Easy Thai Shrimp Curry
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Craving a warm, creamy curry that’s packed with flavor—but short on time? This Thai shrimp curry recipe is a weeknight hero. It’s rich, comforting, and ready in just 25 minutes with pantry-friendly staples like coconut milk, green curry paste, and frozen shrimp.
This is the best Thai shrimp curry—a fast, flavorful dish that brings the taste of your favorite takeout right into your own kitchen. Tender shrimp simmer in a rich, coconut-based green curry sauce that’s loaded with bold flavor from classic Thai ingredients.
There’s plenty of sauce if you want to add vegetables to round out the meal; carrots, bell peppers, or snap peas are all great options (just cook them separately and stir them in at the end). Serve the curry with jasmine rice to soak up all that flavorful sauce—and be sure to start the rice first so everything’s ready at the same time.
If you love the sweet, spicy, and fragrant flavors of Thai food, try my easy pad Thai, chicken satay or pork fried rice next.
“This is a restaurant-quality dish that can be served to company or family. I added carrots and red and green peppers…Delicious!rnrn”
shrimp thai curry ingredients
- Onion, Scallions and Garlic: These aromatics form the flavor foundation for the sauce.
- Thai Green Curry Paste: This common Thai ingredient is made from a blend of lemongrass, galangal (a cousin of ginger), cumin, coriander root, Kaffir lime, and hot green chilies to name just a few. I use the Thai Kitchen brand which is available in most large grocery stores. Note that different brands will have different levels of heat, so you may need more or less depending on the kind you use.
- Coconut Milk: A staple in many curry dishes, it brings a sweet and creamy flavor which balances the spicy flavors of the curry paste. Use full-fat coconut milk for rich texture and taste. You can use any brand, but I’ve found that the milk’s consistency and fat content can vary depending on the brand. I’ve consistently had great results with the Thai Kitchen brand. Don’t worry if the coconut milk looks solidified or separated when you open the can; it can be added to the recipe “broken” and then whisked back together into a creamy emulsion.
- Fish Sauce: This dark, pungent liquid used in Southeast Asia cooking doesn’t have a “fishy” taste, but rather a salty, savory flavor. If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam, and don’t worry about buying a large bottle it keeps forever.
- Lime Juice: Brightens up the sauce with citrusy freshness.
- Shrimp: Frozen shrimp are a freezer-friendly staple easy to keep on hand for quick meals. Buy them peeled and deveined so all you need to do is thaw them out and they’re ready to cook in all your favorite quick shrimp recipes, like this one.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to make Thai shrimp curry
Step 1: Cook the onions. Heat your oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook about three minutes or until slightly soft.
Step 2: Add the other aromatics. Add the scallions, garlic and green curry paste and cook a few minutes more to release the fragrance and aromatics from each ingredient.
Step 3: Finish the sauce. Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce and brown sugar to the cooked vegetables. Bring to a gentle boil.
Step 4: Add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through.
Step 5: Finish and serve. Stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with the fresh chopped cilantro. Serve it up over jasmine rice with lime wedges on the side and enjoy!
Jenn’s Pro tips & thai coconut curry shrimp variations
- Adding vegetables. Feel free to add vegetables to the dish for color and to bulk it up. I recommend cooking them separately and adding them right at the end to heat them up. Carrots, green beans, snow peas, and broccoli are some simple options that work well.
- Swap the meat. Chicken, like in this red curry chicken, will work equally well with the flavors of the green curry.
- Adjusting the spiciness. You can add more curry paste or even some sliced fresh green chilies if you want more spice in your curry. For a milder flavor, choose a mild curry paste and use less of it if needed for less heat.
- Thawing shrimp: Thaw them out in the fridge overnight, or if you happen to forget or need them quickly defrosted, place them in a bowl under cool running water. They will thaw out in about 15 minutes.
More best Thai recipes to try
Thai Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts, from 4 to 5 scallions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2½ tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- 1 (14-oz) can coconut milk
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon (packed) dark or light brown sugar
- 2 lbs large (31/35), extra large (26/30) or jumbo (21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note), thawed if frozen
- Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons, plus more lime wedges for serving
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, Thai basil, or Italian basil (or a combination)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 minutes. If the onions start to brown, reduce the heat to medium. Add the scallions, garlic, and green curry paste, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more.
- Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with the cilantro (or basil). Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve with jasmine rice.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe was so good!!! I added some red and orange bell peppers to it. I will definitely be making this again 🙂
I absolutely loved the ease and deliciousness of this recipe. I just wish it were healthier.
This recipe is easy, quick and absolutely delicious! I did cut back on the fish sauce a bit for personal taste – I’d suggest using 1 tablespoon and tasting before adding more. All in all, an excellent recipe.
We LOVE this recipe and have made it many times. My husband wants me to try it and substitute thinly sliced flat iron steak for shrimp. Could I do this? Just put it in raw when I would have put in the raw shrimp?
Hi Grey, I think that would work as if it’s very thinly sliced, it will cook quickly. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
WOW! I made this Thursday night (I used chicken, instead of shrimp), but it was delicious! Better than my favorite take out place! This one is a keeper for sure!!!! Thank you so much for this wonderful dish!
I have red curry paste in the fridge. Can I substitute for the green? When should red curry paste be used?
Hi Barbara, The red curry paste will be delicious — either the red or green work, they just have a little different flavor. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
If I were to make this for a progressive dinner party, could I make it at home and reheat on stovetop at the host’s home.
Thanks for the awesome recipes!
Sure, Kelly. You might just undercook it a bit so that the shrimp don’t overcook when you reheat it. Hope everyone enjoys it!
Your recipe looks delicious! I love Thai coconut curry anything! My husband and I are trying to keep our carbs down, so have you ever tried it over zucchini noodles? If not, I wonder if anyone else has and if it would be good.
Personally, I haven’t tried this over zucchini noodles. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you use them here!
To keep carbs down, try over riced cauliflower. Yum!
This recipe is SO incredibly easy and absolutely delicious! I’ve made it three times so far. The only things I change is the amount of shrimp…there are only three of us so I use a little over a pound and sometimes I serve it over rice noodles. I also found out the Thai Kitchen brand is so far my favorite curry paste to use. Make this dish…it does not disappoint!
This recipe is absolutely delicious just as written! It is quick and easy to make and smells wonderful while cooking. The only thing I do differently is to double the sauce, it is just that good.