Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Tofu and Vegetables, a perfect vegan dish. Oh..so aromatic and creamy. I and my husband gobbled it up. And the best part, it can be ready in less than 20 minutes.
A few months back, I shared the Panang Curry with tofu and Panang Curry with Chicken recipe. This time it is Thai Green Curry with Tofu and Vegetables.
This is a quick and delicious one-pot dish. I made it in the instant pot, but you can easily make it on the stove-top as well. Enjoy this Thai Green Curry with Jasmine rice or Coconut Rice.
There was something exciting for me as I created this recipe. I made my first video recipe and I am so proud of doing it. It is in no way perfect, and I can improve many things. But my husband agreed that it is great for a first production. It certainly was an awesome learning experience, and I suggest anyone thinking about creating a video to take the plunge!
Green Curry Paste
The main ingredients in the green curry recipe are – green curry paste, coconut milk, tofu and mixed vegetables. I used the below Maesri green curry paste from the asian market. This one is vegan.
Most of the other thai paste’ contain shrimp, so if you are a vegetarian, I suggest to always check the ingredients.
There are other options available on Amazon. Thai Kitchen is another brand with vegetarian and gluten-free curry pastes.
Ingredients
This recipe has basic ingredients that you will need for most Thai curries. I would suggest to make a trip to the asian grocery store in your area to them.
Green Curry Paste
Coconut Milk: Use a brand with thick coconut milk such as Chakoh.
Brown Sugar: This helps to balance the flavors of this spicy curry.
Soy Sauce or Tamari: This is a replacement for the fish sauce that the authentic recipe calls. Use Tamari to keep the recipe gluten-free.
Kaffir Lime Leaves: These can be hard to find sometimes. I could not find them at the asian store too, so I skipped them when I created the video for this green curry.
Thai Basil Leaves: I love to garnish with curry with lots of Thai Basil Leaves. If you don't have them, use regular basil leaves or cilantro.
Tofu: Use extra firm tofu in this curry. Press the tofu to remove any extra water, then dab with a paper towel and cut into pieces. You can use the tofu as is or lightly saute, bake or air fry it.
Bell Pepper: I love to add colorful bell peppers to this curry. They make it look so pretty.
Broccoli, Zucchini, Carrots, or other veggies: You can add any quick cooking veggies of choice to this curry. I added broccoli, zucchini and carrots. Some other options are - mushrooms, green beans, baby corn, snap peas, bamboo shoots.
Lime: A little lime juice at the end really does wonders to the complex flavors in this curry.
How to make Instant Pot Thai Green Curry?
Once you have the green curry paste, this is a fairly easy dish.
- Start with heating oil in the instant pot (or a saucepan), and add the green curry paste to it.
- Then add the coconut milk and make a smooth mixture with the paste.
- Add veggies of your choice and tofu.
- Pressure cook for 2 minutes on low pressure and quick release the pressure.
Add some garnishing and Thai Green Curry is ready to be enjoyed.
Enjoy Thai Green Curry over jasmine rice or rice noodles.
Pro-Tips
Veggies: If you like your veggies crunchy, then skip the pressure cooking and just cook on saute mode for 5-7 minutes. That is how I made my Vegan Panang Curry with Tofu.
However after playing more with the pressure cooker, I like the hand off experience with pressure cooking. Just 2 minutes on low pressure and then a quick release. Low pressure works great for veggies that cook quickly.
Tofu: I lightly pressed the tofu before using and just cut it into cubes to add to the curry. If you like, you can sauté, bake or air fry it before using.
Vegetables: You can add any vegetables that you have handy in this recipe – bell peppers, beans, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli or baby corn.
Pressure Cooking: Some people mentioned they had trouble with the coconut milk coming out when doing a quick release. If the coconut milk is thin in consistency, then add half of it before pressure cooking. Then add the other half after pressure cooking and bring to a boil on saute mode.
Below is the old pic of this recipe before I reshot it in Feb 2022.
Common Questions
Of course, you can make this Green Curry in a pot on the stovetop. Here is my Vegetarian Thai Green Curry recipe.
You can store this curry in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The curry thickens as it cools. Add a little water, and reheat in the microwave.
Of all the popular Thai curries, green curry is considered to be spicier than yellow and red curry. The color comes from the green chilies that are added to the green curry paste, along with Kaffir Lime Leaves, Thai basil leaves and cilantro.
