Vegetable Thai Green Curry | Instant Pot & Stove Top recipe

Vegetable Thai Green Curry is a fragrant dish with a delightful balance of sweet and spicy flavors, packed with the goodness of crisp, colorful vegetables and creamy coconut milk. This flavor-bursting, gluten-free vegan meal is super simple to make. The best part is that it is ready in under 20 minutes and makes for a healthy weeknight meal! 

Native to Thailand in Far East Asia, this colorful dish rich in vegetables, is often served with steamed jasmine rice. The distinctive flavors of Veg Thai Green Curry come from the spicy Thai green curry paste and the fresh Thai basil leaves. These two key ingredients blend in beautifully with the mildly sweet coconut milk to produce one of the most epic dishes of all time. 

We absolutely love two things - food and travel! My family enjoys Thai food as it is so similar to warm and comforting Indian food. Especially when we travel within the US, we lookout for local family-run Thai restaurants. On most occasions, we chance upon a quaint little Thai restaurant, where the owners pour their love along with their family secret spices into wondrous food that they bring to the table, piping hot! 

As much as we love eating at Thai restaurants, I often make Thai curries at home. From the Thai red curry, Instant Pot Thai Massaman curry to the Instant Pot coconut curry noodle soup, we love the delicious Thai flavors.

I often cook my Thai food with ready-made curry paste. They have all of the key ingredients such as galangal (Thai ginger), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chilies, making it convenient and easy to bring home your favorite Thai flavors. 

My personal favorite brand of readymade curry paste is the Maesri brand curry paste. It does not contain fish products, making it good for vegan diets. It is easily available in local Asian Grocery stores as well as on Amazon.

I love that small 4 oz can has all the authentic ingredients that otherwise can be hard to find individually. In addition to lending authentic flavors to the curry, it also cuts down on the overall cooking time. The other brands that make good curry pastes are Thai Kitchen and Mae Ploy.

The best part of this recipe is all the different vegetables you can add to it. Starting from eggplant to zucchini that almost melts into the curry to the crunchy bites of beans and peppers, this dish has the perfect balance of flavor and texture.

Here are my favorite veggies to add to Thai Green Curry

• Eggplant - Traditionally small green Thai eggplant is added to this curry although they can be hard to find. So go ahead and use Japanese eggplant, small Italian eggplant, graffiti eggplant, or even Indian baby eggplant. The eggplant simply melts in this curry giving a creamy texture and rich taste
• Zucchini - Available year-round in most grocery stores, this mild vegetable simply melds in the flavors and is a great way to add more veggies to your diet
• Mushrooms - Cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms, these do not overcook in the Instant Pot and add a meaty satisfying texture to the curry
• Snap Peas - These crispy, crunchy beans with tender peas inside them add a sweet flavor, make sure to add them to the hot curry just before serving. You can also add green beans cut into 1-inch pieces or small broccoli florets when snap peas are not in season
• Pepper - I like to add an orange pepper to compliment the green color of this curry, but any color pepper can be added as it adds a nice sweet flavor and crunchy texture to the curry

Tips

Having cooked this curry on the stovetop for years and now in the Instant Pot, here are my tips for you:

1. Make sure to sauté the curry paste in hot oil, as it really helps to enhance the flavors of the final dish
2. Use as many colored vegetables as you can. This will make your curry look really beautiful and appealing
3. Adding some of the veggies after pressure cooking retains the crunch in those vegetables for a more satisfying bite 
4. Use fresh Thai basil leaves for added authentic flavor 
5. Feel free to use diluted coconut cream in place of coconut milk

Process

Here is the EASY Instant Pot Thai green curry recipe loaded with vegetables with step-by-step photos. Note: refer to the recipe card for the detailed Instant Pot and stovetop recipe.

1: Sauté green curry paste and pressure cook the hardy vegetables in coconut milk (photos 1 - 4).

2: Stir in the crunchy veggies, garnish and enjoy (photos 5 - 8).

Serving

Thai Green curry tastes best when it is served piping hot over a bed of plump jasmine rice. However, I have also served it with steamed basmati rice or brown rice and it tastes equally great with those options too. 

Storing

Thai curry is best enjoyed fresh but can be easily made ahead and refrigerated. Simply heat it well before eating and it tastes just as good. The curry can stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Variations

• Add baked tofu for added proteins 
• If you like to add proteins such as chicken or shrimp, sauté the chicken (cut into thin 1-inch strips) or shrimp along with the curry paste
• For a more soupy curry add ½ cup of vegetable broth along with the coconut milk

Do you enjoy warming curry dishes? You will love these Indian curries that are on repeat in our kitchen:

• Green beans and potato curry - Vegan curry with creamy potatoes
• Mushroom Masala - Easy versatile mushroom curry
• Dum Aloo - Curried baby potatoes
• Chana Saag - Creamy chickpeas cooked with spinach
• Palak Paneer - Easy 15 min Instant Pot recipe

Here is my quick and delicious recipe for Instant Pot Thai Green Curry. I have also included my stovetop recipe in the notes so you don’t miss out on this must-try homemade Thai green curry!

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4.88 from 31 votes

Thai Green Curry with Vegetables

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: dinner, Entree, Lunch

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: 4

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 2 to 4 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
• ▢ 1 can coconut milk
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion sliced
• ▢ 1 medium zucchini cut half lengthwise and cut into ½ inch slices, about 1.5 cups
• ▢ 8 oz cremini mushrooms quartered, about 1.5 cups
• ▢ 1½ cups thai eggplant cut into 1.5 inch cubes, graffiti or japanese eggplant
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup snap peas
• ▢ 1 small orange pepper 1 cup cut into 2 inch long slices
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ ½ fresh lime juiced
• ▢ ¼ cup cilantro
• ▢ ¼ cup thai basil

Instructions

• Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and heat oil. Add green curry paste and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in coconut milk. Add onion, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant and salt. Stir well.
• Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure valve to sealing and adjust the pressure cook time to 1 minute on low pressure. If you do not have the low pressure option, you can set the time to zero minutes.
• Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then release the remaining pressure manually. Stir in the snap peas and pepper. Add brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. Mix well and taste for the spice & salt. Add more curry paste and salt if needed.
• Cook on sauté mode until the curry comes to a gentle boil. Press cancel, garnish with cilantro & basil. Allow to cook for 5 mins before serving as the curry thickens a bit. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Video

Notes

Tips:

• Add baked tofu for added proteins 
• If you like to add proteins such as chicken or shrimp, sauté the chicken (cut into thin 1-inch strips) or shrimp along with the curry paste
• For a more soupy curry add ½ cup of vegetable broth along with the coconut milk

Stove Top Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add green curry paste and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in coconut milk and ½ cup of water. Add onion, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, and salt. Stir well.

2. Cook covered on medium heat for 10 minutes or until all the veggies are cooked soft. 

3. Stir in the snap peas and pepper. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice. Mix well and taste for the spice & salt. Add more curry paste and salt if needed. Cook uncovered on medium heat until the curry comes to a gentle boil. Garnish with cilantro & basil. Serve with steamed rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Sodium: 862mg | Potassium: 1010mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2644IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

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