Red Curry Stir Fry

This Red Curry Stir Fry is loaded with vegetables and tofu and tossed with a simple red curry coconut sauce. Quick and nourishing, you can have this easy vegan stir fry on the table in under 30 minutes.

I love veggie stir-fries. To me they're like the little black dress of weeknight cooking. You can essentially throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand, add some sort of protein, whizz together a sauce, spoon the whole thing over rice, and that's dinner done did.

This Red Curry Stir Fry is one of my faves, because not only is it LOADED with vegetables and a rich red curry coconut sauce, but it also uses a super-speedy cooking technique with the tofu that I know you'll love. 

Everything comes together in one pan, and even with all the chopping involved you'll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. And I'll tell you what - if you want to phone it in and use one of those packs of pre-chopped stir-fry veggies, it'll go even faster. No shame in that game. 

Ingredients:

We've got some serious veggies going on up in this red curry stir fry. You can obviously mix and match and use your favourites, whatever needs using in the fridge, or a packet of pre-chopped stir-fry vegetables. Here's what I used:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Sugar snap peas
• Baby corn 
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Red chiles
• Cilantro

You're also going to need:

• Tofu --> A nice brick of firm tofu is what I recommend.
• Coconut milk --> Either full-fat (what I use) or lite as you please.
• Red curry paste --> Make sure yours is vegetarian! 
• Sweetener --> A touch of agave or honey (if not vegan) works great.
• Cooking oil --> Something with neutral flavour is best. 

Equipment

You're going to need a nice big pan to make this easy vegan stir fry - something that holds a LOT of vegetables. If you have a wok, this is a great place to use it! If not, pull out your biggest, deepest pan and use that. 

How to make a tofu stir fry

I'm of the opinion that tofu always tastes best and has the best texture if you cook it first. Those browned edges do a great job of soaking up flavour! 

This recipe starts with a simple tofu hack: instead of cutting the tofu into tiny cubes, pan-frying it and fussing around with flipping all those little squares over, you sear the ENTIRE block of tofu, just as if  you were cooking a steak.

Then, once it's nice and golden on the outside, you cut the block into cubes, which will be nice and crisp on at least two sides. This saves on both time and cleanup.

Before you start stir-frying the veggies, make your sauce. 

All you need to do is whisk together the red curry paste with a bit of coconut milk and your sweetener of choice. Add the coconut milk to the curry paste bit by bit to thin it out, and then whisk in the remaining milk and set aside.

Pro tips / recipe notes:

This recipe involves a lot of chopping, but it goes fast! If you do the chopping in advance as part of your weekly meal prep it'll go even faster, but even without prepping in advance this recipe comes together super fast. And seriously, those packets of pre-chopped veggies are awesome!

Feel free to mix and match the vegetables according to your preferences. I hate mushrooms, which is why you'll never see them on this site, but if you like them, throw 'em in! 

If you're meal prepping, a bit sheet pan of our Baked Tofu Recipe (see: How to Bake Tofu) would work well in place of the seared tofu. 

I love to serve my Red Curry Stir Fry with brown rice, which I make as part of my weekly batch cooking and freeze in smaller portions. Or you could try making Instant Pot Jasmine Rice to switch things up. 

Leftover stir-fry will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. The vegetables are never quite as crisp as when they're fresh out of the wok, but they do reheat well in the microwave. 

I love packing leftover stir fries for lunch, or for an easy leftovers night at home. 

Hey Nutrition Lady, is tofu healthy?

Tofu is a protein-packed plant-based food made by fermenting or coagulating soy milk into a cake. Tofu is made with significantly less processing than soy protein isolates or other commercially prepared soy foods and can be more or less considered a whole food.

Tofu is an excellent source of calcium, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. It's also a good source of iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B1. Tofu also provides a range of phytonutrients including flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic acids.

Concerned about soy in your diet? More than likely you don't need to be. If you want to learn more about this sometimes controversial food, I've got a great post on The Soy Situation you can read up on.

Other tasty recipes

Tempeh Teriyaki
BBQ Tofu Bowls
Sriracha Tempeh Bowls
Vegan Poké Bowls
Vegan Rice Noodle Bowls
Sticky Tofu

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5 from 5 votes

Red Curry Stir Fry

This Red Curry Stir Fry is loaded with vegetables and tofu and tossed with a simple red curry coconut sauce. Quick and nourishing, you can have this easy vegan stir fry on the table in under 30 minutes. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Keyword Easy Vegan Stir Fry, Red Curry Stir Fry

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 343kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral flavoured oil
• 400 gram firm tofu
• 1 small red onion diced
• 1 large carrot sliced into coins
• 1 bunch broccoli broken into florets
• ½ head cauliflower broken into florets
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 1 cup sugar snap peas chopped
• 14 ounces baby corn drained and diced
• 14 ounces full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon honey or other liquid sweetener
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 Thai red chile

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large (large!) heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
• Place the entire block of tofu in the middle of the pan, moving it around to ensure it's well covered in oil. Sear for about 5 minutes on each of the largest sides, until crisp and golden. Remove the tofu from the pan onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
• In a small bowl whisk the red curry paste together with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and the honey. Add the remaining coconut milk and whisk to combine well. 
• Add the diced red onion to the same pan that you used to sear the tofu, adding a bit more oil if needed. Stir-fry until the onion is just translucent. 
• Add the carrot coins, cauliflower, and broccoli florets, continue to fry, stirring frequently (they call it stir-fry for a reason!) for 3-5 minutes.
• Add the diced zucchini, sugar snap peas, and baby corn, and continue to stir-fry for another 5 minutes. At this point the vegetables should be brightly coloured, golden in some places, and cooked but still crisp.
• Cube the seared block of tofu, and toss it into the stir-fry with the vegetables.
• Add the coconut sauce and stir well - be careful, your pan may be VERY full at this point - continuing to cook for another 2-3 minutes, until everything is heated through and the sauce is bubbling. 
• Season with a sprinkle of salt and a good squeeze of lime juice. Taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary. 
• Serve hot, spooned over bowls of brown rice. Garnish with cilantro and chili slices.

Notes

• Nutrition values are an estimate only
• This recipe involves a lot of chopping, but it goes fast! If you do the chopping in advance as part of your weekly meal prep it'll go even faster, but even without prepping in advance this recipe comes together super fast. And seriously, those packets of pre-chopped veggies are awesome!
• Feel free to mix and match the vegetables according to your preferences.
• Leftover stir-fry will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. The vegetables are never quite as crisp as when they're fresh out of the wok, but they do reheat well in the microwave. 
   
   

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 1084mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4130IU | Vitamin C: 145.4mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 5mg

This post was first published October 17, 2017. It was re-tested, edited, and updated with new photos on January 18, 2022.