Here is my authentic-tasting vegan Massaman Curry recipe using the Instant Pot. It's a simple and plant-based recipe that's packed with authentic flavors and is loaded with colorful veggies. Perfectly spiced, this restaurant-favorite dish is easy to make at home. Served over rice it makes for a hearty meal that the whole family is sure to enjoy.
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Intro
If you are trying to eat more plant-based foods, then this vegan massaman curry recipe is just perfect. All of the vegetables soak up the aromatic flavors from India and Thailand. The creamy coconut broth completely covers the assortment of vegetables. It's amazing how filling this is, but after a few bowls, you won't have room for more.
Serve this warm and colorful curry over a hot bowl of Jasmine rice. If you want to keep it lower in carbs, you can serve it over a bowl of cauliflower rice.
What is Massaman Curry
Massaman Curry is a combination of Thai and Indian curries. It features Thai ginger or Siamese ginger with the Indian spices of cumin, coriander, and cardamom. People normally add either peanuts or cashews to the curry to give it a nutty flavor. Even though Thai Massaman Curry can be prepared with meats such as chicken, beef, or lamb, this recipe is completely plant-based similar to my Thai basil fried rice recipe.
Origins
When you sit down to enjoy this curry, you'll discover how perfectly the Indian and Thai flavors complement each other. Where is Massaman curry from? If you say "India" or "Thailand" you are right on both counts.
This is a perfect blend of both Indian and Thai cuisines. It has red-style curry paste from Thailand and dry spices from India.
Food experts and historians say this originated in Thailand at the court of Ayutthaya.
How to Make Thai Massaman Curry
All of the steps and the ingredients as well as stovetop instructions are in the printable recipe card just a little further down in this post.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat the oil. Add the curry paste and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the coconut milk and mix well. Press Cancel as you stir the milk. Add onion, potatoes, cashews, and salt. Give a quick stir and close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook (Hi) for 4 mins followed by a quick release.
- Open the Instant Pot and stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, broccoli, peppers, and snow peas.
- Cook on saute for another 2 mins or just until the curry comes to a gentle boil. Garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and additional nuts. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.
Variations
The best thing about this vegan Massaman curry recipe is that you can use your favorite vegetables. If you don't like potatoes, use turnips instead. The options are endless. If you choose to replace vegetables with others, just make sure you cut them up into thin or small pieces so that they cook well.
You can easily make this curry meat-based if you like. I often make Chicken Massaman curry that is light and flavorful. In that recipe, I have also shared the steps for making rice with the pot-in-pot method.
To make Keto Massaman curry use a brown sugar substitute like Lankato and serve over cauliflower rice. Instead of potatoes, use a lower-carb vegetable such as turnips.
Tips
My favorite paste is the Maesri brand Massaman curry paste. It adds authentic Asian curry flavors to this dish. Plus, it contains all my favorite Indian spices: coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. It also has Thai flavors from lemongrass and galangal.
When you use coconut milk, always use a full-fat kind that is high-quality and unsweetened. My favorite coconut milk comes from Trader Joe's.
FAQs
This is a mild curry and you can further adjust the spicy flavors by adding more or less of the Massaman curry paste.
Yes, this is a gluten-free recipe.
If you want your curry to be thicker, mix together one tablespoon of cornstarch (cornflour) with two or three tablespoons of water. Add it to the curry after it finishes cooking.
More Instant Pot Curry Recipes
Here are some more of my favorite Curry Recipes using the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
- Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry
- Thai Red Curry with Chicken
- Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Kadai Chicken Curry
- Mom's Chicken Curry
Recipe
Vegan Thai Massaman Curry
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 oz massaman curry paste Maesri brand
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk full fat
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 1 medium potato red or russet variety peeled and cut into 1 to 1.5-inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 to 1.5-inch cubes
- 20 cashews raw and unsalted optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar optional
- ½ cup broccoli small inch florets
- ½ cup thinly sliced orange pepper 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup snow peas or green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
Garnish
- ¼ cup roasted cashews or peanuts rough chopped, optional
- ¼ cup cilantro or Thai basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat oil. Add the curry paste and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the coconut milk and mix well. Press Cancel as you stir the milk.
- Add onion, potatoes, cashews, and salt. Give a quick stir and close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook (Hi) for 4 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Open the Instant Pot and stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, broccoli, peppers, and snow peas. Cook on saute for another 2 minutes or just until the curry comes to a gentle boil.
- Garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and additional nuts. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.
Notes
- Heat oil in a medium-sized wok. Add the curry paste and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the coconut milk and mix well.
- Add onion, potatoes, cashews, and salt. Add ½ cup of water, give a quick stir, and cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat. Cook until the potatoes are cooked soft and tender and can be easily cut with a fork.
- Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, broccoli, peppers, and snow peas. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-high heat or just until the curry comes to a gentle boil.
- Garnish with cilantro, Thai basil, and additional nuts. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.
Tanya Wadley says
This is a very solid, yummy, and healthy dish. It is quite easy and quick to make. I love the variety of vegetables and the cilantro and peanuts made a perfect garnish. I used Mae Ploy brand curry and pre-cooked brown basmati rice from . I like using brown rice varieties for nutrition and this dish is a cinch with cooked rice on hand.
We are light eaters, and this recipe made enough for 2 meals for my family of 5 (3 adults and 2 middle school boys).
I'd save my 5 star rating for something I loved as much as my favorite restaurant, so 4 starts is excellent! : ) I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you.
Kathryn says
I made this in the instant pot last night and the sweet potatoes fell apart and the white potatoes are mushy. Also, I noticed that you add a 1/2 cup of water to the stovetop version but not the instant pot version. Was that intentional? It seemed like a very small amount of liquid. I’m going to try this again but halve the time.
Archana Mundhe says
Thanks for trying the recipe! Yes, the Instant Pot requires less liquid since it retains moisture, so the extra water in the stovetop version isn’t needed. If the potatoes turned too soft, I’d recommend cutting them into larger chunks or reducing the cooking time. You could also do a quick release instead of natural release to prevent overcooking. Hope your next batch turns out just right—let me know how it goes!
Wendy says
Quick, easy, delicious! Subbed carrots for string beans and used two potatoes rather than a sweet potato for family members’ preferences. Adding this to the rotation. Thanks for a great recipe!
Archana Mundhe says
So happy you all enjoyed it. Love the swaps you made; that’s exactly how I want my recipes to feel, flexible and family-friendly! Thanks for sharing back