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
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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
Maurice
I just tried this recipe and it came out incredible! I used some zucchini instead of bamboo shoots and I couldn’t find lime leaves so I used lime zest. I added a touch more fish sauce and curry. I’m going to eat this for dessert!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Maurice, thank you for your comment. I’m happy to hear it turned out well 🙂
Ekta
Hi, I made this and while the curry tasted yummy, the bite sized pieces of chicken tasted bland and flavourless. Can I season them first and will NPR leave it juicier?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ekta, glad you liked the curry taste. Did you use chicken white meat? – that could be a reason possibly, I prefer thighs, actually. You can also saute the chicken pieces in the thick coconut/curry paste mixture before adding the remaining coconut milk. You can omit the water. You can also do NPR.
Lydia PH
Amazing!! So so good! I had no doubts, as everything you make is incredible. I think this is the 4th or 5th recipe I’ve tried. I waited until I could get to the Asian supermarket before I made this one, because I knew that the maesri paste, lime leaves and Thai basil would really make the dish like you mentioned. Thai is my favourite food also but I have failed many times at making the dishes taste authentic. Thanks for putting so much time into your recipes and details in your posts. Everything you write is so helpful. Thanks again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Wow Lydia, thank you for your kind words. Comments like yours make me keep putting in the effort to provide detailed instructions! <3
Lisa
I have 2lb of chicken and prefer to bulk cook.
Is it just a simple thing of dubling up ingredients to upscale?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Lisa, yes you can double all the ingredients and keep the same cooking time. If you wish to have a thicker curry, leave the broth quantity the same i.e. don’t double.
Tania
I have 3/4 of the coconut milk. If I add more broth will this work? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Tania, yes it’ll work with that quantity of coconut milk. You probably don’t even need to add more broth either but you can if you want to. It will be less diluted with the lower quantity.
Eric K., in Seattle, Washington, USA
Made this last night for the first time. And this was the first time trying to make anything curry-based. Came out great — very satisfying! Did not use any lime leaves, and for basil, I just dumped in some of the common dry flakes from a spice bottle. Thank you for sharing.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Glad to hear it, Eric. Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
Arlene
My first attempt to making a Thai foods. I didn’t gave the Thai basil so I added more regular basil. Did not have the limes leaves, so left them out.. was a little concerned when I smelled the fish sauce but this dish was absolutely delicious. I also made the jasmine rice. I will make again. Was wondering if anyone has frozen this?
Thank you for this wonderfully flavorful recipe, Neena😋
Paint the Kitchen Red
Yay! Thanks for you comment, Arlene. I’m excited to hear that you liked the recipe. All the Thai recipes on the site are as good, so give them all a try 🙂 Re: freezing, I do freeze this and other Thai curries and they do fine. I add vegetables that hold up well to freezing like bell peppers. I also add more fresh basil when I reheat.
Jenny
This was the first recipe I tried on your site, and I seriously couldn’t believe how easy it was to make! It’s the perfect dinner to make when you get home late from work (I’m always mesmerize when the instant pot can cook things in 3 or 4 minutes). I had previously been intimidated to try making Thai food, even though it’s my favorite. I think all the specific details you shared gave me confidence. I wasn’t able to find the Maesri brand at my local Asian market – but they did carry Mae Ploy, so I picked up all the different flavors. I’m so glad I found your site and can’t wait to try more recipes – I’ve been printing them off, and texting links to all my Thai food/Instant Pot loving friends!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jenny, thank you for your kind and generous words. I’m excited that you’ve discovered the pleasures of making Thai curry at home. Just like me 🙂
J
This recipe is perfection! This is a standard dish for me to order in Thai restaurants. This version created a dish that rivals any from a restaurant! Packed with flavor, I didn’t change a thing, and I am so pleased with the result. Quick and easy for a week night dinner, but fit for weekend guests. We inhaled the delicious smells and pretended we were eating at a food stall in the Chiangmai Mai night market.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m glad you agree that this is a restaurant-worthy recipe 🙂
Donna
Serving Size? Based on the nutrition I can make this as a diabetic meal. I know it makes 6 servings but how much is each serving size? I love Thai and can’t wait to try this and your other recipes!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Donna, thanks for your question. Note that the recipe has brown sugar or palm sugar. You can omit it. I would say the curry serving size is about 3/4 cup.
