Thai Peanut Curry (super flavorful + easy-to-make)
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This easy-to-make peanut curry is bursting with delicious Thai flavors. Sweet potatoes, carrots, red pepper, and kale are cooked in a creamy broth made of red Thai curry paste, coconut milk, and peanut butter. You will LOVE it!
This is as cozy as a recipe can get. Unbelievably creamy with the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor and all the red Thai curry paste yumminess you love.
When you take your first bite, you’ll find that this curry has a wonderful sweetness to it, even though there’s no sugar in sight. Thank you, sweet potatoes, for that little trick.
Peanut curry is also incredibly versatile. We often use the sauce as a base, then add whatever veggies we find in our fridge to the pot.
Ingredients in peanut curry sauce
The flavor of this peanut curry sauce is so delicious that you’ll be shocked how easy it is to make.
- Onions, garlic, and ginger. This trio gets sauteed in coconut oil and adds a ton of flavor to the sauce.
- Thai red curry paste. Not all curry paste is created equally. And since curry paste is the base of the flavor in this recipe, the better the curry paste you can find, the more flavorful the dish will be. We like Mae Ploy curry paste. When in doubt, look for where the curry paste is made and choose one that is made in Thailand; it’s your best bet.
- Coconut milk. We like full-fat coconut milk as it’s the creamiest and has the best flavor. Try to use one without additives for the best result.
- Peanut butter. We use all-natural salted peanut butter. While you can use processed peanut butter (the kind with sugar and hydrogenated oils added to it) in a pinch, you may find that the curry is overly sweet and lacking in peanut flavor. Natural is best!
What to serve with peanut curry
This curry is so loaded with veggies that it’s easily a one-pot dinner. But a side of basmati rice or cauliflower rice really completes the meal.
We’ve also served this with some sliced soy sauce chicken over top and it’s delicious!
Peanut butter curry variations
- Add a can of chickpeas at the end with the kale and red peppers.
- Pop some shrimp into the pot near the end and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Cook some diced chicken in the sauce for 5 minutes before you add the sweet potatoes.
- Switch up the veggies. Anything goes here. Look in your fridge, pull out your favorites, and pop them into the pot.
- Switch the curry paste for yellow or green curry.
- Use almond butter instead of peanut butter.
Store, reheat, and freeze
Store: This curry will keep well for 5 days in your fridge.
Reheat: Add a splash of water to the pot when reheating to prevent it from becoming too thick. You can also microwave it.
Freeze: This recipe freezes very well. Make sure to cool it completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. I like to use these large reusable Stasher freezer bags for freezing curry.
Thai Peanut Curry (super flavorful + easy-to-make)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion (finely minced)
- 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 14 ounce can coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups water or stock
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 2 small sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 2 medium carrots (diced)
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 2 cups chopped kale
- Sea salt (to taste)
- To serve: chopped peanuts and minced cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook until the oils begin to separate, about 2 minutes.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- Add the soy sauce, coconut milk, water or stock, and peanut butter to the pot and stir until the peanut butter is incorporated into the sauce. Add the sweet potatoes and carrots and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are almost soft.2 tablespoons soy sauce, 14 ounce can coconut milk, 1 ½ cups water or stock, ¼ cup natural peanut butter, 2 small sweet potatoes, 2 medium carrots
- Add the red pepper and kale to the pot and let them cook for about 3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Season to taste with salt, if needed.1 red pepper, Sea salt, 2 cups chopped kale
- Serve with the chopped peanut and some cilantro over top.To serve: chopped peanuts and minced cilantro
Equipment
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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Delicious! My family loved it!
This looks great! I need to make vegetarian and chicken for a party. I was thinking I could divide in half and add tofu to one sauce and chicken to the other. Would you precook both or do you let the diced chicken cook in the sauce?
You could divide it in step 2 and add the chicken with the sweet potatoes. That would give it enough time to cook without overcooking the other veggies.
I’ve made this recipe so many times! I usually add chicken to the recipe and omit kale because I never have it in my fridge, and I usually make homemade naan to accompany it. Flavors are divine! Thank you for this recipe!
Can I make this in the slow cooker?
We haven’t tried it, but it should work on low heat.
Made this last night and it was a big hit. I added some chicken and served w white rice. The sauce wasn’t as thick as I’d have liked – maybe I needed to let it simmer on the stove a bit longer. Definitely will be making it again soon.
If you want the sauce thicker, you might try adding coconut cream instead of coconut milk. It’s much thicker and makes for a creamier sauce. I highly recommend!!
I have made his several times. To thicken it I crush a can of garbanzo beans and stir them in. I use almond instead of peanut butter if I’m not sure everyone is not allergic. Swiss chard or any leafy green works fine too
That sounds wonderful!
I just made this flavorful dish and my husband and I love it! Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe! I will definitely keep this recipe as one of my quick week night meals. It is very easy to make.
Tastes just like the amazing Thai peanut curry I used to order at my fav Thai restaurant.
Would LOVE to add Chicken to this recipe. Would you have a suggestion when to add the chicken ?
That’s a great idea! I would add cubes of chicken in step 2 and simmer them with the sweet potatoes. 🙂
Prep time 5 minutes?? Are you kidding? On what planet can you mince 2 T of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, peel and dice carrots and potatoes, wash and chop kale, get out your ingredients and measure it all, and mix it together in 5 minutes???? It takes five minutes to peel the garlic alone, give me a break. How about a little honesty in cooking? Do we have to lie about everything? We are now a country of chronic liars, we even have to lie about prep times on recipes. Yikes.
For this recipe (like most recipes) there is no reason to prep all the vegetables before you start cooking. To save time, we cut the onion, ginger, and garlic first then cut the rest while the other things are cooking. It takes me under 5 minutes to prep the onion, ginger, and garlic so I added 2 minutes to account for people who work a little slower in the kitchen. I hope that helps to clarify the prep time.
Take a chill pill! Did you try the recipe? You are the real problem, complaining about the smallest things.
Get a food processor and wall-ah
If it takes you 5 minutes to peel a few garlic cloves, you have bigger issues my friend.😂
Betty, Yikes indeed. No need to get your panties in a twist. Or call the cook a liar. If you don’t like what she posted, just keep scrolling.
Excellent recipe. Easy to make. Only variation I made was I left out the water. It made for a rich, creamy sauce. Delicious. I also added zucchini rather that sweet potatoes
What a wonderful surprise to have such a simple recipe result in such deep, rich flavor. I’ll to this over and over.
Perfection! No need to ever order out for this dish again. ??
Delicious and I love how flexible this recipe is! I used butternut squash and swiss chard since that’s what I had on hand. Will definitely be making this regularly!
This recipe is DELICIOUS!! I added garbonzo beans and served over brown rice. This recipe is a keeper!
Love this recipe! I’ll try it exactly per written next go. I did a little differently this time. I blanched cauliflower and broccoli from my garden. Cooked barley in my rice cooker with garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Then made the sauce to pour over the top. Garnished the plate with some sliced tomatoes and cilantro. Amazing flavor and heartiness. Can’t wait to try the sweet potato and kale next time. I took a picture but don’t see a way to post it.
Unfortunately, there’s not a way to post pictures here. But if you have Instagram you can tag @theendlessmeal so we can see it there!
This was so good! Added some cauliflower and beans cause that’s what I had in my fridge. Will definitely make it again!