The Best Thai Green Curry Tofu (oil-free & easy)

This Thai Green Curry Tofu is a delicious, fragrant, creamy, satiating broth with fresh vegetables and the perfect balance between spicy, sweet and salty. This recipe can be made fully oil-free (if you wish) and it’s ready to be served in less than 20 minutes.

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Who doesn’t love a warming bowl of delicious food? I certainly do. I even created an entire whole food plant-based vegan e-cookbook with just bowls. There is something about a big bowl of warming food that is so comforting to me. And this Thai Green Curry Tofu is exactly that. Comforting, delicious, hearty, nourishing and warming.

But it’s more than just a comforting bowl, it’s the extra creamy broth that covers all the fresh veggies which makes this curry irresistible.

When I visited Thailand I (of course) followed a vegan cooking class. Among other things, I learned how to make a vegan Thai coconut soup, but curry was also on the menu. Ever since, I started experimenting with my own curry recipes.

This recipe is a variation on the one I learned in Thailand. But I wanted to recreate a recipe that would be easier to make and I wanted to make sure that you could recreate it. All the products for this Thai green curry tofu recipe should be easy to find in any regular grocery store. In the recipe notes you will find a few alternatives in case you are not able to find a specific ingredient.

This Thai green curry tofu bowl is absolutely delicious and I dare to say restaurant quality-curry. But then made yourself, with the ingredients you know, without oil if you wish and all fresh!

A good green curry recipe is more than just heating up some veggies, coconut milk and curry paste. There are a few things to keep in mind to make this the best curry ever!

How to make a Good Curry Broth

A good curry broth is the starting point. You can use different veggies if you like, but the curry broth should be good.

Use a high-quality curry paste. You can make your own curry paste or use a store-bought version, but if you do so read the labels. You will be surprised how many curry paste brands are not vegan or contain unnecessary preservatives.

Then you will need coconut milk. Again, read the labels. They should all be vegan, but some contain many preservatives. I made this curry with both a light coconut milk and a full fat coconut milk and for a rich restaurant-like curry you will definitely want to use a full coconut milk.

Which Vegetables to use in a Green Curry

The Thai curry I was making in Thailand was made with zucchini or (pea) eggplant, baby sweet corn, bell peppers, green beans, onions, lime, basil leaves and a cruciferous veggie such as broccoli.

But I was also told there not really strict rules. This is a fun way to make this curry recipe your own. For example, I prefer baby sweet corn instead of bamboo shoots. I also like tomatoes instead of zucchini for this recipe and I like the addition of thinly sliced carrots.

I’m able to find all the ingredients at my local supermarket, but if you are not able to find specific ingredients, try a local Asian grocery store.

Ingredients green curry tofu on a white plate on a grey backdrop

Ingredients for Thai Green Curry Tofu

While this recipe may look simple at first glance, a curry can also turn out pretty bad. The following can ruin a curry:

  • A bad broth (too watery or too little curry paste)
  • Coconut milk that is diluted with water
  • Fried veggies or just old leftover veggies that lost their crunch
  • And a cheap curry paste with lots of oils and little flavor making it taste bland

So in order to make a good curry do the opposite:

Close up green curry tofu

How to Make Thai Green Curry Tofu

This curry is not only mouth watering good, it’s also easy and quick to make. In less than 20 minutes your curry is ready to be served.

Heat the onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste in oil or coconut butter (if you are cooking oil free). In the video I add the curry paste after I added the coconut milk though, because I forgot to add it earlier.

Add in the coconut milk.

Stir and add in the dry ingredients, such as the coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Finally, add in all your vegetables and let simmer until the broccoli is render enough for you. I don’t like my broccoli being overcooked for this recipe ,so this can take as little as 5-10 minutes.

Right before serving the curry I add in some marinated oven baked tempeh or tofu, you can find the recipe for that here. It is a nice crunchy addition with a beautiful source of protein. However, this is completely optional.

You can serve this curry with rice or noodles. Personally, I like this curry recipe also with buckwheat noodles. But that is totally up to you! I encourage you to make this recipe your own.

