We made Green Curry Paste last week. Now, let’s break out the Red Curry Paste!
Because one can never have enough curry, obviously.
This recipe is simple, requiring just 1 food processor (or blender) and 10 minutes to prepare!
About Red Curry Paste
Red curry paste is a versatile and flavorful base for a variety of Thai dishes. In its most basic form, it consists of red chili peppers, garlic, sea salt, lemongrass, turmeric, and shrimp paste (source).
The following is our inspired (but not traditional) plant-based version, using ingredients that are easier to find in the US. For a more authentic version, check outthis recipefrom Temple of Thai.
How to Make Red Curry Paste
The base for this inspired version is red bell pepper, red chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onion or shallot. Our paste is less potent than most because we add bell pepper, which makes it more mild. But for a more pungent, spicy paste, double up on spicy chilies and skip the bell pepper.
Spices come in the form of turmeric, coriander, cumin, sea salt, and black peppercorn. And for a little acidity, I used both lime and lemon juice as well as lime zest.
After all of that takes a whirl in the food processor, you have gorgeous, insanely flavorful red curry paste on your hands perfect for just about any dish you hope to infuse with curry flavor (in my world, that’s just about everything).
I hope you all LOVE this curry paste! It’s:
Saucy
Spicy
Insanely flavorful
Easy to make
Extremely versatile
& So delicious!
How to Use It
This curry paste would be perfect for my Spicy Red Lentil Curry, 1-Pot Sweet Potato & Kale Curry, Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower “Wings”, Thai Yellow Coconut Curry with Mango, Coconut Red Curry with Chickpeas, Coconut Curry Ramen, and Curry Spiced Cashews!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see. Cheers, friends!
Spicy Red Curry Paste
Easy red curry paste requiring just 1 blender or food processor and 10 minutes to prepare! Spicy, flavorful, perfect for curries, soups, sauces, and more!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print SAVE
4.54 from 47 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 24 (2-Tbsp servings)
Course Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Thai-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 10 Days
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 1/2 tsp coriander seed (or ground coriander)
- 1 tsp cumin seed (or ground cumin)
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns (or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper)
- 1 medium red bell pepper* (seeds removed and chopped)
- 2-4 medium red chilies (more or less depending on preferred heat | I used cherry bomb, but Thai red chilies are preferred // stems removed)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (root and tip trimmed, then chopped)
- 1 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger or galangal (or 1-2 tsp ground ginger)
- 3 cloves garlic (skins removed)
- 1 Tbsp fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 medium lime, zested and juiced (~3 Tbsp or 45 ml juice as original recipe is written)
- 6 stalks green onions (sliced // or sub 1/2 cup diced shallot per 6 stalks green onion)
- 2-3 Tbsp avocado or grape seed oil (sub water if avoiding fat)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar (to balance heat)
Instructions
If using whole coriander, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns, add to a small skillet and toast over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant and slightly deeper in color, shaking / stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn! If using powder, skip this step.
Once seeds are toasted, add to a mortar and pestle and loosely crush. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, slightly cool the seeds, add them to a sandwich bag, and crush with a rolling pin or a heavy pan. Set aside.
To a food processor (or blender with a narrow base), add crushed spices, red bell pepper, red chilies, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, turmeric, sea salt, lemon juice, lime zest + juice, green onions (or shallot), oil / water, and maple syrup (or other sweetener).
Blend / mix until a paste forms, scraping sides down as needed. The lemongrass can be difficult to grind at first, but give it time!
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime zest or juice for acidity, salt for saltiness, chilies for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, oil (or water) for creaminess / to thin, garlic for zing, ginger for brightness, or turmeric for more intense curry flavor.
Store curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month.
This curry paste is ideal for curries, soups, sauces, salad dressings, and more!
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of red chilies and avocado oil.
*Our paste is less potent than most because we add bell pepper, which makes it more mild. But for a more pungent, spicy paste, double up on spicy chilies and skip the bell pepper.
*Recipe adapted from my Green Curry Paste.
*Original recipe makes ~1 1/2 cups curry paste.
