My vegan Massaman curry is rich, intensely flavorful, and loaded with hearty sweet potatoes, tender veggies, and golden pan-fried tofu, all simmered in a luscious Thai-inspired coconut peanut sauce!
A good vegan Thai curry is one of my absolute favorite meals. SO MUCH FLAVOR! You've got to love the heat of a good vegan red curry, the warmth of vegan yellow curry, and the vibrance of a nice vegan green curry. But absolutely nothing compares to massaman curry. This stuff is heavenly. And with that in mind, I decided it was time to cook up some vegan massaman curry.
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If you love Thai curries like I do, but haven't yet had massaman curry, get ready for the ultimate treat. It has a little kick, but is far milder than red or green curry. It also packs the warming spices of a yellow curry, and like panang curry, it has peanuts, which make pretty much everything better. No wonder it’s often ranked one of the most delicious dishes in the world. And I just made it better, because I made it vegan!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Vegetable oil. You can use any high-heat oil here. Peanut oil, canola oil, and coconut oil are all fine.
- Vegan massaman curry paste. You can use store-bought massaman curry paste if you'd like, but make sure it's vegan. Many brands contain ingredients like shrimp paste or fish sauce. Maesri is my preferred vegan brand. Or, if you're up for it, make your own massaman curry paste.
- Coconut milk. Make sure to use canned coconut milk, and not the stuff sold in cartons for drinking. Full-fat coconut milk is ideal, but light coconut milk will work if you'd like to reduce the fat and calorie content of the dish.
- Sweet potato. This goes so well with the mild sweetness and spicy flavors of massaman curry. Regular potatoes and winter squash are a couple of suitable substitutes.
- Green beans. Prefer a different green veggie in your curry? Try some broccoli!
- Super-firm tofu. This type of tofu is my favorite, because it's easy to work with. Feel free to substitute extra-firm tofu, but keep in mind that you'll need to press it before cooking.
- Red bell pepper.
- Lime juice. Please use freshly squeezed lime juice (not bottled!) to give your curry the best flavor.
- Salt.
- Peanuts. Roasted and salted peanuts work best. Cashews can be substituted if you'd like.
- Rice. This isn't a required ingredient, but it's great for serving with your curry. I recommend using jasmine rice.
- Optional toppings. Fresh herbs like scallions, cilantro, and basil go great with massaman curry. I highly recommend using some Thai basil if you can get it!
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Sauté the curry paste. Heat some oil in a large pot, then add your paste. Cook it for about a minute, stirring the whole time so it doesn't burn.
Step 2: Simmer the curry. Add your coconut milk, diced sweet potato, and chopped green beans. Heat the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer.
Step 3: Cook the tofu. Pan-fry tofu cubes in a nonstick skillet coated with a bit of oil. Flip them a couple times and let them cook until they're crispy and golden brown.
Step 4: Add the peppers. Add diced bell pepper to the curry, then let it simmer for a few more minutes, uncovered this time, until all of the vegetables are tender.
Step 5: Add the tofu. Stir your cooked tofu into the curry, then immediately remove the pot from heat.
Step 6: Finish the curry. Add the lime juice and season it with some salt.
Step 7: Serve. Your vegan massaman curry is ready! Serve it with some rice, and top each bowl with chopped peanuts and fresh herbs. Then face plant!
Variations
- Vegan "chicken" curry. Replace the tofu with some diced seitan for a plant-based chicken style curry.
- Curry over noodles. Instead of rice, serve your vegan massaman curry over some cooked rice noodles.
- Switch the veggies. You can use just about anything here. Try broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, potatoes, kale, spinach, or squash, to name just a few options. Keep in mind that harder veggies require longer simmer times, while softer veggies cook up in less time.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is, as long as your curry paste is. Most are, but always check to be on the safe side.
You can, but keep in mind that different curry pastes have different flavor profiles. Red, yellow, and panang curry paste would go well with the vegetables in this particular recipe. Green might not work as well.
Store any leftover curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to three months. To reheat it, thaw it first (if frozen), and warm it up in a saucepan on the stove, or by placing it in a microwave-safe bowl and zapping it in one minute increments, stirring in between.
More Vegan Thai Curry Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Massaman Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- ¼ cup vegan massaman curry paste, store-bought or homemade
- 1 (13.5 ounce/400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced into ½" to 1" cubes
- 2 cups fresh green beans, cut to 1" to 2" pieces
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu, cut into ½ to 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
For Serving
- Cooked rice
Optional Toppings
- Chopped scallions
- Chopped fresh basil
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with one tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curry paste. Sauté the paste for about one minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the coconut milk, sweet potato, and green beans. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat so that it's cooking at just a low simmer. Cover the pot and let the curry simmer for about 15 minutes, occasionally uncovering it to give the mixture a quick stir.
