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Home > Vegan Recipes

Red Curry Pasta Recipe (Vegan)

4/27/21 by Nicole | 6 Comments

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5 from 3 votes. Leave a review!

This recipe for red curry pasta in made in one pot and is incredibly easy to prepare. With plenty of flavor from Thai red curry paste, garlic, onion and coconut milk, this delicious vegan dinner is warm, spicy and satisfying!

Small white bowl of creamy red curry pasta on rotini with chickpeas, edamame, zucchini and bamboo shoot pieces throughout. A lime wedge garnished the bowl on the back left edge. A second bowl, without a lime garnish, sits to the back left, slightly blurred out. A light brown towel is crumpled along the left edge of the image with a small glass bowl of lime pieces half cropped out, set between the bowls on the right side of the image.

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Is Red Curry Pasta Vegan?

Curry pasta recipes may be vegan but it’s common to include non-vegan ingredients like meats, poultry or seafood. This dinner recipe offers plenty of plant-based protein from chickpeas and edamame while keeping it easily vegan!

Pasta is almost always vegan unless it’s fresh pasta, which may contain eggs. Since this recipe uses dry pasta, it’ll likely be vegan but read packaging labels to be sure!

The main flavor in this recipe is Thai red curry paste, an incredibly flavorful ingredient made from aromatic herbs and spices. Red curry paste is traditionally vegan although reading the label before buying is always a good practice!

Close up of small white bowl filled with cooked curry pasta in bright red sauce. A spoonful of pasta sits across the top of the bowl with a lime wedge garnish to the back. White-grey marble background with a light brown towel crumpled along the left side of the image.

Why Make Curry with Pasta?

Most curry recipe use noodles (ex. rice noodles) rather than pasta. While noodles are delicious, they offer a different taste and texture compared to pasta which is typically made from wheat.

Pasta provides a more rigid texture that holds up nicely when cooked in a heavy sauce like this creamy coconut curry sauce. The pasta also stores well for a longer time, making it great for meal prep. Noodles tend to soften and break apart with storage but this is less of a concern with a wheat pasta.

Top view of three bowls of red curry pasta with the central bowl garnished with a lime wedge and fully visible. The bowl to the top right is half cropped out while the bowl at the bottom right is mostly cropped out with only a corner visible. A light brown towel sits along the left edge of the image with a small part of a glass bowl of lime slices to the top right corner. White-grey marble background.

Ingredients to Make Creamy Red Curry Pasta

The key to a deliciously creamy curry pasta is using coconut milk as the sauce base. Coconut milk is incredibly rich and makes for a curry recipe that’s easily kept dairy free. Beyond the coconut milk, curry paste and plenty of veggies creates a delicious vegan one-pot pasta dinner!

All the ingredients needed for this recipe include:

  • Pasta: Any type of small pasta (macaroni, small shells, farfalle, ziti, penne, etc.) will work in this curry pasta recipe. I often use rotini.
  • Red curry paste: This ingredient is a common base in Thai-inspired curry recipes. It’s a dark red paste made from many delicious herbs and spices. Red curry paste blends vary by brand but typically include red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, salt, ginger and coriander.
  • Vegetable broth: Pasta needs liquid to cook in and vegetable broth is a flavorful way to provide that liquid. I buy no-salt-added broth and add salt at the end if needed.
  • Canned coconut milk: For a creamy curry pasta that’s still vegan, a can of coconut milk is essential. Buy the regular (not low fat) option.
  • Canned diced tomato: A large can of diced tomato adds some liquid to help the pasta cook and forms a delicious red sauce. The tomato chunks are a great way to add veggies without any prep work!
  • Bamboo shoot: I love the simplicity of this delicious vegetable that can be bought canned! Just drain the liquid and give the bamboo shoots a rinse before using.
  • Edamame: This legume is a tasty way to add plant-based protein and healthy fats to any recipe. It’s an ingredient I always keep in the freezer so I can toss some into my meal for a boost of protein!
  • Zucchini: This is one of my favorite vegetables since it’s so easy to prep. It offers a mild flavor and nice green color!
  • Onion: I can’t cook without some onion for a delicious boost of flavor.
  • Garlic: As with onion, garlic is essential in my cooking for a delicious layer of flavor. Use as much or as little as you like!
  • Nutritional yeast: For a nice creaminess in the curry pasta, nutritional yeast is a tasty addition that boosts overall flavor.
Person stands behind marble counter topped with single burner cooking element with large metal pot on top. This is surrounded by cans of ingredients and other ingredients in small glass bowls or jars.

