Vegan Thai Red Curry

Sometimes a rare and delicious recipe comes along that combines all your favorite dishes in one! This super comforting Thai-inspired red curry noodle soup has the savory deliciousness of red curry, the hot kick of spicy soup, and the yumminess of noodles. That sounds pretty perfect, doesn’t it?

It’s loaded with flavor and is very easy to make—you can make the whole thing in under 30 minutes! This recipe is adapted from the Thai red curry vermicelli noodle soup recipe in the 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes cookbook by Melissa Copeland.

What Is Red Curry?

If you’ve never tried red curry before, then you’re in for a treat! From the curry family, I would say that the yellow one is the most known, followed by green, so what exactly is a red curry? What does it taste like? These incredible Thai flavors are so special it makes them hard to describe, but let’s give it a go!

Let’s begin by stating that it is hot. When speaking of curry this seems obvious, but it should be noted that it’s definitely hotter than yellow curry (which is the mildest curry), so beware! 

The color of the curry is determined by their predominant ingredients. Yellow curry has turmeric, green curry has a series of green leaves (like coriander), and red curry can have up to 20 different varieties of red chilies! Now don’t panic, these intense and spicy flavors go so well with coconut milk. It makes them milder and creamy and a true crowd favorite. 

Key Ingredients

• Rice vermicelli noodles: These noodles are thin and cook quickly. They’re a staple ingredient widely used across Asia. It’s really versatile, and can be used in soup dishes like this, salads, spring rolls and stir fries. Sometimes they’re also called Maifun noodles if you can’t find vermicelli.
• Thai red curry paste: A flavorful melody of red chili peppers, garlic, sea salt, lemongrass, and turmeric, this paste is the star ingredient of this Thai red curry. Make sure to check the ingredients because some red curry paste contains shrimp paste.
• Coconut milk: Full fat is best for a truly creamy and thick curry sauce. Many Thai curries use coconut milk which perfectly balances the heat and flavor of the curry paste.
• Tons of vegetables: In this vegan curry we use broccoli, green beans, carrots and cherry tomatoes. Don’t skimp on vegetables as they add tons of texture and flavor to red curry noodle soup. Some other vegetables that go great in curries are bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas, bok choy, and cauliflower.

How To Make Vegan Curry

Step 1: Start by cooking the rice vermicelli noodles first. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the rice vermicelli and soak for 3 to 5 minutes until soft. Transfer to a colander over the sink to drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Step 2: In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring frequently, until it has darkened in color and is very fragrant; about 5 minutes. Add a few splashes of vegetable stock if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Add the vegetable broth (or bouillon and water), coconut milk, broccoli, green beans, and carrots. Stir well to combine. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the veggies are crisp-tender; 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 4: Add the soy sauce, sugar and lime juice and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Remove from the heat.

Step 5: Divide the noodles among 4 bowls and ladle the vegan curry over them. Garnish each bowl with cherry tomatoes, chopped peanuts, cilantro, and a lime wedge. Enjoy!

Easy Modifications

This vegan curry recipe is so good, but if you’re not into super spicy food, then I encourage you not to give up on this recipe. Just modify it a bit!

Like we discussed already, this recipe has so many fantastic elements you can play around with to suit your taste. How? Just reduce the amount of red curry paste or simply use some yellow curry powder instead.

Also, you can add some more coconut milk or a dollop of coconut cream to make it creamier and reduce the intensity of the spices. We love it when you tune into your intuition in the kitchen to make our recipes your own.

More Vegan Curries and Soups

• Veggie Chickpea and Spinach Curry
• Indian Spicy Carrot Soup
• Yellow Curry With Tofu
• Thai Vermicelli Noodle Soup
• Mexican Pozole Soup
• Easy Vegan Ramen Soup

And don’t miss our round-up of the best vegan soups we’ve ever made! If you’re searching for more Thai-inspired meals, make sure to take a peek at this terrific Tofu Satay appetizer. It’s super easy to make and oh-so-tasty!

About The Cookbook

Melissa Copeland is on a mission to prove that eating a plant-based diet doesn’t have to be expensive! She is the creator of the blog The Stingy Vegan and is committed to helping us eat delicious food while staying on budget. This book is amazing! You’ll be tempted by recipes like smoky mushroom fajitas, beans on garlic toast and berry yogurt parfaits. 

If you’re looking for a great resource to help you eat vegan on a budget, the 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes cookbook will be your friend!

Vegan Curry (Thai Red Curry with Vermicelli Noodles)

Author: Adapted from Melissa Copeland’s Recipe

4.91 from 11 votes

In less than 30 minutes, you can have a vegan curry that tastes as if it’s been simmering all day. The secret is the Thai red curry paste, which brings all the flavor to the party with no work on your part, and can be found in most supermarkets. This delicious red curry broth combined with a mixture of vegetables—feel free to use whatever is in season—and rice noodles make for one slurp-worthy soup. Red curry noodle soup for the win!

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Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 6 ounces rice vermicelli noodles, (dry)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for pan
• 4 ounces Thai red curry paste, (or about 6 tablespoons, vegan)
• 3 cups vegetable broth, (or the equivalent amount of bouillon and water)
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• ½ head broccoli, cut into florets (you can also slice the broccoli stalk and add that in)
• 12 green beans, ends trimmed, sliced into three bite-sized pieces each
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts
• 1 lime , sliced into wedges, for garnish

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the rice vermicelli and soak until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry, stirring frequently, until it has darkened in color and is very fragrant about 5 minutes. If it starts to stick on the bottom of the pot, add a few splashes of vegetable stock.
• Add the vegetable broth (or bouillon and water), coconut milk, broccoli, green beans, and carrots. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the veggies are crisp-tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Remove from the heat.
• Divide the noodles among 4 bowls and ladle the soup over them. Garnish each bowl with cherry tomatoes, chopped peanuts, cilantro, and a lime wedge.

Notes

The original recipe called for 3 tablespoons of Red Curry Paste. We increased the amount to a full small jar (4 ounces) because we preferred the stronger flavor. If you’d like a very lightly flavored and not-too-spicy soup, you can use as little as 3 tablespoons of curry paste. 

Leftovers – Store leftover vegan curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 1103mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 11001IU | Vitamin C: 97mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 6mg

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Thai

Keyword thai curry soup, vegan curry, vegan curry recipe, vegan thai curry, vermicelli noodle soup

This vegan Thai red curry noodle soup recipe is reprinted with permission from 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes by Melissa Copeland, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Article written by Beatriz Buono-Core and edited by Rachel Lessenden. Photos by Amanda McGillicuddy for World of Vegan, all rights reserved.