This spicy Thai-inspired vegan red curry will knock your socks off! Made with pan-fried tofu and veggies in a spicy coconut sauce, it's an intensely flavor-packed meal that also happens to be easy enough for a weeknight!
Thai curries come in so many delicious flavors, and I've never been able to pick a favorite. Each one has it's own flavor profile and suits a different mood. Yellow curry is cozy and comforting, massaman is spicy and warming, green curry is fresh, and red curry is spicy. SO SPICY!
Vegan red curry is my go-to Thai meal when I'm craving some heat. You can practically see how spicy it is in the vibrant red color of the sauce.
Traditional red curry may not be vegan, so be careful if you order it in a restaurant. Many versions of red curry (and basically all Thai curries for that matter) are made with non-vegan ingredients like fish sauce and shrimp paste.
So today I'm sharing my very own, very delicious vegan Thai red curry recipe. It tastes as delicious as what you'd get in a restaurant, but is guaranteed 100% free of animal products, as long as you follow the recipe and my guidance in this post.
Read on to learn how it's made!
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Ingredient's You'll Need
- Coconut oil. Feel free to substitute whatever high-heat oil you've got in hand in place of this. Peanut oil, avocado oil, and corn oil are all fine options.
- Tofu. Super firm tofu is the easiest variety to work with, so that's what I'm using. You can use firm or extra firm tofu instead, but it will need to be pressed first.
- Onion.
- Curry paste. Make sure you're buying a vegan brand of red curry paste. Many brands are made with shrimp paste. Thai Kitchen is vegan and available at most supermarkets, but way too mild for my taste. Maesri is another vegan brand to try if you like more heat. It's quite spicy! Try mixing brands if your taste is somewhere in the middle.
- Coconut milk. I like to use a mix of light and full-fat coconut milk for just the right consistency and level of creaminess. You can absolutely stick with one or the other. Full-fat coconut milk will give you a very rich curry, while light coconut milk will give you a curry that's lower in fat and calories, but has a runnier base.
- Potato. The recipe calls for a plain old russet potato, but you're welcome to substitute with red potatoes, golden potatoes, or even a sweet potato.
- Broccoli.
- Red bell pepper.
- Carrot.
- Lime juice. Freshly squeezed lime juice will give your curry the best flavor. Please don't use bottled. It's just blah!
- Brown sugar. Make sure you're using organic brown sugar. Conventional brown sugar may be processed with animal bone char.
- Fresh basil. If you can get your hands on Thai basil, use it! If not, Italian basil works just fine.
- Salt.
- Rice. Serve your Thai curry over rice. Jasmine rice works particularly well, but pretty much any variety will do.
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!
Start by pan-frying your tofu cubes in a skillet. Heat up some oil and add diced tofu in an even layer. Cook the tofu pieces for a few minutes on each side, until they become golden brown.
Heat your oil in a large pot and add sliced onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the pieces soften.
Stir in the curry paste and sauté it with the onion for a couple of minutes. Make sure to stir constantly to prevent it from burning.
Stir in the coconut milk and potatoes. Raise the heat and bring the sauce to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes start to soften.
Tip: Make sure you uncover the pot and give it a stir every so often, scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon. Otherwise the sauce might burn.
Uncover the pot and stir in the remaining vegetables: broccoli, bell pepper, and carrot. Let the curry continue simmering until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the tofu and simmer a minute longer, just to get it hot.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in lime juice, brown sugar, and salt to taste. Add the basil and stir until it wilts.
Tip: Different brands of red curry paste will vary in the ingredients they use, so you may need to make adjustments to the seasonings in your curry based on the flavor profile of the paste you use. This could mean adding more lime juice, brown sugar, or salt.
Your curry is ready to enjoy! Serve it with some rice.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan red curry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.
More Vegan Thai Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Red Curry with Tofu & Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 8 ounces super firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, sliced into strips
- ¼ cup vegan red curry paste, plus more to taste (Note 1)
- 1 (14 ounce/400 ml) can light coconut milk
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (Note 2)
- 1 medium russet potato, scrubbed and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets (about 1 small broccoli crown)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, roughly diced
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- Salt, to taste
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a medium nonstick skillet. Gently rotate the skillet to coat the bottom with the oil.
- Add the tofu to the skillet. Cook the pieces for about 10 minutes, flipping them once or twice, until they're golden brown and crispy. Transfer the tofu to a plate when done.
- While the tofu cooks, melt the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion. Cook it for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until it becomes soft and begins to brown.
- Stir in the curry paste and sauté it with the onion for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Stir in the coconut milk (both the light and full-fat) and the potato. Raise the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Lower the heat so that the sauce is just at a low simmer. Cover the pot and let the curry continue simmering for about 10 minutes, until the potato begins to soften. Make sure to uncover the pot every few minutes and give it a stir, scraping the bottom with a spoon to prevent the curry from burning.
- Uncover the pot and stir in the broccoli, pepper, and carrot. Continue simmering the curry, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tofu and simmer the curry for about 1 minute longer.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lime juice and brown sugar. Stir in the basil and season the curry with salt to taste.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
- Use as few as 2 tablespoons of paste for mild flavor, or up to â…“ cup for more intense flavor.
- You can optionally use all light coconut milk for a lighter curry, or all full-fat coconut milk for a richer and creamier curry.
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