Instant Pot Thai Green Curry (Vegan)

This slightly sweet and mildly spicy recipe for Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Tofu beats take-out any day! It's a delicious vegan curry that comes together in less than 30 minutes and is completely customizable.

Make it with your choice of veggies and enjoy it with white Jasmine rice or nutty brown rice!

Easy Dump & Start Recipe

This is one of my go-to weeknight dinners. I add a can of green curry paste and coconut milk to the Instant Pot, add vegetables and diced tofu, set it for pressure cooking and dinner is done in under 30 minutes!

I cook some Jasmine rice to go with it. Depending on how much time we have, I make brown or white rice. Here are some more Dump & Start Instant Pot Recipes.

What is Thai Green Curry?

Thai Green Curry is one of the most popular and hottest curries that you will find at a Thai restaurant.  It is made by cooking a homemade or store-bought curry paste with coconut milk and vegetables and protein of your choice.

Thai Green curry paste typically includes lemongrass, ginger-root, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, chilies, and, some fragrant dry spices like coriander and cumin.

How to Make Green Curry Paste from Scratch

When I have time to plan ahead, I like to make this paste from scratch. I blend together the following with a tablespoon or so of oil for easy blending:

• 1 lemongrass stalks, outer layers removed
• 5 serrano chiles, de-seeded
• 1 large shallot, cut in half
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ½ cup cilantro leaves with stems
• ½ cup Thai basil leaves
  

How Spicy is Green Curry?

This Thai green curry paste is on the spicier side.  If you are trying this paste for the first time, I would suggest start by adding ½ a can of this pre-made paste. 

If you like the curry to be more spicy, you can always add a few more tablespoons after the cooking process, and then saute it for an additional 2-3 minutes.

What to Serve with Green Curry

Thai curries taste great with Jasmine rice, an aromatic long grain rice variety from Thailand.

I like to serve this curry with Brown Jasmine rice to increase fiber content in the meal. Plus, the nutty taste of brown rice pairs really well with the creamy coconut curry. If brown rice is not your thing, you can also serve it with white Jasmine rice.

• Brown Jasmine Rice Recipe
• White Jasmine Rice Recipe

Low Carb Side with Thai Green Curry

When my husband and I are watching our carbs intake, we enjoy it with some sautéed cauli-rice and it tastes great. Cauli-rice is basically cauliflower that is shredded to a rice-like fine consistency.

I mostly buy it pre-shredded from Trader Joe's fresh or frozen aisle and then saute it as per the bag instructions.

On days when I barely have time to cook, kitchen shortcuts come to the rescue.  This pre-made paste works great for weeknight dinners. I really like the Maesri brand of Thai curry pastes. 

They make weeknight meals taste so good. I always tell my friends that Maesri curry pastes are so authentic, that if you ever did a blind taste test, you won't be able to tell between a restaurant version and yours.

This brand tends to be on the spicier side though. So if you want a milder curry paste, Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste works well too.

How to Make Instant Pot Thai Green Curry

This is quite a simple dump & start recipe. I turn on the saute mode simply to warm up the ingredients while I'm adding the.

Step 1: Turn Instant Pot on Saute.  Add coconut milk and curry paste and whisk it till it is blended with the coconut milk. 

Step 2: Add baby corn, carrots (or whatever vegetables you are using), and cubed extra-firm Tofu.  Stir everything.  Make sure the curry mix is simmering at this point before you close the lid. It prevents the coconut milk from curdling.

Step 3: Cancel saute and close the lid. Set the vent to sealing position. Set 2 minutes on Manual/Pressure cook mode and change the pressure to Low Pressure. After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, (QR after 5).

Step 4: Open the lid after the pin drops. Check for seasoning. Add brown sugar and lime juice. 

Step 5: Now stir in thawed peas and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes so the peas absorb the flavors and the curry thickens. 

Cancel Saute when the curry thickens to your liking. Thai Green Curry is ready to serve.

Try a Variation

I personally love making this Thai Coconut Curry with Extra-Firm Tofu.  You can customize it and make this Thai green curry with Chicken or Shrimp. Here are a few ways you can customize this curry:

Switch the Vegetables: You can also add your choice of vegetables like water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, or zucchini. If adding peppers, add them after the pressure cooking step, and saute for 2 minutes.

