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 paste from the asian market – Ranch 99. This one is vegetarian. Most of the other thai paste’ contain shrimp, so if you are a vegetation, 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.
How to make Thai Green Curry with Tofu and Vegetables?
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 at low pressure and quick release the pressure. Add some garnishing and Thai Green Curry is ready to be enjoyed. This time you get to see the how to video, rather than seeing my step-by-step photos of the recipe. I hope you enjoy that!
Note: 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.
Now some tips!
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.
I lightly pressed the tofu before using and just cut it into cubes to add to the curry. If you like, you can bake or slightly fry it before using. Air frying tofu is another great option too.
You can add any vegetables that you have handy in this recipe – bell peppers, beans, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli or baby corn.
Enjoy this Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice.
Recipe Video
Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Tofu Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 14 oz Tofu Firm firm pressed and cut into cubes
- 19 oz Coconut Milk 1 large can
- 3 tbsp Green Curry Paste
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Roasted Cashews (optional)
- Fresh basil leaves to garnish
Veggies
- 1 Bell Pepper cut into 1" pieces
- 1 Carrot sliced
- 1 cup Broccoli cut into pieces
- 2 Scallion or Green onion cut into 2" pieces
Instructions
- Start the pressure cooker 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: Some readers had trouble with 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)
- Add 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.
- When the pressure cooker beeps, do a quick pressure release and open the lid.
- Add sugar and lemon juice. Add cashews (optional). Stir the curry.
- Garnish with chopped basil leaves. Enjoy with jasmine rice.
Notes
- I lightly pressed the tofu before using and just cut it into cubes to add to the curry. If you like, you can bake or slightly fry it before using. Air frying tofu is another great option too.
- You can add any vegetables that you have handy in this recipe. Besides the one's I used, other choices are baby corn, beans, eggplant, mushroom.
- Like veggies crunchy? If you like your veggies crunchy, then skip the pressure cooking and just cook on saute mode for 5-7 minutes.
- Stovetop variation: Follow the same steps to cook in a sauce pan. Let the curry come to a boil after adding veggies and tofu. Then simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
This looks great! Do you know if I could use brown rice noodles?
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.
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 😁
I left out the cashews and this turned out excellent,thanks Meeta!
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.
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!
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?
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/
I really liked this recipe, very simple and easy. I put in some chili paste for heat, gave it a nice little kick.
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 🙂
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.
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!
I have never made a curry! This looks beyond delicious, I might have to give it a try next week.
Thanks Jack. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Hi Meeta, How would you suggest I alter the cooking time when working with frozen vegetables ?
Thank you!
Hey Chavvi – I believe the same cooking time will work for frozen vegetables too, as the veggies cook very quickly. Hope you enjoy it!
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.
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?
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.
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.