Thai Inspired Red Curry Noodles Recipe (Vegan)

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Make authentic Thai food right in your home kitchen. These flavourful Thai Red Curry Noodles are perfect for a weeknight meal. Ditch the takeout and make it at home with fresh and vibrant vegetables and tofu! Saucy noodles, basic ingredients, and so much flavor! 

two bowls of red curry noodles topped with cilantro and lime wedges

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I’ve spent a lot of my younger years in Thailand, and most of my Christmases with family there, and these Thai Red Curry Noodles bring me right back! Out of all of the varieties of curry in Thailand, my favourites are red and yellow, so today, I’m bringing you this dish of chewy rice noodles drenched in smooth and spicy red curry sauce, with baked tofu and vibrant veggies. 

To finish the dish, a squeeze of fresh lime juice for brightness, toasted peanuts for crunch, extra dried chili flakes if you like the heat, and herbs like Thai basil and/or cilantro. It’s a complete meal full of flavour that you’ll want to make on repeat, especially once you see how easy it is to make!

The base of the dish is a good red curry paste. You can make it from scratch, but it is difficult to nail the spice balance perfectly (speaking from experience here, anyway…). Every time I travel to Thailand, I bring curry paste back with me, but you can also find premade curry paste in stores in most countries. Simmer that with coconut milk and sautéed aromatics, and you get curry in a flash. If you’ve ever been intimidated by Thai cooking, this is a great place to start, and I promise it’s easier than you think.

This recipe is also very flexible. You can adjust the spice level to taste, and you can absolutely swap out the veggies and use what you have on hand instead. I personally like to make curry when I want to use up leftover produce in the fridge. This curry sauce makes almost everything taste delicious! Instead of tofu, you can also use chickpeas or a vegan protein of choice, and if noodles aren’t your thing, serve over some fresh jasmine rice instead. Make these curry noodles yours!

white bowls filled with this red curry noodles recipe

Ingredient Notes

See the full list of ingredients and amounts in the printable recipe card below. 

  • Thai Red curry paste → the base of our delicious dish! The Thai Kitchen brand is easy to find in most stores, but I also really love the Mekhala brand of curry paste.
  • Rice noodles → You can use wide rice noodles or regular, whichever you like!
  • Aromatics → the flavour basics like shallot, garlic, ginger, and chili
  • Vibrant veggies → I like to use carrots, broccoli, and eggplant. Feel free to add red bell pepper, other bell peppers, purple cabbage, and/or other veggies you prefer. 
  • Thai red chili pepper → You can omit this if desired. 
  • Baked tofu → for plant-based protein and chew.
  • Full-Fat Coconut milk → to create a luscious sauce
  • Coconut sugar → used to balance the spice and the salt in the dish, we’re just using a touch!
  • Gluten free soy sauce → for extra depth of flavour.
  • Optional garnish: fresh kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, roasted peanuts, green onions, dried chili flakes, sesame seeds, cilantro and lime wedges.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Begin by preparing your tofu if you’d like to crisp it up in the oven. Preheat oven to 400F, and meanwhile, quickly toss cubed tofu with just enough oil to coat, gluten-free soy sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes on a lined baking tray, flip, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. You can also use an air fryer and omit oil if desired.
  2. In a large skillet or saucepan, sauté shallots, garlic, chili, and ginger with a touch of oil for 1-2 minutes over medium heat, until softened and fragrant. Next, add your veggies and red curry paste and sauté for another minute or so before adding coconut milk. Increase the heat to bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add coconut sugar and gluten-free soy sauce and let it cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender.*
  3. While your curry is simmering, prep rice noodles by soaking them in a bowl of hot water or according to package directions.
  4. Once ready to serve, strain your noodles, toss into the curry* along with baked tofu, and serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice, a handful of roasted peanuts, green onion, chili flakes, and cilantro as desired. Alternatively, you can serve the rice noodles in bowls and pour the curry over top.
all the recipe ingredients cooking in a large saucepan.

Secrets to Success

  • For best results, try to chop your veggies in a similar size so they’ll cook evenly. The smaller you chop, the less time you’ll need to cook! 
  • Be sure that the curry paste you’re using is a vegan-friendly curry paste. Many traditional Thai curry pastes are made with fish sauce or shrimp paste, so check the ingredient list. Also, make sure you are using a curry paste, not a sauce. One more thing! If you are not able to consume gluten, also check to make sure that your curry paste does not contain gluten. Sometimes, wheat flour is used as a thickener, or soy sauce may be used to season.
  • Making curry is all about adjusting to taste, so do taste frequently and add additional ingredients as you see fit.
  • You can make these Thai curry noodles oil-free by omitting when sautéing initial ingredients, however, “frying” curry paste helps to bring out the aromatics in the spices, so I would recommend a small amount for the best flavour and results!
  • If you can’t find Thai eggplant at your local grocery store, see if you can find Chinese or Japanese eggplant. The skins tend to be a lot less tough compared to larger eggplants. Otherwise, consider peeling your eggplant to avoid tough skin.
  • If you’re in a pinch, chop your veggies a little more finely. This way, you can decrease the amount of time needed to cook through.
  • Adjust the thickness of your curry as desired. You can add water or veggie broth to thin if you prefer more of a brothy curry or find it to be too thick.
  • When you toss noodles into the curry, they will immediately start to soak up the curry, so only toss noodles into the curry if you’re ready to eat. Otherwise, I recommend reserving noodles on the side and pouring curry over noodles when ready to eat.