Nutrition (1 of 24 servings)
Serving: 1 two-Tbsp servings Calories: 18 Carbohydrates: 1.9 g Protein: 0.2 g Fat: 1.2 g Saturated Fat: 0.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.18 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.82 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 50 mg Potassium: 41 mg Fiber: 0.3 g Sugar: 1.1 g Vitamin A: 313 IU Vitamin C: 13.45 mg Calcium: 5.24 mg Iron: 0.24 mg
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Reader Interactions
Leave a Comment & Rating!
All commentsI made thisQuestions
Stevie Jay says
Look, Minimalist Baker, I am not sure where you get your recipes from, but you have some seriously delicious stuff here. I did the green curry (small accident when pouring curcuma from the bag, so it ended up being yellow and more Indian than Thai) and through this great experience, found the red curry paste recipe… awesome! I just made it and, though I substituted the bell pepper with some mild red peppers and used a very small handful of piri-piri (unfortunately, no Thai chilies in my corner of the world) and made a bomb of a red curry paste. Fortunately, my family is totally immune to spice, so they could enjoy the amazing fragrances of your recipe. Thanks a lot!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Aw, thank you for your kind words, Stevie! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes!
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Sherry says
“milder,” not more mild. As in conjugation.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks!
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Lee says
I created this with additional chilli – I ended up using it for soup / curry / stir fry – full of flavour.
Didn’t quite take 10 minutes as I needed to clean the processor – will be doing this again when I run out of paste. Really useful to know what’s going into our food :-)
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thank you for sharing your experience, Lee!
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Sarah roberts says
I have just made this. I doubled up and put a bunch in the freezer. I am more than happy with the texture, and it smells great. Annoyed as I washed y hair yesterday, so need to do it again this evening as I smell of toasted spices … lol! Can I just use this as a base with some coconut milk for a curry? Thank you. I really enjoyed the work. I also decided to roast the red peppers and chillies before I put them in. We will see!!???
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Sarah, we’d recommend sautéing onion or shallot, garlic, and ginger, then adding this curry paste and coconut milk. Similar to this recipe. Hope that helps!
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Blake Spencer says
Mine came out crazy spicy. Was probably the curry paste I used. Any tips to mellow the spice? I hate to waste it. It has great flavor!!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Blake, Happy to help troubleshoot, but we’re a bit confused! Did you mean to comment on a different recipe or mention a different ingredient? This recipe is a curry paste vs. having curry paste as an ingredient.
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Ann says
Flavor was awesome but the consistency was very watery. Not sure why. I used it in Thai curry soup. Yummy.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Ann, that’s normal! This one isn’t as concentrated as store-bought. You could try using less red bell pepper, but may need a smaller food processor to encourage it to blend.
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Stephanie says
How long does this keep in the fridge and is it ok to freeze too?
Thanks for all your great vegan recipes. We love your cookbooks too!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad to hear it, Stephanie! It will keep in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month (or longer, but it will get some freezer burn).
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J says
I love this recipe, I make it all the time for my family! I sometimes sub the neutral oil for coconut oil for more of a coconut flavour when I make Thai curry.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yum! Thanks for sharing, J. So glad you enjoy this recipe!
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Aranka says
Wow! Your red curry recipe is a winner!
We absolutely love it!
I have omitted the maple syrup and or the coconut sugar, because we don’t like too much sweet.
Definitely I will make it again.
Thank You for this great recipe!Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Aranka. Thank you for sharing! xo
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Adam says
So glad I’ve found this recipe! Not so much as to follow the recipe as written, but more as confirmation that I can indeed substitute bell pepper for the bulk of the chilies in a traditional Thai recipe for my spice-sensitive wife. I’m going to make yellow curry with fresh turmeric and galangal. I hope she’s going to love it!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re glad to hear it’s helpful, Adam! Let us know how it goes!
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Ruth S says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Truly amazing! Couldn’t find any cherry bomb or Red Chili peppers so I subbed a green jalapeno. Still awesome. Appreciate the inspiration to experiment with coriander and cumin seeds as well as black peppercorns and lemon grass. Highly recommend.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Woohoo! Thanks for the lovely review, Ruth!
