This homemade vegan green curry is better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight! Packed with spicy Thai flavors, crispy pan-fried tofu and tender veggies in a creamy coconut milk base, this easy dinner will become a favorite that you’ll want to make again and again.
On Wednesday posted a recipe for homemade green curry paste. It wouldn’t be cool of me to share something like that and then not give you anything to do with it. You can’t just eat curry paste for dinner. That would hurt!
Once you’ve got the paste down, curry recipes are almost too simple. For me, the toughest part is deciding what veggies to put into my curry. In the case of green curry, green stuff usually works, and I tend to particularly favor it with spring veggies like asparagus.
How to Make Green Curry
This green curry includes tofu, which you’ll need to cook separately from everything else. Coat a skillet in a bit of oil and add some diced extra firm tofu. Cook it for about 10 minutes, flipping it once or twice, until golden and crisp.
For some more tips on how to get your tofu perfectly crisp, see this post.
While the tofu sizzles away, add some oil to a large pot. Heat it up and add some green curry paste. You’ll be sautéing the paste for a minute or two to bring out the flavors in the aromatics and spices.
Next, stir in some coconut milk and a bit of brown sugar, which helps balance out the acidity from the curry paste. Heat up the sauce, and once it comes to a simmer, add some baby corn. Let this simmer for 7 minutes, and finally, stir in some asparagus. Let it cook for about 3 minutes more. The veggies should be just tender at this point, and the asparagus should have brightened in color.
Remove the pot from the heat source and stir in your cooked tofu. Add some lime juice and salt, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
Serve your curry with rice and a generous sprinkling of fresh basil and cilantro.
Enjoy!
FAQ & Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Green Curry
- Feel free to substitute your favorite veggies for the baby corn and asparagus, keeping in mind that softer veggies cook quicker, while harder ones take a bit more time. Bell peppers, snap peas, and broccoli would all be delicious!
- Do you hate biting into a tough, woody piece of asparagus? It’s the worst! To trim your asparagus, just grab each end with one hand, and bend. It’ll break in just the right place!
- Is this recipe gluten-free? It is!
- If using store-bought curry paste, check to make sure it’s vegan. Many brands contain fish sauce or shrimp paste.
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Vegan Green Curry with Tofu & Veggies
This homemade vegan green curry is better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight! Packed with spicy Thai flavors, crispy pan-fried tofu and tender veggies in a creamy coconut milk base, this easy dinner will become a favorite that you'll want to make again and again.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 cups light coconut milk (just under 2 full 14-ounce cans)
- 1/4 cup green curry paste*, or more to taste (I used 1/2 cup, but I like intense flavor)
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar, or sweetener of choice
- 2 cups fresh baby corn, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt, to taste (I used 3/4 teaspoon)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
Coat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer in the skillet.
Cook until lightly browned on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the tofu to a plate.
Coat the bottom of a large pot with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat.
Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then stir in the curry paste.
Sauté the curry paste for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the coconut milk and brown sugar. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.
Stir in the baby corn and simmer for about 7 minutes.
Stir in the asparagus and simmer another 3 minutes, until the asparagus becomes bright green and tender-crisp.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the tofu and lime juice. Season with salt to taste, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
Divide onto plates or into bowls and top with basil and cilantro. Serve with rice.
Recipe Notes
You can substitute store-bought green curry paste if you like. Just check the ingredients, as many brands aren't vegan.
Nutrition information does not include rice.
hands down the best coconut curry ive seen!!!!
This sounds divine!! I have an air fryer so I would toss the tofu cubes in that to crisp them up. Am going to have to try this recipe soon. Thank you for developing such wonderful dishes and sharing them with us. I can not cook with out a recipe so I am very thankful to those of you who develop yummy recipes.
Thanks Cheri! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I’m itching to try out an air fryer and I’d love to hear how it works out with tofu if you try it!
So glad to find your vegan curry paste recipes and so glad to find this visually appealing website with vegan recipes that are easy to print! I’m going to try this recipe this week.
I recently was introduced to cashew cream and have now used it as a substitute for coconut milk in some recipes. I love the additional protein it lends to a dish. Have you ever tried that?
Thanks so much! I love cashew cream and have used in interchangably with coconut milk in some recipes, though not in a curry like this one. I hope you enjoy this!
This Thai vegan recipe is awesome and simple. Thanks for sharing. We are across the pond in Europe and sometimes the measurements are a challenge. Would it be too onerous to add metric measurement too. Here veganism is enjoying a massive growth and your website is a great resource, especially for newbies.
I’m so glad you like it! I actually just (last week) added a button below the ingredients list where you can switch between U.S. metric units. I haven’t had time to add it to my old recipes yet, but it’ll be showing up on the new ones. I hope that helps!