Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry is an easy vegan dinner where everyday vegetables are simmered in a coconut curry sauce. This delectable vegan curry recipe is made for Instant Pot or stove.
This vegetable curry is one of the first recipes I published in 2014. I've made it for years and the story is always the same. It's delicious, easy, healthy, budget-friendly Asian comfort food!
Use any fresh vegetables, a few canned ingredients, and get this dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Make white rice or, for a healthier choice, Instant Pot Brown Rice or Instant Pot Quinoa to accompany.
Thai coconut vegetable curry ingredients
Ingredient amounts are included in the printable recipe below.
- coconut oil - or preferred cooking oil
- green onions - You can substitute any onions, but if green onions are available, they're my first choice for their mild flavor, color, and texture.
- garlic and ginger - I recommend grating these fresh as opposed to using dried seasoning for a more authentic flavor profile.
- fresh vegetables - You can use any combination here. I used carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms.
- canned diced tomatoes - Or any non-flavored canned tomatoes will work.
- Thai curry paste - Or Thai curry powder can be used for this recipe. Be sure to visit the next section where I talk about both in detail.
- cooked chickpeas - Use fully cooked chickpeas for this recipe in the form of canned, oven cooked, or pressure cooked chickpeas.
- coconut milk - Use full fat or lite coconut milk.
- fresh kale - Or any greens will work nicely, including spinach, chard, etc.
- garnish options - Fresh lime and Thai basil, if you have them.
Curry paste vs. Curry Powder
Packaged CURRY PASTE for Thai cooking is commonly made with Thai chili pepper, lemongrass, galanga, and kaffir lime peel. It's usually available at grocery stores in the Asian section. You'll likely see it packaged in a glass jar or in a can.
Thai curry powder is a powdered version of the seasonings in Thai curry paste and is usually red in color. It's not readily available in most grocery stores. You'll find it at your international grocer, as well as online.
Yellow curry powder for Indian cooking is commonly made with turmeric, coriander, ginger, fenugreek, and chili peppers, and create distinct Indian flavors. It's always available at most grocery stores. If your pantry has curry powder, it's probably this one.
What I love about Thai vegetable curry
- Made with everyday veggies always available at most grocery stores.
- Once the ingredients are prepped, it's on the table in 30 minutes.
- This recipe is naturally vegan AND gluten-free.
- It's loaded with chickpeas for added nutrition, texture, fiber, and flavor.
- Uses Asian pantry staples available in most grocery stores (like coconut oil and coconut milk)
- It's like a lazy curry because you get the flavor benefit of curry without making curry from scratch.
Thai coconut curry for the Instant Pot
Full instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Use the "Saute" feature to saute onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil until tender.
- Add all other ingredients.
- Close lid, turn pressure release valve to "sealing", set pressure cooker button to HIGH Pressure for 1 minute. You heard that right, only 1 minute because it keeps the veggies from getting mushy.
- When cycle is finished, allow 10-minute natural pressure release. Stir in kale, cover, and let sit for few minutes to soften it.
How to make vegetable curry on the stove
Full instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Saute vegetables in a soup pot (you can use pre-cut vegetables).
- Add tomatoes, coconut milk, chickpeas, and curry paste.
- Increase heat to bring everything just to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.
- About 5 minutes before serving, fold in fresh kale and allow it to steam.
- Stir in lime zest and lime juice, and serve warm over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
Thai vegetable curry recipe tips:
- Buy pre-cut veggies and shave time off your food prep. You can also substitute frozen vegetables for fresh vegetables.
- Thai curry paste is canned and comes in red, yellow, and green varieties. Thai curry powder is not the same as Indian curry powder.
- This recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, but you can substitute an equal amount of fresh tomatoes.
- You can substitute ANY vegetables you like for this recipe.
- The kale in this recipe can easily be substituted for other greens, like fresh spinach.
Equipment needed:
- chef knife
- cutting board
- 3.5 qt saucepot or 6 qt Instant Pot
- Large spoon
- serving ladle (stainless steel)
More vegan Asian dinner recipes
- Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Stir Fry Vegetables with Black Bean Sauce
- Asian Slaw Recipe
- Sesame Kale Noodles
Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry
Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry is a scrumptious vegan curry where everyday vegetables are simmered in Thai coconut curry sauce. This delectable vegan curry recipe is made for Instant Pot or stove.
Print
Pin
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 7 1-cup servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 2 Green Onions, sliced, keep white and green part separate
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, finely grated
- 1 cup Carrots, chopped
- 1 cup Broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup Cauliflower, chopped
- 1 cup Mushrooms, chopped
- 3 tablespoons Red Curry Paste (or yellow or green), or 3 Tbsp Thai Curry Powder
- 1 (14.5 ounce can) Diced Tomatoes, with their juice
- 1 (13.5 ounce can) Coconut Milk
- 1 ½ cups Cooked Chickpeas, or 1 (15 ounce can) drained
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt, optional
- 2 cups Kale (or Spinach), chopped
- 1 Lime, zested and juiced
- 2 sprigs Thai basil, or cilantro
- Serving options: rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice
RECIPE VIDEO
Instructions
Vegetable Curry Stove Instructions
- In a 3-quart soup pot, heat COCONUT OIL over medium heat until shimmering (about 2 minutes).
- Add GREEN ONIONS (the white part), GARLIC, and GINGER; sauté a few minutes. Then add GARLIC, CARROTS; BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, MUSHROOMS and sauté until slightly tender, stirring as needed.