- While the curry simmers, cook the tofu. Coat the bottom of a medium nonstick skillet with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the tofu. Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until they're golden and crispy. Transfer them to a plate when done.
- Uncover the curry and stir in the bell pepper. Let the curry continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, until the pepper is tender.
- Stir in the tofu, then remove the pot from heat.
- Stir in the lime juice and season the curry with salt to taste.
- Serve over rice, topping each portion with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and chopped scallions, basil, and/or cilantro.
Notes
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I used to make this recipe all the time but can see the paste recipe is no longer up! Please could you post it so we can make it again?! Thank you!
Sorry about that! You caught me in the middle of updating the post. I made some changes, but the notes section tells you what they are and included my original curry paste recipe.
Have made this already, a hit! Is it possible to make the paste ahead and refrigerate? If so how long will it keep in the refrigerator?
Glad you enjoyed it! You can absolutely make the paste ahead of time. I'd only keep it in the fridge for a 4 or 5 days, since some of the fresh ingredients could go bad. You could also freeze it though - sealed up tightly it should be good for about 3 months.
This was amazing! I can’t believe it but I actually made the curry paste as well. Thanks so so much for this amazing recipe!
Just made this recipe tonight, and I’ve got to say, I’m so disappointed with how it came out! The sauce tasted overwhelmingly of lemon/lime. Perhaps I used too large of a stalk of lemongrass and my lines were larger than normal? The soup was also very bland with only a quarter cup of the curry. I ended up putting in closer to a full cup. Such a bummer. It also looks like a lot of the five star comments are from people who haven’t actually made the dish? I’ve been hunting for a good massaman curry recipe since I really miss eating Thai food, but I guess I’ll have to keep looking.
And there is no chance you messed up the recipe?
:)
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
This recipe was spot-on! Absolutely delicious. Your recipes are always fantastic. Thank you for terrific dinner ideas!
Great curry recipe! I even added some chicken to bulk it up.
Excellent! The curry paste takes a bit of time to make, but it freezes really well, so I made a double batch and froze it in ice cube trays. That way I can defrost the cubes whenever I want and make a quick curry without a lot of fuss.
We love this curry dish. I made it and froze the leftovers in small containers so I can quickly thaw and make it again. Thank you!
GREAT RECIPE THANKS . CAN I USE LOW FAT COCONUT MILK? THE RECIPE SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF FAT 379 OUT OF 485 PER SERVING.ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Thank you! You should be able to substitute light coconut milk with no problem, or even use a mix of light and full-fat - I do that myself sometimes!
About how much curry sauce does your homemade recipe make? I’m a big fan of making complicated sauces once and freezing for next time.
Thanks.
Plantcrone.
You should get about 2/3 cup of the curry paste. :)
I’m doing Keto diet, do you know of any good substitute sweetneners that would render authentic Thai taste in this recipe? Thanks!
Hmmm...I'm not really sure, but perhaps soaked dates would work!
Massaman curry was one of my favorite tastes. So I decided to try to make it for my Mom and Grandma. It turned out tasting amazing.
I, however, put all the curry paste into the coconut milk to have the full flavor. I'm makinnit again today just because I loved it. I'm going to add a little more garlic and, oh yeah, red chili peps this time(my Grams didn't doesn't do spicy).
Thanks a lot, I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hi, made this (or semblance of this) recipe last night. I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I substituted dry peanuts for organic unsweetened peanut butter, I had no coriander so put onion grass instead, I skipped the maple syrup as I do not eat any form of sugar, only fruit, so I put dates instead and had no lime, so put lemon.
It still ended up being delicious even without all the right ingredients. The sauce was thick enough (I added water) and also added an extra onion, peas (instead of green beans)and carrots to the mix. I think you can make this any way you like and adding whatever vegetables you have in season. I will definitely make again and I am sure it will taste different as it depends what you have. But I do always have ginger and curry, turmeric and soy sauce Just ran out of coconut milk, so will add that to my list!
Oh, and I used fermented tofu, which is way better for you than regular un-fermented.
I'm not a vegan nor a vegetarian, but loved this recipe! (and yes, I do try to reduce the amount of meat not just for the environment... )
Thanks for sharing.
Those all sound like delicious modifications! And you can definitely use whatever kind of veggies you like! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Elisabeth!
