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.
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.
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.
Store-bought Thai Curry Paste
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 them, which reduces the pressure build-up time.
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: Close lid. Hit cancel. Turn 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. Then, add frozen peas and let them hangout in the curry for about one minute so they get thawed.
You can leave them in there for another minute on Saute if you like them cooked more. If at this point, the sauce is thinner than you like, hit Saute and cook it off for a minute or two.
Customize your Thai Green Curry
I personally love making this Thai Coconut Curry with Extra-Firm Tofu. You can customize it and make this Thai green curry with Chicken, Shrimp or beef. Here are a few ways you can customize this curry:
Vegetables: You can also add your choice of vegetables like water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, zuchhini. If adding peppers, add them after the pressure cooking step, and saute for 2 minutes.
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.
If you're using beef stew pieces, cook the meat in the coconut curry sauce for 30 minutes, QR and then add all the veggies and cook on SAUTE for another 2 minutes. If you add them earlier, they'll be over cooked. This is a very versatile curry, add your favorite combination and enjoy!
Pro-Tips to Prevent Coconut Milk from Curdling under pressure
- Cooking a coconut milk based curry at LOW PRESSURE prevents the fat from separating from the milk, also known as curdling.
- When cooking with coconut milk, turn on saute while you add ingredients. Bring it to a simmer before you close the lid. This brings up the temperature of the milk and reduces the chances of curdling.
- 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!
More Instant Pot Thai Recipes from my Kitchen
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Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can Coconut Milk - Chaokoh
- ½ can Maesri Thai Green Curry Paste (4 oz can). Use the whole can if you want it spicier
- ¼ cup water (skip if you prefer a thicker curry)
- 1 cup baby corn cut
- 1 cup carrots chopped (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 lb. extra-Firm Tofu cut in ½-3/4 inch pieces
After cooking
- 2 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp lime juice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Thai basil leaves for garnish (or mint)
Instructions
- Prep: Cut Tofu into ½-3/4 inch pieces. Chop baby corn and carrots.
- Turn Instant Pot on Saute. This heats up the ingredients as we add them and reduces pressure building time. Add coconut milk. Add water only if you prefer a thinner curry. Add curry paste and whisk it till it is blended 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 before you close the lid. It prevents the coconut milk from curdling.
- Close the lid. Cancel saute. Turn vent to sealing mode if using DUO model. Set 2 minutes on Manual/Pressure cook mode and change the pressure setting to Low Pressure. After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, after which manually release it, (QR after 5). To release pressure manually, turn vent to 'venting' position in DUO, or push down the valve in ULTRA.
- Open the lid. Check for seasoning. Add brown sugar and lime juice. Then, add frozen peas and let them hangout in the curry for about one minute so they get thawed. You can leave them in there for another minute on Saute if you like them cooked more. If at this point, the sauce is thinner than you like, hit Saute and cook it off for a minute or two. Serve with White or Brown Jasmine rice!
Note
- 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!
Video
Notes
- Estimated Time includes pressure build-up time. Cook time = Time to set for pressure cooking.
- This recipe has been successfully re-tested using 'LOW PRESSURE' setting. The texture of tofu and vegetables turned out better using this setting.
- This recipe has been tested in a 3qt and 6qt Instant Pot. If making this in an 8qt size, adjust the liquid quantity to meet the minimum requirement.
- 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!
- If using chicken in this recipe instead of tofu, 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 2 minutes, or till they turn opaque and cook through.
- If using beef stew pieces, cook the meat in the coconut curry sauce for 30 minutes, QR and then add all the veggies and cook on SAUTE for another 2 minutes. If you add them earlier, they’ll be over cooked.
Fireb says
Hi Aneesha,
I just made your instant pot green curry and it's yummy (I added cayenne and salt and black pepper at the end to give it a little more *zing*), however, I've never been able to re-create the flavors that I experience in take out Thai curries by using the grocery store curry paste. What do you recommend that gives take out curry that special flavor?? Your advice is much appreciated!
Aneesha says
Hi there! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. Many Thai restaurants use Maesri paste to make their curries, which is what I use too. Try that brand, it's really authentic. Another option is to make curry paste from scratch. I've mentioned it in the recipe, but the detailed recipe is in my Pressure cooker Curry cookbook available on Amazon. Hope you try that!
Zen says
Super simple to make and VERY tasty 🙂 Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Aneesha says
Hi Zen, thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!