I’ve been on a vegetable-packed coconut curry kick lately—they’re just the perfect transition food for this time of year. This vegetarian Thai green curry recipe features fresh asparagus, carrots and spinach in a delicious green coconut sauce. It’s full of flavor and simple enough for weeknight dinners.
I used store-bought Thai curry paste instead of raw ingredients, because some (like galangal) are difficult to find and time-consuming to prepare. I’ve watched a chef prepare curry paste in Thailand, and he really worked up a sweat! So while this recipe is not perfectly authentic, it’s a lot easier to make.
This curry is based on my old Thai green curry recipe. I loved the base recipe for that dish (I learned how to make it at a fun cooking class), but I was never quite satisfied by my choice of mix-ins.
So here we are, three years later, with an improved and extra-green version. This time, I opted for asparagus (snow peas would also work), carrots and wilted spinach. I love it, and I think you will, too!
How to Serve Thai Green Curry
I skipped the tofu altogether and found the dish to be plenty hearty without it. If you want to add tofu, though, I’d suggest baking it first and adding it with the coconut milk.
I served my curry over rice (again), but I bet quinoa would be an interesting alternative.
Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! If you want to change it up, don’t miss my Thai red curry recipe.
Watch How to Make Thai Green Curry
Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
This healthy, vegetarian Thai green curry features fresh asparagus, carrots and spinach! It’s full of flavor and simple enough for weeknight dinners. Feel free to substitute sliced snow peas for the asparagus if it’s not in season where you live. Recipe yields two large servings (as shown) or four small servings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger, peeled and chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- ½ bunch asparagus, tough ends removed and sliced into 2-inch long pieces (to yield about 2 cups prepared asparagus)
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch wide rounds (to yield about 1 cup sliced carrots)
- 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste*
- 1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk (I used full-fat coconut milk for a richer curry)
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce** (I used reduced-sodium tamari)
- Garnishes: handful of chopped fresh cilantro and red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve.
- Warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a couple teaspoons of oil. Cook the onion, ginger and garlic with a sprinkle of salt for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the asparagus and carrots and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Pour the coconut milk into the pan, along with ½ cup water and 1 ½ teaspoons sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the carrots and asparagus are tender and cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are done cooking, stir the spinach into the mixture and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove the curry from heat and season with rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add salt and red pepper flakes (optional), to taste. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you’d like.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my other Thai green curry recipe.
*Green curry paste: Look for it in the Asian section of the grocery store. I like Thai Kitchen brand. Not all Thai curry pastes are vegetarian, but this one is.
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce.
If you love this recipe: Be sure to check out my other Thai-inspired recipes here!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Karen
Made it for dinner. I added a piece of halibut so it wasn’t vegetarian but it was still very yummy. I can’t wait to try again with tofu! The recipe was spot-on. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Dee
Thanks for the tips Karen!
★★★★★
Xen De Jongh
I used snap peas, green beans, bok choy, carrots, chinese eggplant, baby spinach and baby corn. It was exquisite!
★★★★★
mohan kumar
Nice work! This is a great group of recipes for any day.
Nice blog to follow while preparing recipes.
Da
This was fantastic! My husband and son loved it!
I added thinly sliced red bell pepper for, well, because peppers, as well as crispy baked tofu to up the protein count. It soaked up the flavors gorgeously. My son isn’t the biggest fan of rice, so I served his on prepared Thai rice noodles. Win!
Thank you for this easy and awesome recipe. We’ll be making this one again, no doubt!
★★★★★
Robyn
This was good, but not quite as good as Cookie and Kate’s Thai Red Curry (just my opinion/personal preference!). The asparagus is a nice and unique addition for curry. I love this website – never disappointed with a recipe.
★★★★
Nicole Wagner
So so so delicious!! I didn’t think anything could top your Red Curry recipe, my wife and I make that one all the time. This one is totally a match! Girl, you know how to make a curry RIGHT!! And now, thanks to your prowess, so do I!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Jone
I did add tofu and an additional can of cocoanut milk. I used a light hand with the curry (I’m a wimp), but ended up putting in a little extra after all. Loved it.
★★★★★
Regina
Another “keeper” recipe. Really nice, mild curry flavor. In the photo, I thought it looked a little too soupy, so I cubed a container of firm tofu, dusted it in cornstarch and fried it in a little olive oil and tamari. Removed it from the pan and added it back in when everything else was ready. I liked the way it turned out…the tofu didn’t change the taste, and it did make it more filling, which is what I wanted.
★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you think so Regina!
Tamara F
Yum! I followed this recipe exactly and my entire family enjoyed it. My husband thought it could be spicier, my youngest thought it was a little too spicy, and I thought it was just right. I definitely will make again- and likely serve for company.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thanks for commenting, Tamara.
