Authentic Vegan Thai Green Curry – A Fragrant and Creamy Homemade Recipe
Rooted in Thai tradition – a bright, herb-laced curry for fragrant, effortless feasting
Table of Contents
- ✨ Before We Begin…
- The Cook’s Mind
- A Note on Origin
- Ingredient Focus: Coriander
- My Favourite Way To Eat
- Multi-Purpose Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What Will You Learn Whilst Making This Recipe?
- Handpicked to Go With This One
- Waste Less: How To Use Up Your Ingredient Stash!
- Authentic Vegan Thai Green Curry Recipe
✨ Before We Begin…
Thai green curry is one of those dishes that feels instantly familiar, even if it’s your first time making it from scratch. The fragrance is unmistakable – lime leaf, lemongrass, green chilli – all stirred into a creamy coconut base that soothes and sparks in equal measure.
This vegan version keeps all the complexity of the original, with no need for fish sauce or store-bought pastes. It’s lighter than its red curry cousin, but still full of body and flavour. A proper bowlful – fresh, warming, and deeply satisfying.
It’s a go-to for those evenings when you want to make something that feels generous but unfussy. Serve it over jasmine rice, with plenty of fresh coriander or Thai basil if you have it, and a quiet sense of pride that you made something this good in your own kitchen.
‘Must be best food offer, of any genre, in Kendal. Hugely accomplished cooking and very much recommended.’
Tony P, Kendal; Food Customer
The Cook’s Mind
This curry teaches restraint – not in flavour, but in balance. Thai green curry isn’t about heat for heat’s sake, it’s about freshness, harmony, and knowing when to stop. You’ll learn how to blend herbs and aromatics into something vivid and green, how to soften the edges with coconut, and how to let crisp vegetables hold their own without turning limp. A confident dish with a quiet complexity.
Make-Ahead
Make the curry paste or sauce in advance – store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cooked curry can also be held for 2 days and reheats beautifully. Leave fresh herbs or greens until the day of serving for best texture.
Freezer-Friendly
Freeze curry sauce separately or fully assembled.
Defrost overnight and reheat gently on the stove.
Add a splash of coconut milk or water to loosen the sauce.
Key Substitution Ideas
- Use any mix of vegetables – aubergine, green beans, or courgettes work well.
- Swap tofu for tempeh or chickpeas for a different kind of protein.
- If you can’t find Thai basil, use regular basil with a little mint.
A Note on Origin
Thai green curry – gaeng keow wan – springs from the vibrant heart of central Thailand, its colour as lively as its spirit. Traditionally built on a paste of fresh green chillies, lemongrass, galangal, and aromatic herbs, it offers a gentle, fragrant heat wrapped in creamy coconut richness. Our version stays close to that bright, green soul, celebrating the warmth, balance, and quiet fire of Thai home cooking.
Ingredient Focus: Coriander
Coriander – also known as cilantro – brings a rush of green brightness that can lift a dish from grounded to airborne. The tender leaves, peppery stems, and even the roots (when used) carry a layered flavour: grassy, citrusy, and just a little wild. To some, coriander tastes like a garden after rain; to others, it leans sharply herbal – a living reminder that taste is deeply personal.
In vibrant dishes like Thai curries, coriander acts as a bridge between heat and richness, bringing a clean, almost sparkling finish. Used raw, stirred through just before serving, it keeps its bright edge – a final sigh of freshness over warm, rich flavours. Both unruly and delicate, coriander is a kitchen essential for cooking that feels alive.
✨ A green spark that stirs the air.
My Favourite Way To Eat
Thai curries, for me, are Saturday food – especially when it’s cool out and I need a bit of warming green magic. I’d probably throw together a ‘sharp salad’ – greens with a just-a-bit-too-vinegary dressing – because I love the clash. A spoonful of curry, a bite of something crisp and sour… that’s the sort of balance I’ll always come back to.
Multi-Purpose Recipe
This recipe has more than one life… Use it as a fragrant reset meal or a deeply nourishing centrepiece. Pair it with noodles, rice, or soft tofu and greens. The curry base can also be used to poach dumplings, thin into a soup, or drizzle over roasted cauliflower.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Thai green curry wraps you in a fragrant, gentle heat — bright, creamy, and deeply satisfying. It’s a dish that feels light on its feet yet full of soul, with layers of fresh herbs, tender vegetables, and silky coconut richness. Easy to adapt, easy to love — it’s the kind of cooking that feels like a small celebration on an ordinary day.
