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.
The Thai Coconut Curry dish was soooo delicious, I made extra based on the comments and am eating it for dinner 3days in a row- yum ! I splurged am ordered Mae Anong red curry paste online because of the rave reviews compared to the grocery brand which were reported as more bland. Sooo glad I did, I will make his again and again. It does require veg prep time, so it came together longer than I initially expected, but worth the wait!
Wonderful, Kendra! Thanks for sharing.
Loved the taste! Definitely a win in our family! I was wondering if there was a way to make it less spicy? Less curry paste or if I could use green curry? Thank you!
Hi Amanda! You could use less curry paste for sure.
Great easy recipe. I added peanuts to mine and it was really great. Could be spicier but thats just my preference. So glad I made this!
I’m glad you did too, Abigail! Thank you for your star review.
I just made this recipe tonight and it came out beautifully! I added crispy baked tofu to the recipe and loved every bite. I’m excited to eat it again for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
You’re welcome! The tofu would go nicely with this recipe.
I did the same! I subbed the crispy baked tofu for the carrots and added it in at the same time as the kale and it is incredibly delicious. I also made mine with quinoa and it’s great.
I LOVE red curry and just made this with a mish-mash of vegetables I had at home and it’s delicious! I crumbled a package of tempeh in it for protein and it’s fantastic, the texture fits in perfectly. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Beth!
I don’t know Thai cooking. I was hoping to deliver a delicious meal with this highly rated recipe. Very bland. Embarrassed to serve it.
I’m sorry to hear that, John. Sometimes curry paste can vary by brand. Maybe try a different brand or add more? Thank you for trying it and commenting!
That’s funny, I used Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste and it was INSANELY hot. I like spicy food, but wow I could have used 1-2 tsp instead of the 2 Tbsp this recipe called for. Otherwise I thought it was great!
This had great flavor- easy to make and really good with the rice.
Wonderful! Thanks, Kathleen.
Made this yesterday following the recipe quite faithfully. Hubby said it tastes exactly like the red curry at our favorite Thai restaurant! This is a winner and will be bookmarked and made often! The details provided in the recipe such as time to cook at each step ensure that you can’t go wrong with the recipe. And so I would feel confident making this recipe for company too.
Great! Thank you, for sharing.
I just made this, and it is fantastic! Thanks a million. First Thai curry I’ve made that tastes like the real thing.
Hooray! Thank you, Daphne. I appreciate the review.
Worked well even for a novice in the kitchen. And quick!! Left out the sugar as I think it would have been too sweet for my taste
That’s great to hear Geoff! Thanks so much for your review.
Loved the flavor of the recipe, but too watery. I added cornstarch, but it still didn’t thicken like I’d hoped. Any recommendations for a thicker sauce?
This sauce isn’t meant to have an overly thick consistency since curry is more soup-like. Without changing the recipe too much, I don’t have a recommendation off the top of my head. Sorry! You could always add more rice per serving to soak up more of the liquid. Hope this helps!
Love all of your recipes!
Thank you, Tanya!
Great recipe! I tried this out. Mine seemed to be watery and a little bland, even though I added some more red curry paste. Any solutions? Maybe use coconut cream instead of coconut milk, or decrease the amount of water?
That’s interesting! I do know the type of curry brands can vary. What brand did you use?
Hi Cookie&Kate,
I’m am back wanting to try another recipe! Your creations look wonderful and I can imagine the taste before I make them. I have perfected the Thai Pineapple Rice dish, and received many compliments. The dish is fun to make and tastes grrreat! 5star for sure!
I’m now going to add another gem of a recipe Thai Red Curry with Vegetables to my growing list I’m sure this one is 5Star as well!
Keep well, keep cooking! And thank you.
Ruth
Hooray! Thank you, Ruth for sharing and for your review.
I make this almost weekly. It is one of my family’s favorite meals. It feels medicinal and so satisfying. Thank you!
Happy to hear that, Robin!
Wow! Easy and adaptable. I used onion, peppers, carrots, broccoli and yellow squash, and spinach instead of kale. It was fantastic!
Sounds like a great combination, Naomi! Thanks for sharing what you thought. I might need to try that!
I’ve just make this & it was amazing I swap the kale for spinach, definitely making it again
Thank you, Lianne!
I love this recipe! It’s perfect for any weekday. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Patricia!
My family loves it. It is a go to dish now. Thanks!!!
Great to hear, Michelle!
