Vegan Thai Red Curry with Tofu

This fresh and hearty Vegan Thai Red Curry with Tofu is a great way to make everyone happy while including all your vegetables. It has a lot of mouth-watering flavors, is light, and is made quickly.

Jump to Recipe

Think ginger, lemon, fresh herbs, and different textures of vegetables.

Dive into it! Stir in all the forgotten vegetables in your fridge, don't let the lack of a couple of spices stop you. Make a curry or a vegan stew. Curries make fantastic, easy, and flavorful dinner recipes.

🧾 Ingredients

I suggest you get good Coconut Milk and Fresh Ginger, which make a great difference in the final result.

• Onion
• Garlic
• Green onions or shallots
• Ginger
• Pumpkin
• Red bell pepper
• Vegan Red Curry paste
• Coconut milk
• Coconut oil
• Extra-firm tofu

See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.

It is very important to use fragrant ingredients and coconut milk.

Ginger is a must! Of course, fresh ginger is the deal, but if you only have ginger powder and want to save a couple of minutes, go ahead! I have tried it, and it works perfectly.

If you are missing an ingredient, or simply want to add more textures, just go ahead. Eggplants work beautifully with carrots and broccoli as well.

Hint: If significantly adding volume, add some curry paste, shallots, ginger, and coconut milk as well

🔪 Instructions

• Set a large pan over medium heat and add two tablespoons of coconut oil.
• Add the onion, garlic, and shallots.
• Stir in the ginger and curry paste, and enjoy your creations' aromas.
• Add the bell peppers.
• Stir in coconut milk and a cup of water or vegetable stock and keep cooking on medium heat.
• Boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes, and add the pumpkin.
• Cook. Until the bell peppers and pumpkin dice are fork-tender.
• Adjust seasoning.

💡 Top tips

• Garnish with green onion tops, fresh coriander, Thai basil leaves, lime zest, lime wedges, cashews, or peanuts. Add sliced green onions and green or red chili peppers before plating.
• Additions - add tofu cubes 5 minutes before removing the curry from heat. We like using Crispy Tofu to pack more protein into the dish and serve with aromatic Jasmin rice, quickly done with one ingredient in 10-15 minutes.
• Stir bamboo shoots, snow peas, baby corn, or snap peas into your red curry.
• Add a dash of soy sauce to increase the umami flavors!
• If you have kaffir lime leaves, add them to the curry sauce to enhance its aroma.
• Make sure you choose a Thai red curry paste that does not contain fish sauce or shrimp paste if you want your curry to be 100% vegan.
• If you like to add some extra textures and protein, I recommend using my Crispy Tofu Recipe, to make a high protein vegan meal.

Bok Choy: Using Bok Choy, add the end of the cooking process while covering with a lid. It is mostly water so it will turn into nothing. It doesn't have much flavor, so it will not change it. It will only add texture. The same applies to broccoli.

Flavor enhancers: Add tamarind paste, lemongrass paste, kefir lime, palm sugar paste, coconut sugar, shredded galanga (Thai ginger), and even ginger paste if you don't have fresh ginger—directions on when to add in the recipe card.

🥡 Storage

Store curry sauce leftovers using an airtight container; then freeze and thaw in the microwave or low heat before eating. Even better, leave thawing 5 hours before in the fridge and warm it up gently. It is always better to expose the veggies to less heat to retain more of their texture and Nutritional value.

If the curry is too thick, add vegetable broth in small quantities to thin out the stew.

🙌🏻 Benefits of ginger

Relieves Indigestion: if chronic indigestion is part of your life, ginger could bring some relief. Ginger before meals may empty your system faster, leaving less time for food to sit and cause problems.

Fights Germs: helping your body ward off germs. They’re especially good at halting the growth of bacteria like E.coli

Promotes Oral Health: its antibacterial power may also brighten your smile. In addition, active compounds in ginger keep oral bacteria from growing and prevent gum infection.

Protects Against Disease: it helps your body fight diseases of the lungs plus promotes healthy aging.

So it is always a great idea to add it to your meals and beverages, such as smoothies and tea.

If you use traditional commercial Red Curry Paste, it likely has shrimp paste. So instead, I use the widely known Cock Brand from Thailand, which doesn’t have animal ingredients.

Curious about reading more about Ginger Health's benefits?

🥢 How to Serve

Use freshly made steamed Jasmin rice; see how make perfect steamed Jasmine rice.

If you want to make the perfect curry night appetizer, choose something easy and flavorful, like this unshelled, 10-minute spicy garlic edamame recipe.

🍷 Wine Pairing

• Argentina - Dry - Torrontés (Salta)
• France - Dry or Sweet - Gewurztraminer (Alsace)

🍛 More Thai curries and one-pot stews

• Protein-Packed Saffron Garbanzo Beans
• Creamy Red Lentil Curry
• Vegan Yellow Thai Curry
• Indian Eggplant Curry
• Vegan Green Thai Curry
• Indian Curried Cauliflower
• Chickpea coconut curry, another red curry that you will love.
• Vegetable Massaman Curry

Check out our collection of more than 25 Vegan Chinese Tofu Recipes for you to enjoy!

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

🌡️ Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use all of the products listed and recommend them because they are companies that I have found helpful and trustworthy.