Vegan Thai Green Curry
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.This Vegan Thai Green Curry with chickpeas, baby kale, and cauliflower is so simple to make at home! It’s satisfying, comforting and nourishing – great for weeknight dinners, and tastes even better as leftovers the next day.

If you love Thai cuisine, then you’ve likely enjoyed this classic dish when you’ve visited your favorite restaurant! There’s a reason it’s so popular! Vegan Thai green curry combines the flavors of fresh lemongrass and creamy coconut milk in a creamy green sauce that is to die for. It’s not too spicy, making it an appealing dish, even for those that don’t like too much heat! The first time I tried it, I was sold!
While I love enjoying Thai food, when I order it from a restaurant it’s often much too heavy and greasy for my liking. This easy version gets its richness from the coconut milk and warm spices like turmeric, Thai curry paste, coriander and cumin. But, because it’s packed with fresh vegetables and chickpeas, and limits added oil, it doesn’t weigh you down the way Thai takeout would.
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A traditional Thai Green Curry is prepared with kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil leaves, Thai eggplants, snow peas, and a protein such as chicken. While these key ingredients make for a rich depth of flavor, they are not always the easiest ingredients to find if you don’t live close to an Asian market.
This vegan version is made simpler using ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store. Chickpeas are added for protein, and baby kale is used to add leafy greens. The flavors are spot on, and it’s super simple to make! Light, yet filling, this simple Thai recipe is family friendly too!
👩🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Hearty Meal
- Fresh Ingredients
- Easy Recipe
- Simple Meal Prep
- Vegan Friendly
- Light and Bright Flavors
- Healthy and Satisfying
🥘 Ingredients

Thai Green Curry Paste: I used Thai Kitchen curry paste which is vegan. You can also make your own homemade green curry paste, but this is an easy shortcut!
Vegetables: Red onion, tomatoes, garlic, frozen cauliflower, and baby kale are combined to create a nutritious vegetable rich dish. But this comforting vegan meal is so versatile, you can add any vegetables of your choice! Try red bell pepper, butternut squash or sweet potato, zucchini or yellow squash, carrots, broccoli, snow peas / sugar snap peas, green beans or bamboo shoots. These veggies give this dish an even more authentic flavor.
Coconut Milk: Gives this vegan green curry recipe its rich creamy curry sauce. I used light coconut milk to save on calories, but for more decadence you could use full fat coconut milk or even coconut cream.
Spices: Other spices include turmeric, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional), and curry powder. Feel free to add crushed red pepper flakes or green chilies for an additional kick of heat too!
Chickpeas: Use canned chickpeas to save time. Be sure to drain and rinse before adding to the pot. You can also prepare your own from dried. For a different vegan protein option, try extra firm tofu or even tempeh in this easy vegan Thai green curry recipe!
Scroll to the bottom of this post to the recipe card for the full recipe, ingredient list, complete measurements, instructions and nutritional information.
🍽 Equipment
- A good cutting board and a high quality chef’s knife
- A large, durable stock pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoons for stirring and a ladle for serving!
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium-heat. Add coconut oil, onions, tomatoes, garlic and stir – cook until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients – turmeric through cauliflower. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat so that the vegetables come to a gentle simmer.

Step 3: Stir occasionally, until ingredients are slightly soft and cooked through (about 20 minutes).

Step 4: Serve on top of quinoa and top with lime zest and fresh herbs like cilantro or Thai basil.

