This Vegan Thai Green Curry is a flavor bomb in a bowl! Fresh vegetables are simmered in a flavorful coconut green curry sauce and served over rice to give you a stunning one-skillet weeknight dinner.
Looking for more vegan curry recipes? Be sure to check out my Easy Chickpea Curry, Lentil Curry, and One Pan Tofu Curry as well!
Full of vibrant Thai-inspired flavors and easy to make in one pan, this Vegan Thai Green Curry is a foolproof meal that’s ready in under an hour.
Just like my Vegan Thai Red Curry and Vegan Yellow Curry recipes, this meal tosses a flavorful mix of curry paste, coconut milk, lime juice, and vegetables in a skillet on the stove. You don’t have to make your own green curry paste or even use the vegetables in the recipe card. Use what you have on hand and stick with store-bought curry paste to get this flexible dinner on the table ASAP!
After about 40 minutes, you’re left with an incredibly flavorful Thai-inspired dish that’s best served over rice or noodles. One bite and I know you’ll be adding it to your weekly dinner menu.
Why you’ll love this vegan green curry recipe
- Perfect for meal prep – The leftovers not only stay fresh for days in the fridge but also taste even better after resting! You’ll be counting down the minutes to lunchtime when you have leftovers to heat up.
- A flavor-packed one-pan meal – The luscious green curry sauce and vegetables simmer together in one pan to give you an addictively delicious meal that took almost no time or effort to throw together.
- Loaded with veggies – I packed this vegetable Thai curry recipe with butternut squash, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, and more! Want to use up the veggies already in your fridge? Go ahead! Green curry is easy to customize with any veggies you like.
How to make vegan Thai green curry
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Before you start cooking, chop all your vegetables and cook the rice. Or, to make meal prep easier, buy pre-chopped vegetables, like cubed squash, broccoli and cauliflower florets, pre-minced garlic, and ginger paste.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once warm, add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent. Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the butternut squash or sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, zucchini, and green curry paste to the pan and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and coconut milk together and pour it into the pan. Finally, stir in the rest of the coconut milk, cauliflower, broccoli, sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice.
Heat the curry sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Finish by stirring in the baby spinach and peas. Continue cooking until the peas are heated through and the spinach has wilted.
Serve the vegan green curry in bowls with cooked white rice, rice noodles, or quinoa, and garnish with lime wedges, fresh basil or cilantro, and chopped cashews or peanuts. Enjoy!
Variations
Like most of my vegan curry recipes, green curry is a breeze to customize for your taste buds, dietary restrictions, and allergies. Here are a few variations to get you started:
- Finish it with flavor boosters, such as hot sauce and lime juice, and plenty of chopped nuts on top for crunch.
- Change up the veggies all you want! Add asparagus, cabbage, kale, bamboo shoots, Chinese eggplant, tomatoes, bok choy, snow peas, or any other veggies you have on hand. Even cremini, shiitake, or button mushrooms would give it a delicious umami flavor and meaty texture.
- For an authentic Thai flavor, stir Makrut lime leaves, Thai basil, and red chili peppers in with the peas and spinach.
- Are you gluten-free? Swap the soy sauce for tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Give it a protein boost with baked, marinated, or air fryer tofu, fried tempeh, or a can of chickpeas.
Frequently asked questions
All brands are different! Plenty are vegan, while others contain shrimp paste or other animal products. Remember to double-check the ingredients on the label.
The Thai Kitchen green curry paste is my favorite because it’s only made from green chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, spices, shallots, and lime peels. It’s usually available in well-stocked grocery stores and online.
Surprisingly, yes, green curry tends to be much spicier than red or yellow curry. This is because green curry paste is made with green chilies, coriander, makrut lime leaf, basil, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and shallots. However, the level of heat will depend on the brand of green curry paste you use, so feel free to stick with a mild version if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
Once it’s cool, transfer the leftover curry to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. It also freezes well for up to 1 month but keep in mind that some of the vegetables may become mushy after thawing and reheating.