- Fresh, lively flavours — packed with herbs, coconut, and a gentle hum of heat.
- Comforting but light — rich enough to feel special, bright enough for everyday.
- Endlessly adaptable — swap the veg, tweak the spice, make it your own.
What Will You Learn Whilst Making This Recipe?
- How to make the freezable Thai green curry paste
- How to fry the paste correctly
- How to cook the vegetable to retain crunchiness
- How to choose suitable vegetables
- What can go wrong
Handpicked to Go With This One
A few recipes that play well together — flavour friends, not just neighbours.
Waste Less: How To Use Up Your Ingredient Stash!
Got something spare – a handful, a spoonful, or the end of a packet? These tags help you find other ways to use it. It’s a small step toward cooking intuitively and wasting less❣️
coconut milk, coriander seeds, courgette, fresh basil, fresh coriander, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh herbs, green chilli, ground white pepper, lime juice, lime zest, red onion, soft light brown sugar, stock cube, sweetcorn, turmeric, white miso paste, white peppercorns
Authentic Vegan Thai Green Curry Recipe
Authentic Vegan Thai Green Curry – A Fragrant and Creamy Homemade Recipe
Fresh green herbs, ginger, and lime come together in this light and fragrant curry. Coconut milk brings body and calm, while seasonal vegetables and tofu soak up the gently spicy, citrusy broth. A vibrant dish that’s quick to make but full of character.
Photographed truthfully. If you cook it, yours will look like mine.
Ingredients
Paste ingredients
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp lemongrass purée
- 120 g red onion | unpeeled weight
- 6 units garlic cloves | finely sliced
- 15 g fresh coriander stalks
- 15 g fresh ginger
- 45 g green chilli | de-seeded
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sauce ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 80 g green curry paste (made above)
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 10 g stock cube
- 180 ml boiling water
- ¼ tsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp lime zest
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
Other ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 100 g red onion | unpeeled weight; slender petals
- 100 g broccoli | include some stalk, it's wonderful
- 100 g courgette | wedges 1cm diameter, ends cut diagonally
- 60 g sweetcorn
- 280 g firm tofu
- 12 units fresh basil leaves | shredded
Instructions
Prepare the paste
- Heat a small fry pan on a low heat and when it's warm, add the coriander and white peppercorns. Roast the spices until they begin to colour up, keeping them moving, for a couple of minutes. Add the cumin seeds, move the pan for a further minute and switch the heat off.1 tsp white peppercorns, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds
- Turn out onto a plate to cool completely.
- Add all these ingredients to the food processor, and blend to a fine purée. You'll need to keep pushing the ingredients back down the side of the food processor with a spatula.1 tsp salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp lemongrass purée, 120 g red onion, 6 units garlic cloves, 15 g fresh coriander stalks, 15 g fresh ginger, 45 g green chilli, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, ¼ tsp white miso paste
- Grind the cold roasted spices to a very fine powder, and then add to the purée in the food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Put the finished paste into a plastic container with a lid on it.
Stir fry
- Heat a wok/large frying pan until very hot (it almost smokes). This will seal the surface of the pan. Then add the oil and wait until it is hot, liquid and shimmering. Add the onion petals and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the broccoli and courgette, and stir-fry for 1 minute. When finished, tip the stir-fried veg into a dish. When cooking, ensure you retain the crunchiness of the vegetables.2 tbsp oil, 100 g broccoli, 100 g courgette, 100 g red onion
Finish the dish
- In the same pan, heat the oil on low and add the finished paste. Gently stir-fry the paste until you can smell it. Add the sugar and mix and stir through the paste whilst the sugar caramelises.80 g green curry paste, 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- Add the coconut milk, prepared stock, lime juice and white pepper, mix, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken. At this point, you can add the prepared veggies and the tofu. Warm the vegetables and tofu gently, adding the shredded basil leaves 2 minutes before you serve. Top with torn coriander leaves or more basil. I used coriander because it looks prettier!400 ml coconut milk, 10 g stock cube, 180 ml boiling water, 2 tbsp lime juice, ½ tsp ground white pepper, 60 g sweetcorn, 280 g firm tofu, 12 units fresh basil leaves
Nutrition
Calories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 12gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 0.1mgSodium: 1239mgPotassium: 578mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3804IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 6mg
Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
COPYRIGHT
© The Golden Polar Bear, 2025. Recipes and photography by Julia Savory. If you share this, please pass it along with kindness and if possible share a link back to this site. #ForTheAnimals
Photographed truthfully. If you cook it, yours will look like mine.
Next Steps?
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