Thai Panang Curry with Vegetables
This Thai panang curry recipe is SO easy to make at home and tastes better than take-out! This recipe is full of veggies and fresh flavor. Tofu is optional.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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Have you had panang curry yet? Panang curry is rich and creamy, spicy yet balanced, with underlying notes of peanut and coconut.
I make my panang curry with lots of bell peppers and carrots, and optional tofu for extra protein. It’s a perfectly satisfying weeknight meal for cold days.
Panang is one of my favorite Thai curries, right up there with red curry and green curry. If you haven’t ordered it at your favorite Thai restaurant yet, you’ve been missing out!
Watch How to Make Panang Curry
Panang Curry Paste Notes
When it comes to Thai curries, the curry paste represents a big portion of the final flavor. You’ll need panang curry paste to make panang curry!
What’s in panang curry paste?
Panang curry pastes vary somewhat from brand to brand, but they typically include dried chili peppers, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds. You could make your own curry paste if you have those ingredients at home, but I’m betting that you don’t.
Special diet considerations
If you are vegetarian (holler), vegan or have shellfish allergies, you’ll want to find a panang curry paste that doesn’t contain shrimp or fish sauce. I’ve found a couple of great vegan options on Amazon, made by A Taste of Thai and Maesri (those are affiliate links). If I had to pick a favorite, it would be A Taste of Thai.
Where to buy it
Panang curry paste is a little more difficult to find than standard red or green Thai curries. You might get lucky and find it in the international section of your grocery store, somewhere near the soy sauce. You would definitely find it at an Asian grocery store. You can also buy it online, like I did.
Panang Curry Notes
I’ll be the first to point out that this recipe isn’t quite traditional. I made some changes to suit my vegetarian diet, and tried to use ingredients that are easy to find in the States. Here’s how my recipe differs from authentic curries:
- I used vegan curry paste (many contain shrimp).
- I didn’t add kaffir lime leaves, which are typically simmered in the coconut milk for extra flavor. I couldn’t find them. Fortunately, the curry pastes I’ve recommended actually contain this ingredient.
- I used tofu instead of other proteins (often shrimp or chicken).
- I used soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Actually, I used tamari, which is a Japanese soy sauce that is typically gluten free (most soy sauces are not). I simply prefer the flavor of tamari over soy sauce.
- I garnished the dish with regular basil because I couldn’t find Thai basil. I thought it was great that way, but if you can find Thai basil, you might like that even more.
Before You Get Started
If you want to serve tofu with your curry, I’d recommend making that first. You can start on the curry once the tofu is in the oven. Here’s the recipe.
If you want to serve rice with your curry, I typed up suggested quantities and how to cook it within the recipe below. (I always cook with brown rice, but you could use another rice if you cook it according to the package’s directions.) You might also enjoy the curry with cooked noodles or on its own.
How to Make Panang Curry
This curry recipe comes together quickly once you’ve chopped your veggies.
- First, you’ll first sauté the onions, peppers and carrots, then add the garlic and curry paste and cook those briefly to enhance their flavors.
- Then add regular coconut milk (from a can) and some water (so it’s not overwhelmingly rich).
- At the end of cooking, you’ll stir in some final seasonings: peanut butter (typically found in panang curries), tamari or soy sauce, and a little sugar and lime juice. The interplay of these ingredients create balance and make your final curry taste super delicious.
- I generally add a little pinch of salt at the end to bring out the curry’s best. That’s it! Garnish with basil (Thai basil if you can find it), and serve it over rice or noodles, if desired.
Please let me know how your curry turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Craving more fresh Thai recipes? Here are a few favorites:
- Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
- Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
Thai Panang Curry with Vegetables
This Thai panang curry recipe is so easy to make at home and tastes better than take-out! This recipe is full of veggies and fresh flavor, and the tofu is optional. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- Optional: 1 batch crispy baked tofu
- Optional: 1 ¼ cups brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- Pinch of salt, more to taste
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin (¼” wide) strips
- 1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, sliced into thin (¼” wide) strips
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼” thick rounds (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 to 2 tablespoons panang curry paste* (use 1 for mild or 2 for spicy)
- 1 can (14 ounces) regular coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce**
- 1 ½ teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, to taste
- Optional garnishes: fresh Thai basil or regular basil, sriracha or chili garlic sauce for extra spice
Instructions
- If you’d like to serve rice with your curry (optional): 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. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
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To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the bell peppers and carrots. Cook until the bell peppers are easily pierced through by a fork, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.
