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    Home » Entrees

    Vegan Thai Red Curry

    Published: Oct 22, 2022 Updated: Oct 22, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Thai Red Curry

    This vegan Thai red curry is rich and creamy and perfectly spiced. Perfect for a fancy dinner or an easy weeknight meal. Ready in 30 minutes and better than takeout!

    Vegan Thai red curry topped with fresh basil in a white bowl.

    A good vegan Thai red curry is one of our all-time favorite things to eat. You just never get tired of it.

    One of the reasons is that you can make it quite differently every time.

    The sauce and flavorings are quite standard (coconut milk or coconut cream base, red curry paste and spices) but the veggies you put with it can be different every time. Or the same, cos you just like it so much with exactly those veggies.

    It’s a versatile gourmet meal. It’s ideal for a fancy dinner party and a regular Tuesday night dinner. It’s quick, easy and the pay-off is big.

    And if you love Thai food as much as we do then also check out our vegan pad thai.

    Vegan Thai red curry in a white bowl topped with fresh basil.

    How To Make Vegan Thai Red Curry

    Full measurements and instructions can 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 so you have a visual reference. 

    • Heat sesame oil in a pot and add garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Cook for a couple of minutes to toast the spices. 
    Sesame oil added to pot with garlic, ginger and red curry paste and sautéed.
    • Add coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and well blended with the spices. 
    Coconut milk added to pot and simmered with the spices.
    • Add in chopped vegetables: sliced large brown mushrooms, broccoli florets, baby corn, sliced red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and carrot. Add lime leaves and lemongrass.
    • Bring back to a simmer and cook until veggies are soft but firm. 
    Chopped vegetables, lime leaves and lemongrass added to pot and mixed in.
    • Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, chilies and fresh basil and stir in. Cook until the basil is just wilted and then remove from heat.  
    Soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, chilies and fresh basil added to pot and stirred in.
    • You can remove the lime leaves and lemongrass before serving (though it’s not essential to do this). 
    • Your vegan Thai red curry is ready to serve.
    Thai red curry in a pot with a serving spoon.

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    Thai Red Curry Paste: Check the ingredients to ensure vegan friendliness. This is a mild curry, if you prefer your curries more on the spicy side then feel free to increase the amount of red curry paste used. 

    Coconut Milk: This must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. This ensures the most delicious restaurant-style version of this curry. However, of course if you want to lighten it up, you can also use light coconut milk, but make sure it is canned and unsweetened. 

    The Veggies: The veggies you use are very flexible and you can adjust this according to what you have on hand. Other veggie options that will also work great here are snow peas, sugar snap peas, regular peas, cauliflower, other mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage etc. 

    Soy sauce: We use a little soy sauce in this curry so if you want it to be gluten-free then use tamari instead or make sure you’re using a gluten-free soy sauce. Otherwise everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free. 

    Coconut Sugar: This is in a small quantity and works wonderfully to balance the flavors. It does not result in a sweet curry at all! However, you can omit it if you prefer, or you can switch for a different sugar like brown sugar. 

    Basil Leaves: I love the addition of the fresh basil for this curry, but baby spinach or kale would also work great!

    Vegan Thai red curry in a white bowl.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve with basmati rice and fresh basil leaves with lemon wedges on the side for a wonderfully gourmet meal.

    Of course any rice will do and if you want to serve it with some cauliflower rice that would be great too.

    Vegan Thai red curry in a white bowl with a spoon.

    Storing and Freezing

    Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. 

    It also freezes well so if you want to freeze it you can go ahead. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as usual. 

    Spoonful of thai red curry above a white bowl.

    More Vegan Thai Recipes

    • Vegan Pad Thai
    • Vegan Thai Green Curry
    • Vegan Massaman Curry
    • Vegan Tom Yum Soup

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan Thai red curry in a white bowl with a spoon.

