This Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken is the most popular recipe on the blog. It makes a perfect meal when paired with Jasmine Rice, and it comes together so quickly in the Instant Pot. To make it a real one-pot meal, cook rice and Thai red curry together using the Pot in Pot method! Perfect for a busy weeknight meal. [Instant Pot and Stovetop instructions included.]
Table of Contents
Introduction
Thai cuisine is one of my all-time favorite cuisines. For the longest time, we just went to restaurants to get our Thai fix. And when I did attempt to make Thai food, the flavor wasn’t even close to what my favorite restaurants served, and so I just didn’t bother.
Finally, I found out that the secret to making great-tasting Thai curries is to use the right kind of curry paste, which is found at Asian grocery stores. The kind I had been using is the one commonly found in most American grocery stores.
Changing brands made a BIG difference to the taste of the curries. See the tips section below to find out details.
There are two more ingredients you should try and get when you visit your Asian grocery store: Lime leaves (also known as k-lime, makrut and sometimes kaffir lime) and Thai basil. They add unsurpassed and unique flavors to this Instant Pot Thai Red Curry.
One other thing I discovered about Thai food is that Thai curries taste best with Jasmine rice. There’s something about Jasmine rice that soaks up the curry and just enhances the flavors.
Regular white rice, basmati rice, and brown rice just don’t taste the same. Here’s my recipe for Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
For the coconut milk in this Instant Pot Thai Red Curry, I use the regular fat content, and don’t opt for the light variety – again, there’s a taste difference.
This recipe is the Instant Pot version of my Thai Red Curry.
Thai food purists would say that Thai food shouldn’t be pressure-cooked. I’m guessing you’re here because you just want to make a Thai curry in your Instant Pot and don’t care about rules! But guess what? This curry is just wonderful cooked in the Instant Pot. Maybe even better than the stovetop version!
But if you’re one of those purists, you’ll be happy to know that I also provide instructions for making this on the stovetop.
This recipe comes together so quickly, and it’s my go-to dish on really busy days. I always keep coconut milk and curry paste in my pantry and I use whatever meat and veggies I have on hand.
Oh, and to make life really easy, check out my easy-to-understand, step-by-step article on Pot-in-Pot cooking – it shows you how to make this curry and rice together. At the same time!
Here are some Thai Recipes you might enjoy:
– Instant Pot Thai Green Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Massaman Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Thai Fish Curry
– Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
– Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
– Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
Tips and Substitutions
Red 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 red curry paste available at regular grocery stores does not produce great flavor.
Please note that Mae Ploy is a bit spicier than Maesri. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 red curry that’s fairly spicy, but not extreme. If you’re unsure, start with just 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the red curry paste, and next time you can adjust the heat.
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]
FAQS
You can double this recipe if you’re using a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot. Double all ingredients but keep the pressure cooking time. If you want a thicker curry, don’t double the broth quantity.
It depends on your Instant Pot. If you have a 6 quart, you might be able to halve the recipe if you’re not prone to getting the Burn Message. I wouldn’t halve it in an 8 quart.
Reduce the Thai red curry paste quantity to two tablespoons or even 1 1/2 tablespoons. You can also increase the quantity of coconut milk which will dilute the spice level.
Add one more tablespoon of red curry paste or add a sliced Thai red chile pepper or jalapeno pepper.
All Instant Pot models and other brands of pressure cooker such as Ninja Foodi can be used to make this recipe.
Using chicken thighs is a great solution. Chicken thighs are much more flavorful. You can also try and rub the chicken pieces with a couple of teaspoons of curry paste or soy sauce, and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
If you can’t find Thai basil, don’t omit basil. It’s best to substitute it with regular Italian basil.
I freeze the recipe but add the Thai basil after thawing and reheating the curry. Use vegetables that hold up well to freezing.