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Ana Batrovic says
Really enjoyed this. Lots of flavour! Because I was missing some ingredients, I omitted the lemongrass, subbed almond milk instead of coconut, used ground coriander, cumin, pepper, and ginger, and used less chili peppers (to make it suitable for my one year old). He and my 5yr old licked the plate clean.
Easy and delicious.Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! So glad you all enjoyed. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Ana!
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Bec says
Magnificent! I’m always happy when I find your name under a review I’m searching for. Followed the recipe and it worked out perfectly. I appreciate the way you tell us how to balance the flavour, that’s so helpful. Thank you!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Aw, that’s so kind, Bec! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes and find those notes helpful. Thank you for sharing! xo
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Rachel says
Beautiful recipe!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Thank you, Rachel! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
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Heidi says
Where’s the shrimp paste?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Heidi, red curry paste traditionally contains shrimp paste, but this is our plant-based version so it doesn’t have any.
Eva says
This is the best ever! I have been making it regularly for over a year and it always comes out great and is so perfect for a lot of recipes I love to make! I even planted a Thai chili plant to keep up with my paste making! It’s that good!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Eva!
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Emily says
Be careful when using lemon juice and lime juice – I felt the quantities given made the curry very sour. When making it again I would only use a small amount of both.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Emily, thanks for the feedback and sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as expected. Is it possible you used a really juicy lime, or did you measure out 3 Tbsp of lime juice?
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Nicole says
This tasted delicious and authentic. Plenty of paste to make for multiple meals. I’m going to make this again and use it as the base for Thai Curry Pho.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Nicole. Thanks for the lovely review!
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Lauren Lee says
Soooo delicious, and fairly easy given the complex flavor profile.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Lauren!
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Winnie says
Has anyone tried this without adding sugar? I’m wondering if adding it into a recipe with coconut milk will be enough to balance out the taste of it..
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Winnie, we haven’t tried it, but we think it might work if you’re accustomed to less sweet dishes.
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Micheline says
Making this for the second time now and I don’t think I can go back to store bought! I love that it’s totally customizable, we like having Thai curry but store bought has way too much salt for our little toddler. He loves this recipe too! Thank you for sharing.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you and your family enjoy it! Thanks so much for sharing, Micheline!
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Ramya says
Hi can I use dried lemon grass instead?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We don’t think it would be as flavorful and may have an unpleasant texture. But let us know if you try it!
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Lauren Lee says
I used dried lemon grass and it worked well. I added about three stalks though
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Noemi D says
I have made this twice and it’s so amazing. I subbed the lemongrass for lemon zest and cilantro and jalapeños for the red chiles. It’s not red but more of a yellow/orange color and a little watery but it’s so amazing. I love putting it straight on soba noodles with cucumbers and tomatoes. I have used it in recipes that call for red Thai curry paste and it always adds depth. It took me about 20 minutes to put together but it’s worth the extra 10 minutes.
Thanks for the great recipe. It was nice not to have to pop out to the store during quarantine and easily make this from scratch.
I always make extra for friends and they LOVE it!!Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Noemi! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
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Sarah says
Hmm…I followed all measurements but mine isn’t a paste but rather liquid…
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Sarah, does it look like the photos? It won’t be as concentrated as some store bought pastes, but it shouldn’t be liquid.
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Dan Webb says
Rubbish recipe. Watery soup. The inclusion of a red bell pepper is a very bad idea.
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Russell says
I made this and it came put quite bitter. I added a great deal more (brown) sugar to try to tame it back a little but still pretty bitter. Would the outer leaves of the lemongrass cause this?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hmm, we wouldn’t expect it to, but maybe? Another idea could be the lime zest, especially if the lime was old or if any of the white pith got in there.
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Russell says
Actually, I didn’t have fresh limes or lemons. Just lemon juice. I’m still baffled as to what made it so utterly bitter. I was afraid to even try it as a curry base, so instead I used it as a marinade for chicken which I grilled. It worked quite nicely in that regard.
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Mabel says
Maybe the turmeric? Ground turmeric can be quite bitter depending on its quality or age. I’ve had a similar issue with a recipe that had lots of turmeric and it was so bitter because of it.
