Instant Pot Thai Green Curry is a creamy coconut curry with the flavors of green chilies, Thai Basil, lime, coriander, and cumin. This spicy curry is as good as your favorite restaurant Thai green curry but is so quick and easy that it can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Serve it with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice for an amazing flavor combination!
Serve this green curry over Instant Pot jasmine rice or Instant Pot brown basmati rice, or Instant Pot brown jasmine rice.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
My family loves Thai food and we used to go out to Thai restaurants all the time, but now we hardly ever do. I’m usually my own worst critic, and for me to say this is not easy: I think the Thai curries that I make at home are as good as restaurant Thai curries.
Best of all, they are so quick and easy that I can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes if I prep the ingredients ahead of time and cook the Jasmine rice and curry in the Instant Pot at the same time (together!) using the pot-in-pot method.
If you want to find out more about my quest to create the best Thai curries at home, please read my Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken. The bottom line is that ingredients make a big difference.
I usually like to use Thai eggplants in my Instant Pot green curry but I visited the Asian store three times in the past week and they were all out! So I made the curry with zucchini and bell peppers.
Find out the difference between red curry vs green curry.
I like to use green vegetables just for aesthetics, but you can substitute any vegetables of your choice.
Thai green curry paste has a wonderful combination of flavors including green chilies, garlic, galangal ginger, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and black pepper.
Out of all the Thai curries, massaman curry is the mildest and green curry is the hottest/spiciest. Even at Thai restaurants, I get the other curries medium or spicy, but I like to order mild green curry because it’s still pretty spicy!
If you enjoy Thai food, you’ll love my spicier recipes like Instant Pot Red Curry or Instant Pot Yellow Curry. For milder dishes, try Instant Pot Panang Curry, Instant Pot Massaman Curry or Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Green Curry Paste
Maesri and Mae Ploy are my two favorite Thai curry paste brands. I can’t emphasize enough how much of a difference the brand makes. You can find them at Southeast Asian grocery stores or on amazon.
In my experience, getting the brand of Thai green curry paste available at regular grocery stores does not produce great flavor.
If the curry is too spicy at the end, add some more coconut milk when you’re cooking the vegetables.
Lime Leaves
Lime leaves (also known as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves) add unique flavor to Thai curries.
You can find them at Asian grocery stores. I highly recommend using them. They keep very well in the freezer!
I like to either scrunch up the lime leaves and bruise them before adding them to the curry or chiffonade them by cutting them into very thin strips. This releases the oils from the leaves and adds a stronger flavor.
If you can’t find lime leaves, add an extra teaspoon or two of lime juice. Taste as you go.
Thai Basil
Thai basil is another ingredient you can find at an Asian grocery store. It, too, adds a unique flavor to Thai recipes and I recommend trying to find it. But if you can’t locate Thai basil, substitute with regular Italian basil.
Fish Sauce
I really like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce which you can find at Asian grocery stores or on amazon. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it’s more affordably priced.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to dishes. I’ve had vegetarian readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. But I haven’t tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
Soy sauce is also a substitute for fish sauce, but there is a flavor difference.
Also note that Thai curries are generally eaten with rice. If you’re not planning on eating the curry with rice, you might need to adjust the salt by reducing the quantity of fish sauce.
Palm Sugar
Palm sugar is more authentic to a Thai curry than brown sugar is. However, I frequently use brown sugar without sacrificing taste.
Coconut Milk
I use full-fat coconut milk. I find some coconut milk brands don’t do well during pressure cooking, including some brands that are widely available at grocery stores. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh. Some readers recommend Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk.
I frequently get questions about the coconut milk curdling after being pressure cooked in the Instant Pot. Yes, it will appear to be curdled when you open the Instant Pot. But once you stir it up and cook the vegetables in the curry sauce, the curry should be very smooth.
Meats and Tofu
You can easily substitute other meats or tofu for the chicken, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time – here are some approximate times. Note: the timing for meat is for bite-size strips!
- Pork shoulder: 8 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
- Beef chuck: 12 minutes NPR
- Extra-firm tofu, cubed: 2 minutes, Quick Release (QR)
Vegetables
I sometimes choose to decrease the quantity of chicken and double the quantity of vegetables, so we eat less meat and more veggies.
Spiciness
This recipe makes a green curry that’s fairly spicy, but not extreme. If you’re unsure, start with just 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the green curry paste, and next time you can adjust the heat.
