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 recipe was really delicious. I found it a bit too sweet, so will likely omit the sugar next time. I used lime juice and subbed the kale with spinach, which I wilted in the curry at the very end. Also added dried chiles because the spicier the better (added some chile garlic sauce on top… POW!). Added seitan, which I made for the first time and boy was it delicious in this dish. Thanks for the great recipe. It’s a keeper!
That’s great to hear, Shawnyk!
Splendid curry! thank you. I didn’t have kale so used potato,
peppers, smoked salmon (yum), onion, lots of ginger, etc.
Had to add more salt – and did not add sugar due to
my diet. Yet, it was truly wonderful….no pix…ate it all before I remembered..
Hello, I see many people asking about how to freeze this.
I have not tried this recipe yet, however, I generally pour the leftovers into freezer bags with the rice mixed in and it is perfect when I defrost it.
Thanks.
Thank you for sharing! I know others will find that helpful.
This is delicious but there’s no way those carrots are going to be fork tender in just three to four minutes, so I put a lid on the frying pan and leave them for at least ten. I’ve made this a number of times and I’ve always had to do that.
Loved this recipe. Tweeked with Thai basil, added tablsp Siracha, used quinoa, had no rice.It sucked up some sauce, but it had the Thai flavors.
My kids ate veggies!!! The whole family loves this recipe and we’re able to use so much from our garden. We added bak choi and garlic scapes since they were available. Thank you!!!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Theresa. I appreciate your review.
Hadn’t made this for a while, but local onions, aruba peppers (like bell peppers in heat but thinner skinned), and kale were all fresh at the local farm market. What a treat. The panang one with the crispy tofu is next. Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Added some chicken. But otherwise followed the recipe. Would definitely make again. It was so fresh and healthy.
This recipe is really delicious. I’ve made it twice recently, using broccoli instead of kale, and we loved it. However, both times the coconut milk curdled towards the end of cooking. It did not affect the flavor, but the texture wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked. Any suggestions?
Thank you for sharing, Katrina! Was it full cream? Did it seem like it was chunky when you poured it in? It can separate in the can.
Kate,
I used to love using your recipes, but there are way, way too many video ads on your website. They’re so distracting that I can’t even read a recipe. You’re driven me away.
Hi Samantha, I appreciate your feedback. I try to keep the ads to a minimum, but also need to make a living to continue to bring you delicious recipes. I’m looking at my strategy regularly, and will take this feedback into consideration. You can opt out of ads via your browser settings, if you prefer.
When/where in recipe do you add curry paste and how much? I didn’t see it in instructions.
Thanks!
Hi! See step 3. I hope you enjoy it.
Marcia
NYC July 17,2022
The Recipe is soooo delicious and easy. I already had the cupboard items so I just went today to get the veggies and 123 I was finished cooking and 123 I had 2 servings and thank God I had doubled the recipe.. yummy. Thank you
I’ve made 4 cookie & Kate recipes now and they’re all delicious – thanks so much Kate
You’re welcome, Holly!
Really delicious! I used sweet potatoes and tomatoes for the vegetables. I steamed the cubed sweet potatoes before adding to the pot. With the rice, I made coconut rice – can’t ever have too much coconut! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Trish! I appreciate your review.
This recipe is terrific! I added mukimame and baked tofu for some added protein and some sweet potato for more heft because I was aiming to make a stew. Wonderful flavor! I added the extra tamari at the end as you suggested and it added just what I was looking for. I also added a little sriracha for a tiny bit of heat. This will be a go to recipe for us! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Hilary!
So DELICIOUS! I added chicken and baked cubed sweet potatoes into it & slow cooked it! Chefs kiss!
Great to hear, Haley! I appreciate your review.
I omitted the sugar and added lime zest with the lime juice. And used spinach instead of kale. It tastes great with chickpea noodles.I didn’t put soy or Tamara sauce but added some tomato sauce.
This was AWESOME!! I made a couple of changes based on what I had/didn’t have on hand:
– I used bell pepper, chick peas, zucchini & carrots for veggies (plus onions, garlic)
– I didn’t have red curry on hand, so I did a DIY version using Sambal Oelek (chili paste), fish sauce, and lemongrass paste. YUM!
So satisfying and tasty (and healthy-ish). I will make this again!
this came out great. I gave it 4 instead of 5 because I reduced sugar and added some red pepper flakes. changed kale to spinach. YUM
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Joan!
I use this recipe all the time. The only tweaks are that I add chicken (sauteed separately) and use coconut cream, not milk.
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
I use this recipe all the time. The only tweaks are that I add chicken (sauteed separately) and use coconut cream, not milk.
My favorite curry paste to use is Mae Ploy!
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
Found this recipe two days ago and it was a smashing hit with everyone in the house and guest who came for left overs. I used the veggies I had and I did use a lower in fat coconut milk amd I sautéed without oil and used water instead. I also add a lightly fried tofu to it as well. Absolutely to die for. Thank you
Oh my goodness-I just love this recipe! I have been making it over and over again for about 5 years now. I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to freeze it for a postpartum meal for myself. Baby #1 is coming very soon!!:)
I love to hear that, Lindsey! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I found this recipe too bland. Needs more kick/spice, less fluids for it is too runny.
Hi Judy, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one.