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Caity says
The lemon juice was probably you’re problem! Every time I make lemonade with store-bought juice it’s bitter, to fix this boil it with a dash of salt before adding it to recipes, it balances it out quite nicely
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Penny says
We thought this was amazing, although mine is more yellow than red, it was delicious – sprinkled with coriander and garlic chives with that squeeze of lime juice really Thai-ed it up – defo loved it with chicken and Chinese noodles 😋
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Penny! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
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Amisha says
This recipe is AMAZING!! I made coconut soup and added a couple of tablespoons of this paste and it was perfect. I would marinate chicken in it too. I love how simple it was to follow. I also had all the ingredients and substitutes are also offered.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Amisha! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Rose says
hello
how long that paste keeps, can it be frozen?Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
About 10 days in the fridge or 1 month or longer in the freezer.
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john stovell says
Hello,
Looks and smells really good so far, just wondering how much of the past should I use in a curry I was planning on using one tin of coconut milk ?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi John, we’d suggest starting with 2 Tbsp and adding more, as needed, to taste!
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Alice says
I loved this. I tried it in a curry and it tasted so good. I also really liked that you put alternatives to almost every ingredient and told us how to adjust to taste, that’s really useful! Thanks for a great recipe and I’ll be using it again.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alice! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Alexandra Friedman says
This was absolutely delicious in a soup with tofu and veggies, BUT – it’s not red. It’s golden/yellow.
Still fantastic, but a bit watery due to the red pepper. I would make it again in a heartbeat.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for the feedback, Alexandra! We’re glad you enjoyed the flavor! We wonder if the type of red chilies used might be the difference in color?
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Wendy says
This was easy and delicious. Due to COVID-19 shelter in place I made a few substitutions: used a roasted red pepper from a jar and all dried spices. Luckily I had some dried lemongrass, dried red pepper and galangal from Penzy’s. We used it in vegetable curry with tofu.
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Harriet says
This was the first curry I had ever made and I was amazed at how tasty and easy it was.
I didn’t have green onion so used a standard white one, subbed avocado oil with olive and sweetened with sugar (had no maple syrup!)
Amazing- thank you so much for this recipe.
Making another tonight- my sick grandmother won’t eat anything but she’s been eating this (when she wasn’t poorly, she loved curry), it’s currently keeping her alive!
Thank you again!Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Aw, we’re so glad she is enjoying it, Harriet! Thanks so much for the lovely review! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
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Paige says
I followed the recipe exactly as instructed but found the anount of ginger too much and over powering so will use less next time. Also my paste looked more green from the spring onions rather than the vibrant red in the photos, not sure if my blender is powerful enough to puree the ingredients smoothly. When making the curry, the coconut milk absorbed all the flavour of the paste so I ended up adding more of the paste to balance out the coconut milk and as usual with curries it tasted so much better the next day. Really enjoyed it but how do you get that lovely red colour, shall I add more red peppers?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Paige, thanks for the feedback! If you didn’t use cherry bomb peppers, we’d recommend those next time for a more red color. Hope that helps!
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Heather Main says
I did the same thing! No red pepper so I used the roasted jarred one I had, no chili peppers so I used chili flakes and no green onion so I subbed a leek and a shallot instead. Turned out great!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for sharing, Heather!
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See AlsoHow to make curry paste recipe
Sim says
Hi. This curry is not Thai but Indian. For thai curries, coconut (oil, milk and water) are used to flavour the curry instead of coconut sugar. Also, turmeric, cumin, coriander are used solely in India n curries and not traditional Thai
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Sim! We totally get that. This is our inspired take – almost like an infusion. We actually plan to rework it soon! Thanks for the feedback.
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Anna says
First ever paste I’ve made from scratch so wanted it to be tasty and simple and this most definitely was! Used lemongrass paste instead of actual lemongrass and shallots as they were on offer in local supermarket. I used half the mix in one curry for 4 with beef and butternut squash – let it simmer on a low heat for about an hour and it went down a storm. Go for it!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Anjali says
Lovely receipe I followed it and results were magnificent. The lemon juice can be reduced to one’s liking. I am certainly not going back to ready made pastes now.