- Stir in CURRY PASTE, tossing to coat vegetables and sauté a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add TOMATOES (with juice), COCONUT MILK, and CHICKPEAS; increase heat to HIGH and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes until heated through, stirring as needed.
- Add KALE; cover and simmer a few minutes to wilt the kale.
- Skip to Serving and Storage Instructions
Vegetable Curry Instant Pot Instructions
- Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat the COCONUT OIL.
- When the display reads "Hot", add GREEN ONION (the white part) GARLIC, and CARROTS; sauté a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Stir in CURRY PASTE, toss to coat vegetables and sauté until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
- Add CAULIFLOWER, BROCCOLI, MUSHROOMS, TOMATOES (with juice), COCONUT MILK, and CHICKPEAS.
- Press the "Cancel" button. Secure lid and set pressure release valve to "Sealing" position. Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button on HIGH pressure for 1 minute.
- When cycle completes, allow the Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes, undisturbed, for a natural pressure release (NPR).
- Use an oven mitt for protection to turn the pressure release valve to the "Venting" position and release any remaining steam.
- Once depressurized, remove the lid and stir in KALE. Close the lid, keep the pressure valve in "venting" position, and allow kale to soften a few minutes.
- The cooker will stay in "Keep Warm" mode until you hit the "Cancel" button.
Serving and storage instructions
- Serve warm garnished with GREEN ONION tops (the green part), LIME ZEST, LIME JUICE, and THAI BASIL.
- To store, refrigerate in an airtight container or freeze in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months (or longer if vacuum sealed).
Tried this recipe? I'd love your review!Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 6125IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Easy FREE recipes to your inbox weeklyJoin The Kitchen Girl community!
Lu says
Made this tonight for dinner… so so good! It has the perfect blend of flavor. I expected the sauce to be a little thicker but still was great! Served over rice. Definitely what we call a ‘do over’!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome Lu! I'm so glad to hear this one's going into your rotation 🙂 I'll have to include some sauce tips in the future, but I'm glad it was enjoyed. Thanks for commenting!
Jocelyn says
I used a bit more garlic, ginger, and curry paste than recommended and it turned out amazing. This recipe is so quick and simple, but full of flavor!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! Yes, this one's easy to bump up those flavors. So glad to hear you enjoyed 🙂 Thanks!
Megan says
I love this recipe! Very flexible with what veggies you use and the flavor is delish! I do sometimes add powdered curry which I like!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! Yes totally flexible and the powdered curry is a nice alternative to the canned curry paste. Glad you enjoyed...thanks!
Courtney says
This was phenomenal!! No one else in my family likes curry very much but everyone ate it. I had to stop myself from having thirds. I skipped the mushrooms (preference) and used spinach instead of kale because I already had spinach on hand. It was sooooo good, and super quick and easy. Used the stove top method.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yeahhh Courtney! I'm so glad to hear you found this recipe AND that the family signed off. Win-win!! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know Woohooo!
Heather S. says
Excellent recipe. I chopped veggies ahead of time so the dish was simple and fun to make. We like “spicy” so I increased the curry paste just a bit. So good! Thank you.
Traci Antonovich says
So glad you enjoyed, Heather. I usually add more curry too lol, but I write the recipes to fit mild spice preferences 😉 Thanks for stopping back by...Cheers!
Connie says
I loved this recipe, and how much leftovers there are! Thank you!!
Traci Antonovich says
This makes my day, Connie...thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 It's one of my favs too!
Marylin says
I just made this with veggies I had on hand (red peppers, shiitake mushrooms and carrots and kale like the recipe says) and I was amazed at how delicious it was with so little effort! I didn't have lime so I topped the bowls with cilantro. I will be making this again for sure!
Traci Antonovich says
Perfect! I'm SO glad you gave this one a try and love it like we do 🙂 Thanks SO much for the feedback! Cheers!
Katie says
The curry paste I bought is a bit too spicy for me, is there anyway to turn down the spice? Also, could I use olive oil instead of coconut oil?
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Katie, the best way to turn down the spice in the curry paste is to start with a very small amount and add a little at a time to reach your desired level of heat. Also, if you have an Asian grocery, ask the clerk to recommend the least spicy of the ones they carry.
As for olive oil...yep, I've done it and it's undetectable. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions 🙂
Mike says
I made this yesterday and it turned out great! I followed your recipe exactly, definitely a delicious dish and healthy veggie eating! Thanks!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome, Mike! So glad to hear you enjoyed it and thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Lorna says
Wow, wow, wow! I'm not vegan but I'm not a huge meat eater. I absolutely loved this. Thank you so much for a super easy recipe, with mainly store cupboard ingredients. So tasty. Love it 😀
Traci Antonovich says
Awww, thank you for the kind words, Lorna! Love it that this one worked out for you so well 🙂 Day made!!
Becky says
Hey! Does anyone know if the leftover's freeze well? This made a LOT of food and I don't know if I can convince my husband to eat vegan like 5 days in a row, haha.
Traci Antonovich says
Hi Becky! Hopping in here to comment but will love to hear from others too 🙂 I would gladly freeze, thaw, and reheat this just like any soup or stew. The veggie textures may not be identical to the non-frozen version, but it will still be devourable 😉 I would do it in dinner-sized portions so it thaws more quickly...and is more versatile than storing a large container in your freezer. Hope that helps 🙂