How to Make Vegan Red Curry Pasta

This recipe is super quick to prep and incredibly easy to make in one pot. The main flavor comes from pre-made Thai red curry paste, which is an amazingly tasty ingredient full of aromatic herbs and spices.

Step 1: Prep Ingredients and Add to Large Pot

Start by chopping an onion and zucchini, then add them to a large pot. Mince garlic and toss into the pot.

Next, drain then rinse your chickpeas and bamboo shoot. Add them to the pot. Keep your can opener out to open the canned tomato and coconut milk; both of which get tossed into the pot.

Large metal pot sits on a single element burner on marble counter. Can of chickpeas is being poured into the pot (chickpeas are blurred in motion). Around pot sits a jar of vegetable broth, measuring cup with raw rotini pasta and small bowl of nutritional yeast.

Simply measure and toss everything else into the pot. Give it a stir and break up the curry paste so it dissolves into the other liquids.

Stirring ingredients for red curry pasta in large metal pot on single cooking element set on marble counter. One of the person's hands holds the handle of the pot while the other holds a large red spoon and is slightly blurred in motin.

Step 2: Cook and Serve

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a quick and easy recipe. Once everything is in the pot, place it onto your stove over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, and cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes. Scrape up anything sticking to the bottom of the pot when stirring.

At this point, leave the lid off and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked to your liking.

When the pasta is cooked through, remove from heat and serve! If not fully cooked, you can remove the pasta from heat and let it sit for 5-8 minutes since the remaining heat will finish cooking it.

Scooping cooked red curry pasta from a large metal pot, sitting on marble counter, into small white bowl using a large red spoon. One hand holds the bottom of the white bowl and the other hand is cropped out.

Red Curry Pasta Tips and Variations

The best tip I have for a one pot pasta recipe is to stir regularly. Pasta may stick to the bottom more at the beginning, so scrape the pot as you stir.

As your pasta nears the end of cooking, and there’s less liquid, this is another moment where it’s more likely to stick. Keep things moving to prevent this. Once the pasta is almost done, take the pan off heat and let it sit for 5-8 minutes. Leftover heat in the pot will finish cooking the pasta without too much liquid evaporating.

Substituting Red Curry Pasta Ingredients

This recipe is quite versatile and customizable since you can use pretty much any vegetables you like! If you don’t have (or don’t like) bamboo shoot and zucchini, some other vegetables that are delicious in this curry recipe include:

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Bell pepper
  • Carrot (chop finely)
  • Spinach or kale
  • Snow/ snap peas (add towards end of cooking)
  • Peas (can replace edamame)
Top view of a small white bowl filled with creamy red curry pasta on rotini noodles with zucchini, chickpeas, edamame and bamboo shoot. A lime wedge sits in the top left corner of the bowl. A small glass bowl of lime pieces is mostly cropped out, to the top right of the image. The corner of a light brown towel sits at the top left corner.

Adjusting the Amount of Red Curry Paste Used

The other major adjustment you may want to consider is how much curry paste to use. Red curry paste is quite spicy since the base ingredient is red chili peppers.

The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of paste which creates a super flavorful pasta with a slight spicy kick. It’s certainly a tolerable heat, but if you’re sensitive to spice you may want to use less (try 1 tablespoon and add if you can handle more!).

I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food so I wouldn’t want more heat than this. My husband still adds hot sriracha sauce though, so if you’re a fan of heat, that’s an option too.

How to Store Leftover Curry Pasta

You can refrigerate leftover pasta in an airtight container for up to a week. This recipe holds together well if cooked in advance, so it’s a nice option for meal prep!

Heat leftovers in the microwave or warm through on the stove over medium heat, stirring in a pot until warm.

