasty & has definitely warmed me up!
I am not a good cook whatsoever and this recipe turned out FANTASTIC!!!! I will be adding this in my dinner rotation. So easy and simple!
if i wanted to add chicken, should i double the sauce?
Kate, thank you so much! Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. my meat loving son and husband loved it too! I will convert them eventually with your help : )
I made this last night! It was really simple. But I may have added a little too much brown sugar and it tasted sweeter than what I’ve eaten at restaurants. But all in all I am adding this one to my weeknight dinner kitty. Thank you for this :)
You’re welcome!
Hi! How long will leftovers stay good for in the fridge?!
Thanks :)
Maddie
Hi! They should keep well for 3-4 days. I would store the rice and curry separate.
This is my new favorite recipe!!! Can’t get enough and I agree I could eat it for breakfast! It’s so satisfying. We’ve been using onion, bell pepper, zucchini, cauliflower, peas, red potatoes (boiled first and diced). It’s really too good. Thank you!
This is my favorite vegan food! <3 thanks for the recipe! All my family loves it!
This is a great one to have as a favorite! Thanks for your review.
This was delicious! A small note though that the 1/2 cup of water made it too liquidy for my family’s tastes. If you like a thicker curry, skip the water at first and add as necessary, especially if you are using light coconut milk. We used regular coconut milk for ours.
Thank you for your comment, Sarah! I’m happy you enjoy this.