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Add the coconut milk and water, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers and carrots have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’re adding crispy tofu, stir it in now.
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Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter, tamari, sugar and lime juice. Add salt, to taste (I usually add a pinch or two). If the curry needs a little more punch, add ½ teaspoon more tamari, or for more acidity, add ½ teaspoon more lime juice.
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Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, if using. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.
Notes
*Panang curry paste: You might find it in the Asian section of the grocery store. You will definitely find it at Asian grocery stores or you can buy it online like I did. Two brands I like are A Taste of Thai and Maesri, which are both vegan/vegetarian. Not all brands are (they can contain fish sauce and/or shrimp paste).
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Double-check your curry paste to make sure it’s gluten free, too.
Make it vegan: Make sure your curry paste is free of shellfish and fish sauce. See recommendations provided above.
Make it nut free: Omit the peanut butter, and verify that your curry paste is nut free.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This was super delicious! Great balance of spicy, sweet, unami, and tangy (I went for the full 2 tbsp curry paste). I also added in some broccoli which was great. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Denali! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
this. was. delicious. probably my best curry i’ve made yet! I added in a thumb of minced ginger. I also added in a quarter head of broccoli. I substituted the tofu for 3/4 of a can of chickpeas as it was all I had on hand. I also only used 1/2 of a can of coconut milk, and substituted the rest of it with water as I’m not the biggest fan of strong coconut flavours. Kept everything else the same. Will make again. Thanks heaps!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Renee.
Going to try this. Had it at Sweet Thai Basil Cafe in Fredonia, Ks.
Obsessed with this recipe! I added broccoli, cauliflower, ginger and shredded kale, and found a lovely mild yellow curry paste at Whole Foods for a slightly sweeter version.
It’s absolutely delicious. thank you Kate!!
You’re welcome, Jennifer! Thank you for your review.
This is so good, enjoyed making it. So many flavors it really packs a punch! I make the crispy tofu (came out great and I will always cook my tofu this way) and used Maesri red curry paste, crunchy peanut butter and lemon juice (used what I had). Next time I’ll add broccoli. Absolutely delicious, thank you!
Wonderful recipe – good balance of spice, flavors and textures – and compares favorably with the Panang Curry I enjoyed at our favorite Thai restaurant (Vientiane, Torrington, CT). Not having all the peppers, I substituted baby bok choy and mushrooms. Since I’m not a vegetarian I added two tsp of fish sauce with the Tamari.
This recipe is a keeper.
So good, thank you! My only edit would be 1/4 cup water instead of 1/2 cup. I have made this twice and will continue to make it.
My entire family loved this meal! I used Ayam brand curry paste (1/2 jar about 2Tbs) and it was perfect. It was a little sweet with the sugar so I won’t use any next time (the paste I used has sugar in it). I changed the veggies a little to use what I had. I used half a tin coconut cream without any water. The veggies created water. Sliced Chicken breast was delicious in this. I cooked it first, removed and returned to pan later.
I’m glad everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Delicious! Will definitely make again
That’s great to hear, Alicia!
I love this recipe! It’s so easy to prep and make. The Thai restaurants in my area were really disappointing me with their quality, so I looked up how to make panang curry at home. So happy I found this one! Way easier than I imagined. I like being able to use organic ingredients, too. I used the taste of Thai paste you recommend and found it online. It is spicy! So if you don’t like a lot of spice don’t use the whole packet like I did. Thanks for this one<3
Thoughts on how this would be with a Thai green curry paste in place of panang curry?
HI Gilly, I would recommend my Thai Green Curry with Spring Vegetables
Made exactly as the recipe specifies and it was the very best Thai curry I’ve ever had at home! Delicious and easy to follow, thank you!!!
I’m excited you liked it, Erica!
Great dish when a 6’4″17-year old “meat-head” football player loves it and simply asks that we double the recipe with tofu next time! Didn’t add broccoli to the dish, but steamed as a side.
Kaffir lime leaves are really a must have for proper panang. They can be found at most Asian grocery stores. They freeze beautifully so freeze any extra for the next time.
I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegetable based dishes into my diet and this is a keeper! I never made anything with tofu before and the crispy tofu turned out really well. I was surprised at how easy it was to make and how good it tasted! I love peanuts so I sprinkled some extra peanuts on top for some extra crunch. Will definitely make this again.
