Easy Thai Shrimp Curry
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In this quick Thai-style shrimp curry, plump shrimp are simmered in a coconut sauce infused with aromatics and green curry paste.
This Thai-style shrimp curry is made by simmering plump shrimp in a fragrant coconut curry sauce infused with aromatics and fresh herbs. It’s quick and easy to make. In fact, if you keep shrimp in the freezer and a few Thai staples – like canned coconut milk, green curry paste, and fish sauce – in the pantry, you’re never more than 25 minutes away from this satisfying meal.
There’s plenty of sauce if you’d like to add some vegetables to round out the meal; carrots, bell peppers or snap peas would all be welcome additions (cook them separately and add them at the end). Serve the curry with jasmine rice for soaking up the plentiful sauce, and be sure to put the rice on first so that everything is ready at the same time.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need to Make Shrimp Curry
- 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. 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’s essential to opt for full-fat coconut milk to achieve that rich texture and taste. However, be aware that canned coconut milk’s consistency can differ 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 Asian 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 bottleit keeps forever.
- Lime Juice: Brightens up the sauce with citrusy freshness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the onions until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the scallions, garlic and green curry paste.
Cook a few minutes more.
Add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce and brown sugar, and bring to a gentle boil.
Add the shrimp.
Cook until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, then stir in the lime juice and sprinkle with the fresh chopped cilantro.
Spoon into shallow bowls and serve with jasmine rice and lime wedges.
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Thai Shrimp Curry
In this quick Thai-style shrimp curry, plump shrimp are simmered in a coconut sauce infused with aromatics and green curry paste.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts, from 4-5 scallions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2½ tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar
- 2 pounds large, extra large (26-30 per lb) or jumbo (21-25 per lb) 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.
- Note: For the shrimp, I recommend buying frozen shrimp labeled “shell split and deveined.” Most shrimp are cleaned and flash frozen shortly after being caught, so the “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket are typically thawed frozen shrimp. Who knows how long they've been sitting there, so you’re better off buying frozen shrimp and defrosting it yourself. Come dinnertime, all you have to do is run the shrimp under water to defrost, and then peel.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 299
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Sodium: 1372 mg
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
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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Hi Jenn – Can you use parsely instead of the cilantro or basil?
Sure, Laura – it will give you a slightly different taste, but will still be good. Enjoy!
Made this last night, turned out to be the best Thai dish i ever had!! Here is my twist to the recipe. I used two spoons of extra virgin organic coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Just before adding the coconut milk, i added thin vertically sliced red pepper. Instead of brown sugar i added palm sugar. I also added shrimp with shells on. The shell part adds extra flavor. While boiling i also added handful of sliced mushrooms. As for the green curry paste, i was generous and added two red crushed Thai peppers while boiling. The dish came out astro-fablous!! I loved it!!
Delicious and so easy to make!
Wow! Seriously easy & absolutely delicious! My hubby and I thought this was better than our local Thai restaurants. Recipe was easy & came together fast for a weeknight meal. I served with jasmine rice recipe on your site. Perfect!!!
Hi Jenn! Loved this recipe and so easy to make! I recently saw the recipe on your Instagram feed, and noticed you mentioned it was infused with lemongrass and ginger. Is there an update to this recipe? That sounds even better if so!
Hi Stephanie, The lemongrass is actually an ingredient in the curry paste. Sorry for the confusion!
Jenn, if I wanted to make thai green curry chicken to serve with rice, should I use this recipe or the one for mussels in your cookbook but make it with chicken? Thank you!
Hi Janet, I’d use this one. I’d love to know how it turns out!
this was a tasty and worthwhile meal–will definitely make again. I let the sauce simmer for longer because multitasking and added a small bit of ginger based on some reviews. instead of just pineapple slices, this harried parent had a frozen pina colada which worked just fine, especially with the hot day!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
Would like a recipe for carrot muffins.
Love your blueberry muffin recipe.
Thank you.
Hi Marie, Glad you like the blueberry muffins! If you like muffins with carrots, you should give this one a try (it’s got lots of other ingredients too, but plenty of carrots). Hope you enjoy if you try them!
This is delicious but as with all curries, it needs more time to reduce and meld flavours. I recommend simmering the sauce at least one hour before adding the shrimp.
Hi Jenn!! Love your recipes and bought your book!! You’re my go-to!!
Question- I’m trying to watch calories. Is there any reason I can’t use light coconut milk? I know it probably won’t be as good as full fat – but will it curdle etc?
Hi Erika, so glad you like the recipes! 🙂 The light coconut milk will water the flavors down a bit and make the dish less rich, but it won’t curdle or ruin it. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Update: ok. Calculated the calories and macros for the recipe and 4 servings (regular coconut milk vs light coconut milk). The difference was approx 87 calories and 9g fat. So I decided to make the full fat version (Bc the difference was acceptable for me). And I’m glad I did. The sauce was already thin and it would have been even thinner. Thank you for another keeper!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!