This vegan Thai green curry is a rich and creamy one-pot recipe packed with fresh veggies and loaded with flavor. Ready in 30 minutes and better than a restaurant.
We once took a holiday where the only vegan thing available to eat was vegan Thai green curry. So we pretty much ate nothing but green curry for a week.
And we really didn’t mind, though I thought that when we got back I’d need a good long break from green curry. But…barely a few days later, there I was craving a green curry again. So not only is it amazingly delicious but you can have a lot of it without getting tired of it.
And that’s awesome because this curry is so delicious AND so easy to make that you’ll want to add it to your regular dinner rotation schedule.
You’ll also LOVE our vegan Thai red curry.
Ingredients For Vegan Green Curry:
Ingredient Notes
- Thai green chilis – or any green chilis are great to use in this recipe. We slice them and remove the seeds and then chop them up. This makes the curry mildly spicy. If you want it milder, you can omit the chilis. If you want it spicier, you can keep the seeds instead of removing them. That will make for a much spicier curry.
- Green curry paste – we used 2 tablespoons of green curry paste for a mildly spicy curry. Feel free to use more if you want to amp up the spiciness. Also make sure you use a brand of green curry paste that is vegan friendly. Check the ingredients list as some brands contain fish sauce.
- Fresh basil – roughly tear the basil leaves before adding them to the curry as this releases a lot of the flavor of the fresh basil into the curry sauce.
- Baby corn – switch for cauliflower florets if you have any difficulties in getting baby corn.
- Coconut milk – should be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. You could also use light coconut milk but it won’t be nearly as delicious.
- Soy sauce – brings some lovely umami flavors that really complement this green curry well. However, you can omit it if you prefer, and if you’re gluten free you can either omit it or switch it for tamari.
- Coconut sugar – is optional but recommended as it balances out the flavors in this recipe beautifully.
- Lime juice – should ideally be freshly squeezed. It provides a delicious tang that rounds out the flavors really well.
How To Make Vegan Thai Green Curry
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Heat a large pot or skillet on medium heat. Add sesame oil, crushed garlic, minced ginger, Thai green curry paste and sliced green chilis. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and well mixed with the spices.
- Add broccoli florets, baby corn, sliced zucchini, sliced green bell pepper, rice vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce.
- Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the veggies are soft but firm (about 5 minutes).
- Add coconut sugar and fresh basil leaves and cook until the basil is just wilted. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with basmati rice and fresh lime slices on the side.
Serving Suggestions
We love basmati rice because it’s so easy to make and cooks up so fast. But any rice like jasmine rice or brown rice is going to work great here. Or serve it over quinoa or rice noodles.
Cauliflower rice is also a good option if you want something lighter.
Chef’s Tips
Switch up the veggies. We love using mostly green veggies for this curry as it just looks so pretty in that green curry sauce! But you can absolutely use this recipe as a ‘clean out the fridge’ occasion and just use whatever veggies you have on hand.
Add tofu. If you want to add some protein to this meal then feel free to throw in some tofu. The usual way for tofu to be added to Thai curries is just to cut it into cubes and throw it into the curry. So it’s very easy to add it in. Cut an 8 ounce block of extra firm tofu into cubes and add them into the curry in the last few minutes of cooking. Alternatively pan fry the tofu with a little sesame oil until lightly browned on either side and then add them to the curry sauce.
Make it gluten free: Simply omit the soy sauce or switch it for a gluten free soy sauce or tamari for an entirely gluten free option.
Storing and Freezing
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze it, though depending on your choice of veggies, some veggies may be a little mushy when thawed. Nonetheless it’s still delicious!
More Delicious Vegan Thai Recipes
- Easy Thai Pumpkin Curry
- Vegan Massaman Curry
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Vegan Tom Yum Soup
- Vegan Coconut Curry
- Vegan Pad Thai
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
- 2 Tablespoons Thai Green Curry Paste
- 2 Thai Green Chilis Seeds Removed, Sliced
- 28 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (800ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 2 cups Broccoli Florets (160g)
- 1 cup Baby Corn (100g) Sliced
- 1 cup Zucchini (100g) Sliced
- 1 Medium Green Bell Pepper Sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar or Light Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves Roughly Torn
- Salt To Taste
For Serving:
- Basmati Rice
- Lime Slices
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or skillet on medium heat. Add sesame oil, crushed garlic, minced ginger, Thai green curry paste and sliced green chilis. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add coconut milk and cook until the coconut milk is simmering and well mixed with the spices.
- Add broccoli florets, baby corn, sliced zucchini, sliced green bell pepper, rice vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce.
- Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the veggies are soft but firm (about 5 minutes).
- Add coconut sugar and fresh basil leaves and cook until the basil is just wilted. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with basmati rice and fresh lime slices on the side.
Notes
- Green curry paste – feel free to add more green curry paste if you want a spicier curry. Also make sure you use a brand of green curry paste that is vegan friendly. Check the ingredients list as some brands contain fish sauce.
- Thai green chilis – or any green chilis are great to use in this recipe. We slice them and remove the seeds and then chop them up. This makes the curry mildly spicy. If you want it milder, you can omit the chilis. If you want it spicier, you can leave the seeds in instead of removing them.