Do you use full fat coconut milk or lite?
I use full fat, but lite would work in this recipe too!
Excellent - my whole family loved this meal ! I followed your recipe exactly, right up to the end, then added the cut up pieces of one ripe avocado. Served with brown rice.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And avocado sounds like an excellent addition! Thanks Betsy!
OMG. I only just poured this out of the food processor (haven't even made a meal with it yet) and I'm already in love with it. I'm going bonkers to try it. The smell is amazing.
I made the green curry too! Went very conservative on the peppers for both, as they are my fist curry attempts.
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the green curry and I hope this one turned out to be a hit too!!
They are both wonderful. I ended up dehydrating both so they can be taken camping. Works out to about a heaping tbsp of the dried curry per person. I rehydrate it in about 1/5 cup of water for about 15 minutes before adding it to the coconut milk.
Oh wow! I didn't even know you could do that! I'll have to give it a try! And I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed them!! Thanks Zoe!
Can't wait to try this! Can the cardamom be ground cardamom? I noticed the other spices that you listed are ground except that one.
Yup! 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom - I just updated the recipe to clarify. :)
Thank you so much! I can't wait to make this tonight!
The paste was alright. I used more than 1/4 paste, plus had to add in a bunch of salt in the pan of food despite the recipe already containing soy sauce. I still have a butt load of paste to use at least and it should last a while. Also, don't know why, but my food came out some almost white beige color while the photo is all orange. I feel like I did something wrong now.
Hmmm...that is odd. Did you by chance leave out the dried chile peppers? Or the peanuts? That's where most of the orange color comes from. They also add a lot of flavor, so you might need more paste without them - although I always encourage people to use extra paste if they want to go for more intense flavor! :)
Great recipe, thanks! What size were your cans of coconut milk? I have 400ml cans but I'm guessing that's not the size you used.
Thank you! And I can't believe I didn't specify that in the recipe! I just updated it - they were 14 ounces or 414ml. I think 400ml should be close enough. :)
Heya! First of all, thank you so much for creating this recipe, I made it today and I really loved it. :) Massaman curry has to be my favourite curry (next to Vietnamese yellow curry). I have a question! If I store the leftover paste in the fridge how long do you think it will keep for? :)
I've only kept it in the fridge for about a week, but it freezes well too! Just seal it up and you should be good for a few months. :)
This looks fantastic! I've searched everywhere for a good recipe but this is the only one that I've found that is vegan. Thanks! Also, I'm not sure if you know but most of your adds are for meat products....ball park, jimmy dean etc. I don't know if you're playing to the right audience :) Thanks again for the recipe!!
Thanks and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
i just made the paste...had to substitute some lemon peel for the lemongrass and lime leaves for the lime peel...and used a couple of my neighbor's amazing hot chilis for the chili. Fantastic. Great, simple recipe, thank you! Making a massuman curry tonight! Beautiful blog, I've added it to my list. :-)
Thanks so much Jamie! I hope you enjoy the curry!
Hey there! I just stumbled across this recipe and plan to make it for dinner tonight. If using the store-bought curry paste, do you really use the whole can? I did this once with Maesri green curry paste and the result was almost inedible. Maybe the massaman is milder?
I'd say start with a couple of tablespoons and keep adding until you're happy with the flavor. Their massaman is definitely milder than the green, but it's a matter of personal preference and I could see how a whole can might be a bit spicy for some people. I hope you enjoy the curry. :)
So I followed the recipe and used 5 red chili peppers, but it ended up being super spicy (so much that I couldn't eat it). Considering I typically order "hot" at any typical Thai restaurant, does anybody know what may have caused this? Thanks!
DEPENDS ON WHICH RED CHILLIES YOU USED. IN THE INDIAN STORE LOOK FOR THE BYADGI DRIED CHILLIES THEY GIVE GOOD COLOR ARE NIOT THAT SPICY
Can this be made the 1-2 days before and reheated? Using fried tofu puff instead...will all the vegetables become too soggy? Thanks!
I don't think the veggies will get too soggy, but I'd recommend holding off on adding the tofu until right before serving. Hope you enjoy!
Hey there I am really excited to try this recipe, I only have one question: For how many people is your recipe designed? I want to cook it for 15 people and need to know how to calculate the ingredients...
Thank you very much!
Hi Melissa! This serves about 6, so I'd say triple it! I hope everyone enjoys it. :)
Hi! I don't know if something is wrong with my browser but I don't see the recipe for the curry paste...the steps 7 and 8 seem to be a bit mixed up maybe?