When you first open the Instant Pot lid, you may see some separation but upon stirring, the curry should become pretty smooth. If it’s still separated, it may be that you’re using inferior quality coconut milk. Try and stick to the brands I recommend in the tips.
If you can’t find lime leaves, substitute one extra teaspoon of lime juice.
If you aren’t eating the curry with rice, which is how it’s traditionally eaten, you might find it to be salty. It is also a matter of taste. Some people are more sensitive to salt. Next time, reduce the quantity of fish sauce by a couple of teaspoons.
I prefer not to use frozen chicken but you can if you have to! If the chicken is separated and not in a big chunk, you can cut it into bite-size pieces and pressure cook.
If it’s in a big block, you may want to pressure cook it for five minutes on a rack with water below the level of the rack. Separate the chicken, drain the water and proceed with this recipe.
If you’re adding one extra cup of vegetables, add an extra 1/4 cup of coconut milk and 1 more teaspoon of curry paste.
It’s a question of taste. I find this to be a medium spicy recipe but some readers find it spicy. If you’re worried about it, add one tablespoon less and add more after pressure cooking and tasting.
You’ve most likely used a brand commonly available at grocery store (Thai Kitchen). It’s a very mild curry paste. You may need to use a whole bottle and maybe even add some chopped chile peppers.
Add an extra couple of teaspoons of brown sugar or palm sugar. Some people add pineapple juice and pieces of pineapple with the vegetables.
You can use pot-in-pot cooking and cook the rice and curry at the same time.
If you use a brand of coconut milk that’s different from what I recommend, you might have a runny curry.
If you’ve cut the pieces too small, the chicken might overcook. Reduce the pressure cooking time by a minute. Also, chicken breast overcooks easily when pressure cooking – chicken thighs are best.
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 PRO Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry – Ingredients
- Peppers
- Carrots
- Bamboo
- Chicken
- Coconut milk
- Onion
- Brown sugar
- Curry paste
- Broth
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Thai basil
- Lime leaves
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Thai Red Curry in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute spices and coconut milk
- Add remaining chicken and coconut milk
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Add vegetables and seasonings and heat through
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 red 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.
Add chicken and remaining coconut milk
- 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 Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
If you are short on time, you can release pressure after about 10 minutes.
Add vegetables and seasonings and heat through
- Select Saute mode.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, carrot, 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.
- Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
Stovetop Directions for Thai Red Curry
To make this Thai curry recipe on the stovetop:
- Saute curry paste and coconut milk till bubbly.
- Add remaining coconut milk and chicken.
- Cook till the chicken is almost cooked through.
- Stir in flavorings and lime leaves.
- Add vegetables and cook through till crisp tender.
- Sprinkle with basil.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Instant Pot Thai Red Curry with Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste preferably Maesri or Mae Ploy brand
- 14 oz. coconut milk full fat, preferably Aroy-D or Chaokoh brand
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, sliced into thin bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce more to taste
- 2 tsp brown sugar or palm sugar, to taste
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup bell peppers red and/or green, cubed
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1/2 cup onion cubed
- 1/2 cup bamboo shoots canned
- 4 lime leaves slightly bruised *
- 12 Thai Basil leaves
VIDEO
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Select Saute and stir in red curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk until mixture is bubbly, about a minute or two.
- Press Cancel.
- Stir in chicken, remaining coconut milk, and chicken broth.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release of pressure and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, bell pepper, carrots, onions, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves.
- Press ‘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.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat red curry paste and 1/2 can of coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly and fragrant, about a minute or two.
- Add chicken, remaining coconut milk and chicken broth.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, lime leaves and lime juice.
- Add bell peppers, carrots, onions, bamboo shoots, and lime leaves. Cook for another 3 minutes or until crisp tender.
- Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, brown sugar or lime juice.
- Sprinkle with basil, heat through and serve with Jasmine rice.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- Use a splatter screen, if necessary, to guard against the coconut milk bubbling up.
- 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.