Small white bowl filled with creamy rotini pasta in red curry sauce with a lime wedge garnish. A second bowl, without garnish, is set at the back right and partially cropped out and slightly blurred. The corner of a third bowl filled with the same red curry pasta, sits in the bottom right corner, with just a bit of a small glass bowl of lime pieces along the right edge of the image. A light brown towel is crumpled in the back left.

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!

Small white bowl of creamy red curry pasta with lime wedge

Red Curry Pasta

This red curry pasta recipe is made in one pot and is incredibly easy to prepare, perfect for a quick weeknight meal. It’s a vegan recipe that’s loaded with flavor from Thai red curry paste, garlic, onions and coconut milk for a creamy, rich sauce. Very little prep work involved.
5 from 3 votes. Leave a review!
Prevent screen going dark
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 602 kcal
Cuisine Vegan

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Can opener
  • Large stirring spoon

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups rotini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable broth (no salt added/ low sodium)
  • 1 ½ cups coconut milk (14 oz/ 400 mL can)
  • 3 cups diced tomato (28 oz/ 800 mL can)
  • 2 cups chickpeas (19 oz/ 540 mL can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 ¾ cups bamboo shoot (17 oz/ 500 mL can, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 cup shelled edamame (can substitute for green peas)
  • 1 ½ cups zucchini , diced (about 1 medium zucchini)
  • 1 cup red onion , diced (about 1 medium onion)
  • 4-6 cloves garlic , minced
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast

To Serve

  • green onion (to taste)
  • cilantro (to taste)
  • lime juice (to taste)
Prevent screen going dark

Instructions

Prep Ingredients and Add to Large Pot

  • Measure your rotini pasta, red curry paste, vegetable broth, shelled edamame and nutritional yeast into a large pot.
    4 cups rotini pasta, 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 ½ cups vegetable broth, 1 cup shelled edamame, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • Dice a medium zucchini and medium onion and add to pot.
    1 ½ cups zucchini, 1 cup red onion
  • Mince some cloves of garlic and add to pot.
    4-6 cloves garlic
  • Open a can of coconut milk and diced tomato; add both to the pot.
    1 ½ cups coconut milk, 3 cups diced tomato
  • Open, drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and can of bamboo shoots; add to pot.
    2 cups chickpeas, 1 ¾ cups bamboo shoot

Cook and Serve

  • Place lid on pot and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat.
  • Cook with lid on, at medium-high heat stirring regularly (scraping along the bottom of the pot to lift everything up and prevent sticking) for 20 minutes.
  • Remove lid, lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring regularly, for another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked to your liking. Most of the liquid will become absorbed but there will be enough to coat everything in a nicely thickened sauce.
  • Serve topped with chopped green onion, cilantro and/ or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
    green onion, cilantro, lime juice

Video

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving (⅙ of recipe)Calories: 602 kcalCarbohydrates: 91 gProtein: 26 gFat: 18 gSaturated Fat: 11 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 614 mgPotassium: 1157 mgFiber: 16 gSugar: 16 gVitamin A: 1776 IUVitamin C: 31 mgCalcium: 155 mgIron: 6 mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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About Nicole Stevens

Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.

She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kaylah

    February 27, 2022 at 2:35 am

    This recipe is seriously sooo delicious & super easy!
    Me and my husband LOVE thai food (the spicier the better) and I can’t believe we have never thought of doing it with pasta!
    This is a new favourite in our household and we will be cooking it regularly!
    Thank you so much for the brilliant recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      March 01, 2022 at 1:35 pm

      I'm so happy you both enjoyed!!

      Reply
  2. Sam

    August 15, 2021 at 6:35 am

    This recipe is out of this world good!!! Omg my non vegan husband absolutely loves it!! Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!!! You make such bomb food for Sure! I’m always excited for you’re new recipes. 😋😻

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      August 15, 2021 at 6:43 am

      Hi Sam (and husband!), so happy you both enjoyed! It's something we make regularly since it's so easy.

      Reply
  3. Jeannette

    May 07, 2021 at 9:30 am

    Easiest one pot dinner ever! So simple and delicious this is definitely one of my go to meals.

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      May 08, 2021 at 9:03 am

      So happy you enjoyed! It really is a quick, easy and tasty dinner!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Nicole! As a vegan Registered Dietitian, I empower vegans to live a balanced life and gain confidence in the kitchen.

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