Published: Feb 5, 2022 · Modified: Jan 11, 2023 by kaydimaggio

Easy Instant Pot Vegan Thai Panang Curry

Name: Easy Instant Pot Vegan Thai Panang Curry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 21 min
Ingredients: 1 Red Bell Pepper; 1 Green Bell Pepper; 1 Orange Bell Pepper; 1 Yellow Onion; 1 Block Firm Tofu; 2 Medium Zucchini; 1 Medium Yellow Squash; 2 teaspoons Tamari; 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger; 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar; 2 14 ounce cans Full-Fat Coconut Milk; 2 cloves garlic; 4 ounces Panang Curry Paste (This is my favorite vegan brand)

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This Easy Instant Pot Vegan Thai Panang Curry is loaded with bold and delicious flavor! This curry comes together in 30 minutes and is almost entirely hands-off! Your whole family will rave over this delicious dinner!

I don't know about you but I love Thai food. Like LOVE Thai food. We had a great Thai restaurant that we used to go to in Monterey but then we moved. Recently, one of our dear friends introduced us to a new restaurant here in our city and let me tell you, it was amazing! I love Panang Curry and I loved that this Thai restaurant had a vegan version of it! I knew that I had to recreate it at home. This Instant Pot Vegan Thai Panang Curry tastes exactly like the dish from our favorite restaurant is it comes together in under 25 minutes! So delicious, so easy, you won't want to miss out!

For some other great Asian Inspired Recipes, check out this Red Curry Pasta, this Pad Woon Sen, this Easy Vegan Wonton Soup and this 30 Minute Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad!

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What Makes This the Best Vegan Thai Panang Curry
Ingredient Notes
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
FAQ's
Equipment
Storage
Top tips
Other Great 30 Minute Recipes!
Easy Instant Pot Vegan Thai Panang Curry
Food safety

What Makes This the Best Vegan Thai Panang Curry

Under 30 Minutes- This dinner is the best because it will be ready to go in just 22 minutes! So when you are crunched for time, this dinner is perfect!
Hands Off Dinner- Most of the cooking for this dinner is done in the instant pot so it is a pretty hands-off dinner that is easy and delicious!
Full of Bold Flavors- This Thai Panang Curry is FULL of bold flavors! With delicious vegetables such as bell peppers, zucchini, and squash as well as the Panang Curry paste. The Panang Curry paste has spices such as chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander, cumin, and cardamom so it really packs a flavor punch!

Ingredient Notes

Panang Curry Paste- The Panang Curry paste is the star of this dish. You can either make your own or you can purchase it. I like to purchase mine from my local Asian market. Make sure to check the labels because most Panang curry pastes contain shrimp, however, there are a few that are vegan. This is my favorite go-to brand.
Tamari- To give the curry a boost of umami flavor, I used tamari. The tamari helps to keep the recipe gluten-free. You can sub soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Coconut Milk- This curry wouldn't be deliciously creamy without coconut milk. The coconut milk serves to cool down the heat of the dish and turn it into a creamy, delicious curry. Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk from a can.
Coconut Sugar- Adding a little sweetness to this curry is key to cutting through the spice of the curry paste. I like to add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar to help balance things out. You could also use maple syrup or your sweetener of choice.

See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to the SAUTE function. Saute the onions for 4-5 minutes until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry paste and saute for another 1-2 minutes until combined.
Stir in the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and tamari. Close the lid
Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 1 minute.
When the instant pot beeps, allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then release the remaining pressure manually.

Add the coconut milk into the instant pot

Stir in the diced tofu, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and lime zest.
Set the Instant Pot to the SAUTE function and loosely set the lid on top. I like to leave the lid cracked to let the steam escape.
Boil the Panang curry on the sauté setting for 15 minutes. Do not overcook the veggies.
Press CANCEL and finish off with a squirt of lime juice. Serve into bowls and enjoy!

Substitutions

Low-Sodium - Make sure to use low-sodium tamari to keep this recipe gluten-free and lower the sodium amount.
Soy-Free - To make this recipe soy-free, feel free to replace the tofu with chickpeas!
Vegetarian - the beef hamburger can be replaced with a plant-based burger to make this vegetarian

Variations

Spicy - This panang curry is already pretty spicy but if you want to add even more spice, feel free to drizzle some chili oil on top before serving!
Extra Veggies - You could try baby spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas, diced butternut, potato, or sweet potato.
Extra Protein- For extra protein try adding canned chickpeas, tempeh, edamame.

Check out this other great curry recipe, Korean Inspired Curry!

FAQ's

What is in Panang Curry Paste?

Panang curry pastes vary from brand to brand, but they typically include dried chili peppers, galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds.

Where can you buy Panang Curry Paste?

Panang curry paste is a little more difficult to find than standard red, green or yellow Thai curries. You might be able to find it in the international section of your grocery store, near the soy sauce. I was able to find it at my local Asian market. If you can't find it at either of those, you can find it online here.

What is the difference between Red Curry and Panang Curry?

Panang curry paste looks just like Red Thai curry paste, bright red in color. But it’s made using lesser chilies, hence it is less spicy. The curry is also sweeter than other Thai curries and much thicker as well.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.

Instant Pot
Chef Knife
Cutting Board

Storage

This Thai curry recipe will keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator (and that makes it a fabulous meal prep dish)! Portion into individual glass meal prep containers and eat throughout the week!

Panang curry can be frozen for 2-3 months. Place the cooled curry in a container and fill ⅔ of the way leaving room for expansion as it freezes. Or store it in a gallon-sized bag and freeze. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Cook rice fresh for serving.

Top tips

Towards the end of cooking, toss in some fresh Thai basil to give it even more flavor. If you can't find Thai basil, fresh basil will do.
Brown, white, or jasmine rice pair well with this Panang curry, or skip the rice and serve your curry over zoodles or spaghetti squash.
Make sure to taste the final Panang curry and adjust it to your preferred taste. It is crucial because all palates are different. Sweeten it up with additional coconut sugar, add tang with additional lime juice, spice it up with some chili oil, whatever floats your boat!

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