Vegan Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped small
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash (or sweet potatoes)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced and halved
- 3-4 tablespoons green curry paste (make sure it's vegan)
- (2)- 13.5 ounce cans full fat coconut milk (or use light for a thinner sauce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce OR tamari for gluten free
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- salt, to taste
For serving
- cooked rice, or serve over rice noodles
- lime wedges
- fresh chopped basil or cilantro
- cashews
Instructions
- First, prepare all of the vegetables and have them close by before you heat the pan. Get your rice cooking.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once it's warm, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the butternut squash or sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, zucchini and curry paste to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk the cornstarch with a little of the coconut milk (about 1/2 cup) then add to the pan. Add the rest of the coconut milk, cauliflower, broccoli, sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. Stir.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the baby spinach and peas and cook until the peas are heated through and the spinach has wilted. Thin with a little water, as desired.
- Serve with rice or noodles, and garnish with lime wedges, basil or cilantro and chopped cashews, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make prep easier, you can purchase pre-chopped vegetables, such as pre-cut butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, already minced garlic and ginger paste.
- Gluten free: Make sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce to keep the dish gluten free.
- Feel free to switch up the vegetables based on what you have, or add tofu, tempeh or even chickpeas.
- Lighten it up: You may substitute light coconut milk if desired to make the dish lighter. OR use just one can of full fat coconut milk and 1-2 cups water.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and it freezes well.
Made this 2 times. The green curry paste was instrumental in flavor and added about 3 tablespoons of my favorite madras curry powder. Also used vegetable broth to create more sauce, as I had so many vegetables. Califlower, broccoli, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, spinach and double chick peas! Delish. Also a couple smalll Thai peppers to add zip!
Nora!
This green curry recipe is so delicious! So full of flavor and a good way to get in all your veggies. This recipe will be one of my regulars and I will share it with my friends who think vegan meals can’t be satisfying and delicious. Thank you!
You are welcome! Thank you for your fabulous review and comments!
A bowl full of delicious veggies is exactly what I needed post holidays. Definitely one for the regular rotation!
I agree! I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for your terrific feedback! Happy cooking!
Thanks for another beautiful dish with a straightforward recipe!
Next time I may try some variations, adding a carb or fake meat in place of some veggies, additional cornstarch along with water for more sauce.
My version was a little too hot for me with 4 Tb curry paste and 2 whole jalapenos, but the family liked it, so I added more cooked squash to my bowl and that helped. Very versatile recipe!
Hi Carolyn. Thanks for taking time to share your feedback and ideas! I’m glad you loved the curry recipe! This recipe is incredibly versatile! Have fun experimenting with different variations!
I made and liked the Vegan Thai Green Curry.
But in researching the ingredients of a jar of Thai Green Curry.
I learned it contains . . . shrimp . . .
I was going to double check; but didn’t want to lose this email and have to type it again on this teeny tiny phone screen.
I made this recipe twice before checking online search.
From now on, I will be more thorough in reading recipe ingredients for Vegans.
Hi there, all brands are different, but plenty of them are vegan and do not contain shrimp or other animal products. I use Thai Kitchen brand which contains: Green Chili Pepper, Garlic, Lemongrass, Spices, Salt, Shallot & Lime Peel.
Hi! I discovered this blog about 6 months ago, and have admittedly used it mostly for baking, and I’ve never been disappointed. I started looking at some of the other recipes and came across this one. I just made it, and oh my goodness, it is so good! The sauce is absolutely decadent! Thanks for such a flavorful, colorful, beautiful, and delicious dish!
Welcome to my blog! I am so thrilled that you are loving my recipes, and starting to explore my main meal recipes! I also love the wonderful flavor and beauty of this curry. Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback! Enjoy your journey through my recipes, and let me know if you have any questions about any of them! Wishing you happy cooking!
Was very good taste. I skipped garlic and only used green beans, broccoli, butternut squash ’cause that is all I had. Added half hot green pepper. Served with basmati. It was excellent.
The red curry and easy vegan curry both mention that the nutrition info doesn’t include rice. Correct to assume it’s the same here? Thanks so ,ugh! Excited to try these curry recipes 🙂
That is correct, yes. Since it will vary so much, depending on how much rice you serve it with. 🙂
This is one of my go-to meals. We add in chickpeas and bamboo shoots at the cauliflower step, mix in some dried mint for the simmer. Thank you for the tasty, easy to follow recipe!
Hi Megan. I’m glad this is one of your go to meals! Thank you for sharing your review! Happy cooking!
This is amazing!! So fresh and delicious! Thank you.
You’re welcome!