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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Is unsweetened coconut milk okay, or do you suggest sweetened?
Thank you!!
Hi Joy, Definitely use unsweetened. Enjoy!
Deeeeelicious! Another 10 star winner – Thanks Jenn! Family asked me to make again and said next day would be ok! 🙂
I want to try this with veggies and tofu. Any suggestions for that? The sauce is amazing. I noticed some people wrote about too much heat in the curry paste. I used Thai Green Curry paste and there was no heat. I’d actually like a little so may try another brand unless you have a better idea?
Hi Janet, glad you enjoyed it! I think you could definitely make this with tofu instead of shrimp, and if you’d like to add a little more heat, you could add a little cayenne pepper when preparing the sauce or serve it with a little sriracha at the table.
Can you swap chicken in for the shrimp?
Yes Gretchen, chicken would be nice here but I’d go about it a bit differently. Start by stir-frying the chicken pieces in a little hot oil until slightly browned on the outside but still pink in the middle. Then set the chicken pieces aside and proceed with the onions and rest of recipe. When you add the chicken to the sauce, it should only need a minute or two to cook through. Enjoy!
Made this for dinner a few nights ago and it was a hit all around. I suspect leftovers would have heated up nicely, but we’ll never know since every last bit was eaten for dinner.
Mmmmm. So good! Used Red curry paste over green as a personal preference but so good.
I LOVE this dish, and make it all the time! I have also used chicken in place of the shrimp and always double the sauce and also add pinapple chunks and red and green peppers.
This was a very good and easy recipe. I’ve been wanting to make Thai food for awhile, but am always overwhelmed by the new ingredients I will need. This recipe seemed do-able and easy. And it was!
I made the following changes. I reduced the shrimp to 1 pound and added mushrooms and Napa cabbage to onions. It was really good this way and there were still plenty of shrimp to go around. I also squeezed a lot of lime directly into the dish instead of serving it with lime wedges. Next time I will add carrots and a smidge less fish sauce. I can’t wait to try this with chicken as well. Great recipe!
Really delicious! I am trying to change up our meal routine and these recipes are just the trick! Tasty curry flavour without being overwhelmingly hot. Can’t wait to try more of you your recipes, Jenn!
Made this at a friends house for dinner as they love shrimp and curry. It was a big hit. Next time I would double the sauce as everyone wanted more for leftovers to eat with the leftover rice. I would also chop the onions vs leaving them in long pieces next time. I used Thai Basil for the garnish which I liked better than the cilantro I used in previous times. It’s not always easy to find though. A definite favorite recipe in my goto list.
Hi Jenn, can I use oyster sauce instead if fish sauce?
Hi Masuda, Unfortunately, that won’t work with this recipe. Sorry!