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for sharing!
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Deborah says
I ended up with something that was too liquid to be called a paste. (and not red) I used it in a Thai Red Curry Coconut Soup with prawns. Used far more ‘paste’ than the recipe suggested, but it was delicious! For me, two of the hot red peppers (seeds removed) were plenty.
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Sunil Joseph says
Agreed, too watery! I would maybe do half the bell pepper for less wetness. I also recommend grinding down the lemongrass very fine first, as little chunks appeared in the curry I was making.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for the feedback, Sunil! We have plans to make a more concentrated version similar to store-bought, but find this version works well at a larger quantity than you would use with store-bought.
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Irene Arellano says
Delicious!!!
I’ve had so many compliments on this red curry paste ♥️Reply
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xo! Thanks, Irene!
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Vivian Bailey says
Before I make this, read the reviews. I spotted one in which you stated you were going to revisit the recipe. Did you do so, any changes I need to know about. I do make pretty much every thing by scratch…my cabinets are a testament to that. One door only for staples (only 2 shelves) and 4 doors (with 3 shelves) for spices and herbs. Oils, vinegar and etc in a spare frig. I’m looking forward to duck with red curry sauce. So I’ll eagerly wait for your answer. Also I do “canning “ which I love to share with family and friends. Seeing this has acid in it, which helps, do you see any problem in a water bath process for this paste?
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi there, Vivian! We have actually been actively retesting it but we haven’t had the exact result we’re going for. Getting the color bright red without adding too much heat seems to be the issue. So we’re currently researching the best red chilies for curry paste and going from there! Stay tuned for more updates soon.
The recipe, as it stands, works well! It’s just not quite as pungent and concentrated as store-bought so you have to add more to get the same result.
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AnnMarie says
This was phenomenal! My husband said it was the best thing I’d made in a year! I didn’t have broccoli but I added some purple potatoes, vegetable broth, a bit more salt, some string beans, and one lonely zucchini hiding out in the fridge. Also, topped it with fresh cilantro, mint and scallions. Truly delicious!
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, AnnMarie!
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Bruce says
This sounded like the best curry paste ever, but I found it to be way too sweet for my taste. The lemongrass was a bit much also, I would tone that down by half, along with the coriander.
I love the idea of a fresh curry paste and because of this post I will begin a search for one that I can call my own.
Thanks for your work here, it is always inspiring!Reply
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks for sharing, Bruce! We actually plan to retest this recipe this or next week to make any improvements so your feedback is helpful!
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Ema says
Great recipe, thank you!
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Thanks, Ema!
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Lee-Ann Burton says
Fantastic tasting, but 10 minutes to make is too good to be true. It took me 20 minutes just to round up all the ingredients. No complaints though, the final product is delicious and totally natural. Next time I’ll be more organized. Thank you for this marvelous recipe.
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Kika says
I’m farely new to cooking and this was one of the most simple and tasty recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing ❤️
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Lisa says
Wow this was good! I didn’t have lemongrass but the lime juice and zest seems to be sufficient. I used a little over half of it in coconut milk with chicken and steamed veggies. Husband loved it!
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Disappointed says
I was not impressed by this recipe. I decided to make it because it seemed easy and quick. It was, but unfortunately, it didn’t give me the thai curry flavor. The smell was overwhelming after I put it in the food processor (and not in a good way). I could not even taste it because it was so pungent. I had to heat it over the stove for about 30 mins. After that, it tasted ok but definitely not like what I had hoped.
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Cyn says
You do know this is a paste right? Meaning, you add it to a sauce. It should be pungent. I added ours to a can of coconut milk, with vegan beef veggies and rice. Insanely delicious.
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Janet says
I’m looking forward to making this. I’m very allergic to lemongrass, and it’s almost impossible to find curry paste without it. I really miss Thai food. :(
Any suggestions for something I could use instead? Or would it be ok to just leave it out?
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Melba says
perhaps you could substitute lemon balm or lemon verbena for the lemon grass. They are herbal but have that similar flavour (light lemon without the sour). They might not provide the fibrous bulk that lemongrass does though. Anyhoo, might be worth trying perhaps.
