Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry is a scrumptious vegan curry where everyday vegetables are simmered in a Thai coconut curry sauce for. This delectable vegan curry recipe is made for Instant Pot or stove.
Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry
This vegetable curry is one of the first recipes I published to my blog in 2014. I've made it for years and the story is always the same...downright delish! It's easy, healthy, quick-fix Asian comfort food! It's loaded with fresh vegetables, a few canned ingredients, and can be on the table in 30 minutes!
Thai coconut vegetable curry ingredients
- coconut oil
- green onion
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- carrots
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- mushrooms
- canned diced tomatoes
- Thai curry paste or Thai curry powder
- canned chickpeas
- coconut milk (I often use this lite coconut milk)
- Kosher salt
- fresh kale
- (garnish) lime and Thai basil
I also think of this as a cheater curry because you're not making the actual curry seasoning from scratch.
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.
How to make vegetable curry in the Instant Pot
* See full recipe below
Step 1. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil until tender.
Step 2. Add all other ingredients.
Step 3. Close lid, turn pressure release valve to "sealing", set pressure cooker button to HIGH Pressure for 1 minute.
Step 4. 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
* see full recipe below
Step 1. Saute vegetables in a soup pot (you can use pre-cut vegetables).
Step 2. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, chickpeas, and curry paste.
Step 3. increase heat to bring everything just to a boil.
Step 4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer.
Step 5. About 5 minutes before serving, fold in fresh kale and allow it to steam.
Step 6. Stir in lime zest and juice; serve warm over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
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What I love about Thai vegetable curry
- takes only 30 minutes to make
- vegan AND gluten-free
- made with everyday veggies available at most grocery stores
- chickpeas give it added nutrition, texture, fiber, and flavor
- uses Asian pantry staples available in most grocery stores (like coconut oil and coconut milk)
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.
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Equipment needed:
- chef knife
- cutting board
- 3.5 qt saucepot or 6 qt Instant Pot
- Large spoon
- serving ladle (stainless steel)
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- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Stir Fry Vegetables with Black Bean Sauce
- Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
- Sesame Kale Noodles
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Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2 Green Onions sliced; keep white bulb and green stalk separate
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Ginger finely grated
- 1 cup Carrots chopped
- 1 cup Broccoli chopped
- 1 cup Cauliflower chopped
- 1 cup Mushrooms chopped
- 3 Tbsp Curry Paste or 3 Tbsp Thai Curry Powder
- 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with their juice
- 1 15oz can Coconut Milk
- 1 15oz can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt optional
- 2 cups Kale (or Spinach) chopped
- 1 Lime zested and juiced
- 2 sprigs Thai basil
RECIPE VIDEO
Recipe Instructions
Vegetable Curry Stove Instructions
- In a 3-quart soup pot, heat COCONUT OIL over medium heat until shimmering (about 2 minutes).
- Add GREEN ONION (the stalk), 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.
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 firm stalk) 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 LIME zest and juice, and GREEN ONION TOPS.Other garnish options include green onions, Thai basil, or cilantro. Enjoy over a bed of rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
- To store, refrigerate vegetable curry in an airtight container.
- To freeze, store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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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.
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!
I loved this recipe, and how much leftovers there are! Thank you!!
This makes my day, Connie...thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 It's one of my favs too!
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!
Perfect! I'm SO glad you gave this one a try and love it like we do 🙂 Thanks SO much for the feedback! Cheers!
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?
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 🙂
I made this yesterday and it turned out great! I followed your recipe exactly, definitely a delicious dish and healthy veggie eating! Thanks!
Awesome, Mike! So glad to hear you enjoyed it and thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
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 😀
Awww, thank you for the kind words, Lorna! Love it that this one worked out for you so well 🙂 Day made!!
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.
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 🙂
Hi! I love this meal but was curious what the nutrition facts are for the serving you have provided?
Thanks!
Hi Joy...I just updated this recipe today to include nutrition facts for you 🙂 Please observe the recipe notes (right above the nutrition label), especially if you need more accurate information for diet/health reasons. Thanks so much! Let me know if I can help you further.
Made this and it was great, definitely adding this to my favorites!
Awesome Lisa! I'm so glad you like it...and thanks for the feedback 🙂
I am a fairly new vegan and made this recipe tonight - I LOVED IT! I visited the local Asian grocery store for the first time and selected the yellow Thai curry paste, and the dish tasted like it was from my favorite Thai restaurant. What a delight - I look forward to adding this to my regular meal menu!
Oh Melissa, this makes my day! This is definitely a fav dish of mine and I'm glad you found it! One of these days, I'll shoot new photos of it, so don't be surprised when you come back and it looks different 🙂
Hi there, I just tried this recipe and thought it was delicious. One question though, if you substitute the curry powder for the curry paste, how much curry poweer should you use for it to taste similar to this recipe? Many thanks!
Great question, Olivia! I don't know exactly how much powder you would sub, but I'd probably start with a couple teaspoons minimum. I'm going to pick up some Thai Curry Powder at my Asian grocery soon, so I'll be able to alter this recipe with that info. Stay tuned 🙂 Thanks for commenting, btw...glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made this & we LOVED it. Added some more spice, as we like things perky. Rather than serving w/rice, I cooked some Thai rice noodles & just stirred them into the curry. This will definitely be a regular meal for us - Fabulous.
