Today’s easy Green Curry recipe is my lightened-up version of the coconut milk curry we love ordering from our local Thai restaurant. With fresh ginger, sweet potato, and kale in a warm (but not too spicy!) coconut green curry sauce, its flavor reminds me of the curries I cooked in Thailand.
You really only need one ingredient to make authentic-tasting Thai green curry at home: Thai green curry paste.
Green curry paste is a blend of fresh spices, herbs, and aromatics like green chiles, shrimp paste, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, peppercorns, kefir limes, and cumin.
It tastes herbal, citrusy, and warm.
It’s thick like a paste, and a few spoonfuls will allow you to create authentic-tasting Thai recipes in your own kitchen.
Curry pastes are a quite labor intensive to make from scratch; fortunately, they are now widely available in the Asian section of almost any grocery store!
A Bit About Curry
“Curry” is a loose term for vegetables and sometimes meat, tofu, or seafood cooked in a richly spiced sauce. The sauce is often coconut-milk or tomato-based.
For foundational flavor, curry pastes are used most often in Thai curries, like Coconut Curry. Indian curries, such as Potato Curry, use dry spices such as curry powder and garam masala.
Red vs. Green Curry
While in Thailand, curry paste comes in several colors, here in the U.S. the two easiest to find are red curry paste and green curry paste.
Red and green curry pastes are used similarly in cooking but have very different flavor profiles.
- The red is more chile-forward, making it strong and spicy (perfect for Massaman Curry).
- The green has more nuanced citrusy, herbal notes.
- As you might expect, the two varieties create two differently colored curries: red for red curry paste-based sauces like Thai Chicken Curry, and green for a green curry coconut milk sauce like the one in this recipe (isn’t the color pretty?). In Thailand, you’ll also find yellow curry.
This curry uses green curry paste, but you can swap for the red if you prefer more heat.
5 Star Review
“This is the best curry I have ever had. I can’t believe I made it! It is so flavorful and warm and comforting. I just want to sit on the couch with a bowl and good movie. Also perfect quick delicious dinner for a Monday.”
— Alexis —
How to Make Green Curry
My favorite nickname for this recipe is “green curry in a hurry” because it comes together in less than 30 minutes.
You can swap the chickpeas for just about any protein and use almost any vegetable in your produce drawer.
The Ingredients
- Green Curry Paste. Green curry paste helps give this authentic green curry flavor. It adds citrus and herb flavors with a little sweetness and spice. Store-bought paste is just fine! You can find it any well-stocked grocery store: Kroger, Target, Walmart, Trader Joe’s…or find it online here.
- Fresh Ginger. A fresh, zesty addition and key ingredient to curry recipes like this one.
- Light Coconut Milk. Helps give the curry richness and liquid without watering down the flavors. Using light coconut milk helps add less fat to the dish.
- Chickpeas. You can make a delicious, satisfying curry with lots of chickpeas. Protein-wise, I love making this green curry with chickpeas because they take exactly zero minutes to prep. Chickpea Curry lets the chickpeas shine!
- Sweet Potato. Sweet potato pieces add wonderful sweetness, texture, and healthy benefits to the green curry.
- Kale. Chopped kale blends seamlessly into the green curry and brings oodles of fiber and vitamins. You could make this into a spinach green curry if you prefer a more mild-tasting green.
- Broccoli. Another delicious and nutritious green veggie addition.
- Onion. The second of the aromatics along with the fresh ginger.
- Lime Juice. Adds brightness and acidity. Squeeze a lime wedge at the end for a finish fling.
- Fish Sauce. A little fish sauce gives the curry an addictive note of umami and is key to its authentic taste. (It will not make the curry taste like fish!)
- Coconut Sugar. To balance the curry spice. Brown sugar works too.
- Greek Yogurt. Helps make this a super creamy green curry without any extra fat.
- Fresh Herbs. Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.
The Directions
- Sauté the garlic, ginger, and onion in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Stir in the green curry paste.
- Add the coconut milk.
- Add sweet potato, kale, and chickpeas. Let simmer until the tender.
- Add broccoli.
- Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Let cool for a few minutes, then add the Greek yogurt. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat curry in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- To Freeze. Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Meal Plan Tip
Chop the vegetables up to 1 day in advance, refrigerating them in separate airtight storage containers.
What to Serve with Green Curry
Recommended Tools to Make Green Curry
- Dutch Oven. Ideal for making green curry.
- Citrus Juicer. The easiest way to juice a lemon or lime.
- Extra Large Cutting Board. When chopping lots of vegetables, this large cutting board is a game-changer.
The Best Dutch Oven
A beautiful Dutch oven like this one is perfect for so many recipes. It’s heavy-duty and will last you a lifetime.
More Thai-Inspired Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
The green chilies in the green chili paste give green curry the hue of its namesake, plus the additional green toppings such as kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil leaves, fresh cilantro, and lime.
If heat is what you are after, opt for red curry, which has a higher spice profile than green. The coconut milk will help tone down the heat.
Absolutely! Just as you can add meat, you could opt to include tofu (like this Tofu Curry). Or stir in Air Fryer Tofu or Crispy Sautéed Tofu at the end.