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Hannah says
Can this curry paste be frozen?
Making a big batch once freeze it in smaller positions and defrost it when wanted?Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Yes! Store curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month.
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Addie says
I used the cherry peppers too! Very nice heat. I opted to use water instead of oil and next time I will omit the water completely. The juices from the lemon and lime I think would be enough moisture and if not I’ll slowly add water 1 tsp at a time. Going to use this to make your one pot curry dish with the cauliflower which I’ve made before and LOVE. It’s a perfect “ this time I’ll add this and next time I’ll add this and not include this” dish.
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Rod says
We live in south africa where some ingrediants are not always available. I will give this a try as my wife makes a very poor resembelance of what she says is a curry.
Regards Rod
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hah! We hope you enjoy this recipe, Rod :)
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Shennae says
i learned that I can use rocket/arugula or lemon zest instead of lemongrass when I make this one day. I can make allergy-suitable curry pastes for people who are allergic to grasses. I have to avoid a lot of dishes at thai and vietnamese restaurants because the lemon grass would make my throat swell.
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Cathy says
Having bought curry paste before I knew what it is like. My daughter loves Thai food so coconut curry anything is eaten with gusto. I made this paste using all dry spices. Paprika instead of red pepper, cayenne powder for the chillies. I plucked some garlic leaves from the garden and a sprig of cilantro. I used fresh garlic cloves, but subbed lemon powder for juice. Everything pulsed beautifully with oil. Curry turned out great!
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Shannon says
Hi I just made this and wondering I think mine is a bit too zingy – too much lime or lemon. Do I just add more oil or water to tone it down?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Shannon! A small amount of baking soda should tone down the lemony taste. Roughly 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for 1 cup of liquid should be enough.
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Alexandra says
Yummy! Super easy and I have some in my fridge for easy prep this week and some in my freezer for later. Thank you!
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Morgan says
This is super delicious and makes a good amount!! I do find that blending the lemongrass makes little strings in my curry (kind of like mango fibers but more stiff?). Anyone else have this happen? It doesn’t bother me that much but I can definitely tell they’re in there!
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
It’s normal!
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Samta Varia says
Whenever I make this paste the lemongrass is still really stringy even though I’m making it in Blendtec and I’ll run it through a few times. Any suggestions?
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Morgan says
I just posted a comment saying the same thing! I have actually made the paste without blending the lemongrass and then throw in chopped lemongrass into the curry while cooking so it infuses the flavor.
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Isha says
I thinly sliced the lemongrass against the grain before putting it into the blender. It takes a minute, but we’ll worht it, since there’s no chance of strings that way.
This recipe was utterly amazing. I did end up adding a lot of coconut milk and salt and a bit more sugar to the actual curry that I made with this, as well as some more whole peppercorns…all worked great – I think some people in these comments were reading this as a curry recipe, rather than a curry *paste* recipe.
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Miena says
How can one store the paste?
Freeze?Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Miena! Store curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month.
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Marie says
Can I replace the onions/shallot?
Thanks in advance!Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hmm, we don’t think it would be the same without it. But let us know if you try it!
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María says
I am making a recipe that calls for red Thai paste. Is this the same?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Maybe? We would have to see the recipe to know.
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María says
Would you believe if I told you I can’t remember what I was doing? LOL I guess we all have extra time! Take care!
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Kirstin C. says
I just made this sauce/paste in my food processor. The aromas are so fresh and lovely! I added a little more sweet and salt after tasting, because there was a tiny bitter edge to it. I used only two red chilies- small kids in the house, and left a lot of the seeds out. I think mine were red jalapenos. I plan to make some lentils and use the paste with coconut milk.
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Elena says
This recipe finally inspired me to do my own curry paste, after always buying it in the store, and this is really incredible! The flavors are so intense and wonderful, i made both red and green and there are both delicious! I will never go back to the store-bought. Thanks for creating these recipes Donna!
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Aiden says
Hey Dana!
