Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables
This healthy, vegetarian Thai green curry recipe is full of asparagus, carrots and spinach! It's full of flavor and simple enough for weeknight dinners.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Iโve been on a vegetable-packed coconut curry kick latelyโtheyโre just the perfect transition food for this time of year. This vegetarian Thai green curry recipe features fresh asparagus, carrots and spinach in a delicious green coconut sauce. Itโs full of flavor and simple enough for weeknight dinners.
I used store-bought Thai curry paste instead of raw ingredients, because some (like galangal) are difficult to find and time-consuming to prepare. Iโve watched a chef prepare curry paste in Thailand, and he really worked up a sweat! So while this recipe is not perfectly authentic, itโs a lot easier to make.
This curry is based on an older Thai green curry recipe, which Iโve since deleted. I loved the base recipe for that dish (I learned how to make it at a fun cooking class), but I was never quite satisfied by my choice of mix-ins.
So here we are, three years later, with an improved, extra-green version. This time, I opted for asparagus (snow peas would also work), carrots and wilted spinach. I love it, and I think you will, too!
How to Serve Thai Green Curry
I skipped the tofu altogether and found the dish to be plenty hearty without it. If you want to add tofu, though, Iโd suggest baking it first and adding it with the coconut milk.
I served my curry over rice (again), but I bet quinoa would be an interesting alternative.
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! If you want to change it up, donโt miss my Thai red curry recipe.
Watch How to Make Thai Green Curry
Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables
This healthy, vegetarian Thai green curry features fresh asparagus, carrots and spinach! Itโs full of flavor and simple enough for weeknight dinners. Feel free to substitute sliced snow peas for the asparagus if itโs not in season where you live. Recipe yields two large servings (as shown) or four small servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger, peeled and chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- ยฝ bunch asparagus, tough ends removed and sliced into 2-inch long pieces (to yield about 2 cups prepared asparagus)
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ยผ-inch wide rounds (to yield about 1 cup sliced carrots)
- 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste*
- 1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk (I used full-fat coconut milk for a richer curry)
- ยฝ cup water
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons soy sauce** (I used reduced-sodium tamari)
- Garnishes: handful of chopped fresh cilantro and red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until youโre ready to serve.
- Warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once itโs hot, add a couple teaspoons of oil. Cook the onion, ginger and garlic with a sprinkle of salt for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and carrots and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Pour the coconut milk into the pan, along with ยฝ cup water and 1 ยฝ teaspoons sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the carrots and asparagus are tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are done cooking, stir the spinach into the mixture and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove the curry from heat and season with rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add salt and red pepper flakes (optional), to taste. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if youโd like.
Notes
*Green curry paste: Look for it in the Asian section of the grocery store. I like Thai Kitchen brand. Not all Thai curry pastes are vegetarian, but this one is.
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
If you love this recipe: Be sure to check out my other Thai-inspired recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Another great receipe Kate! I somehow missed this recipe and had never tried green curry before. Very nice flavor. Have made it twice now. Merci beaucoup!
Youโre welcome, Malia!
Just made this for the first time. My only change was to add a few small gold potatoes. My daughter just said, โit tastes buttery and Iโm loving it.โ
Great to hear, Nicole!
Can I freeze the leftovers in small containers to heat up another time? Or do you think the asparagus would suffer too much. I tend to make meals (for myself) and then freeze meal-size portionsโฆ
What do you think?
Jan
I donโt know how well this will freeze, but it will make good leftovers. I appreciate your review, Jan!
Easy to make and delicious. Followed the recipe 100%. Will make this dish again.Thank you
amazing
This was amazing! I didnโt follow the recipe exactly. I omitted sugar and spinach and replaced the latter with snow peas, broccoli and red pepper. Delicious! Easy! Everyone liked it and my omnivore husband added chicken, so we were all happy!
Thank you for sharing, Kathryn! I appreciate your review.
This and the Red Curry are so incredibly easy and delicious. I donโt know why I donโt make them more often. But I made them both in the last week. Absolute perfection and in the table in 30 min when I pressure cook the rice.
Adding in some baked tofu is a winner, too.
Still the best veg recipe site in the land!
Calories?
Hi Jennifer, the nutrition information is below the notes section.
Hello! thank you for the recipe :)
I have been making green curry for a long time and many times. I usually just follow the instruction on the package of green curry paste I use. and always my curry ended up being thin and hot spicy.
I am so glad that I followed your recipe today. The curry was flavorful, hotness wasnโt overpowering, and most importantly (for me) it had the right creaminess and thickness. Thank you again and I look forward to trying more recipes of yours!
Youโre welcome, Ally!
I love this! I use kale instead of spinach, putting the greens in at the same time as the liquids.
Thank you Kate! I love your recipes! This is one of the best Green curry recipes I have tried so far!
Thatโs great to hear, Jennifer!
This was absolutely delicious. Never have I made a bad recipe from your cookbook or website, so I was not surprised!! I made it to a โTโ other than I used Lite coconut milk and Iโm not sure if thatโs what made my sauce a little thin, but made a little cornstarch slurry to thicken it up(not the greatest for avoiding unprocessed lol but it worked). 10/10 delicious recipe!!!!!
Thatโs great to hear, Margaret! I appreciate your review.
This is one of my favorite weeknight meals. Itโs so flexible with the vegetables. I doubled it tonight for my family and there were very few leftovers.
Delicious! Added shredded chicken. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Love your recipes! This is the second time I make the green curry. I donโt use spinach, instead I add chickpeas and it is sooo delicious! Thank you again.
This looks delicious! Just a question โ can I substitute baby kale for the spinach (not my favorite vegetable)?
Thank you!
Joan
Hi Joan, yes, you could substitute baby kale.
This was a total hit with the family tonight! Tip: hold back some (or most) of the green curry paste and add to the pot after the kids are served. Perfect spice levels for everybody!
This is a simple, yet delicious dish; itโs on our table once a week.
Truly delicious, thank you Kate!
I used broccoli instead of asparagus, & a whole lime with the coconut cream & water.
Worked a treat.
I love this recipe. Iโve made it many times. Last night we made it with green beans, cubed and roasted pumpkin, bamboo shoots and bell peppers. Better than restaurant โ in part because we put more vegetables in it than restaurants do. We usually make it with tofu but last night we made it with shrimp (which we cooked separately and added at the last minute).