Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is spicy and delicious with a side of healthy! It’s the perfect, satisfying veggie-packed meal!
The inspiration behind this dish:
I actually had other plans for this head of cauliflower.
Then, it got to be Saturday night. I realized there were a bunch of vegetables in the refrigerator–including the cauliflower–that needed to be dealt with before the week began again.
Has that ever happened to you? You buy a bunch of things that look so beautiful and so fresh and then gasp… You have to do something with them or else!
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is what to make when you have too many vegetables!
This lovely vegan Thai-inspired dish has:
- Onions
- Red bell pepper
- Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Spinach
But of course, use whatever vegetables you have that need to be used!
This may be controversial when it comes to someone who cooks for a living, but I no longer make my own red curry paste. I discovered Maesri (affiliate link) at a local international food market and I don’t see a reason to make my own anymore! It’s also vegan!
I don’t care for average grocery store red curry pastes because I find them wimpy. However, Maesri is the perfect substitute! It’s spicy, full of authentic flavor and inexpensive! Either make your own or use Maesri!
How to make Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes:
- This dish is super-easy! Saute the onions, red bell pepper and potatoes.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, the spices and bring to a boil.
- …The cauliflower and simmer away!
- Then add the remaining vegetables…..
- And mmmwaaaahhhh!
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is a spicy, healthful, delicious vegan dinner you won’t feel guilty about!
Serve with brown or white jasmine rice. Delish!
Be sure to check out my other veggie-packed Thai-inspired meals…
Along with these vegan meals:
- Vegan Indian Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
- Skillet Chickpea Chilaquiles
- Healthier Turkish Eggplant Casserole
- Vegan Korean Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Gochujang Sauce and Spicy Slaw
- Indian Root Vegetable Curry
- Cauliflower Red Lentil and Potato Curry
Helpful tools and equipment (Affiliate links):
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Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes
Vegan Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower and Potatoes is spicy and delicious with a side of healthy! It's the perfect satisfying veggie-packed meal!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- 8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans (15-ounce) coconut milk
- 1 can (15-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 can (4-ounce) red curry paste (or to taste and tolerance)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 cup julienned carrots or 2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
- 1 container (5-ounce) baby spinach
- 1 large lime, juiced
- Salt or vegan "fish" sauce, to taste
- Thai basil leaves, for garnish
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Heat canola or coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the onion and cook 5-8 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add the red bell pepper and potatoes and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, red curry paste, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cauliflower florets. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 8-10 minutes.
- Add the carrots. Cook another 5 minutes.
- Add the baby spinach and stir until wilted.
- Add lime juice and salt or vegan "fish" sauce to taste.
- Garnish with fresh Thai basil leaves.
- Serve with cooked jasmine rice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 13g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Julia Westover says
Can you give me an approximation of how much “fish” sauce you use? Thanks!
Carol says
Hi, Julia, Thanks so much for your question. I would start with a teaspoon or so as you can always add more; add to taste. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
John Bridgman says
Just made this – thought it was really good. I made a few changes based on what I had sitting around – sweet potatoes instead of carrots and potatoes, thai chili peppers instead of red bell pepper, and just 1 can of coconut milk with a bit of water (it was a small head of cauliflower), green beans instead of spinach – but if I had had all of the recipe ingredients on hand I would have used them instead and I bet it would have been even better.
Carol says
Hi, John, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed! Love that you made it based on what you already had on hand as I’m definitely that kind of cook, too! Thanks again!
Christina says
BTW for those of us who are limiting our use of oil, i find it’s perfectly acceptable to use a little water in the pan to sauté the onions rather than oil.
Christina says
Turned out pretty good. Not as thick as I thought it would be. We only used 2 Tbsp of curry paste as ours can get quite hot. We add it in a little at a time and taste as we go. Next time I will salt the onions and potatoes rather than wait until the end for better depth of flavor. Reading the comments above I truly think that lightly salting a couple of vegetable layers will provide the necessary flavor impact but taste as you go. You can’t remove the salt once it’s added. Our batch turned out to be quite large. So I think tomorrow’s leftovers will be fantastic as the flavors soak into the vegetables. Plus the starches will likely thicken the sauce a bit.
Carol says
Hi, Christina, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed! Salting as you go is a great tip! Thanks again!
Emily says
I’m really not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly except that I added zucchini instead of cauliflower and only one cup of vegetable broth because it was pretty watery. I only had Thai kitchen paste but I used two jars. It just tasted like spicy tomato soup. I thought it seemed weird to add tomatoes but others said it was really good so I went for it. It just didn’t have that wonderful Thai coconut flavor at all. I couldn’t even taste the coconut flavor and I used two cans like it said to. I’m so bummed. It looked so good! I’ll probably try it again without the tomatoes. If anyone else has any ideas what I could have done wrong please let me know!
