Thai Red Curry Vegetables with Tofu
on Dec 07, 2023, Updated Aug 02, 2024
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This vegan Thai red curry vegetables with tofu is easy to make in one pan in under 30 minutes. If you love Thai food, this is the perfect recipe to try making at home.
For more Thai recipes, you’ll have to try this Thai Basil Eggplant, Red Curry Rice Noodles, Easy Vegan Tofu Pad Thai Recipe and Vegan Cashew Tofu Stir Fry with Broccoli for a complete Thai feast!
It’s made with simple ingredients like store-bought curry paste and coconut milk and you can use your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand for an easy dinner.
Thai red curry is delicious served over rice to soak up the creamy coconut curry sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil: You can use olive oil, avocado oil or another cooking oil for sautéing. If you need the recipe to be oil-free, you can omit the oil and use a bit of water.
- Onion: White onion is best for this recipe but you could substitute red onion or yellow onion if needed.
- Ginger & Garlic: Fresh/raw garlic and ginger provide the best flavor for this recipe. I don’t recommended substituting garlic powder or ground ginger but if you must, you can substitute 1 tsp of each for the fresh garlic and ginger.
- Red Curry Paste: I like Thai Kitchen brand Red Curry Paste. If you’re vegan or don’t eat fish, note that some curry paste contains anchovies, shrimp paste or fish sauce so be sure to review the label. Curry paste can be found in well-stocked grocery stores, Asian speciality markets or online.
- Vegetables: The recipe calls for bell pepper, baby spinach and zucchini. Other vegetables that can be used are kale, broccoli, cauliflower or carrot.
- Coconut Milk: Full fat coconut milk is recommended for Thai curries but you can substitute light coconut milk to reduce the fat and calories.
- Soy Sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce is suggested. Substitute gluten-free tamari for a gluten-free curry.
- Coconut Aminos: If you don’t have this avaiable you can omit it.
- Coconut Palm Sugar: Substitute with brown sugar or maple syrup if needed.
- Tofu: Use extra firm tofu. There is no need to press the tofu before using.
- Chili Flakes: If you’re sensitive to spice, reduce to 1 tsp or omit entirely. Alternatively, you can use fresh whole Thai chilies to your desired spice level.
Please see the printable recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations & Additions
- Other Thai Curries: To make Thai green curry or yellow curry, substitute green curry paste or yellow curry paste for the red curry paste. You can also use any variation of homemade curry paste.
- Crispy Tofu: To make crispy tofu, either pan-fry the tofu in the the pan or in a separate pan or bake it in the oven according to this Crispy Baked Tofu recipe. Crispy tofu can be mixed into the curry sauce as per the recipe or served on top of the curry.
- Serving: Serve Thai red curry over brown rice or white Jasmine rice for soaking up the creamy sauce. Top with fresh bean sprouts, a lime wedge or sprinkle of lime zest, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil leaves or fresh cilantro. Serve the curry over cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- For a gluten-free recipe, be sure to substitute the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari and review the brand of red curry paste used.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Step 2: Add the garlic, ginger and red curry paste, mix well and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the red peppers, can of coconut milk, zucchini, soy sauce, coconut aminos and coconut sugar and bring the curry to a simmer.
Step 4: Once simmering, add the tofu cubes, squeeze of lime juice, chili flakes and dried basil and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5: Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach until wilted and combined.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. To keep this dish oil-free, just add a little water or vegetable broth to the pan with the onion.
One of my favourite things about this recipe is you can toss in any vegetables you have on hand making it an excellent meal for the end of the week when you need to clean out the fridge.
The recipe calls for red pepper and zucchini, but you can also use mushroom, broccoli, bok choy, carrot, eggplant, snap peas or snow peas, green beans, bamboo shoots, potato, baby corn, sweet potatoes or cauliflower.
It’s recommended to keep the selection of vegetables to 3-4 or about 3 cups total.
I like to use full-fat coconut milk so it’s nice and creamy but you can substitute light coconut milk if you’d like to cut down the fat and calories.
Leftover red curry will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
Thai Red Curry Vegetables with Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic, crushed or minced
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup sliced zucchini
- 14 oz can of full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 400 g package extra-firm tofu, cubed
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 5 oz container baby spinach
- bean sprouts, for serving
- fresh basil, for serving
- cooked white or brown rice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat Oil and Cook Onion: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until softened and fragrant.
- Add Curry Paste and Aromatics: Add the ginger, garlic and red curry paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until the the curry paste is mixed in.
- Bring to Simmer: Add the red pepper, zucchini, coconut milk, soy sauce, coconut aminos and coconut sugar. Mix well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Add Tofu and Seasonings: Add the cubed tofu, lime juice, chili flakes and dried basil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add Spinach: Add the baby spinach and turn off the heat. Mix until spinach is wilted and combined into the curry.
- Serve: Serve your red curry over cooked white rice, brown rice or quinoa with lime wedges and topped with fresh basil and bean sprouts.
This is so delicious. It feels restaurant quality, but it’s easy to make!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
Our family really loved this recipe! Your recipes always turn out great and are so flavorful and easy to follow! Thank you. Look forward to exploring more recipes on your website.
Thanks a lot for this recipe. I got the exact Thai paste from Target. Being a vegetarian, I loved that you didn’t add any fish sauce etc.
Great! Glad you enjoyed it.
So glad you enjoyed it!
How much water?
Dear Deryn, do you get curry paste without fish? In Switzerland where I life, none of the available jars qualify as vegan. I personally don’t care about that but we have vegan friends and cooking for them is really not easy…
Hi Maggie, I use Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste and amazingly, it’s vegan!
https://www.thaikitchen.com/products/sauces-and-pastes/red-curry-paste.aspx
Good luck finding some!
What type of red thai curry paste do you use? Do you make yours from scratch, or do you buy the canned curry paste? Which brand, if so?
I’d love to start making it from scratch but for now I buy a little jar of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste and that does the trick 🙂
I made your Vegetable Thai Red Curry for dinner tonight and it was WONDERFUL!!!
That’s awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