Green Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1/2 cup), or 1 shallot, chopped
- 5 tablespoons green curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand)
- 2 cans light coconut milk (14-ounce cans)
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 heaping cups)
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and discarded, roughly chopped (about 4 loosely packed cups)
- 1 can reduced-sodium chickpeas (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
- 1 small head broccoli cut into florets (about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from about 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce to make vegan, swap soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt to make vegan, swap a soy- or coconut milk–based yogurt or simply omit it
- Cooked brown rice for serving
- Chopped fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven, large saucepan, or deep skillet over medium. Once hot, add the olive oil, garlic, ginger, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the curry paste and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk. Stir until the sauce is smoothly incorporated.
- Add the sweet potato, kale, and chickpeas. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes, until the sweet potato is somewhat tender but still has a bit of chew, then add the broccoli. Simmer 3 to 5 additional minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and tender.
- Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut sugar.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 3 minutes (this will ensure the yogurt does not curdle and gives the flavors a little extra time to marry). Stir in the Greek yogurt. Serve warm with rice and a sprinkle of fresh basil.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat curry in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- If you need the recipe to be gluten free AND vegan, use gluten-free tamari in place of the fish sauce (if gluten free is not a concern, you can swap for soy sauce).
Nutrition
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Made this tonight and served it over jasmine rice. It was an excellent meal! Thanks for a fantastic weeknight meal idea.
YAY Polina, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for giving it a try and taking the time to leave this review!
HAHA love the nickname “Curry in a Hurry”
Thanks, Gaby! :)
I tried this and it is very good. For my picky eater, I might try spinach the next time, although I found the kale to be just enough.
Hi Barbara, I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Spinach would also be a good here. Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!
This is the best curry I have ever had. I can’t believe I made it! It is so flavorful and warm and comforting. I just want to sit on the couch with a bowl and good movie. Also perfect quick delicious dinner for a Monday.
Alexis, this made my night!!! Thank you for your kind words and for leaving this review!!
Greetings Erin. I love, love, love yr recipes. Due to health reason I will make yr recipe using 32-oz can whole tomatoes-chpd for the coconut milk, butter for the oil, & Bragg’s aminos for the fish sauce cause that’s what I use. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you so much, Laura! I truly appreciate it. I hope you love the recipe!
And minus the sugar, take care
Made this tonight, it was easy and excellent. I threw in a little crushed red pepper for more heat and some mushrooms I needed to use up. I forgot the sugar but didn’t miss it. I had the greek yougurt on the side as my husband didn’t want it but in my opinion mixing it in made it extra delicious.
Carole, I’m happy to hear this recipe was a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
This recipe was super easy to make and so delicious! Next time, I might try it with different vegetables too, even tho the combination of veggies you have are great! Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad to hear it was a winner, Kaoru! Thank you so much for taking the time to report back.
Are red and green curry pastes interchangeable? Thought I’d ask before serving this with red to guests ?
Hi Mary Ellen! The flavors will be different, but you can use them in the same amounts interchangeably. I hope you enjoy the curry!
Do you think you can adapt this to an InstantPot? Your recipes have made my weeks so much easier and so much yummier! Thanks for everything!
Hi Reed! I haven’t tried this recipe in the Instant Pot, but it likely could be adapted. But since there is a saute step before simmering and it comes together so quickly, there likely wouldn’t be a significant time savings.
Do you have the nutrition info without the rice?
Hi Cristina! I don’t have the info without the rice, but you could use an online calculator like MyFitnessPal to estimate. I hope that can be a helpful resource!
This is yummy, easy and full of wonderful thai flavors!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Jules! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Thanks to social distancing alone at home for almost a month now, I’ve been left with a lot of time on my hands to try new recipes to feed myself now that just running out for takeout seems like a much less appetizing prospect. I tried this curry tonight, and it’s absolutely one of my favorite things I’ve ever cooked! I was able to take my time prepping all the ingredients and letting things come together naturally, with the end result being something amazingly tasty and fragrant! I’ll definitely be making this for friends and family once we can get together again!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Morgan! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made this last night and it was delicious and very filling! I followed the recipe pretty closely except I used a whole 4 ounce jar of green curry, one can of regular coconut milk plus 1.5 cups vegetable broth, and used Swiss chard from our garden instead of kale. I also used an extra TB of lime juice and extra garlic. Really fast and easy, as promised!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Martha! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
how do we make this very low carb, the higher the fat the better
Hi George! Since most of the carbs in this recipe come from the main ingredients, and I’ve only tested the recipe as written, I can’t make any recommendations. I hope you enjoy it if you try it!
What a fabulous, quick, hearty and comforting meal! My fiancé and I loved everything about it. The variety of textures is also really nice! Next time, I’ll add vegetable broth so that it comes out “brothier” and I’ll also add mushrooms just because we love mushrooms.
As always, thank you Erin for posting the absolute best recipes!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Becky! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
5-star for the flavor, 3-star for the cooking instructions, at least for me. There was no way my veggies were even vaguely edible after such a short cook time. Adjusting for that, however, this was really, really good. This is a great recipe for someone who’s trying to transition to vegetarian eating. Thank you!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Stephane! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Absolutely amazing! I found this after making almost everything in your cookbook. The wife and I both loved it!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Phil! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made this tonight and holy s*** it’s delicious. I added chicken, mushrooms and little bit of chicken stock to give us more curry sauce for the rice and it was *chefs kiss* 10/10 recommend
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed it, Cici! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This right here!! Soooo good!! Thank you Erin this beats our Splash restaurant! I’ll have to cut up my sweet potatoes a little larger my mistake :). Delicious!!
Hi Janet! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!