Carol says
Hi, Emily, Thanks so much for your feedback. Did you use light coconut milk by chance? To me, it has very little flavor. Also, I highly, highly recommend using the Maesri red curry paste. I sometimes have to use the Thai Kitchen and find it lacking big time in flavor. So sorry it didn’t work out for you and hope you’ll give it another try. Thanks again!
Emily says
Going to try again tonight! I did use regular coconut milk last time. Tonight I only have lite actually but I got the curry paste! I’m excited to try it again. I’m going to make a smaller batch in case it doesn’t work LOL. I WILL get this right!
Carol says
Hi, Emily, Thanks so much! Let me know how it turned out.
Emily says
Ok so. The curry paste is perfect. It was deffffffinitely spicy. This time I used broccoli, zucchini, red pepper, and onion. I only had lite coconut milk, but I think with the full fat one it will be perfect! I didn’t use the tomatoes and I only used about 1 cup broth. After I eat this up I’ll try it again with the full fat coconut milk. Third time’s the charm!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Emily! Glad you enjoyed!
JC says
I feel the same way. I made the recipe to a T and feel it lacks significantly in flavor. Doesn’t taste like real curry at all, IMO.
Bummer.
Carol says
Hi, JC, Sorry it didn’t work for you. This recipe has an average 4.6 rating from 231 reviewers. Make sure you’re using a GOOD, authentic red curry paste. Anything you buy in a supermarket is going to be very bland.
Jan Peel says
Going to try this tonight. Had an idea for this as I had half a cauli and some peppers and mushrooms to use up, carrots and kale in the garden.. Thought I would just see if there was a recipe (not confident at going it alone!!) and came across yours, so thank you.
Carol says
Thanks, Jan and hope you enjoy! You can definitely use any combination of vegetables. I love that you’re using what you already have on hand. That’s how I cook and that’s how I came up with this recipe! Thanks again!
Nikki says
Thanks for this recipe – I made this last night (with some modifications) as I had some supermarket red curry paste to use up. As discussed in the comments – supermarket bought (in this case, Aldi) curry paste can be so so bland, and I usually avoid making thai curry at home because of this.
This was my first time adding tomatoes to a thai curry, and it was a really welcome addition.
Modifications below:
I only used about half the veg stock (1 cup) in mine, and half the coconut milk (1 can) – I had it on high heat to reduce the liquid for about 15-20 mins. The resulting texture was perfect (I hate watery curries but want enough liquid to go the distance).
Used zucchini and mushrooms instead of bell pepper and spinach, as this is what I had on hand!
Carol says
Hi, Nikki, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! All the modifications you made sound great! Yes, regular supermarket red curry paste is super bland, so does need to be kicked up. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other vegan dishes!
Vincent says
Looking forward to trying this tonight. I only have Thai Kitchen Red Curry paste available. Would you suggest using the same amount (4oz)? Im not sure if they are a 1-for-1 swap.
Thanks!
Carol says
Hi, Vincent, Thanks so much for your question. I find Thai Kitchen red curry paste extremely mild. If for some reason I’m out of the Maesri, I use the whole jar and then kick it up with Sriracha or Sambal Oelek. Adding some fresh chiles will help, too. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Vincent says
Thanks for the prompt reply! Good to know about the mildness of the curry paste. I am a huge spice lover, so I would like to take your advice. I have Sriracha and Huy Fong Chili Garlic sauce that I can use to give it a kick. Any idea of how much I should add (of one/both) in addition to the 4oz of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste?
Carol says
Hi, Vincent, I would just do it to your taste/tolerance. Start with one and see how it tastes. Thanks again!!
Linda says
Hi! May I ask what vegetable broth and coconut milk you would recommend as well as vegan fish sauce?
Thank you!
Carol says
Hi, Linda, Thanks so much for your question! I use Pacific vegetable broth. It tastes the best IMO and doesn’t contain any yeast extract, etc. I use it for a Paleo meat-eating client and you’d never know it wasn’t beef or chicken broth. As far as coconut milk, Thai Kitchen appears to be the least adulterated. For vegan “fish” sauce, try 24 Vegan; it’s very highly rated. Thanks again and hope you enjoy! Let me know of any other questions!