Lizzy
loved this recipe
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Lizzy! I’m happy to hear it.
Caitlin
Another great one! My husband and I are big fans of your Thai Red curry and have made it several times. We made the Thai Green curry for dinner tonight and it was a hit! We followed the recipe but added some shrimp. Delicious — Thanks!
★★★★★
tam
thanks, girl! so good.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I appreciate your review, Tam.
BV
Loved this recipe. My husband prefers some meat with it so I cut up half a boneless chicken breast and pan fried it with salt and pepper and mixed it with his plate of curry. He loved the combo and told me this recipe is a keeper. So tough to find a dish we both like this much. Thanks Kate!! So good.
★★★★★
Hayley
What do you think of using frozen spinach in this dish? I looked for fresh spinach at the store and couldn’t get any!
Kate
Hi Hayley! You could try it! Of course, make sure it is thawed and drain any excess water from it. You won’t need as much cooking time. Let me know how it works for you!
DV
Love this recipe; have made it 3 times in the past month. I alter the recipe to our taste – no water, no soy sauce (too salty), no sugar (too sweet).
I cook a protein, sauté vegetables (whatever I have handy) add all the other ingredients and simmer. Fresh ginger is key and I use fresh lime juice instead of vinegar. We don’t find the Thai green curry paste very hot so I use the whole jar. It’s delicious. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Hana
My go-to curry recipe! I will say that I do not love the Thai Kitchen curry paste, so if possible I’d go with an alternative. That being said, this recipe is an awesome base for green curry. I usually use whatever vegetables are in my fridge. I’ve added chickpeas and tofu for protein, and both go really well with the recipe. It’s super customizable. I add fresh lime at the end instead of the rice vinegar.
★★★★★
Keely Morgan Finucane
DELICIOUS. I have never had green curry before and it was easy and nourishing. I added pan fried cubes of tofu. Will share and make again! Thanks for the good recipe.
★★★★★
Aparna
I made this today. We are currently on lockdown so I used the veggies I had left in my refridgerator. Carrots, baby corn, red peppers, beans and broccoli. Was delicious! Perfect balance. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Michele
Delicious and easy to make!
★★★★★
Amy
Could I use yellow curry paste?
Kate
Hi Amy, Sure, if that is what you have. It depends on the curry paste and desired taste, but you may want to add more or less.
Adriana Lins
Thanks for the recipe, Karen! I used broccoli, carrot and mushrooms for my veggies and it worked pretty good as well.
★★★★★
Richa Bhatnagar
What to do if no soy sauce available. Have all ingredients except soy.
hannah
This was so nourishing, absolutely delish!
★★★★★
Louis Trempe
I thought this was fantastic, but I prefer it much better without the rice and more as a soup (the rice took away some of the flavor for me). Next time I’ll add a protein as a variation, even though it really doesn’t need it! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Melissa
Very tasty! I didnt have ginger or spinach on hand so I used dried ginger and collards instead. It still came out great. Will definitely try again.
★★★★★
Melissa Lee Chen
I have tried about 4 other recipes. This one has been my favorite!!! Thank you :)
★★★★★
Courtney
This was fantastic. I rarely leave reviews on recipes but felt I needed to with this one. I added broccoli and used kale instead of spinach since I already had it in the fridge. I doubled the liquid because we like a soupier curry in this house. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
★★★★★
Jan Morrison
Hi Kate, making this for about the tenth time. Obviously, I love it. I use vegies on hand – today it is green beans, broccoli, green onions, carrots and spinach. May or may not add chicken….sometimes I add tofu, sometimes leave it as is. Always good. You are a staple in our kitchen! Hope you’re good.
★★★★★
Hannah
Great, easy recipe!
★★★★★
Robin
Holy crow, that was fantastic.
We had tried your red curry last week (also pretty great!) and decided to try this one tonight…
Made it exactly as stated (though we had to sub the asparagus for the sliced peas due to availability, and used Blue Dragon curry paste).
Perfect amount of spice for us. So flavourful, filling, and straight up 10/10 delish.
Thanks!!!
★★★★★
Jubaira
It is my first time to try green curry vegetable, and it is awesome!!! Thank you. I added some pepper bell and zucchini in the recipe. My hubby who is not eating much vegetable, he love it. Waiting for my daughter’s input.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Jubaira! Thanks for your review.
JJ
Sooo good. The things I did differently were as follows. I seared chicken first and left it to warm while I made the curry. I added it back when I added in the curry paste. I used frozen onions, carrots and broccoli and let them cook together. Then I added a whole jar of Thai green curry paste (last time I made this recipe I used the amount called for and it wasn’t enough). I used 1 tsp dried ginger. Make sure you use full-fat coconut milk. Delicious!!