    Vegan Thai Red Curry

    This vegan Thai red curry is rich and creamy and perfectly spiced. Perfect for a fancy dinner or an easy weeknight meal. Ready in 30 minutes and better than takeout!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 630kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Thai Red Curry:

    • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Minced Ginger
    • 2 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste
    • 28 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (800ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
    • 1 cup Large Brown Mushrooms (70g) Sliced
    • 1 cup Broccoli Florets (80g)
    • 1 cup Baby Corn (100g) Sliced
    • 1 cup Red Bell Pepper (100g) Sliced
    • 1 cup Yellow Bell Pepper (100g) Sliced
    • 1 cup Carrot (70g) Sliced into matchsticks, about 1 large carrot
    • 4 Lime Leaves
    • 2 Stalks Lemongrass 3 inches each, lightly crushed with a knife
    • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar
    • 2 Red Chilies Seeds removed, sliced
    • 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves

    For Serving:

    • Basmati Rice
    • Fresh Lime Wedges
    • Fresh Basil
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    Instructions

    • Heat the sesame oil in a pot and add the crushed garlic, minced ginger and red curry paste. Cook for a couple of minutes to toast the spices.
    • Add the coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and well blended with the spices.
    • Add in the mushrooms, broccoli florets, baby corn, sliced red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and carrot. Add the lime leaves and lemongrass and bring it back to a simmer. Cook until the veggies are soft but firm.
    • Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, chilies and fresh basil and stir in.
    • Cook until the basil is just wilted and then remove from heat.
    • Remove the lime leaves and lemongrass before serving (optional).
    • Serve with basmati rice, fresh basil leaves and lime wedges.

    Notes

    1. Red curry paste. Check the ingredients of the red curry paste to ensure vegan friendliness as not all brands are vegan.
    2. Spice level. This is a mild curry so if you prefer your curries more on the spicy side then feel free to increase the amount of red curry paste used.
    3. Coconut milk. The coconut milk must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. This ensures the most delicious restaurant-style version of this curry. If you want to lighten it up, then you can also use light coconut milk, but make sure it is canned and unsweetened.
    4. Coconut sugar. Works wonderfully to balance the flavors. It does not cause the end result to be sweet at all. However, you can omit it if you prefer, or you can switch it for a different sugar like brown sugar.
    5. Gluten free. If you want this to be gluten-free then use tamari instead of soy sauce or make sure you’re using a gluten-free soy sauce.
    6. Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
    7. Freezing: It also freezes well so if you want to freeze it you can go ahead. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as usual.
    8. Nutritional information is for the curry only and does not include rice.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 630kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 43g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 1189mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 8605IU | Vitamin C: 182mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 5mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janine says

      October 23, 2022 at 1:06 pm

      I want to make this recipe but have no idea where to find lime leaves. Would lime juice work as a substitute?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 25, 2022 at 10:17 am

        Hi Janine! Yes, you can use a tablespoon of fresh lime juice instead. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Rana says

      October 12, 2022 at 1:54 am

      This was very delicious! To my surprise I was able to find lemongrass, which I never used before at Whole Foods where I am as well as the red curry paste, but alas, no lime leaves. Other than that I made the recipe exactly as written but using baby kale instead of the basil because I had some already. I served it with Jasmine rice and will definitely make this again. My family loved it! I am a cat mom as well, and have 9 rescues. I have made a few of your recipes since finding your site and all have been yummy!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 12, 2022 at 10:30 am

        Thanks Rana, so happy you enjoyed it! And that’s awesome about your rescue cats! We have 4 now and they are such a joy. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Itzel says

      May 23, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      So yummy and easy to make ! I made it simple by using red and yellow bell peppers, spinach and curry tofu, and without lime leaves, lemongrass, basil and chilies.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 25, 2020 at 9:05 am

        Thanks for sharing Itzel!

        Reply
    4. Lauren says

      March 05, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      I just made this with broccoli instead of mushrooms and it turned out great! I will definitely be making this again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 07, 2019 at 9:56 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Lauren! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Oana says

      October 12, 2018 at 10:53 am

      I made this with different veggies, potatoes, cabbage and edamame as this is what we had in the house and it was great. So flavourful. Next time will try the original recipe 🙂5 stars

      Reply
    6. Yvette McPhail says

      March 11, 2018 at 8:22 am

      I have previously eaten a lot of thai curries in the omnivore form but never vegan. It’s great. Textures and tastes go very well together. My 10 year old loved it too. Very inexpensive which is a bonus.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 11, 2018 at 10:48 am

        Fantastic Yvette! Thanks for posting! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Anna Andrews says

      March 07, 2018 at 5:47 am

      This is so good!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Mia says

      March 07, 2018 at 1:02 am

      Love making this recipe. It’s a favourite in our household now.
      Thank you for sharing it with us!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 07, 2018 at 9:59 am

        That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂

        Reply

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