Easy Red Thai Curry Recipe

If you’re craving a rich, creamy and flavour-packed dinner, this easy red Thai curry recipe is exactly what you need. It’s quick to make, uses simple ingredients, and delivers that authentic takeaway taste in under 30 minutes.

Whether you’re cooking for a busy weeknight or want an impressive homemade curry, this recipe is beginner-friendly and totally adaptable.

If you love this curry, try my Chilli Jam Recipe or for an alternative dinner, try my Vegetarian Laksa Recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Red Thai Curry

• Ready in under 30 minutes
• Uses store-bought curry paste (no fuss!)
• Creamy, spicy, and full of flavour
• Easy to customise with chicken, tofu, or veggies
• Tastes even better than takeaway

What Is Red Thai Curry?

Red Thai curry is a popular dish made with red curry paste, cream cheese, coconut milk, and your choice of protein or vegetables.

The paste gets its colour and heat from red chillies and is blended with ingredients like garlic, lemongrass, and spices to create its signature bold flavour.

Easy Red Thai Curry Recipe

Serves 2

Thai red curry is one of my favourite weekday meals. It’s really quick to make and is packed full of texture and flavour. You can adjust it to suit vegetarians by taking out the chicken. We cooked this dish using up the leftover Sunday roast chicken, but it works as well with uncooked chicken breasts or thigh meat. If you want to know more about Thai curries, take a look at my post about red vs yellow curry. It can help you decide which dish is for you.

I used low-fat cream cheese and skimmed milk in my version. I find it retains the creaminess of the original dish, but lowers the fat content significantly compared to using coconut milk.

Ingredients

1 onion
1 red pepper
120g fine trimmed beans
2 tsps red curry paste (we used Mae Ploy)
300ml milk
90g cream cheese
200g cooked chicken (or if using uncooked meat, I suggest 1 large chicken breast)
Rice to serve

Method

Dice the onion into small bitesize pieces.

Chop the pepper into fine strips.

Half the beans lengthwise.

Heat the curry paste in a wok for a minute.

If you are using raw chicken, add it now. If you are using cooked chicken, add it after the cream cheese and milk.

Add the onion and allow it to absorb the paste and soften for a couple of minutes.

Then add in the pepper strips and stir fry for two more minutes.

Add the cream cheese and milk, stirring regularly to allow the cheese to melt. Don’t allow the milk to boil.

If using cooked chicken, add this now with the beans and allow to cook through for approx. 5 – 7 minutes. Ensure that the chicken is heated through before serving.

Serve with rice or noodles. We prefer rice as it soaks up the delicious red curry sauce.

We use the Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste for our Thai red curry recipe. This produces a medium/hot dish, so please amend the paste amount depending on the strength of your curry paste and also your preference.

Tips For The Best Red Thai Curry

• Don’t skip frying the curry paste – this releases the flavour
• Use full-fat coconut milk for a richer sauce
• Add lime at the end for freshness
• Adjust the spice by adding more or less curry paste

Easy Variations

Vegetarian / Vegan

Use tofu, a plant-based cheese and swap fish sauce for soy sauce or a vegan alternative.

Prawn Red Thai Curry

Add raw prawns instead of chicken and cook for just 3–4 minutes.

Extra Creamy

Add a splash of coconut cream at the end.

What To Serve With Red Thai Curry

• Jasmine rice
• Sticky rice
• Noodles
• Steamed greens or broccoli

FAQs

Is red Thai curry spicy?

It has a mild-to-medium heat, depending on the curry paste you use.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes — it actually tastes better the next day as the flavours develop.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, but the texture of coconut milk may change slightly when reheated.

This easy red Thai curry recipe is one of those go-to meals you’ll keep coming back to. It’s quick, flexible, and packed with flavour — perfect for beginners and seasoned cooks alike.

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