Karen Friscia
Delicious! I added broccoli and red pepper flakes and skipped the bamboo shoots. Also added lime zest in place of lime leaves.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your comment, Karen. Yes, you can absolutely swap out the veggies and the meat too!
Kim
This was sooo delicious! Love the convenience of using the instant pot instead.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m glad you liked the recipe – thank you for commenting!
Annie
Easy, quick and every bit as good as restaurant curry. This is going in my regular rotation.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Annie! I’m so glad to hear this.
Rita
My husband and I love this coconut chicken curry. It’s easy to make in my instant pot and always comes out spicy and delicious. A feast for the eyes and palate. I’ve tried a couple other IP recipes but this one has the best flavors. My husband prefers it to restaurant curries.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rita, I’m thrilled to hear that you love this recipe. I just made it myself last night!
Jenny O.
This was delicious! Nice heat. The only thing we did differently was after adding the veggies, we pressure cooked for 2 more minutes with 10 min of natural release. And we processed some veggies for thickening. Served over cauliflower rice. Definitely will make again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jenny, I’ve never tried this curry with cauliflower rice – sounds like a great combination!
Dianna Persun
Can I freeze this recipe?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Dianna, I do freeze my Thai curries and don’t have any issues. However, I add the Thai basil only when I reheat the recipe. Good luck!
Hannah
I haven’t made this yet, but I’m excited to try it this week!
How well does this recipe multiply? I hope to make it for a big family gathering (13 adults, 20 children) and plan to serve it with rice or naan. Any suggestions on X2 or X3 to ensure I maintain good flavor?
thanks in advance!:)
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hey Hannah, please use the recommended brand of ingredients (especially coconut milk and the curry paste) if you’re making it for guests 🙂 You can easily double it. Tripling it I’m not sure about. Rule of thumb is: make sure the ingredient quantity doesn’t go above the 2/3 mark of the inner pot. I would just do a straight up double or triple but if you want to, you can reduce the quantity of broth. The broth is added to just make sure you don’t get a burn message, and I frequently don’t even add it. So you can just add 1/4 cup of broth if you wish. Good luck!
Terri Wolfrom
I love the flavor, but the fat in my coconut milk always sepates when i cook the chicken, with a little foamy stuff on the sides. Am I doing something wrong?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Terri, what brand of coconut milk do you use? The quality of coconut milk makes a big difference. Also, although the coconut milk *appears* to have separated when you open the Instant Pot, it becomes creamy when you to add the veggies and reheat on Saute mode.
ARUSHA Z
Awesome recipe! I loved it! I made this and used this with oyster sauce instead and it was delicious!
I think I may have added too much coconut milk so I just used a little bit of a thickening agent and set it to “saute normal” let it simmer for few minutes.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Arusha. Some coconut milk brands are thicker than others, so you could try a different brand if you didn’t use my recommended ones. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
John S
Amazing flavor, really really spicy. I’d recommend lowering the paste if you’re not use to this kind of spice. I’m not sure what the measurements would be.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, John. Sorry you found it too spicy. You can probably use 2/3 to 1/2 the quantity of paste OR you could increase the coconut milk quantity by doubling or 50% more. You would keep the cooking time the same.
Sharon Burke
This was absolutely delicious..my family loved it!!! I followed the recipe, and the only change I made was to shred the kaffir lime leaves, and add fresh bean shoots at the end instead of using the bamboo shoots. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Sharon! I’m glad to hear you liked the recipe and thanks for sharing your modifications.