Kelly says
Are use any light coconut milk. My vegetable broth is homemade. I am vegetarian and I save all of my clippings and freeze them. When I have a full bag I make my own homemade broth. The oyster sauce I use is vegetarian and it is from Wegmans. That is a grocery store near my house I think it’s kind of only in the Northeast. Virginia New Jersey Pennsylvania
Jamie says
This curry was soooo amazing. My taste buds were delighted. I followed the recipe exactly. My curries are usually too bland. Probably because I wasn’t using enough curry paste. The lime and fish sauce also added nicely to the flavor. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Jamie, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! The curry paste and the amount of it really does make a difference! Thanks again!
Dee says
This was absolutely great. I only used cauliflower–just had a taste for red curry cauliflower. I find it in the restaurants here; I loved it so much I just had to learn to make it. Wonderful!
Carol says
Hi, Dee, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! You can really use any vegetable or combination. Thanks again!
Cris says
What a wonderful and versatile dish! We didn’t have cauliflower, so I chopped the carrot instead of grating it and added green beans as another commenter suggested. Used light coconut milk instead of the full fat and added cornstarch to thicken. We will definitely be adding this to our usual rotation. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!
Carol says
Hi, Cris, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Yes, it’s super versatile–you can vary the veggies any way you like. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other vegan recipes.
Jeanne says
This was delicious! Made it as described except didn’t have fish sauce so I put in a few dashes of tamari. Also added a little cornstarch because I didn’t serve over rice – just ate it plain. Thanks for this great recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Jeanne, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Hope you’ll try some of my other vegan recipes!
Helen says
This was delicious
I added a few green beans and thickened it with a little cornstarch. This is a keeper!
Carol says
Hi, Helen, Thank you so very much and so glad you enjoyed! Yes, you can definitely vary the veggies to whatever you like. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other vegan recipes.
Karen Mulatz says
When do you add the potatoes?
Carol says
Hi, Karen, Thanks so much for your question. See instruction #2… Add red bell pepper and potatoes…. Hope you enjoy!!
Kim says
What can I say…this dish was delicious. My entire family loved the flavor of the curry (did add some extra red Thai curry paste). I ended up doing one full fat can if coconut milk and a lite coconut milk and thickened it with corn starch. Served it over red lentil pasta and it was a hit. Will definitely be making it again soon. Thanks for sharing!
Carol says
Hi, Kim, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed! Also glad that you kicked it up to YOUR taste. One can always go light and add more! Thanks again and hope you’ll try more of my vegan dishes.
Suzanne says
Loved this. I did add extra curry sauce and chilli. We like it a bit spicy.
Carol says
Hi, Suzanne, Thanks so very much and so glad you all enjoyed! The heat factor should definitely be adjusted to each person’s tolerance. Some people can take a lot, while others not so much! Thanks again!
Lindsay says
Can you make and freeze this dish?
Carol says
Hi, Lindsay, Thanks so much for your question. Whenever you freeze something with a high water content such as vegetables, it’s not going to be quite the same as enjoying it fresh. If you want to freeze it, I would suggest undercooking the vegetables so when you heat it, they would cook the rest of the way and not be too soft. I would also add a little cornstarch or another thickener as the vegetables are going to release some water upon thawing. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
jillian says
Are the calories in this dish really that accurate? Unless the serving size is really large, I can’t imagine it being a nearly 700 calorie dish?
Carol says
Hi, Jillian, Thanks so much for your question. It is a computer-generated figure. I recalculated the calories and this time came up with 441 on six servings. Don’t know why it would have showed almost 700 before but that’s computer programs for you! They may have updated their database since I calculated the calories. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
Elle says
Hi, red curry paste is not vegan or even vegetarian. It contains shrimp paste.
Carol says
Hi, Elle, No, not every brand of red curry paste has shrimp paste in it. If you read the post, you’ll see that I recommend using Maesri red curry paste as it has the following ingredients: Dried red chilies, garlic, shallot, salt, lemongrass, sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, spices (coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom). Research it. You can also make your own red curry paste and not put shrimp paste in it.
Alicia Carrasco says
Thank you for a great recipe! Also, Thai Kitchen red curry paste is certified vegan.
Carol says
Hi, Alicia, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Yes, Thai Kitchen is also vegan if you can’t get or don’t want to order Maesri. It’s also going to be on the mild side which is great for people who don’t want or don’t like a lot of heat. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other vegan recipes!
Lynley Simmonz says
This was absolutely fabulous. The only thing I did different was to cook The Thai Red Curry Paste first and then followed your steps from there. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Carol says
Thank you, Lynley! So glad you enjoyed!
Brittney says
Not sure what I did wrong but this recipe had zero flavor to me. It tasted like steamed veggies over rice. Maybe I’ll try the red curry paste you recommended.