- You can choose to substitute the vegetables with your choice e.g. green beans, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and you can also increase the quantity of vegetables.
- If your pieces of chicken are larger than bite-size, you may need to add on a few more minutes of cooking or just do a natural release of pressure.
- * lime leaves also referred to as k-lime, makrut or kaffir lime leaves.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
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.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
More Thai Recipes You Might Like
J. Adams
I had an absolute disaster. It all started out fine when I was cooking the chicken. But then, how did you make the vegetables cook sitting on top of the chicken on the SAUTE function? The vegetables stayed raw past the recommended 5 minutes so I had to put the lid on the pot and saute the whole dish for an additional 5 minutes. Now my chicken is overcooked, there is no soupy broth which makes curry so wonderful, and I have been cooking for two hours and just want to throw the entire dish in the garbage. What did I do wrong?????
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I’m not sure what went wrong. The vegetables shouldn’t be sitting on top of the chicken – they are immersed in the curry and Saute mode allows them to boil in the curry. 5 to 7 minutes in Saute mode should be enough time to get them crisp-tender. My suspicion is that you lost a lot of the liquid to evaporation if your vegetables were not in liquid, so maybe your Instant Pot didn’t actually seal when you cooked the chicken? Also, Saute mode doesn’t work when the lid is on – did you use a pressure cooking function? I’d be happy to help you troubleshoot the recipe.
Anonymous
I used Mekhala red curry paste which I already had on hand. It must be more concentrated, because I was the only one in my family who could handle the heat, and spicy foods are not a novelty to any of us. 1 Tablespoon of it would probably have been enough. I toned it down with more lime juice, fish sauce, chicken stock, and additional coconut milk. It was still too hot for my sister, so she added 2 big scoops of diced tomatoes to each scoop of curry. Enjoyable to all with modifications.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Oh, I haven’t used that brand, but sounds like it’s much spicier! With the amount in the recipe, both the brands I use are quite bearable – spicy but not overly so. Sounds like you need to try it with 1 tbsp. Would love to get an update.
Ann Agrawal
I made the Thai Red Curry recipe, and am going to try this one next. When you say 4 Lime Leaves, do you mean 4 double leaves, or is each lobe counted as one?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ann, good question. I refer to each lobe as one leaf. So a double-leaf would be 2. If they’re small, you can add an extra one.
Charlene
Excited to try this! Could I substitute chicken breast?
Paint the Kitchen Red
I don’t generally use chicken breast since it’s lean meat and doesn’t do as well as thighs in the Instant Pot. However, I have used chicken breast before and they were good. Definitely do a quick release, whereas for thighs you could do a natural release if you wanted to. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Jodie
Tasty recipe! If i were to add potatoes, would they need to cook with the chicken? Otherwise, i fear they may not cook through.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Jodie, you could cook the chicken and potatoes together but the potatoes may overcook slightly. Give it a try and if that doesn’t work well for you next time you can try a couple of things: reduce the pressure cooking time, cut the potatoes into larger pieces, or pressure cook the chicken for 2 minutes, quick release, add the potatoes and pressure cook for another 2 minutes. It all depends on how big the pieces are and how soft you want the potatoes. Hope that helps.
Wendy Bell
This is a wonderful recipe! I was not able to find Thai Basil at our local store so kicked it up with a couple more lime leaves from my freezer! I will make this recipe again, hopefully with Thai Basil leaves!
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Wendy! The Thai basil is nice, but regular Italian basil works in a pinch 🙂
Siobhan
Made this tonight with the recipe doubled. Perfect! Will be bookmarking for future.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Siobhan, thank you for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad you liked it. Please do try some of the other Thai recipes – you’ll love the panang curry, similar to red but different.
Erika
This is my favorite Instant pot recipe ever! The chicken gets so tender and the flavors are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks so much, Erika – I really appreciate you taking the time to comment, and you’re most welcome.