Swap the Protein: If using Chicken, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes for bite-size boneless chicken pieces. When cooking this with Shrimp, cook the curry for 1 minute, QR, and then add the Shrimp, saute' for 1-2 minutes, till they turn opaque.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Low-Pressure setting: This recipe has been successfully re-tested using 'LOW PRESSURE' setting. The texture of tofu and vegetables turns out better and it also prevents the coconut milk from curdling. 
• Simmer coconut milk: Bring the coconut milk to a simmer before pressure cooking. This brings up the temperature of the milk and reduces the chances of curdling.
• Cooker size: This recipe has been tested in a 3qt and 6qt Instant Pot. If making this in an 8qt size, double the recipe to meet the minimum liquid requirement.  
• If coconut milk curdles: If after cooking, the coconut milk seems curdled, don't worry, it hasn't gone bad. The heat and the pressure just separated the fat from the milk. You can turn on Saute mode and whisk it gently back together. It'll be a smooth curry again!
• Make it with chicken or Shrimp instead: If using chicken in this recipe instead of tofu, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes for bite-size boneless chicken pieces. If cooking this with shrimp, cook the curry for 1 minute, QR, and then add the Shrimp, saute’ for 2 minutes, or till they turn opaque and cook through.

More Instant Pot Thai Recipes

These recipes are part of the Asian Recipes Collection:

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📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Thai Green Curry (Vegan)

Aneesha Gupta

This delicious vegan and gluten-free recipe for Thai Green Curry with Tofu is completely customizable and comes together in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes.

4.44 from 30 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 2 mins

NPR 5 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings 4 people

Calories 361 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Instant Pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 can Coconut Milk - Chaokoh/ Thai Kitchen brand
• ▢ ½ can Maesri Thai Green Curry Paste (4 oz can). Use the whole can if you want it spicier
• ▢ 1 cup baby corn cut
• ▢ 1 cup carrots chopped (about 2 medium carrots)
• ▢ 16 ounces extra-Firm Tofu cut in ½-¾ inch pieces

After cooking

• ▢ 2 teaspoon Brown Sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas Thawed
• ▢ Thai basil leaves for garnish (or mint)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Prep: Cut Tofu into ½-¾ inch pieces. Chop baby corn and carrots.
• Preheat the Instant Pot on Saute mode and add coconut milk. This heats it up while we add other ingredients. Stir in green curry paste and whisk until it blends with the coconut milk.  
• Add baby corn, carrots (or whatever vegetables you are using), and then add Tofu pieces.  Stir everything.  Make sure the curry mix is simmering at this point. Cancel saute and close the lid, vent set to sealing position.
• Select Manual/Pressure Cook and set 2 minutes at Low Pressure. When done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, after which manually release the remaining pressure. Open the lid when the pin drops.
• Check for seasoning and turn on saute mode. Add brown sugar and lime juice. Now stir in thawed peas and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes so the peas absorb the flavors and the curry thickens. Cance Saute and enjoy the curry with White or Brown Jasmine rice!

Video

Notes

• Low-Pressure setting: This recipe has been successfully re-tested using the 'LOW PRESSURE' setting. The texture of tofu and vegetables turns out better and it also prevents the coconut milk from curdling. 
• Simmer coconut milk: Bring the coconut milk to a simmer before pressure cooking. This brings up the temperature of the milk and reduces the chances of curdling.
• Cooker size: This recipe has been tested in a 3qt and 6qt Instant Pot. If making this in an 8qt size, double the recipe to meet the minimum liquid requirement.  
• If coconut milk curdles: If after cooking, the coconut milk seems curdled, don't worry, it hasn't gone bad. The heat and the pressure just separated the fat from the milk. You can turn on Saute mode and whisk it gently back together. It'll be a smooth curry again!
• Make it with chicken or Shrimp instead: If using chicken in this recipe instead of tofu, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes for bite-size boneless chicken pieces. If cooking this with shrimp, cook the curry for 1 minute, QR, and then add the Shrimp, saute’ for 2 minutes, or till they turn opaque and cook through.

 

Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates.  If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5807IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 5mg

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