This vegan Thai green curry is rich and creamy and packed with fresh veggies. It’s simple enough for weeknight dinners and just as good as 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.
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.
- Start off by pressing your tofu using a tofu press or by placing it on a plate with another plate on top of it and then putting something heavy on top like a heavy pot. Leave the tofu to press for around 15 minutes while you prepare the other veggies. When the tofu is pressed cut it into cubes.
- Add chopped onion, crushed garlic, minced ginger, sesame oil and green curry paste into a pot and sauté until the onions are softened.
- Add coconut milk, baby corn, broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper and red chili peppers. Simmer until the veggies are softened but still firm.
- Add in the tofu cubes and let them cook for a couple of minutes.
- Then turn off the heat and add in fresh basil and coconut sugar and stir in until the basil is wilted.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips
Spiciness: You can have it the super spicy way or the mild way, whatever you prefer.
We used 3 tablespoons of green curry paste in this curry and it was the limit of spiciness for me! But I’m a lightweight when it comes to spicy things. Though I have sweated over plenty a hot curry in Thailand, hot food is not my preferred option. I like things to be mild.
If you like the really spicy stuff then chances are you’ll want to use more than the 3 tablespoons of green curry paste. But if you like things mild, then maybe go with just 2 tablespoons. The 3 that we used is really straddling that line between mild and really pretty darn hot!
Coconut Milk: We used canned full fat unsweetened coconut milk in this recipe and that is what we recommend. You could go with a canned, unsweetened, light coconut milk but it won’t be nearly as delicious.
Tofu: We added tofu to this green curry, but if you’re not particularly a tofu fan you could leave it out.
The tofu isn’t flavored or marinated or fried or baked or anything in advance of being added to the curry, it’s just really plain.
This is typically how tofu is added to Thai curries. On all our travels in Thailand it’s usually been plain tofu added to the curries, without being first fried or marinated or spiced. But we love tofu so this totally works for us.
The Veggies: Baby corn, broccoli florets, zucchini and red pepper provide the lovely colors in this dish, and fresh basil added in at the end really makes the flavors pop.
How To Serve
Serve it over basmati rice with some fresh basil on top. Cauliflower rice is also a good option if you want something lighter.
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 if you want to freeze it, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat as usual.
More Delicious Vegan Thai Recipes
- Vegan Massaman Curry
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Vegan Tom Yum Soup
- Vegan Coconut Curry
- Vegan Pad Thai
- Vegan Curry
Vegan Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
For the Thai Green Curry:
- 1 Medium Onion White/Yellow/Brown, Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Minced Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2-3 Tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste
- 28 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (800ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 8 Pieces Baby Corn Chopped
- 4 cups Broccoli Florets (320g)
- 2 Small Zucchini Sliced
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Sliced
- 2 Red Chili Peppers Sliced*
- 8 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (226g) pressed and cubed
- ½ cup Fresh Basil Packed
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- Sea Salt To Taste
- Black Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Press the tofu using a tofu press, or by placing it on a plate with another plate on top of it and then putting something heavy on top like a heavy pot. Leave the tofu to press for around 15 minutes while you prepare the other veggies. When the tofu is pressed cut it into cubes.
- Add the onion, crushed garlic, minced ginger, sesame oil and green curry paste into a pot and sauté until the onions are softened.
- Add the coconut milk, baby corn, broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper and red chili peppers. Simmer until the veggies are softened but still firm.
- Add in the tofu cubes and let them cook for a couple of minutes.
- Then turn off the heat and add in the fresh basil and coconut sugar and stir in until the basil is wilted.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve with basmati rice and some fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Use 2 tablespoons of green curry paste for a mild curry, 3 tablespoons to be pretty hot and more if you want it really hot.
- The coconut milk should be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. You can also use canned coconut cream.
- Remove the red chilies from the curry before serving if you want to avoid a very spicy surprise! If you like hot things then leave them in.
- The coconut sugar is just for flavor balance. You can omit it if you prefer or use another sugar like brown sugar.
- Nutritional information is for green curry only and does not include rice.
- This recipe was first published in October 2018.
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.