★★★★★
BC
Thank you for this recipe, Kate! It has become a weekly request at our home :)
★★★★★
JenX
This was delicious and easy. I like the simplicity of it—not too many veggies, no need to add tofu. Only thing I added was fresh Thai basil because I currently have it growing in my garden. It was a nice addition. Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
Nicole
Amazing!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Nicole!
Donna L Savage
I make this recipe lots and finally got around to thanking you. Thank youuu!
★★★★★
Marie
I had some green curry at the new Thai restaurant in town, and really liked it. So I took to the internet to find recipes and decided to try this one. Not as good as the restaurant, but pretty good.
I did find this to be very watery – both the amount of liquid and the taste. I think next time I will omit the water.
Also, I brought it to a simmer and then checked the veggies 5 minutes later – they were overcooked. I think next time I will just start checking at 5 minutes instead of waiting for it to come to a simmer.
Also, I think it needed a lot more salt. I added a bit of black pepper, too.
All in all, good enough to give it another try, with above tweaks. And maybe a little more of the green curry paste.
FYI – I did use the same curry sauce as recommended.
★★★★
Paul
Thankyou, it was enjoyed by the 3 of us. Will be cooked again.
★★★★★
Valerie Steckler
Sooooooooooooooo good! We’re trying to eat more vegetarian dishes, with recipes like this it’s easy! Kids (5 & 8) ate every last bite. I added cauliflower because I had some that had to get used, delicious! Pinned and will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Kk
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe far and wide. Ever since I tried green curry I have loved and now I just made it in my kitchen! It taste good too!
★★★★★
Rani
Love this recipe <3 Going to make it again for dinner tonight. Question though, is the nutrition facts at the end for all 4 serving or for only 1 serving?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Rani! I hope you love it. The nutrition facts is per serving. I hope that helps!
jane baldrige
I made this recipe tonight and for my BF’s sake next time I will cut down on the green curry paste . I thought it was missing something, it seemed a little bland despite the spiciness . I might add some pineapple next time .. and possibly some veggie stock. I think it was missing something fatty … Otherwise I liked it and will try it again or maybe one of the others you have in your recipes !
Thanks
★★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Jane. I appreciate your feedback.
Kimberlyn Drew
Delicious! Made this a few days ago… used a purple bell pepper we had in place of the asparagus, Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce, and did your baked tofu for protein. Yum! Also added some Thai basil from my garden after it occurred to us that Green Curry seems like it usually has Thai basil in it. Oh! and also used Kelp noodles for the first time and we loved them. Thanks for another great recipe, Kate!
★★★★★
Marien Fontano
Super good! We loaded it with zucchini and mushrooms in addition to the suggested veggies. The only thing I would change is leaving out the water and maybe adding more salt? Otherwise very yummy! Excited to try your red curry.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your feedback! You may not get the same result by leaving out the water as it helps with the curry texture and cooking overall.
Katelyn
Would not change a thing! A keeper for sure, thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Great! Thank you for your feedback, Katelyn.
Poonam
Thank you . Very helpful
★★★★★
Kejal
Delicious
★★★★★
Ellie
I made a big batch of this last night.i sauteed carrot and courgette separately as I did a massive batch, enough for 17 portions! I also added a bag of Quorn chicken style pieces, for protein. And two packs of firm tofu chopped in to to 1 inch pieces, dusted with cornflour, and splashed with some soy sauce as well as the hot oil (like another woman said on here) then fried in a frying pan before adding to the rest of the dish.
The rest of the recipe I followed.I didn’t add any soy sauce because the paste made it’s salty enough. This recipe is just perfect! I will make thai green curry again! I didn’t add much water because I prefer it thicker.
Buy a good quality green curry paste! They are not all made equal. They should be firm and almost solid, not all gooey and jelly and liquidy, as the poorer quality ones tend to be.
Thanks so much! Try this recipe you can’t go wrong! This will be a new staple recipe for me :) I keep curries like this for 4 days in the fridge, and freeze the rest, all portioned out into boxes
★★★★★
Claire
Made this as my work meal prep and I am impressed! Changed up the mix-ins, but the base for the rest of the curry was Great! I added red and yellow bell peppers, asparagus, red onion, mushrooms, bok choy, and I diced and roasted a sweet potato that I added at the end. Perfect and easy for fall!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Claire! Thank you for your review.
MrSaren
Love this recipe! I double it! My wife and I eat the leftovers all week for lunch. Even the kids eat like it. Thanks!
★★★★★
Laura
Hi! This recipe is absolutely delicious! Do you think it would freeze well?
Laura
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Laura! I haven’t tried freezing this one, sorry.
Connie
Wow I am a terrible cook and I managed to make this and it was delicious!!! Am trying to cook and eat more plant-based and recipes like this make it fun and easy :) just bought your cookbook thank you <3