Carol says
Hi, Brittney, So sorry it didn’t turn out for you but if you used regular supermarket red curry paste, it’s going to be pretty bland. I’ve used supermarket red curry paste and it seems I have to use the whole jar before the dish tastes like a Thai red curry dish. Hope you’ll give it another try.
Madhu says
I think I know what you did!!!! I had made this dish before and it turned amazing! Today mine tasted exactly like yours‼️😩 But in reviewing the recipe where it said “add the Spices..”? I go…what spices…⁉️ I could not see the list because it was blocked by some advertisement… I went ahead and added some ginger, garlic and fish sauce as a way to save the dish and it worked! Didn’t taste as good as before but it wasn’t that bland! 😎
Carol says
Hi, Madhu, Thanks so much for your feedback. No ad will run over the recipe–ever. The video for how to make the recipe comes up. The reason I need to run ads is so I can provide you with FREE recipes. I have website costs, food costs, time involved, etc. and ads help me recoup some of the cost. Perhaps print the recipe and then you’ll always have it. I have the WORST time trying to execute a recipe off my phone or a tablet. Thanks again and glad you enjoyed!
Gurumeher Khalsa says
I loved the vegetables you suggested although I didn’t have any cauliflower and I used the Saffron Road red curry sauce instead of the ginger and curry paste. It was spicy but totally delicious. Thanks for the great recipe which I’ll make again.
Carol says
Thanks, Gurumeher! So glad you enjoyed! You definitely can use any type of vegetable. I created this recipe from what I had in my refrigerator so you can certainly do the same! While making your own curry paste is generally preferable–if you can find a prepared one you like–I say go for it to save some time. Thanks again!
Xanthe says
Could I try any other vegetable than cauliflower. ? I really don’t care for cauliflower. Is there a substitute I could try ?
Carol says
Hi, Xanthe, Thanks so much for your question! You absolutely can use any vegetables you like in this curry. What about broccoli, asparagus or snow peas? More spinach or carrots? There are so many vegetables in this curry, you might even be able to leave out the cauliflower and not add any of them and it would still be satisfying. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Richard says
Interested to try this but with some changes. First, I would probably work in some sauteed tofu (maybe). Second, I would add several chiles, either the small Thai ones or a few serranos. Third, the amount of canned coconut milk seems high; I might try one can rinsed with some water. Given the off flavors in canned coconut milk, I might also jettison both cans in favor of soaking maybe a quarter of a cup of dried copra in with the broth. Fourth and finally, the canned tomatoes seem out of place here. Some dried tamarind soaked and the pulp discarded (strained to make sure no seeds sneak in)–liquid only, kind of like making sambar–makes more sense to me.
Carol says
Hi, Richard, Thanks for your suggestions. Recipes are roadmaps but how you get to the final destination is up to you. Hope you enjoy!
Sarah says
I’ve made dozens of curry recipes through the years (both Asian and Indian) and this one is THE BEST I’ve ever made. It tastes so much like Thai curry from a restaurant. My husband’s favorite curry style is with coconut milk, so I’ve made more of those versions than anything else. This awesome recipe will definitely be on repeat here as a favorite. So glad I stumbled across it.
Carol says
Hi, Sarah, Your comment and feedback made my day! Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Hope you’ll stay in touch!
Irene says
Anyway to use something other than coconut milk? There’s an enormous amount of saturated fat in this dish. Great that it’s vegan but not good for the heart, cholesterol…
Carol says
Hi, Irene, Thanks so much for your question. I totally hear you on the coconut milk. It IS high in fat and calories but it’s soooo very flavorful! Every so often I indulge, enjoy and don’t look back. You could use light coconut milk or a nut milk, however, the dish is going to be thinner so you may want to use a thickener. Thanks again and hope it works for you!
Shawna says
Sometimes I use the boxed coconut milk that is less fat and add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up to desired consistency… seems healthier to me.
Carol says
Hi, Shawna, Great suggestion! Yes, you can always use light coconut milk if you don’t want the fat in regular and thicken it up with some cornstarch. Thanks again!
Rosie says
Hoping to make this! Is it suitable for freezing?
Carol says
Hi, Rosie, Thanks so much for your question! It can be frozen, but keep in mind any vegetable is not going to be quite the same. Vegetables have a lot of water in them which impacts how they do after freezing. This dish is going to stay quite flavorful for several days so you might even finish it up and not need to freeze it! Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Analida Braeger says
MMMmmmm just looking at this dish transports me back to a magical, curious land. I love love love the versatility of Thai food. Keep your curry flavor base, get creative with your veggies and proteins. Thanks for the inspiration.
Carol says
Thanks so much, Analida! I agree! The versatility and it’s so healthy! Thanks again!