Awesome Kris...sooo glad to hear it! I keep recipes mild here on the site, but I love the spicy at home 🙂 And I love this dish with rice noodles too!
I love this recipe! Since discovering it I have made it several times. Currently simmering on my stove. I have used red curry paste all the previous times and today I’m trying green (because that’s what my husband brought home from the store). Thank you!
Omgosh you've made my day! I love hearing this...it's a fav of mine too! Any color of curry would work, but it might change the spice/heat level, so be careful if you don't care for the spicy 🙂 Thanks again!
This is delicious but needs a bit more spice. Lime juice is nice as it offsets the coconut milk thickness. I will be making this again!
Haha, yep...I often publish recipes on the less spicy side so people can kick it up a notch. It's much harder to turn the heat down 🙂 So glad you liked it, Kelly. Appreciate you for stopping by!
I have green or red curry paste, but not yellow. Do you think this recipe would be good with one of those? Thanks!
Absolutely yes...although, I'm not sure the exact amounts translate b/c your curry might be stronger, or not as strong, so I'd use 1 Tbsp to start and then add the other if needed. Or add even another Tbsp if necessary. It's a very forgiving dish 🙂 Hope that helps, let me know. Enjoy 🙂
Agree this needed more spicing up (for me) but I loved the veg combo. A lot of variations to be made from this and I love that you put so much detail (tools, ingredients, etc) for those new to cooking. Nice touch!
Shea, thanks for commenting. I do leave it up to the individual to add more curry if they wish. I'm glad you love all the details 🙂 Thanks again for stopping by!
This looks great, very similar to my "Hm, what should I cook with this random stuff in my fridge/pantry?" curry. However, if you're using curry powder, it's not Thai curry. Curry powder is typically more Indian-esque. Thai red, green, yellow, massaman, etc curry have specific ingredients that aren't found in Indian curries, e.g. galangal and lemongrass.
Kirsten, you're so right! I always used curry paste for this dish, then switched to powder, but didn't use Thai curry powder. I just edited the post and recipe back to the original, and included links to the powder. Thank you so much for pointing this out...I like conveying accurate information. Cheers!
I enjoyed the variety of veg in this. Although the flavour was very basic (awesome for fussy eaters if you’re trying to introduce new flavours). I added ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin and it was wonderful. A perfect mid week dinner or when you have unexpected guests.
Yep, kept it pretty basic on purpose. Glad you liked it...and thanks for taking the time to follow up here in the comments. Makes my day 🙂
Wow! This was fantastic! My entire family loved every bite. I added some leftover steamed cabbage, delicata squash, and tossed in fresh baby spinach instead of kale. It was So, So good. Definitely a keeper at our house. Thank you for such a marvelous recipe. 😋
You...just made my day! Thank you for letting me know...I really appreciate the feedback, esp when it's a love story 🙂 Hope you can find more of those here on my site. Let me know if you ever have any questions...I'm here! Thanks again!
This curry was great! I added a little turmeric, paprika, cumin and omitted the mushrooms. Great flavor, served with brown rice and can't wait to make this again.
So glad to hear it, Crissy...it's pretty versatile, huh?! I'm a fan of brown rice too! It's always that or quinoa. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
My stomach is sensitive to chickpeas. What would you recommend using instead? The recipe looks incredible!
Hey Samantha, There's enough going on in this dish, you could leave them out and substitute them with more veggies. Or, are you able to eat edamame? Those would be a great substitution as long as you can eat them 🙂
I made this and it was really yummy! I added some ginger, a dash 9f smily.paprika and some fresh basil.
Opps! Dash of smoky paprika
Karen, all great things in this dish! And I'm with you on the ginger (I need to add that as an ingredient on the recipe). Always love basil too! Thanks for the comment 🙂
This looks amazing!! Unfortunately I have a tomato allergy. Do you think I could make it without the can of diced tomatoes? Anything else I could add instead?
Hi Jenny, no problem. I would sub either a 1/2 Lb zucchini or 1/2 a large red bell pepper (either would be diced and sautéed with the other veggies). If you need to add any liquid to the curry to adjust consistency, you could use the juice from the can of chickpeas. Hope that helps! Thanks for asking 🙂
I made this for dinner a few days ago and my husband and I both loved it! I will definitely be making this on a regular basis.
Katy, awesome! Can't tell you how happy I am that you love it AND that you took the time to let me know. Thank so much! If you're looking for more vegan and vegetarian recipes, I have plenty 🙂 Cheers!
I just made this yesterday and it is DELICIOUS. thank you for sharing!
Allison, AWESOME...so glad to hear it! I really appreciate your feedback...thanks for taking the time 🙂 Let me know if you ever have any questions!
GF, this is one of the BEST curries I ever had! It is hard for me to stop eating it even after I'm full. I had about 6 small red potatoes left over from another recipe, quartered them and added to the curry. Hats off to you Kitchen Girl! I will be making this often. It is soooo good!!
Omgosh GF, wheeeeee! I'm REALLY excited to hear this...because I know you're serious about healthy, one-pot meals that go the distance all week. So, if my recipe made it into your rotation, mission accomplished! And with red potatoes too?...YUM! xoxoxo
GF, I'm so making this on Sunday. It looks and sounds sooooo good. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Awww yeayah! Hope you love it like I do. It's my "cheater" curry, GF...so easy and ready in no time! xoxoxo