Yummy! Just made this for breakfast very good!
Happy to hear that! I won’t think of this for breakfast, but maybe I should!
Haha! We have bodybuilders here so it was more of a 11:00 a.m. brunch. Served it over quinoa for extra protein. It was gone by noon tho. TYVM for the recipe.
Ate this for dinner at 7. It’s 10 now, and I’m wondering if “second dinner” is a thing. Used totally different veggies, but let’s be serious, you could put this broth on cardboard and it would taste good. Okay, one more confession, I put a dollop of zhoug on this. Are they supposed to go together? Don’t know. But it was GOOD.
I’m in for a second dinner! Zhoug? Oh, I’m going to need to try that! Thanks for sharing, Jeanne.
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes! Perfect for cool evenings. How would you suggest adding chicken into the recipe? I enjoy it as a vegetarian dish but would love the option of adding in the protein.
Thank you!
Hi Cordelia! Since I’m a vegetarian, I’m not sure about chicken. Know that rice has a good amount of protein. Tofu could be a great option too!
I added chicken and it turned out great. I just sauteed the chicken and then took it out of the pan and did the rest. Then added it back in towards the end. I am going to try adding shrimp towards the end tonight. I think it will be really good.
This was lovely in several tasty ways. I cook it a slighly different order, oil and curry past first then coconut milk followed by the vegetables in stages thereafter to keep them less cooked. The sweet of the sugars and the sour of the vinegar/lime was excellent. Topped with excessive fresh basil or cilantro after the burner is turned off. Thanks for this posting; made us happy!
Thanks for sharing, Jordan!
Great recipe but I’m confused by your rice cooking instructions. Can you be more specific about rice to water ratio?
Thanks!
Hi Chris! Great question. My rice cooking method isn’t about a water to rice ratio. See step 1. Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil and then add the rice, etc. Hope this helps clarify some!
Hello Kate,
I found your marvelous site hunting for meatless spaghetti sauces on Yummlys. It was fun gathering a few recipes from your “12 affordable meatless meals”.
Since I grew up on fabulous curry (mostly chicken) having been born in British Guiana can you give me your favourite curry dish? I’d really love to start with that. The inspiration to ask came from reading about your cooking passion and prowess in the “About”.
I’m just entering the land of meatless meals, and will cling to your website so I don’t go astray.
Hi Rod, I’m so sorry for the belated response! Thank you for your kind comment. I am not saying this to market my book, but my favorite curry recipe that is somewhat similar to British curries is the chana masala in my cookbook, Love Real Food! I don’t have other recipes like it on the blog. I hope you’ve found something to enjoy here nonetheless!
I LOVE this recipe. It’s my new go-to. Pretty easy, and tastes better than most restaurant curries. Even my 6 year old daughter loves it (I just add sriracha to mine for spice after I serve hers). Thank you so much!
Thanks for the compliment, Kenzie! I appreciate the review.
Great recipe! Quick and easy to make and delicious. My teen vegetarian daughter and I both loved it!
Wonderful, Julie! Thanks for your review.
Just found this and it’s such a great recipe! Thank you!
I added chickpeas, as I’m not really a fan of tofu and it was wonderful – just a tip for anyone else wanting to add a good source of extra protein to this beautiful dish :-)
Thanks for sharing, Laura! Chickpeas are a great option.
Made the Thai Red Curry and it was awesome!!!! My new fav for sure! Oh and I love you book, soooo many great recipe. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting recipes with real food in them. Also love the extra info on brands that are less chemically compromised.
Thanks, Rebecca!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe before, but I just have to say that I have been making this for nearly two years now and it is our absolute favorite and such a crowd pleaser. It’s made it’s way into our weekly rotation because it’s so quick and easy but delicious. Big fans!
I’m so glad you commented! Thanks so much, Katelynn.
So delicious! I have been meaning to make this for dinner for quite some time and finally did it last evening. Both my sons were here for a visit and we all absolutely loved it. Such a great flavor! We all did add red pepper flakes to make it a little spicier and that just made it perfect. We also added cilantro which was a very tasty addition. So delicious. Better than the local Thai restaurant in my opinion. It took a little bit of time prepping all the ingredients but once that was done, the recipe came together really easy. This was also the first time I made brown using your method of just bringing a big pot of water to a boil, add the measured rice , cook for 30 minutes and then drain the rice. So easy and the rice came out perfect. I will cook rice this way from now on instead of following the directions on the bag. This recipe will definitely become part of the regular rotation. In fact, I’m planning on making it for a luncheon for about ten ladies next weekend.
