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!
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.
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!
Here are some Thai recipes you might like to try out
– Instant Pot Thai Red Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
– Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
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 1/2 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 2/3-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 1/4 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.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- 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 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 1/2 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.
Instant Pot Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Thai Green curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 14 oz. coconut milk (1 can), preferably Aroy D or Chaokoh brand
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs sliced into thin bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup 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
- 1/2 cup onion cubed
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots canned, sliced
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised *
- 1/4 cup Thai Basil leaves
Instructions
- Select Saute mode and stir in green curry paste and 1/2 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.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
splatter screen if necessary, in the first step, to guard against coconut milk splatters.
Rajat
It literally tastes like milk, recipe suggests too much coconut milk and sugar just kills the entire flavor profile of the curry paste. Would not recommend.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rajat, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience. Whenever I hear comments like yours, I always have to ask: did you use the recommended brands? It’s very important that you do, in order to get the correct flavor profile. If you’re using another brand of curry paste, you’ll likely need a lot more paste. Coconut milk brand is also important. Sugar can be added to taste.
Rubi
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rubi, yes I think you should be able to make it in your crockpot. I would try it on low for 4 hours and I would make sure to use the brands I recommend.
Laurie
Hello,
Can you substitute shrimp for chicken and if so what is the time adjustment?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Laurie, you can use shrimp but just do the whole recipe in ‘Saute’ mode otherwise your shrimp will overcook. Hope you enjoy it.
Liz
Delicious! The first thing I made in my insta pot and it did not disappoint!
Paint the Kitchen Red
I love hearing from readers whose first recipe attempts are a success! Thank you for taking the time to share 🙂
April Reany
Can I make this recipe without a pressure cooker? I unfortunately do not own one.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hey April,
Yes, you can can make it on the stovetop. Just cook until your chicken and veggies are cooked. You can decrease the spice quantity if you like but there’s no harm in leaving it as is.
Danielle Barson
This was delicious! Cant find lime leaves, even in the large Asian market. Found lemon leaves one time and used that although I believe google recommendation of lime zest was better. As good (or better) than any of the local Thai places.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Danielle, did you check under the name “kaffir leaves”. They’re also known by that name. Thanks so much for your comment!
Carolyn C
This was just okay, but I know it’s because I could not find the recommended brands of curry (even at HMart!) and had to settle on Thai Kitchen. Too bad I didn’t have a green chili or to add. Will order curry paste online and try again. It was super easy and fun to make.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Yes, you hit the nail on the head 🙂 Give amazon a try.
NG
This was awesome! Definitely being added to the rotation in my home.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you – I’m glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Pamela
I made this tonight and, though the flavor was there, the high heat from the IP separated my coconut milk and left a very thick layer of oil/ curdle so it was runny 🙁 is there a way to prevent this? I’m surprised a lot of people didn’t have the same problem
Paint the Kitchen Red
Pamela, what brand of coconut milk did you use? That can make a difference.
Eric Bernal
Hi, turned out great and tasted nice, but it was a bit thinner than what I am used to. How can you thicken up the green curry?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Eric, what brand of coconut milk did you use? If you used the brands I recommend and full-fat, then you may want to purchase coconut cream next time. If you used another brand, then that’s the reason 🙂
Corley
Can you use dried lime leaves vs fresh?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Corley, you could use dried leaves. I like to buy fresh and freeze them. They last a long time! You can also add extra lime zest.
Rhonda Shechtman
I just made the Thai Green Curry Chicken recipe. It came out absolutely delicious. I didn’t use the green curry paste you recommended, which was a mistake. I had to add some chilli oil to get some kick to the dish, but the flavours were wonderful and it’s very simple to make.
Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Give the curry paste a try – you won’t go back. I get a bunch of cans and always have them on hand 🙂 Another tip is to save the bottle of the store-bought curry paste and put half the can of Maesri paste into the bottle and refrigerate (I only use 1/2 can usually). Thanks for your comment!
Rhonda Shechtman
Thank you, great idea. A trip to the Asian market is definitely required. The grocery stores are much better than they used to be, but they don’t carry all the good brands.
Mohamed
Hi,
We recently made your Thai red curry recipe and we loved it! Now we’re gearing up to make your Thai green curry, possibly with tofu but maybe with just veggies. If we arent using any protein that needs to be pressurized and only using just vegetables, should we throw all the ingredients into the instant pot on and still pressure cook for a shorter period of time? Or perhaps you have another suggestion? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Mohamed, I am in the process of making the green curry right now 🙂 If you’re doing just vegetables or tofu and veggies, you can probably just make this recipe in ‘Saute’ mode. Pressure cooking the veggies will make them kind of mushy, so I wouldn’t suggest it. If you’re using tofu, you can also pressure cook it for a minute or two if you’d like, instead of the 4 minutes.
Mohamed
Wonderful! And how much tofu does this recipe call for?
Paint the Kitchen Red
I think you can put in as much as you’d like, but I would do about 1.5 cups.
Gauri Gopalakrishnan
That was an awesome and very authentic Green Thai Curry.
Will no longer be ordering take out Thai food. I ordered the ingredients that you had recommended and they were bang on!
Thank you!!1
Paint the Kitchen Red
Oh, thank you so much, Gauri! I used to always want to go out for Thai, and these days it’s low priority because I make it easily at home 🙂
Amy
I’m new to cooking Thai food. I’m curious as to why coriander and cumin are added. Aren’t spices already added into curry paste? Would this recipe still work without adding these two spices?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Amy, when I make this recipe on the stovetop, I don’t add the extra spices. I do add extra spices when pressure cooking because I find that the spices are a bit dulled upon pressure cooking. It isn’t absolutely necessary.
Lisa
Is this curry paste that you use spicy? We are not a spicy family but love the flavor of green curry. I also have green curry powder, could I use that instead?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Lisa, yes it’s spicy. I would add 1/2 the quantity and/or more coconut milk. I’ve never tried the powder so I can’t help there, sorry!
Daphne Ruck
This was FANTASTIC and easy!!! Just curios… what is red in the photos? Red peppers?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks a lot, Daphne! Yes, red bell peppers. They make the dish look a bit less…. green and more photo-friendly 🙂
Frances S.
This was so easy and delicious to make with an Instant Pot! I subbed zucchini for eggplant and doubled the entire recipe and it came out amazing. The Maesri Green Curry Paste already has a spice to it so it really kicked the curry up a notch. Now, my hubby and I have leftovers for the next few days 🙂 Thank you for a great recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Frances, thank you for your comment! You are most welcome and I’m so glad you like the recipe 🙂
Victoria
This is my go to recipe and we have it at leat 2-3 times a month if not more! Definitely have to use the better quality coconut milk or the sauce will be very thin and a bit oily!
I usually make it with chicken in the IP and then when the sauce is done transfer some to a separate pan and cook off some prawns for my husband.
Can not recommend it enough! Would never order in again!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Prawns sound like a nice addition! Thanks for sharing and for your comment.
Dave
This recipe turned out very well. Since my wife does not like overly spicy food, I only used 2 tablespoons of the Maesri green curry paste. That turned out to be just the right amount of heat and flavor for us. Otherwise I did not see any need to change the recipe and would not change it the next time I make it. I enjoy Neena’s website.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Dave! I’m so glad you liked the recipe and even more glad that you’ve found my website to be helpful 🙂
Gauri
Awesome and authentic recipe!