- Coconut milk – should be canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk. You could also use light coconut milk but it won’t be nearly as delicious.
- Baby corn – switch for cauliflower florets if you have any difficulties in getting baby corn.
- Fresh basil – roughly tear the basil leaves before adding them to the curry as this releases a lot of the flavor of the fresh basil into the curry sauce.
- Switch up the veggies. We love using mostly green veggies for this curry as it just looks so pretty in that green curry sauce. But you can absolutely use this recipe as a ‘clean out the fridge’ occasion and just use whatever veggies you have on hand.
- Add tofu. If you want to add some protein to this meal then feel free to throw in some tofu. The usual way for tofu to be added to Thai curries is just to cut it into cubes and throw them into the curry. So it’s very easy to add it in. Cut an 8 ounce block of extra firm tofu into cubes and add them to the curry in the last few minutes of cooking. Alternatively pan fry the tofu with a little sesame oil until lightly browned on either side and then add them to the curry sauce.
- Make it gluten free: Simply omit the soy sauce or switch it for a gluten free soy sauce or tamari for an entirely gluten free option.
- Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove.
- Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months if you want to freeze it, though depending on your choice of veggies, some veggies may be a little mushy when thawed. Nonetheless it’s still delicious!
- Nutritional information is for curry only and excludes rice.
- This recipe was first published in October 2018. It has been updated with new photos and an updated and improved recipe.
This is delicious!! I’m not a fan of zucchini, so I left it out. It was still jam packed with veggies and very hardy.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe Nathalie! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
I made this twice over this past weekend. The first time with one can of full fat coconut milk and a can of lite coconut milk. I used one Serrano pepper instead of two Thai chilis called for, and although the result was perfectly spicy for me, it was a tad too much for my boyfriend. It was so delicious! The second time, I tried to lighten it up and make this curry more on the healthy spectrum, so I used one can of lite coconut milk, 20 ounces or so of organic soy milk, and added a teaspoon of coconut extract. Everything else was the same as in the recipe. I couldn’t believe how good it was, and very creamy! Don’t skimp on the green curry paste. I tried Thai Kitchen in other curries, and it was basically flavorless. This time I got Maesri green curry paste (it’s vegan!) from my local Asian market. It was $4 for 14 ounces compared to the same money for 3 ounces of the flavorless Thai Kitchen stuff. Make this recipe! You won’t regret it! My thanks to Alison for the hard work in creating amazing vegan recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing and for your awesome reviews Carol! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Ideal recipe for the chillier weather here in SA. Loved the combination of flavours.
Hi Alison, do you have a suggestion to sub the vinegar? Would lime juice or something else work? Cheers, Troy
Hi Troy, you could leave it out. 🙂
I made this for the first time this afternoon and oh my god.. is it ever good. I followed the recipe as is but made brown basmati rice instead of white. This is another winner, Alison! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes! This one will be in my regular rotation for sure!
Awesome, thanks so much Marnie!
This came out delicious! I pretty much followed the recipe as is and have no complaints. I think just about any veggies would be good. Thank you for sharing this!
Awesome, thanks Kay!
This was just what I was looking for! I changed out the veggies for what I had (green beans, zucchini and 2 red bell peppers). This is delicious!
Thanks Allison!
This was very tasty! A few modifications – no oil or onions. Used 1 can of lite coconut milk and then 26 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk in a carton. Uses vegetables I had which included snap peas, portables button mushrooms, 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper and broccoli. Next time I may bake my tofu cubes first to give them a slight firm edging and then add them. Definitely will make this again! Thank you!
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Very delicious, I make this a lot and always comes out great.
Hi, I searched for Vegan Thai Curry as all the pastes we’ve seen have fish oil in… Can you recommend a brand of one we can find in UK that doesn’t contain fish oil?
Thanks!
Sarah
Hi Sarah, Waitrose has a green curry paste suitable for vegans. I have usually just bought my green curry paste off the shelf, it’s been easy to find, it isn’t something I’ve had to order online so try Waitrose but otherwise there should be quite a few other options in major stores. 🙂
Maesri is vegan and sold on Amazon. They have a line of curry pastes. All are very flavorful, not the supermarket junk. Beware, the green is hotter than the others, so start slow. you can always add more.
Love it. I add Marmite or vegemite instead of fish sauce. Delicious and nutritious
Great idea! 🙂
Loved this and so did my family. Thanks for the tips about the amount of green curry paste to use, we like it on the milder side so used 2 Tbsp and it was perfect! Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Wonderful to hear that Jackie! Thanks so much for posting. 🙂
Hi, came across your page when I googled “Lentil soup recipes”, and now I’m going to make this curry as well as the soup!
Hopefully they will both work out. I love the simplicity of these recipes, as I am no fancy cook – have neither the time nor the patience so your recipes are perfect!
Awesome Lorraine! Hope both recipes work out great for you and I’m so glad you find the recipes simple, that is totally what I aim for. 🙂
I usually add vegan fish sauce plus a small amount of sugar to green curry to enhance the taste. In such a case the salt should be omitted.