I’m glad you finally made it too! Thanks Annika for your review.
I just made this today! My husband and I absolutely loved it!!!!!!!!
Wonderful!
Delicious! This is one of our staples.
Love to hear that! It really is so much better than takeout. I appreciate the review.
Great recipe–delicious. We added a lot of lime juice at the end for some tangy contrast. Will make again!
Wonderful to hear, Jacki!
This is so good!! It was super easy and absolutely delicious. I thought i accidentally put too much vinegar into it then added a bit more soy sauce and it was perfectly balanced. Next time I might put some chili paste in it for a bit of heat. I also fried up some tofu to put on top. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you, Rachel for sharing and for your review!
I’ve used this recipe as a guide for my last few curries, and it has been so helpful. The tastiest curries I’ve made, by far. Thanks!
Wonderful, Lauren! Fun to make different variations!
Hi I made this and did a few changes, I swapped the kale for spinach, I used half carrot and half sweet pototoe, added 1 cup chick peas, used 3 peppers no green ones and 3 tbsp. of red curry. This was delicious. Kept everything else as is.
Thanks for sharing your variation, Karen! Sounds delicious. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Delicious and comforting! I’ve been cooking your recipes exclusively for about a month. My husband and I have enjoyed EVERYTHING! Your talent and love of cooking shine through your recipes. Thank you for sharing what you love!
I’m happy to hear you have been loving everything you have tried, Rachael! Thanks for the review.
Good evening just made the Thai Red Curry – absolutely delicious.
Will make it again only doing a double portion.
Thanks Sue
You’re welcome, Susan! I’m really glad you loved this one.
Hi, how would I add chicken to this recipe?
I’m not sure as I’m a vegetarian and don’t eat meat. But you could try to see what others might have done in similar recipes!
Amazing!!! I love it! I just switched my diet from paleo to vegan and I’m in love with this recipe! Made the minestrone for my hubby and he loves it too! Thank you for helping with the diet transition!
You’re welcome, Marie! I’m glad you really liked this one and that the blog as been helpful in your transition.
I made rthis tonight and it was delicious. I highly recommend
Great to hear, Terri! Thanks so much for sharing.
Kathryne, this is the best red curry I have ever experienced in my life. Very rich flavor and colorful. I added cubed chicken to it but it can certainly goes by itself with white rice. Congratulations on your excellent dish! BTW, I am of Italian ancestry and mostly cook Italian dishes but my expensive past travel took me to Asia many times and I got to live many dishes there. Red curry is one of my favorite favorites.
Love to hear that, Daniel!! Thanks for sharing.
Kate, pardon my many grammar mistakes. I am kind of lazy to recheck it when I use my phone Swype keyboard before I hit the send key. I did not mean “expensive” but was suppose to be “expansive”. Sorry. Thank you for replying!
Just made this tonight- it’s so good! I recently found your blog and have tried a couple of things. They’ve all been great!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks so much, Jana!
This is a wonderful and filling vegetarian dish! I love how easy it is to switch it up depending on what you have in your fridge.
Thanks, Lisa!
Really solid homemade curry! I was doubtful until the last minute, but then I added the squeeze of lime juice and viola! Flavors all came together. Especially loving the flavor of sweet potatoes that I added to the mix with the curry coconut flavor. Really special. Definitely will make this again.
Thanks, Kathleen!
REALLY great curry! I have never been to Thailand but this is what I imagine Thailand to taste like. Savory, sweet, a little spicy, the right amount of acidity.
The only thing I changed was that I put my carrots in the pan earlier with the onions because I like them to soften up, and added garlic later because I don’t like to risk burning it.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your approach, Kristen!
Yummm this was so warming and delicious! I didn’t have full fat coconut milk on hand but ended up adding 1/4C red lentils, which disappeared in the sauce but thickened it. So good!
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you loved it, Elena.
I made this for my partner and I a little while ago, he now depends that I make it at least once per week because he loved it so much! it is a really beautiful recipe – thanks!! :D
p.s would love to see you do a massaman or yellow curry!!
That’s great, Adele! I will add those to my list. :)
This dish was SO delicious. I love how quick and easy it was for a weeknight dinner as well. Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. My whole family loved it and deemed it a keeper!
I’m glad you love it, MJ! Thanks for your comment and review.