❓Recipe FAQs
Green Curry: Made with cilantro, lime leaf, kaffir, and basil give this paste its green color. Mildest in spice.
Yellow Curry: Turmeric gives yellow curry its bright yellow color. Somewhere between green and red, yellow curry falls in the middle from a spice level perspective.
Red Curry: Red curry is made with chili powder and red curry paste to give it a red hue. It’s the most spicy of the 3 types of curries.
Depending on where you are enjoying green curry it can be more or less spicy. Here in the US, Thai green curry is less spicy than Thai red curry. In the east it’s the opposite. If you are purchasing your green curry in the states it will likely be milder than red curry.
Typically no, because most vegetable Thai green curry recipes are packed with added fat (from oils and coconut cream) and calories. But this lighter meal is much healthier than what you’d find in most Thai restaurants for a few reasons:
Lots of Veggies: Kale, cauliflower, onions and tomatoes have added antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients.
High in Plant Protein: The chickpeas in this dish add 11 grams of plant protein per serving!
High in Fiber: One serving of this recipe has almost 10 grams of heart healthy fiber. Fiber also helps with digestion, and is linked to lower cholesterol.
Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients: The chickpeas and vegetables also add vitamins and nutrients. Chickpeas are high in B6 and folate. Cauliflower is rich in vitamin K and C. Kale is high in Vitamin A, K, and C.
Both of my kids loved this dish – they ate it for dinner for a couple nights straight! The key to making it kid friendly is to not to have too many spicy flavors and to cut up the vegetables a little smaller.
👪 How To Serve
- Serve with quinoa, brown rice, or jasmine rice. The texture of the quinoa complements the chickpeas and makes for a hearty addition and great alternative to white rice.
- Top with crushed cashews or peanuts.
- Add a touch of lime juice for acidity.
- Sprinkle with additional cayenne or red pepper flakes to make it spicier.
❄️ How To Store
Refrigerate: Allow to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freeze: This quick vegan Thai green curry also freezes really well. Store in an air tight freezer safe container. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and in the fridge for up to 4 days.
💭 Expert Tips
- Garnish with cilantro for an extra pop of flavor and freshness.
- Make sure you chop the vegetables roughly the same size, so they all cook evenly.
- Use pre-made green curry paste to save time! I like this one from Thai Kitchen.
- If you don’t have kale, you can use spinach or any other leafy green.
- Feel free to substitute any other vegetables you like in this dish! Broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots and squash would all work well.
- You can play around with the level of curry powder, for a subtler or bolder flavor.

🍲 More Delicious Curry Recipes!
- Indian Rice And Curry Casserole
- Thai Yellow Curry
- Thai Peanut Curry
- Sweet Potato And Chickpea Curry
- Instant Pot Lentil And Cauliflower Curry
- Thai Basil Eggplant Recipe
- Aubergine Curry
Love this vegetarian thai recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating 🌟 in the recipe below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page!
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Vegan Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
- 1 tsp curry powder (more to taste)
- 1 tbsp green curry paste (more or less to taste)
- 2 15oz cans chickpeas rinsed & drained
- 1 6oz box baby spinach or baby kale chopped
- 1 15oz can light coconut milk
- 1 15oz bag frozen cauliflower
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil, onions, tomatoes, garlic and stir – cook until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add rest of the ingredients – turmeric through cauliflower. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until ingredients are slightly soft and cooked through (about 20 minutes).
- Serve on top of quinoa and top with cilantro.
Notes
- Serve with quinoa. The texture of the quinoa complements the chickpeas and makes for a hearty addition and great alternative to rice.
- Garnish with cilantro for an extra pop of flavor and freshness.
- Make sure you chop the vegetables roughly the same size, so they all cook evenly.
- Use pre-made green curry paste to save time! I like this one from Thai Kitchen.
- If you don’t have kale, you can use spinach or any other leafy green.
- Feel free to substitute any other vegetables you like in this dish! Broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots and squash would all work well.
- You can play around with the level of curry powder, for a subtler or bolder flavor.
So much great flavor in this vegan meal!
Aw yay thanks so much! 🙂
Love all the veggies and chickpeas that you are using in this dish! Looks delicious.
Thanks Biana! You will love it!
Vegan Thai Green Curry is comforting!! Love it with steaming jasmine rice.
Thanks Sandhya! Glad you liked it!
Gosh that looks tasty! Bring it on!
Thanks Jacqueline! Enjoy!
I love this vegan thai green curry! It’s so easy to make that I’ll never buy green curry sauce in a jar again.
Yay! So glad you liked this recipe Keri!
I need this curry in my life now! It looks delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Hooray!! Enjoy!
I love chickpeas and curry so I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks so full of flavor and delicious ingredients.
Awesome!! I’m sure you will love this recipe Cindy!
I’ve never been a fan of chickpeas but I do love a good curry. Maybe I’ll enjoy chickpeas in this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’d love to hear if this recipe makes you a chickpea convert! 🙂
I’ve never tried this but definitely will. Great post
Thanks!! I’m sure you will love this recipe!
What a beautiful dish. I love that it is vegan and dairy free
Thank you Tara! It’s also gluten-free too so it fits all dietary restrictions! 🙂
Such a delicious looking meal. I love coconut in my food and I have yet to try a dish with chickpeas!
Thanks Ariana! If you haven’t tried a dish with chickpeas before, this is a great one to start with!
This would make a perfect lunch, but I would make it as a dinner also with some chicken in it.
Chicken would work well in this dish and with these flavors!
I have actually never even tried curry, but this looks delicious! It wasn’t a food I grew up with, but I know it’s very popular – maybe this will be my first taste!
Thanks Camille! If you haven’t tried curry before, this is a great first recipe to test it out! It’s super easy to make and mild, so a perfect intro. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how you like it!