Thank you! :D
Sorry about that! I made some updates to my recipe template and it looks like it mixed things up. It's fixed now. Thanks for letting me know!
I'm in love! I've never managed to make authentic tasting Thai food at home but after reading the reviews I thought I'd give this one a try! The results were sooooooo yummy and amazing. The only ingredient I couldn't find was the lemongrass (keeping my eye out and will try to get it in there next time), but everything was still majorly delicious. I did find myself adding more curry paste for a little more of a flavour kick and I also went ahead and added additional veggies that I often find in the massaman curry that I get from a local restaurant (also delicious), including mushrooms and some cauliflower. Yumyumyum! I can't wait to make it again!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it! And this one is totally customizable. I love the sweet potatoes, but I've used the curry paste + coconut milk mixture with all kinds of veggies and I always love it. :)
This looks so delicious! I pinned it and am sharing on my Facebook page. :)
Thanks so much Amy!!
I've just discovered your blog, and this is the first recipe I've tried. Its fabulous! I think this is first time I've made a dish that tastes so authentic and delicious. Can't wait to try another recipe
Awesome! And good first choice - massaman is one of my favorites! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
I made this tonight and it was excellent. My husband said it is addictive and ate way too much. No left overs for tomorrow. My paste came out a lot thinner than expected and I think that the next I will use less lime juice. Thank you for this great recipe. It is going to be one of our favorites.
Yay! So glad you both liked it!! I find this one pretty addictive too...with the peanuts and coconut it's pretty hard to resist. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it worked out. :)
I made this for dinner tonight and it's AMAZING. I didn't have any peanuts, but I followed the recipe other than that. My kids love it too. It didn't take much time to make and it's absolutely fantastic.
Awesome! Good to know that it's still tasty without the peanuts, for future reference. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let me know :)
Although the chopsticks posing in the pictures look lovely, most Thais that I know would probably eat such a dish using a fork and a spoon.
Thank you! Yeah, I used a little artistic license there...and I do that a lot. I might have more chopstick photos on this blog than fork photos. They really do just look prettier. I put chopsticks in a salad post recently and ALMOST in a burger post (for real).
This is one of my fabourite curries, but i always have to have them take out the peanuts (though I didn't know it had fish or nuts in the sauce). If you "shouldn't" have peanuts or even tree nuts, do you think substituting with either hemp, sunflower or pumpkin seeds would taste ok?
That's tough, but roasted soybeans might work as a sub. I'm not sure how they blend up, so you might want to try soy nut butter - I bought a jar of this once and the taste isn't too far off from peanut butter. Sunflower seeds might work too, as I've heard sun butter is pretty close to peanut butter, though I haven't tried it myself. Either way, you might end up with something that tastes a little different but is still delicious. Please let me know how it works out if you try a substitute!
I love massaman curry, too. Could the curry paste be frozen?
Yes! That's one of the things I like best about making my own. I've been making large batches and freezing them in little baggies that hold just enough paste (1/4 cup) for one batch of curry.
Freezing the paste in 1/4 cup portions is such a great idea!! Thank you! Guests marvel at how quickly a tasty curry comes together!
Very welcome!! Enjoy!
I made this recipe last week and it was really delicious and so incredibly simple! I have made thai green currys before using a paste I bought at the shop as I always thought making my own paste would be too hard but you have showed me how simple and how rewarding it is to make your own! Really made the curry come alive with tons of flavour! HIGHLY recommend this recipe! <333 x
I know right?! I was so intimidated by the idea of making my own paste for the longest time, but it's really not hard at all, and it's way better than the kind you buy in stores. I'm so glad you enjoyed this - thanks for sharing your results!!!
this looks amazing and I have ALL of the ingredients... I am def gonna give this a try. Thanks for a wonderful sounding dish. I get Massaman curry at my local thai restaurant.
Thank you! This is one of my favorite restaurant dishes and was so much fun to recreate at home. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I rarely say this but can't you be my personal chef? I don't think there is anything you have made that I wouldn't fall in love with. Ooo and I just got the new forks over knives cookbook and can't wait to see what I come up with from that!
Well, I am currently looking for a new job, but I'll just take that as a huge compliment ;) Thanks so much!!! Can't wait to hear about the new cookbook - the reviews make it sound awesome!
Sounds AWESOME! Ah, I need to make this. Not enough hours in the day to make all the delicious dishes I find hehe
Thank you!!! And I totally know the feeling - my list of dishes to try goes on forever!
Did you ever make it? just tried it today - thanks Alissa! Nicely done.