Healthy Eating

Green Curry with Shrimp – Eating Bird Food

February 27, 2023

This flavorful green curry with shrimp comes together in less than 30 minutes for a quick and healthy weeknight meal. It’s delicious served over rice or zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.

This green curry with shrimp has been on repeat in our household for dinner recently! It combines protein-packed shrimp and lots of fresh veggies in a flavorful creamy coconut sauce. It’s healthy comfort food and amazingly satisfying on a chilly winter evening!

A bowl of thai green curry with shrimp and rice.

Sautéed curries like this are awesome because they don’t take very long to cook (especially with quick-cooking shrimp). It’s also super easy to switch up the veggies based on what you have on hand. For this version I used shredded cabbage (which I bought already shredded from Whole Foods – such a time saver) and zucchini. Next time I’ll probably try adding broccoli and snow peas for sure.

I love serving this curry over rice for a more filling meal, but it’s also delicious over zucchini noodles (either raw or quickly sautéed) for a low-carb option. Both ways are delicious. Just don’t forget the extra green onions and cilantro. Oh, and the sriracha!

Ingredients measured out to make Green Curry with Shrimp: cayenne pepper, sesame oil, tamari, ginger, garlic, onion, zucchini, shrimp, coconut milk, lime juice, Thai green curry paste, cabbage, pepper, salt, basil, cilantro and green onion.

Ingredients Needed

sesame oil – for cooking the shrimp and sautéing your vegetables. Olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil are also great options.
yellow onion, ginger and garlic – key ingredients that add a ton of flavor to this curry.
green curry paste – provides the signature green curry flavor. Green curry paste has a mild, balanced flavor that is much sweeter than red curry paste. I prefer the Thai Kitchen green curry paste.
coconut milk – a key ingredient for this recipe as it adds a rich, creamy texture and a hint of sweetness to the dish. I prefer to use full-fat coconut milk, but feel free to use lite coconut milk if you prefer.
veggies – I went with zucchini and cabbage as both work well in curry dishes, but feel free to use your favorite veggies or whatever you have on hand.
lime – a touch of acidity to add brightness and help balance out the flavors.
low-sodium tamari – adds a savory, umami flavor to this dish. I prefer to use low sodium so I can control how much salt is in my curry. If you don’t have tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos are both good alternatives.
cayenne pepper – for a touch of spice. A little goes a long way!
shrimp – I like to buy already peeled and deveined shrimp to make things faster, but you can do this yourself if desired. I usually pick up the shrimp from the seafood counter or a local seafood shop. If needed, the shrimp can be previously frozen.
fresh basil and cilantro – I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes. It really elevates the flavors! I like using thai basil, but any variety of basil works. Fresh lemongrass would also be a delicious addition!

Collage of 9 photos showing the steps to make Green Curry with Shrimp in a pot.

How to Make

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once oil is hot add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add curry paste, stir and sauté for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, zucchini, cabbage, lime juice, tamari and cayenne pepper to the skillet. Combine and turn up the heat to medium-high so the liquid starts to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Add basil and cilantro and toss to combine. Remove skillet from the heat and serve over cooked rice or zucchini noodles. Garnish each plate with green onion, fresh cilantro and a little sriracha if you need more spice.

A pot full of thai green curry with shrimp.

Customize Your Curry

Veggies: Feel free to swap out the veggies for whatever you have on hand! Mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper and snap peas are all excellent options for this recipe.
Curry: Don’t have green curry paste on hand? Feel free to swap it with red curry paste or yellow curry powder. If you use curry powder you might want to start with 1 Tablespoon and add more as desired. You could also make this chicken curry with yellow curry powder or coconut curry shrimp which calls for red curry paste.
Protein: Want to swap out the shrimp? Go right ahead! Chicken is always a great option in curry and for a vegan version you could use tofu or tempeh. Or you can skip the protein altogether and add more vegetables for a veggie-packed dish.

A fork holding a piece of shrimp over a bowl of thai green curry with shrimp and rice.

What to Serve With Shrimp Curry

With naan: There’s really nothing better than a warm piece of garlic naan to go with this shrimp curry. Naan + curry = pure perfection!
Over grains: Serve this curry over basmati rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice for a full meal. I’ve also served this curry over zucchini noodles and it was delicious!
Side salad: Fresh leafy greens on the side is always a great idea. Try this garlicky kale salad or massaged kale salad for a simple salad.

A bowl of thai green curry with shrimp served with rice.

How to Store Leftovers

Store in the fridge: Let the curry cool completely and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Store in the freezer: To freeze, place the cooled curry in a freezer-safe container or bag, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

To reheat: You can reheat this curry in the microwave or over the stovetop. Feel free to add more liquid when reheating, if desired as the veggies might soak up some of the liquid as it sits.

More Curry Recipes to Try

More Shrimp Recipes to Try

Be sure to check out more shrimp recipes as well as the full collection of dinner recipes on EBF!