Thai coconut shrimp curry pairs succulent shrimp with a fragrant red curry sauce in a simple 30 minutes dish. The Thai-inspired red curry shrimp sauce is made with coconut milk, curry, soy sauce and lots of fresh Thai basil for color and flavor. Serve curry shrimp and rice for a flavorful weeknight dish the whole family will enjoy.
Thai coconut shrimp curry is creamy, mildly spicy and full of lick-the-plate goodness. Rich and delicious red curry shrimp is simple enough for a small family dinner but fancy enough for serving guests. Everyone will love this coconut shrimp curry.
If you love curry, try my Red Thai Vegan Curry or Thai Red Curry Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Coconut Shrimp Curry
- It has an authentic flavor. Thai curries are made with rich curry paste and coconut milk, and that creamy flavor shines through in this dish.
- It’s fast. This red curry shrimp is ready in less than 30 minutes, including prep time! You can’t even get takeout that quickly.
- It’s a complete meal. Curry shrimp and rice are filling without being heavy and will satisfy your whole family.
Thai Shrimp Curry Ingredients
The Shrimp
- Shrimp: look for jumbo shrimp that’s been peeled and deveined. I prefer to use shrimp with the tail on.
- Curry Paste: Red curry paste is a well seasoned chili paste used to flavor Thai food.
- Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium to control the saltiness or substitute tamari or amino acids for a gluten free option.
- Curry Powder: in addition to adding flavor, curry powder adds lots of color to the dish due to the turmeric in the mixture.
- Salt and Black pepper
- Olive Oil: or use your favorite light, neutral oil.
Coconut Curry Sauce
- Butter: use unsalted butter to control the saltiness.
- Aromatics: a combination of freshly minced garlic, grated ginger, and finely chopped shallot adds flavor and aroma.
- Chicken Broth: you can substitute vegetable broth or water.
- Red Curry Paste
- Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar: for a touch of sweetness. You can also use honey.
- Dry Seasonings: combine curry powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and black pepper to add flavor and color to the dish.
- Coconut Milk: use full fat canned coconut milk rather than the coconut milk designed for drinking.
- Lime Juice: fresh lime juice adds a bit of acid and rounds out the flavor.
- Basil: fresh basil is a must. Look for Thai basil but substitute regular basil if unavailable.
- Cilantro: to garnish
- Lime Wedges: to serve
How To Make Thai Shrimp Curry
- Dry and season the shrimp. Pat dry the shrimp with a kitchen towel and season the shrimp with red curry paste, soy sauce, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss it until well combined.
- Saute the shrimp. Heat a skillet over medium heat; add oil and once the oil is heated add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set it aside.
- Cook the aromatics. To the same skillet, add the butter; once the butter is melted, add garlic, ginger, and shallots. Cook for 2 minutes until onions are soft.
- Deglaze the pan. Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth and stir in the red curry paste and soy sauce.
- Add the spices. Add brown sugar, curry powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add coconut milk. Pour in the canned coconut milk and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the shrimp. Transfer the shrimp back to the skillet and allow the shrimp to cook for 2 minutes in the curry.
- Season and garnish. Add lime juice and Thai basil and remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish the coconut shrimp curry with cilantro and serve it over basmati rice to enjoy.
Tips To Make Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk
- Dry the shrimp on paper towels before adding the seasonings.
- Use low sodium soy sauce to control the saltiness.
- Use full fat coconut milk.
- Shrimp cook quickly, so take care not to overcook it.
- I prefer to leave the tails on for presentation, but you can remove them if you prefer.
- Add heat by adding red pepper flakes, Sambal Oelek or sriracha to the sauce.
- Garlic and ginger are essential to the flavor of this dish, so we recommend that you use fresh whenever possible.
- Saute veggies with aromatics to beef up this dish.
- Replace the shrimp with tofu for a vegetarian version.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using canned, full fat coconut milk. Low-fat coconut milk or the kind found in the dairy section will be thinner and tend to break or curdle.
Sauté onions and bell peppers to add to the sauce with the shrimp. You can also serve it with sauteed veggies on the side. Zucchini, broccoli, snow peas, cabbage, chickpeas spinach and more are all tasty choices.
Thai curry paste is available in red, yellow and green. They all have slightly different flavor profiles and spice levels. Choose the one you like best and use it in place of the red curry paste if you prefer.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or skillet until warmed through.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave or skillet.
Serve this with flatbread like Keto Naan Bread, Spinach Chickpea Salad Recipe, or a green salad. You can also replace the white rice with Cauliflower Rice.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Grilled Garlic Shrimp Skewers
- Kung Pao Shrimp Recipe
- Shrimp Sushi Stack
- Chili Lime Shrimp
- Shrimp Lettuce Salad
- Firecracker Shrimp
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Thai Coconut Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 1.5 lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined, tail ON
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the curry
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- ¾ cup chicken broth low sodium
- 2½ tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can full fat coconut milk 14 oz.
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 5-6 Thai basil leaves
- Chopped cilantro to garnish
- Lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- Pat dry the shrimp with a kitchen towel and season the shrimp with red curry paste, soy sauce, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss it until well combined.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat; add oil and once the oil is heated add the seasoned shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set it aside.
- To the same skillet, add the butter; once the butter is melted, add garlic, ginger, and shallots. Cook for 2 minutes until onions are soft.
- Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth and stir in the red curry paste and soy sauce.
- Add the spices; brown sugar, curry powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the canned coconut milk and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Transfer the shrimp back to the skillet and allow the shrimp to cook for 2 minutes in the curry.
- Add lime juice and Thai basil and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Garnish the coconut shrimp curry with cilantro and serve it over basmati rice to enjoy.
Notes
- Dry the shrimp on paper towels before adding the seasonings.
- Use low sodium soy sauce to control the saltiness.
- Use full fat coconut milk.
- Shrimp cook quickly, so take care not to overcook it.
- I prefer to leave the tails on for presentation, but you can remove them if you prefer.
- Add heat by adding red pepper flakes, Sambal Oelek or sriracha to the sauce.
- Garlic and ginger are essential to the flavor of this dish, so we recommend that you use fresh whenever possible.
- Saute veggies with aromatics to beef up this dish.
- Replace the shrimp with tofu for a vegetarian version.
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