Vegetarian red curry with tofu recipe is a hearty and comforting curry simmered in creamy and invigorating aromatic sauce. It is savory and full of layered flavors. This scrumptious 20 minute restaurant style curry is perfect for cozy weeknight dinner.
Fresh, flavorful and fiery are the highlights of this delicious Thai curry. It's a robust full bodied curry yet very easy to make. It also is suitable for gluten free eating. Speaking of curries, we also love Vegan Thai Green Curry , Thai Pumpkin Peanut Curry and Thai Massaman Curry for easy dinners.
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Recipe Highlights
All you need is 20 minutes of prep and cooking to get this better than takeout-quality Thai dinner to the table. I am including instructions to make this scrumptious Thai Red Curry in electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot as well on the stove top.
This curry is so wholesome and delicious, it has become a weeknight staple in our house. Try it once and I am sure it will be yours's too! Pair it with white basmati rice for soul satisfying comfort food.
Vegetarian red curry recipe Ingredients
- Vegetables - I am using onion, carrots, red bell pepper, baby corn and zucchini. You can use your favorite veggies.
- Tofu - for meaty texture and making it complete meal full of plant protein. Use extra firm tofu. Make sure to press it well and drain as much water as possible. ( otherwise curry will be watery). You can also use Air Fryer Tofu or Smoked Tofu for extra flavors.
- Sweetener - Hint of sweetness with a tablespoon of raw or brown sugar It adds another dimension to the rich flavorful curry broth.
- Coconut Milk - for the heavenly rich and creamy texture, I use one 13.5 oz. can of full fat coconut milk.
- Seasoning - Thai red curry paste, and minced ginger and garlic add amazing depth of flavors to this curry. I also add liquid coconut amino or soy sauce and rice vinegar for extra tart flavor enhancement.
- Garnishes - Thai basil leaves, chopped cilantro leaves, lime wedges and green onions. Topping it with a squeeze of lime juice balances all the flavors. Chopped cilantro and sliced green onion adds cooling freshness and some authentic flare.
Helpful Hint : Thai basil adds immense extra fresh flavor to this recipe. However during winter months it's not easily available at least in my area. You can use Italian basil if easily available or simply skip it.
Substitutes
There are no hard and fast rules as to what goes in this curry. You can treat it as clean your refrigerator kind of curry as well.
I often add carrots, onion, zucchini, baby corn and red bell pepper. You can choose your favorites. Broccoli, squash, potatoes, asparagus, eggplant all are great choices.
I am using tofu for plant protein and to amp up hearty quotient. If you aren't into tofu, just skip it. You can also add chickpeas or other cooked beans for additional protein.
Best Red Curry Paste
Even though home made Thai curry paste will be amazingly fresh and fragrant, a lot of ingredients like kaffir lime, galangal and lemon grass are very hard to find in regular grocery stores.
My favorite Maesri Brand of Red Curry paste includes ground paste of chili pepper, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, coriander seeds, cumin and cardamom. I love this brand since there is no added color, preservative or MSG.
Since I make this curry for dinner almost weekly, I stock up on the ready made curry paste and coconut milk at local Asian market.
How to Make
We start off by chopping all the vegetables into bite size pieces. Press the tofu firmly so excess water drains.
Then we sauté the onions and aromatics in oil for some time so the raw smell goes away. We then sauté the veggies and tofu briefly before adding the coconut milk, water and curry paste to the mix.
We let it simmer for some time ( if using stove top) or pressure cook quickly so the flavors mend together and curry thickens.
Serve it with nice squeeze of lime juice and fresh herbs toppings.
Pro Tips
You can simply skip the sautéing onions and veggies part and make it a Dump and Go Curry as well. However, I prefer to spend extra 5-7 minutes of sautéing before cooking so the aroma of flavors develops better.
Adjust the taste and seasoning : Different brands of red curry paste have different flavors, so you may want to add more or less paste. Start off with 1 tablespoon and taste and adjust. Same goes for salt. Make sure to taste before you add additional salt.
Serving Suggestions
This sultry curry pairs well with just plain steamed rice. You can use jasmine rice or basmati rice. Many times for extra flavors, I serve the curry over Cilantro Lime Brown Rice or Thai Curry Fried Rice.
Our Favorite Asian Recipes
Here are some of our popular and classic Asian Gourmet recipes that are easy to make at home and taste WAY better than takeout. Do try and let us know how you like them.
