recipe
Vegan Thai Green Curry
Aromatic, rich, and properly spicy — vegan Thai green curry with tofu, eggplant, and coconut milk. Restaurant-quality result in 30 minutes.
Recipe stats
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 25 minutes
- Total: 40 minutes
- Serves: 4
You’ll need
- 2 tbsp Coconut oil
- 3-4 tbsp Green curry paste
- 2 cans (14 oz each) Coconut milk (full-fat)
- 1 cup Vegetable broth
- 14 oz Firm tofu, cubed
- 1 large Japanese eggplant, sliced
- 2 Bell peppers, sliced
- 1 can Bamboo shoots, drained
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
- for serving Cooked jasmine rice
Method
- Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add curry paste and stir 1-2 minutes until aromatic.
- Stir in coconut milk and broth. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add tofu and eggplant. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Add bell peppers and bamboo shoots. Simmer 5 minutes more, until eggplant is tender.
- Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Taste and adjust — needs to balance sweet/salty/tangy.
- Stir in Thai basil at the very end. Serve over jasmine rice.
Notes + tips
- Verify your green curry paste is vegan — most are, but some include shrimp paste. Brands like Mae Ploy and Maesri have clearly vegan options.
- Full-fat coconut milk only — light coconut milk doesn’t have enough body.
- For more heat, add fresh sliced Thai chillies. For less, reduce curry paste by 1 tablespoon.
- Curry deepens overnight — make a day ahead, reheat gently.
Why this works
This recipe is intentionally simple. The technique stays out of the way of the ingredients. Plant-based cooking generally rewards clean execution over elaborate technique — the flavours are fresher, the texture cleaner, and the result more satisfying when you let good ingredients do most of the work.
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Recipe by the Stay Healthy Vegan editorial team. Tested in our home kitchens before publication.