I made your green curry paste last week for the roasted veg/lentil salad and am LOVING IT so I def want to give this a go too . But I honestly don’t cook that much Thai so the amount of paste I froze seems excessive – do you think I could halve this recipe without messing with the flavour balance?
Thanks for more deliciousness.
Aiden
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Aiden! Yes, that will work!
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Judith says
Delicious, beats store bought any day!
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pat says
Would this base work well for Thai curry soup? Has anyone tried that. This base looks beautiful.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We think that would be delicious!
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Sarah says
Delicious! Thank you!
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Sarah says
Delicious!
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Kate says
This sounds divine!
How well do you think this would store/last?Reply
Kate says
Oooo – you absolutely have that covered at the bottom of the recipe.
Not my most clever self today.
:)Reply
Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Hi Kate! Store curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month. Hope this helps!
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Beth M Mac Laurin says
could you “can it” like in jars and seal for instance as a gift?
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
We haven’t tried that, but maybe! Let us know if you try!
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LeeAnn Ogden says
Excited to try this recipe. Will it go well if I put it on top of a cooked and cut opened jasmine sweet potato? with maybe some green lentils sprinkled on top.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
That sounds absolutely delicious, LeeAnn!
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Pamela says
Yay thank you for this, can’t wait to try it!
Random wondering…have you ever thought about doing a gluten-free croissant, chocolate or otherwise? :)
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
Oh YUM. I’ll add that requests to our recipe request list!
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Donna says
Just read this–will try it. Brings thoughts of Bistro brand cashew roasted red pepper dip I recently found at Costco. I am so addicted to it I could eat the entire 25 ounce container at one sitting. Hoping you will sleuth this one out so an eating like one can be made at home. Thanks-Donna
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Bharath says
Good Article for spicy food lovers! loved it!
I’m here for the first time gone through the article it’s very useful.
The recipe mentioned there was very good for health as well. try it in your home, you will enjoy it and i love spicy food a lot thank you for the post.Reply
littleblackdomicile says
How about both served at same time!-laurel bledsoe
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Maria says
Loving your ice-cube tray trick for freezing it!! Brilliant! :)
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Priya says
Easy red curry paste looks yummy and easy to make will definitely try this.
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Erin @ burdenfreecaregiving.com says
Dana, you made this look incredibly simple. It would normally be a bit intimidating, but you make this seem easy. Great presentation of your recipe!
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tc says
Great recipe! Can’t wait to try it. Thank you :)
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Barbara says
Is there a substitute for lemongrass?
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
The lemongrass is pretty central to the curry flavor. If you can’t find it whole, you can usually find it in a jar already minced in the refrigerated section. Otherwise, just leave it out. Hope that helps!
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Lydia Herrick says
Lemongrass (as well as ginger, basil, garlic, cilantro, dill, and an Italian herb combo) comes in refrigerated tubes in the produce section, at least around here.
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Akenath Surujbally says
How about a substitute for the green onions and or shallot.Its not available where i live.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
You could maybe try onion?
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Didiejolie says
Hi ! Between this one and the green one… which is the less spicy ? For my Kids ;-)
Thanks !Reply
Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Both of them are easy to make less spicy. Just add less peppers!
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MA says
Hi, so if I want to use it in a recipe let’s say a normal curry how should I use from the paste? This sounds so delicious.
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
I would say, depending on how salty/spicy you make it, I add 1.5x the amount the recipes calls for. That’s because this is not a concentrate and hasn’t been cooked down. It has a slightly less intense flavor than store bought. Hopefully that helps!
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Elena says
This is delicious. Thanks for your recipes!!!
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
xoxo!
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Rachel says
Yum! Gonna make it tonight!
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Daniela says
Never thought of grinding the whole lemongrass, I guess this way you really get 100% flavour out of it. Also I never used the blender to make the paste, sounds so easy, I will definitely make my red curry this way next time!
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Dana @ Minimalist Baker says
Whoop! Let me know how it goes!
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Cindy says
Hello, Your recipe sounds fabulous. Plz advise, can I leave out the salt due to severe kidney disease, and need for low sodium diet. Thank you.
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Support @ Minimalist Baker says
You can leave the salt out. It won’t be quite as flavorful, but should still be delicious!
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