Belinda
A family favourite and so healthy too. Thanks for the recommendation on the curry paste and kaffir leaves, I order both from Amazon. I usually serve with basmati rice but will have to try with jasmine. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes, I’m looking forward to many lots more. Thanks again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Belinda. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and do let me know if you get to try out some others 🙂
Dottie Palamara
This is my very favorite IP recipe. I judge all recipes by this one & nothing compares. I’m having dinner with kids & grandkids for first time in a year (outside, though). With a six-cup IP, can I double the recipe or should I do two separate batches? Thank you in advance
Paint the Kitchen Red
Dottie, that’s so wonderful to hear. I’m very happy for you and your family! Yes, you can double the recipe – I do it in my 6 quart. Same cook time.
Gabriel
This came out perfect! I will definitely be making it again.
I didn’t add the sugar and it was still delicious.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m really glad to hear that, Gabriel. Thanks for commenting.
Kristina
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for months, but can not find Thai basil leaves anywhere. Would regular basil work, or should I just omit that ingredient?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Kristina, absolutely! Don’t omit, use the regular basil. I do sometimes.
Lisa W
This is a go to recipe and comes out absolutely perfect in an instant pot.
Although this recipe doesn’t require any modification , I do add in garlic and use coconut cream instead of coconut milk only because I love how silky the sauce is after. In addition I zest some of the lime in the sauce and in the rice as well. Lastly I pour a splash of mirin along with the chicken broth.
All in all this is super flavorful and very fragrant!
PS if you can’t find kaffir lime leaves try reaching out through your neighborhood channels (i.e. Nextdoor) it’s how I get mine. Just pick and toss in Horray!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve shared it with many.
Lisa
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Lisa! Also, I’m happy to have you share your tips and substitutions.
Ed
If you do manage to find some they also freeze well for future use!
Paige
Just made this dish in the Instapot (following Neena’s recipe) and it was fabulous! It was easy to follow/prepare and the whole family loved it. It will surely become a family favorite!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Paige, thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m beyond thrilled that you chose to cook this recipe for your family! One of the many pleasures of this blog is hearing from people all over the world, and once in a while, from someone I knew a long time ago!
Matt
Flavors are there! Would like the sauce to be a bit thicker and not so runny. I added a bit of cornstarch to help thicken but is was still runny. Suggestions?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Matt, you will probably be able to get away with not adding the broth/water. Also, you could try adding coconut cream.
Momo
I make the sauce thicker by adding a chopped+peeled sweet potato with the chicken. It turns out amazing!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Wonderful idea!
Justin
Awesome recipe! I’m new to my instant pot and needed some guidance on how to make one of my favorite dishes, Thai red curry! If you have the time and ingredients I recommend sautéing the onions with garlic and ginger and then moving forward with the rest of the steps. Keep on cooking!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Justin, I’m glad you like it. You’ll love all the other Thai curries as well so do give them a try if you can 🙂
Tisa
Wow! Wonderful recipe! Better than most restaurants! I only had the mae ploy paste and yes a little too spicy for me, I may try 2 tbsp instead of 3 next time.. I used mushrooms and red peppers.. Perfect explanations for a beginner thank you!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Tisa – thank you for your comment and I’m excited you got to try it out.
Miriam
This is tasty, but it is definitely adjusted to typical American tastes. For those who like spice, I would suggest doubling the amount of curry paste, and/or adding a Thai Hot pepper or similar hot pepper (just remember to remove it before serving).
Paint the Kitchen Red
Miriam, since my readers’ (and my family’s) tastes span the gamut of spice tolerance, I go somewhere in the middle. I’m glad you were able to adjust the recipe to suit your tastes.
Tisa
Hi , I’m new to the IP . Can I use this recipe with the duo evo plus? Thai is my favorite, I’m so excited to try! Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Tisa, yes you sure can – I make it all the time. You’ll love the recipe – make sure you get the right ingredients 🙂