Green curry tofu in a black bowl with tofu and a basil leaf on top on a grey backdrop

By now, I have made this curry recipe quite often and my most important tip is: don’t overcook the curry and vegetables. It is much better if the vegetables are still a little crispy. And the longer you cook it, the thicker the stock will be. I like my broth when it is creamy and a bit runny and I serve quite a lot of it with my rice or noodles. However, if you prefer a thicker broth or if you like just enough broth for the rice to absorb it all, go for it!

I know this restaurant-style Thai Green Curry Tofu bowl will be one to make over and over again. Especially, when I find myself with lots of veggies in the fridge and little inspiration to cook, chances are high I am making this green curry tofu bowl.

If you like a creamy, warming, flavorful curry bowl, try this one! It’s not too sweet, not too spicey, not too salty, or too heavy. All spices are well balanced with the coconut sugar. And besides the coconut milk, there is no other fat to make this unnecessarily bowl heavy.

I’d love to know what you think of this green curry bowl. Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! And if you snapped a photo of your bowl, share it with me on Instagram  #thegreencreator and Facebook so I can share it in my stories!

Green curry tofu in a black bowl with tofu and a basil leaf on top on a grey backdrop

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Green curry tofu in a black bowl with tofu and a basil leaf on top and a silver spoon on a grey backdrop

The Best Thai Green Curry Tofu (oil-free & easy)

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  • Author: Bianca
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
  • Category: lunch, dinner
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Thai Green Curry Tofu is a delicious fragrant creamy curry with the right balance of flavors. If you wish, this recipe can be made fully oil-free. It’s ready to be served in less than 20 minutes.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Green Curry:

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or coconut butter to make this oil-free*
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cm ginger, minced
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, bent and snapped
  • 1 tsp vegan fish sauce or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 tbsp green curry paste*
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk*
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • 1 cup red bell pepper
  • 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
  • a few cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 4 baby sweetcorn, each cut into about 4 pieces
  • ½ cup green beans, cut into pieces
  • ½ tsp salt (but this depends on the curry paste so adjust to taste)
  • optional: ½ tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder

To serve (optional):

  • Crispy marinated and baked tempeh or tofu
  • Cooked white or brown rice or noodles
  • Serve with herbs and optionally a slice of lime

Instructions

Bring a nonstick pan to medium heat and add the coconut oil OR coconut butter.* Once melted, add in the chopped onion, minced garlic, minced ginger and green curry paste. Stir and heat for 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Also, add the cinnamon, salt and coconut sugar and mix again until well combined. Add the vegetables and stir to combine.

Bring the heat to high and let the broth come to a light boil (it will start to bubble). Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.

Add in the crispy baked tofu, stir and serve.

This curry is great to be served with cooked rice (or noodles). Serve it separately, so don’t mix the rice in the pan with the curry. Top each bowl with more crispy baked tofu. Serve warm.


Notes

  • To make this Curry Bowl Oil-Free: use 1-2 tablespoons of coconut butter instead of the coconut oil. The natural fat in coconut butter will work just as well for this curry recipe with absolutely no difference in taste.
  • Curry Paste: Many curry pastes contain seafood, milk and additives. So, make sure you read the ingredient label before you buy a random curry paste. I prefer to avoid curry paste with turmeric, garlic powder and onion powder as the first main ingredients. These are not really curry paste pastes. Instead try to go for an ingredient list with for example these ingredients as the first three: green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (Thai ginger)
  • Coconut Sugar: sugar is added to balance out the flavors, and bring out the flavor and saltiness of the curry. If you’re making curry for the first time, add only half of the sugar initially, taste it and then if needed add the rest of the sugar.  
  • Coconut milk: I recommend using full-fat coconut milk so that the broth will become creamy. Low-fat coconut milk will work too, but the broth will be not as creamy.
  • Storage instructions: leftovers can be refrigerated in a container with a lid for up to 3 days.  If you have cooked rice or noodles to serve with the curry, I recommend storing them in a separate container (otherwise they will soak up all of the curry broth).  I don’t recommend freezing any leftovers.
  • Vegetables: you can use many different vegetables in this curry. Switch it up with zucchini, (pea) eggplant, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green peas or yellow/green bell pepper.

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipes without prior written permission. Thank you!

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