Storage Tips

Store leftover curry noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over in a large skillet on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Add water or oil to gently break up the noodles.

a white bowl willed with rice noodles, tofu, red curry, and topped with cilantro and lime wedges.

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If you try this delicious recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.

Thai Inspired Red Curry Noodles Recipe (Vegan)

5 from 1 vote
Servings: 2 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Make authentic Thai food right in your home kitchen. These flavourful Thai Red Curry Noodles are perfect for a weeknight meal. Ditch the takeout and make it at home with fresh and vibrant vegetables and tofu! Saucy noodles, basic ingredients, and so much flavor! 

Ingredients 

  • Vegetables
  • 1 cup broccoli chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup carrots thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cup Thai eggplant* diced
  • Tofu
  • 15 oz extra firm tofu diced
  • neutral oil as needed
  • 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Curry
  • 2 small shallots minced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 small Thai red chili thinly sliced (skip if you’re not crazy about spice)
  • 1 tbsp ginger finely grated
  • 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste the Thai Kitchen brand is easy to find in most stores, but I also really love the Mekhala brand paste
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk about 15oz
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce more to taste
  • 8 oz rice noodles more as desired
  • Optional but nice to have
  • 4-5 fresh kaffir lime leaves
  • handful fresh Thai basil
  • To garnish
  • handful roasted peanuts roughly chopped
  • green onion sliced thinly
  • dried chili flakes
  • cilantro
  • fresh lime use thai lime if you can find it!

Instructions 

  • Begin by preparing your tofu if you'd like to crisp it up in the oven. Preheat oven to 400F, and meanwhile, quickly toss cubed tofu with just enough oil to coat, gluten free soy sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes on a lined baking tray, flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. You can also use an airfryer and omit oil if desired.
  • In a large saucepan, sauté shallots, garlic, chili and ginger with a touch of oil for 1-2 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Next add your veggies and red curry paste and sauté for another minute or so before adding coconut milk. Increase the heat to bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add coconut sugar and gluten free soy sauce and let cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender.*
  • While your curry is simmering, prep rice noodles by soaking in a bowl of hot water, or according to package directions.
  • Once ready to serve, strain your noodles, toss into the curry* along with baked tofu and serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice, a handful of roasted peanuts, green onion, chili flakes and cilantro as desired. Alternatively, you can serve the rice noodles in bowls and pour curry over top.

Video

Notes


  • Secrets to Success

    • For best results, try to chop your veggies in a similar size so they’ll cook evenly. The smaller you chop, the less time you’ll need to cook! 
    • Be sure that the curry paste you’re using is a vegan-friendly curry paste. Many traditional Thai curry pastes are made with fish sauce or shrimp paste, so check the ingredient list. Also, make sure you are using a curry paste, not a sauce. One more thing! If you are not able to consume gluten, also check to make sure that your curry paste does not contain gluten. Sometimes, wheat flour is used as a thickener, or soy sauce may be used to season.
    • Making curry is all about adjusting to taste, so do taste frequently and add additional ingredients as you see fit.
    • You can make these Thai curry noodles oil-free by omitting when sautéing initial ingredients, however, “frying” curry paste helps to bring out the aromatics in the spices, so I would recommend a small amount for the best flavour and results!
    • If you can’t find Thai eggplant at your local grocery store, see if you can find Chinese or Japanese eggplant. The skins tend to be a lot less tough compared to larger eggplants. Otherwise, consider peeling your eggplant to avoid tough skin.
    • If you’re in a pinch, chop your veggies a little more finely. This way, you can decrease the amount of time needed to cook through.
    • Adjust the thickness of your curry as desired. You can add water or veggie broth to thin if you prefer more of a brothy curry or find it to be too thick.
    • When you toss noodles into the curry, they will immediately start to soak up the curry, so only toss noodles into the curry if you’re ready to eat. Otherwise, I recommend reserving noodles on the side and pouring curry over noodles when ready to eat.

    Storage Tips

    Store leftover curry noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over in a large skillet on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Add water or oil to gently break up the noodles.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @veggiekins on Instagram and hashtag it with #veggiekins

This post may contain affiliate links. 

About Remy

Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.

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4 Comments

  1. Hello! I am super interested in this recipe and I love the idea of curry--however, I am allergic to all nuts and coconut. Do you think the same consistency could be achieved with an alternative such as oat milk? I would imagine the flavor may be slightly different, but I wanted to see your thoughts. Thank you so much!
    1. Hi Rebecca! Are you able to find soy cream, or a cooking "cream" alternative? In Europe they have like oatly heavy creams for example. Something thick would be ideal, otherwise perhaps you could blend in some silken tofu? Or, if you don't mind a thinner curry, any plant milk will do, but I'd def recommend a thicker one! Maybe even a barista blend variety?
  2. This is such a great recipe. I cannot believe how easy to make and healthy it really is. Thank you for sharing, I am definitely going to make this very often.

    5 stars