I was super skeptical about this recipe, but it was unbelievably delicious. I lived in Thailand for a while, and the taste is authentic as all get out. This is super cheap, healthy, and it is DEFINITELY going into the rotation.
Great to hear, Alaina! I appreciate your review.
Loved this recipe!! I added shrimp and it was delicious!
hi. can you please tell me when and how you added the shrimp. thank ypu.
Does this freeze well?
Hi Mandie, I have’t tried to freeze it so I can’t say for sure. I don’t think with the coconut milk this one would be the best to freeze.
Everyone loved it and it was so easy to make. I did add extra “heat” as we like spicy food and it was a little bland as written. It’s a keeper!
Great to hear, Deb! Thank you for your review.
Love this recipe and how versatile it is!! I’ve been making it for years. We like to add chickpeas and red chili flakes for spice :)
Hi ! This recipe is delicious ! I would love to cook it for a big party and was wondering does it freeze well ? And if so how to freeze it correctly?
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes !
Hi Kate, I really enjoy your blog and this amazing recipe.So DELICIOUS.
Thanks for sharring.
This is my first Thai curry and I love it. Used veg I had and added chickpeas and lime juice to finish. I bought ingredients a while ago but didn’t know what I was aiming for so a felt a bit reticent about having a go. Had it with rice sprinkled with lime juice. Will be making this often, lovely flavours. Thanks for sharing. Sue
Our family loves this meal and it’s a staple in our home!
Used different veggies and curry powder rather than paste. Kept everything else as is – delicious!!!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Karen! I appreciate your review.
I was googling last night to find a quick curry that aligned with items I happened to have on hand and this fit the bill. I used carrots and bell peppers as suggested, didn’t have kale (too bad; I love the texture of leafy greens in a curry), but did add mushrooms, a can of drained chick peas for protein, and a handful of frozen peas. I used lime juice, not vinegar, and served it with a drizzle of chili crunch. Nice weeknight recipe. Maybe a bit on the bland side without the addition of the chili crunch, but adding a diced thai chili or jalapeno during the ginger/garlic step would likely fix that. I’m likely to make this again.
I made this for my son in law’s birthday. He’s vegan so added tofu. Also did not have the Thai curry paste so used curry, cumin, and ginger powder, tomato paste to sub. Used lots of veges: zucchini, potatoes, bell peppers, leek, broccoli, mushrooms. Everything else the same. Delicious!! A big hit! Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Emily! I’m excited it was a hit and you all enjoyed it.
This was so delicious and easy! I added thick slices of peeled sweet potato and diced partially thawed chicken thighs. The sweet potatoes start to fall apart and just add to the the rich flavors (next time I might leave out the coconut sugar if I use sweet pototes). Then I threw in some frozen green beans at the end (I didn’t have kale on hand). Yum!! Thank you for a great recipe that will become one of my go-to’s :)
“An exquisite balance of textures colours and taste” – Simon
We really enjoyed making and eating this dish, thank you and so nice to know it was healthy too. The baked tofu was particularly tasty, yum.
I LOVE this curry. It’s my go to for a healthy balanced dinner and is always a pleaser in my house. I typically add chicken to it for extra protein as well! Love love love!
I have been looking for a simple, yummy Thai curry recipe – and this was just the ticket! The meal came together easily and the result was a delicious curry with complexity of flavor. The fam loved it as well! I will definitively be making this again and doubling the recipe because this was such a hit!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Make it all the time. The best when you want some warm comfort food. We usually add another can of coconut milk and another 1/2-cup of veggies so we have extra. One of our faves in rotation!
That’s great to hear, Brittney!
Made this last night and it was delicious. I haven’t had much luck with curries before, and now I know the missing ingredients were the rice vinegar, brown sugar, and tamari. What a difference! So glad to have this recipe! I will be using it often.
I’m glad you love it, Linda! Thank you for your review.
This is officially my go to recipe when I need a vegan and non-vegan option. I folow your recipe pretty much to the end – but I add red pepper flake at the beginning and then I add sliced jalapenos at the final 10 mins. Thanks for helping me in the kitchen.
I’ve made this curry multiple times and it is always a winner! I add whatever veggies I have on hand and extra curry paste. So good!
I am sure I already reviewed this years ago, but I am still making this several times a year. It is excellent as-is, but easy to customize. Last night, I added 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes with the red curry paste, subbed chicken broth for the water, and added a dash of fish sauce at the end. It was not vegetarian obviously, but my husband and I both went back for seconds. Cookie and Kate is my favorite cooking blog – every single recipe I have tried is good, if not GREAT. And they are all customizable for preference in some way.
It was a hit. Thanks for the great recipe and the suggestions on the variations.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Kimi! I appreciate your review.
Honestly one of the best Thai Curry recipes I have tried.
The flavor was outstanding and the presentation is just as beautiful.
I add chicken to it but other than that I didn’t change a thing.
Thank you for a delicious dish!
I don’t usually leave reviews, but now that I’ve made this probably 20 times I thought I should say thank you SO MUCH for this delicious recipe! The flavors are just WOW, I love love love how the lime juice works in this…I’m getting starved writing! It’s such a comforting dish, especially served with Roti bread or naan. This is one of my favorite recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kaitlin!
I have made this recipe several times – it never disappoints!
That’s great to hear, Vanessa! Thank you for your review.