Doubling the Recipe
You can double all the ingredients in the recipe and pressure cook for the same amount of time. Just make sure your ingredients don’t go past the ⅔-full mark.
Splatter Screen
When you’re sauteing ingredients in the Instant Pot, the bubbling mixture can splatter. I like to use a splatter screen to cover the inner pot during this saute process.
Burn Message
If you regularly encounter the ‘burn’ message, feel free to add ¼ cup of chicken broth when pressure cooking the coconut milk.
[Read more: Instant Pot Burn Message]
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Thai Green Curry – Ingredients
- Zucchini
- Chicken
- Onion
- Water/broth
- Bell pepper
- Bamboo shoots
- Thai basil
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Brown sugar
- Green curry paste
- Fish sauce
- Coconut milk
- Lime juice (missing from photo)
How to Make Green Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute spices and coconut milk
- Add remaining coconut milk and chicken
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables and seasonings and saute
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Spices and Coconut Milk
- Stir together green curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk and saute until mixture is bubbly, a minute or two. Use a splatter screen if necessary, to guard against splatters from the coconut milk.
- Stir in coriander and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.
Add Remaining Coconut Milk and Chicken
- Press Cancel to turn off Instant Pot.
- Stir in chicken, remaining coconut milk, and chicken broth or water.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 4 (4 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes (00:04).
- Press ‘Start’.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Add Vegetables and Seasonings and Saute
- Select Saute mode.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves.
- Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t overcook, as the vegetables will continue to cook in the residual heat.
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Stir in the Thai basil leaves.
More Chicken Favorites
Love cooking chicken in the Instant Pot but looking for new recipes? Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes that are easy, delicious, and fast to make.
- Instant Pot chicken shawarma
- Instant Pot Jamaican jerk chicken
- Instant Pot Korean chicken
- Instant Pot chicken tikka masala
For more chicken recipes, be sure to head over to my list of amazing Instant Pot Chicken Recipes you need to try!
Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Thai Green curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 13.5 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand – 400 ml
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (500 grams) sliced into thin bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth or water
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce more to taste
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup green bell pepper cubed or strips
- 1 cup zucchini sliced or strips
- ½ cup onion cubed
- ½ cup bamboo shoots canned, sliced
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised *
- ¼ cup Thai Basil leaves
Instructions
- Select Saute mode and stir in green curry paste and ½ can of coconut milk until mixture is bubbly, about a minute or two.
- Stir in coriander and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.
- Press Cancel.
- Stir in chicken, remaining coconut milk, and chicken broth.
- Close Instant Pot and pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure (QR) and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Add in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, zucchini, onions, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves.
- Select Saute and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Be sure not to overcook. Vegetables will continue to cook in the residual heat.)
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Stir in the Thai basil leaves.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped vegetables, diced chicken, etc.
- Use a splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk splatters.
- You can choose to substitute the vegetables with your choice e.g. green beans, Thai eggplant, peas.
- You can also increase the quantity of vegetables to suit your tastes.
- My chicken was thinly sliced. If your pieces of chicken are larger, you’ll need to add on a few more minutes of cooking or just do a natural release of pressure.
- * Lime leaves are also referred to as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Ryan says
We’ve been making this recipe for years. It’s become a family favorite. I use the whole can of Maesri curry paste and an entire tray of chicken thighs (about 10), deboned and skins removed. My best tip is this: Don’t be afraid of the fish sauce. It’s super funky on its own, but it mellows out within minutes. We use the Red Boat brand, which is pretty gentle.
Neena Panicker says
Hi Ryan, thank you for sharing your experience with Instant Pot Thai green curry. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy the recipe. Your curry must be very flavorful with the whole can of curry paste!
Luke Crisante says
Made this today for lunch, amazing. i love it, thankyou!
Neena Panicker says
Hi Luke, thank you for the feedback – I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the Thai green curry!
Tammy says
Looks curdled. 😔
Neena Panicker says
Tammy, in my experience, it looks curdled at first but upon stirring, it comes together again.
Michelle says
Great!
Jessie Georges says
Delicious. I made it with tofu instead of chicken. I do not suggest storing it with rice or rice soaks up all of the liquied.
Neena Panicker says
Jessie, thank you for your comment and I’m glad you enjoyed it!