This 30-minute Thai green curry recipe is a delicious weeknight dinner! Store-bought curry paste, fresh ginger, and lime juice pack a rich flavor.
This Thai green curry recipe is a restaurant-ready weeknight dinner! It’s fresh, flavorful, and bright, but ready in under 30 minutes thanks to a quick meal you can easily find in your pantry. This is the green curry paste you buy at the store.
Made with aromatic ingredients such as green chilies, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves, curry pastes impart an intense flavor. Boiling fresh ginger and lime juice in coconut milk creates a rich, fragrant, and slightly sweet curry sauce. i can’t say that better It’s quite a bit closer than the Thai restaurants I frequent (which sometimes only do takeout).
You can use any protein or vegetable of your choice in this green curry recipe. I ask for my favorite foods: eggplant, bell peppers, peas, and creamy tofu. Just add a bowl of rice and you have an easy and delicious dinner!
Thai Green Curry Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this green curry recipe:
- green curry paste, of course! Store-bought green curry pastes are typically made with ingredients such as green chilies, lemongrass, galangal, makrut or kaffir lime leaves, and herbs. This homemade green curry is full of rich, fragrant flavor. Find it in the Asian section of any Asian grocery store or supermarket.
- Full-fat coconut milk and water – Creates a rich, creamy base for the sauce.
- coconut oil – When frying eggplants.
- Eggplant, bell pepper, snow peas – It is the main vegetable in Thai green curry recipe. I like the Chinese or Japanese eggplant here. Although they are firmer and meatier than Italian eggplants, they are easier to find than Thai eggplants, at least in stores near me. Feel free to use whichever type you like best or is most accessible to you!
- Fresno pepper or Thai pepper – For heat. If you are sensitive to spices, omit it.
- Fresh ginger and lime juice – It deepens the bright and refreshing taste of curry paste.
- very firm tofu – Protein of my choice. You can prepare as you like. You can add regular square tofu to the curry, or you can use grilled or fried tofu. (I like to buy pre-cooked fried tofu at the grocery store to save time.)
- and fresh herbs – Garnish the curry with coriander and fresh basil leaves (or even better, Thai basil).
Find the full measured recipe below.
Want to try other vegetables in this recipe? Zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and/or green beans would be great! Drained canned bamboo shoots are also delicious. Add with or instead of red bell peppers and peas.
Handling Green Curry Paste
Store-bought curry pastes come in a variety of spiciness and flavors. Seasoning to taste is very important in this recipe as the overall balance will depend on the brand of curry paste used.
i demand optional sugar If you need a little sweetness to offset the salty paste. I also petition optional tamari Just in case you need a little more salty and savory depth. One thing to note: Authentic Thai green curry recipes include non-tamari fish sauce for umami, but I omitted it to keep this recipe vegetarian!
I have tried making Thai curry with many different brands of curry paste, but my personal favorite is Mekala. It’s vegan and gluten-free, rich in spices and has a bold, fresh flavor. If you use another brand, check the label to see if it’s vegan if you’re concerned about it. Some contain shrimp paste.
If you want to try making homemade green curry paste from scratch, check out my cookbook. Love and Lemons: Simple, good food. I’m sharing the recipe on page 149!
How to make Thai green curry
This Thai green curry recipe has 4 simple steps.
1. Start by boiling the eggplant. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Next, stir-fry the curry paste and ginger with a little coconut milk; Cook until the mixture dries and becomes fragrant. This step removes the edges of the curry paste and ginger and allows the flavors to develop.
3. Boil the curry. Add remaining coconut milk, water, bell peppers, peas, eggplant, and half of the Thai pepper to skillet. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes or until peas are tender.
4. Season and serve. Remove the curry from the heat and add the lime juice. Season to taste with sugar and/or tamari. Top with fresh herbs and peppers and serve with cooked jasmine rice!
storage tips
I love this green curry leftovers. If you leave it in the fridge overnight, the flavor gets even more complex!
- To store in the refrigerator: Once cooled to room temperature, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To pin: Yes, this curry freezes well! Once cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.
Try more curry recipes
If you love Thai green curry, try one of these easy curry recipes:
Thai Green Curry
serve 4
This Thai green curry recipe rivals my favorite takeout food! This is an easy and delicious dinner that can be prepared in 30 minutes using commercially available curry paste.
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 Medium Chinese or Japanese eggplant, Cut into ½ inch thick half moons.
- sea salt
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup Thai green curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger matchsticks
- 1 cup water
- 7 oz. very firm tofu, Cubed tofu (fresh, baked, or fried tofu—I like to use store-bought fried tofu)
- 1 red bell pepper, Stems, seeds and thinly sliced
- 4 oz. snow peas
- 2 4 Fresno peppers or Thai peppers, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- tamari, Tasting, optional
- Thai basil or fresh cilantro, For decoration
- rice, for service
Prevent your screen from going dark
Heat coconut oil in a medium skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat and add ¼ cup coconut milk, curry paste, and ginger. Let sizzle for 2-3 minutes or until the curry paste is almost dry. Add the remaining coconut milk and water and stir until well combined.
Add the tofu, red pepper, peas, roasted eggplant, and half the red pepper and mix well. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes or until peas are tender.
Turn off the heat and add lime juice. If desired, add sugar and tamari to taste.
Garnish with remaining peppers and herbs and serve with rice.
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