Check out other Thai recipes you will love:
- Vegan Panang Curry
- Panang Curry with Chicken
- Thai Pumpkin Red Curry
- Garlic Noodles
- Coconut Rice
- Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
Vegan Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2-3 tablespoon Green Curry Paste
- 1 can Coconut Milk 14oz
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce or Tamari for gluten-free
- 5-7 Kaffir Lime Leaves crushed, optional
- 14 ounce Tofu Extra Firm pressed and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
- 10-12 Thai basil leaves
- ¼ cup Roasted Cashews to garnish (optional)
Veggies
- 1 cup Bell Pepper cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup Carrot sliced
- 1 cup Broccoli cut into pieces
- 1 cup Zucchini slit into half and sliced, optional
- 2 Scallion or Green onion cut into 2" pieces
Instructions
- Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add the green curry paste and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add coconut milk. Stir so there are no lumps and the curry paste is mixed well with the coconut milk. (Note: If the coconut milk has a thin consistency, then add half of it before pressure cooking. Add the other half after pressure cooking and bring to a boil on saute mode)
- Add soy sauce, kaffir lime leaves, all veggies and tofu. Press CANCEL and close the pressure cooker lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the setting to MANUAL or pressure cook mode on LOW pressure for 2 minutes. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- When the pressure cooker beeps, do a quick pressure release and open the lid.
- Add sugar, lemon juice and half of the basil leaves. Stir the curry.
- Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and cashews. Enjoy over jasmine rice.
Video
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Stef says
This looks great! Do you know if I could use brown rice noodles?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Stefanie - I wonder if brown rice noodles might cook very quickly and may not work well in the instant pot. I have not tried, so cannot confirm they will work well.
Shilpi says
Great recipe! So easy and quick to make and came out delicious. The best part was that my 6yo was helping me follow the recipe and for the first time he had tofu and loved it because of the sweet and subtle flavor of curry. I forgot to add cashews and didn't have basil to add. Still came out perfect.
Thanks for the recipe 😁
dru says
I left out the cashews and this turned out excellent,thanks Meeta!
Geetha says
I tried this recipe for our dinner today. Every thing looks great but some taste is missing. I should have added chilies and pinch of salt. Other than that it’s great. Thank you posting.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Geetha - Try adding some Sambal Oelek chili paste. That does add a great flavor to this curry. Thank you for sharing back your feedback!
Mariam Ismaili says
Hi! If I were to add chicken instead of tofu, how long would I cook it for? And would I add it at the same step as the tofu?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Mariam - Here is the link to the panang curry chicken recipe. You can use the pressure cooking time based on this recipe for chicken – https://www.pipingpotcurry.com/panang-curry-chicken-instant-pot/
Sophie says
I really liked this recipe, very simple and easy. I put in some chili paste for heat, gave it a nice little kick.
Meeta Arora says
Hey Sophie - Glad to hear you enjoyed the Thai green curry. We have been adding Sambal Oelek chili paste to Thai curries recently and enjoying it too 🙂
Alex says
Although flavorful, the veggies came out very soggy and overcooked. I would not make this in the instant pot again. I also added a habanero for heat.
Meeta Arora says
Hey Alex - An option is to just cook on saute on stovetop or in the instant pot. Habanero sounds great to up the heat a bit. We have also been enjoying the Sambal Oelek chili paste in Thai curries. Thank you for sharing back your experience!
Jack Smith says
I have never made a curry! This looks beyond delicious, I might have to give it a try next week.
Piping Pot Curry says
Thanks Jack. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Chhavi says
Hi Meeta, How would you suggest I alter the cooking time when working with frozen vegetables ?
Thank you!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hey Chavvi - I believe the same cooking time will work for frozen vegetables too, as the veggies cook very quickly. Hope you enjoy it!
Kalyani says
I tried this today. The food was good but my kitchen was a mess. When I did a quick release, the hot coconut milk spilled through the vent. After the pressure was released, my entire kitchen cabinet and entire counter had to be wiped clean.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hey Kalyani - Sorry to hear that there was a mess. Just trying to understand what could have gone wrong, so this is not an issue for you or others again - Did you do the same quantity or increased the quantity? Did you use low pressure? What size instant pot are you using?
Kalyani says
Hey Meeta,
It was 3 qt pot and I didn’t increase the quantity. The taste was amazing. I am going to try in 6qt pot today. Fingers crossed.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hey Kalyani - I hope it worked fine this time. I also added some suggestions in the recipe in case the coconut milk used it thinner which could spurt out.