I’m so glad you love it, Stephanie! I appreciate your review.
This is the best curry I’ve ever had. Very forgiving recipe, I mixed up the vegetables quite a bit and still came out great. I also substituted almond for peanut butter. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Theda!
Absolutely delicious—thank you!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Christine! Thank you for your review.
I made it. We liked it! And we love your website!
This was 10/10, and tasted ridiculously close to a Thai curry at my favorite restaurant. Everything I’ve made from you has been spot on! In fact my kids prefer your chocolate zucchini muffins to the ones I made that had white flour and lots of sugar.
I’m glad you loved it, Brooke!
This recipe was absolutely perfect! Cookie and Kate is always my go-to site for cooking healthy and delicious meals. Thank you, Kate!
Love, love, love your recipes! I use them all of the time. Nothing ever disappoints!
This curry was absolutely delicious! I added some broccoli and a little less peppers, my guests loved it and so did I! I made it with chicken, will try tofu next time!
Hi Kate, I batch cook for my daughter at uni and wondered if this would freeze well? ps. Your bean chilli is an absolute favourite with her!
Hi Nikki, I believe others have froze it (vegetables separate from broth) and didn’t mind the results.
I’ll give this one five stars for flavor. I’ve spent LOTS of time in Thailand (worked in Asia for years; vacationed in Thailand every January to warm up!), and have been looking for a good Panang curry recipe that is lower in fat. It’s hard to achieve an authentic flavor without all the peanut butter, but this recipe does a pretty good job. The veggies aren’t very authentic, to be honest, but you do what you can at Western grocery stores, right? My biggest complaint is that the consistency should be more soupy, but that’s easy to fix.
I’m so glad this meant your standards! I appreciate your review.
I love this recipe! It’s so easy and really tasty. I used red boat fish sauce and “mikes organic curry love Penang Thai curry paste”. I also added cremini mushrooms.
Great to hear, Renee!
So delicious. I like to put every vegetable in everything, so I added broccoli and asparagus. Sprinkled with crushed cashews. Seriously so good.
I’m glad you loved this curry, Jeanne! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate, thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes. I noticed that many recipes that I have found for Panang curry call for kaffir lime leaves. What if anything do you think they add? I would love to try your recipe as frankly they are a pain to get, and I am pretty sure your version is still very good albeit perhaps different from a version that uses the leaves. Anyway would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again!
If you want to try them, sure. I do think this is a great recipe without them. Let me know if you try it!
This was yummy. I used fresh peppers of every color from the farmers market. Thanks for sharing.
Heya, I’m allergic to Peanut, can you use tahini instead?
Sure, let me know what you think!
Absolutely sensational !! Quick and simple to assemble and tastes just as good as takeout- will definitely make again!
I’ve made so many of your recipes, all delicious, but this one tops the list! I didn’t have curry paste, so I subbed red curry powder (2 tsp). Added a little extra lime juice and soy sauce before taking it off the heat. Made the tofu per your recipe, and served over a mix of white and brown basmati rice. Topped with fresh cilantro and sriracha. Just amazing!
Thank you for sharing how you made this! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Erica.
Hi, I have made several of your recipes over the past few weeks and they have all been a big hit! For this recipe, should the coconut milk be sweetened or unsweetened? I have never cooked with it before so I wanted to double check. Thanks!
Unsweetened. I hope you love it!
First time making panang curry. I followed the recipe and it turned out soooo good! My husband said this is as good , if not better, as our favorite Thai restaurant’s panang curry, and wants me make it again soon. I added whatever vegetables we had in the fridge like green beans, Broccoli, plus the bell peppers. So delicious!
Great to hear, Riss! I appreciate your review.
I found this recipe while looking for a panang curry recipe that was low sugar, and it turned out amazing. I like it better then my local restaurant (which I used to love). Since I was able to control the ingredients it tasted really fresh, and love that this is heavy veggie. Maesri panang curry paste was easy to find at my local Asian market. I made it twice this past week alone!
Have you tried making it with mushrooms instead of tofu?
You could try it. Let me know what you think!
This is so by far the best recipe for vegan panang curry on the internet. It’s almost as good as you get in a top Thai restaurant. I always add mushrooms because I like them, and I don’t use quite as much soy sauce and lime juice as the recipe calls for, but otherwise I just do what C+C tell me to.
Hooray! I’m glad you love it, Kevin.