- Chinese Spicy Green Beans
- Tom Kha Soup
- Stir fry rice noodles with rainbow veggies
- Chinese Spicy Eggplant
- Chili Garlic Edamame
- Instant Pot Lo Mein Noodles
Recipe FAQs
My favorite Maesri Brand of Red Curry paste includes ground paste of chili pepper, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, coriander seeds, cumin and cardamom. I love this brand since there is no added color, preservative or MSG.
Yes. You can freeze leftover Thai curry for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before heating in the microwave or on the stovetop.
It is. This vegetarian Thai curry recipe is loaded with so many vegetables. It also has tofu which is full of plant protein. Altogether it makes comforting and filling square meal that is satiating and filling.
Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes
★ If you make this Vegan Thai Red Curry Recipe do let us know how you like it by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian red curry recipe with tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup baby corn - cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup extra firm tofu - water drained pressed and cubed
- 1 cup carrot -chopped
- 1 zucchini cubed
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste - adjust per spice tolerance
- 1 Tablespoon liquid coconut amino or tamari
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar I prefer coconut sugar
- 1 (13.5) oz. can of full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
Garnishes - Optional
- 5-6 stalks green onions chopped
- 1 Tablespoon thai basil leaves chopped
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
How To Make Instant Pot vegetarian red curry
- Turn Instantpot on and press SAUTE button. After it displays HOT, add oil, chopped onions and minced ginger and garlic. Stir well till onions get translucent.
- Add all the veggies to the pot. Sauté well. Add tofu cubes. Mix well. Add water and stir everything together making sure to DEGLAZE by scraping the base with spatula.
- Add coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and curry paste. Give the mixture a good stir.
- Cancel SAUTE. Close the lid with valve at SEALING. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and select 1 minute.
- After Instant Pot done cooking, wait on keep warm timer for 3 minutes and then do QPR - quick pressure release by turning the valve to venting.
- After the silver pin drops, carefully open the lid. Your steaming hot curry is ready.
- If necessary, add more water to thin the curry. Alternatively, if you feel it's too thick, simmer it back on SAUTE for couple minutes.
- Add in the thai basil leaves, cilantro leaves and chopped green onions and mix. Add lime juice just before serving.
- Serve this vegan Thai Red Curry with jasmine rice or steamed white rice, brown rice, quinoa or noodles. Enjoy!
How to make vegetarian red curry recipe on the Stove Top
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add chopped onions and minced ginger and garlic. Stir well till onions get translucent.
- Add all the veggies to the pan. Toss veggies for around 2 minutes on medium high heat.
- Add tofu cubes. Mix well. Add water and stir everything together making sure to scrape the base.
- Add coconut milk, coconut amino, rice vinegar, sugar and curry paste. Give the mixture a good stir.
- Cover the pot and let the curry cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes. It will come to a light simmer and become thick and creamy.
- Adjust the consistency of the curry at this point. You can add water to thin it out if you so desire.
- Add in the thai basil leaves, lime juice, cilantro leaves and chopped green onions and mix. Remove pan from heat.
- Serve this vegan Thai Red Curry with jasmine rice or steamed white rice, brown rice, quinoa or noodles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store brought Thai curry pastes are hot, so use sparingly. If you can't tolerate heat, use 1 tablespoon only.
- Once it cools down, the curry really thickens so you will have to add some water while re-heating.
- For Instant Pot cooking , choose 1 minute for veggies with little bite to them. If you like soft veggies, choose 2 minutes.
- Make sure to use Extra Firm Tofu for this recipe. Also press the tofu well so that most of the water is drained. The curry will be watery otherwise.
Nutrition
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Muthu
How would you store the left over curry paste if we use only 1 tbsp? Do you freeze them or store in fridge? If in fridge how long can I store in fridge.
Team ProfusionCurry
I usually move it to freezer safe container and freeze it . It can be stored for up to a month or two easily.
Simone
This recipe came out really liquidy, had to add more coconut milk then cooked it 2 minutes more. Unfortunately I’m unable to save this...I’m used to cooking dishes similar to this but this one fell flat.
admin
I am wondering if the tofu wasn't firm or properly pressed?
A
What about lime and sugar
admin
You add sugar along with curry paste for the sauce and lime juice just before serving.
Lokesh
Can I leave out the liquid aminos? Is there a sub?
admin
yes you can leave it out or use soy sauce or lemon juice. Also to cook cut potatoes in the curry, you should use 5-8 minutes. I won't recommend cooking it with other veggies since they will get super mushy.
Lokesh
How long to pressure cook if I were to add potatoes?
I want a soft bite. Is 2-3 mins on high pressure enough?
Laura
How long would I cook in the instant pot if I used chicken instead of tofu? Thanks!
admin
Brown the chicken for 3-4 minutes and then cook it along