Coconut milk flavored with peanut butter and red curry paste makes a classic Thai-inspired, creamy sauce. When tossed with shrimp and bell peppers, it makes for an easy dinner!
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“My favorite food is Thai curry. I travel around and try any and all Thai restaurants I can find. And I love this recipe. I have been making this since 2016 for my family. Always a huge hit. Restaurant quality. Seriously good.”
~Rachel, FoodieCrush reader
This is the red Thai shrimp curry of your dreams, with big, succulent shrimp coated in a coconut-based curry sauce.
Even better, this is a fast and easy recipe that takes just 30 minutes to prepare. While the curry bubbles away, I like to make a batch of steamed white rice in my Instant Pot.
Just like chili, this creamy coconut shrimp curry tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to come together.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- PLEASE TAKE NOTE! There have been some comments that the dish is too salty. I believe this is from using a lesser quality fish sauce, which will lend a saltier taste. Please use a high-quality fish sauce like the one I recommend, or add just 4 tablespoons of sauce and then taste it, and add more to your liking.
- I like Key West Pink Shrimp in my shrimp coconut curry. In my opinion, they’re sweeter and more flavorful than striped or tiger shrimp that are typically farmed.
- Don’t skip the brown sugar! You need a little sweetness to balance out all the rich and savory umami flavors going on in this dish.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp — I find wild caught Key West Shrimp in the freezer section at my local Kroger (under the Private Selection brand).
- Vegetables — I used a blend of brightly colored bell peppers, plus onion for flavor. Use any combo of vegetables you like in your red shrimp curry.
- Coconut milk — Use canned unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk. If using low-fat coconut milk, the sauce will be thinner and has a tendency to break.
- Thai red curry paste — Each brand varies in how spicy it is, so taste yours before adding the full amount to the curry.
- Fish sauce — Don’t be afraid of fish sauce. It sounds odd but lends a distinctly Thai flavor to the dish. My husband read somewhere Red Boat is a highly-rated fish sauce, and is 100% natural, so it’s the one we buy now.
- Peanut butter — Use creamy peanut butter for the best consistency.
- Lime juice — The acidic lime juice cuts through the salty fish sauce and brightens the curry.
- Ginger — Use fresh or dried ginger in this dish. I’ve used both. If using fresh, use 1 ½ tablespoons minced ginger and cook it with the peppers and onions and omit the dried ginger from the coconut milk mixture.
- Brown sugar — Rounds out the flavor profile of the red curry.
- Fresh herbs — Cilantro, basil, and green onions add a fresh pop of flavor that rounds out the hearty curry.
How to Make Coconut Curry Shrimp
- Prep and marinate the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp (but leave the tails on). Then, toss the shrimp with a little oil, garlic, kosher salt, and red chili flakes. Let the shrimp marinate for 10 minutes.
Heidi’s Tip: I like to leave the tails on my shrimp for presentation’s sake, but if you want to, feel free to remove the tails from the get-go.
- Cook the veggies and shrimp. Cook the onion and peppers in a hot skillet until softened, then transfer them to a bowl. Working in batches, cook the shrimp in the skillet and then place it in a separate bowl.
- Next, make the red curry sauce. The creamy sauce is amped up by combining coconut milk with salty fish sauce and lime juice, plus peanut butter, red curry paste, brown sugar, and ground ginger.
- Bring it all together. Add the cooked onion and peppers back into the skillet and pour in the coconut milk mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add the shrimp to the skillet with the basil and cilantro and toss to coat.
- Garnish before serving. When serving this coconut curry shrimp, it’s all about the garnish. Cilantro leaves, fresh basil, sliced red jalapeño, chopped green onion, and a squeeze of lime simply enhance this dish in my opinion.
FAQs
The peanut butter doesn’t make the curry taste like peanuts, it just deepens the flavor. However, you can omit the peanut butter if you’re out or have an allergy in your family. (You could also experiment with using almond butter, if an allergy is the issue.)
To adjust the spice level of this Thai red shrimp curry, add more or less curry pasta and red chili flakes to taste.
Go for it! The bell peppers can be replaced with another type of pepper, broccoli, bok choy, you name it.
Storage Tips
Shrimp curry lasts up to 5 days in the fridge, and leftovers should be gently reheated over medium heat or in the microwave. Be very careful if microwaving, because shrimp tends to go dry and rubbery when microwaved.
What to Serve with Thai Shrimp Curry
Serve over brown rice for another layer of nutty flavor. If you’re a white rice kind of eater, go for it. Cellophane or rice noodles would be really good underneath the curry too, or spiralize a few zucchini noodles to keep the veg-love flowing.
Side dish ideas include:
- Thai Quinoa Salad
- Thai Coconut Noodle Salad
- Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad
- Asian Slaw
- Sesame Broccoli
- Asian Pickled Cucumbers
- Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Shrimp In Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp , peeled and deveined, tail on
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 2 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ onion , peeled and sliced
- ½ red bell pepper , seeded and sliced
- ½ orange bell pepper , seeded and sliced
- ½ yellow bell pepper , seeded and sliced
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 4-6 tablespoons high quality fish sauce , start with 4 tablespoons and add more to taste
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice , about ½ large lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons basil leaves , chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro , chopped
- 1 green onion , chopped
- Red jalapeno pepper , thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the oil, garlic, kosher salt and red chili flakes. Toss to coat and let marinate for 10 minutes.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the peppers and onion to a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook half of the shrimp for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes or until opaque. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook the remaining shrimp then add to the other shrimp.
- In another bowl or 4-cup measuring cup mix the coconut milk, fish sauce, peanut butter, red curry paste, lime juice, brown sugar and ground ginger and stir well.
- Transfer the cooked onion and peppers to the skillet and pour the coconut milk mixture of the peppers. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet with the basil and cilantro and toss to coat. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with more cilantro and basil, chopped green onion and sliced red jalapeño of desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Thai Recipes to Try
- Thai Beef Curry
- Thai Turkey Meatballs in Red Curry Sauce
- Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Pad Thai
- Thai Chicken Larb
- Thai Basil Chicken
- Thai Black Pepper Tofu
- Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua)
- 30-Minute Thai Red Chicken Curry
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Helene Lapointe
Can we replace chicken instead of shrimps…
Lori
I’m wondering too about the yellow color where nothing in the recipe as written would make it that color. I’m assuming it might be turmeric which adds a yellow color without much taste. This question has been asked so many times it’d be nice if it was answered.
Mera Cason
Delicious. Not salty at all but recommend using less pb if you don’t want to taste the flavor of pb. I’m not a pb fan but this recipe is great even with it tho I will use half for my own taste next time. I added extra heat to the recipe as we like spicy and I used a whole can of coconut milk and adjusted everything for use with 2lbs of shrimp minis the PB which i kept the same. I give it 5 on a scale of 1-5 and recommend you try it right now!
Richard
I made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious. I used Hoisin sauce instead of fish sauce, this way I didn’t have to worry about the salt. Very easy to make. I served it over
Ramen noodles (did not use the flavoring). Give this recipe a try.
Elaine
I made this tonight. It was delicious. I used the whole can of coconut milk and also added some red curry paste and chili sauce. Next time I may put in another can of coconut milk as we like a lot of sauce.
I also sautéed mushrooms and zucchini and added them to the vegetables.
Thanks great recipe
Susan
This was good. I garnished with what was suggested, plus toasted coconut and chopped peanuts for additional texture. I am not a fan of fish sauce, but recognize the flavor profile that it offered, so I used 1T and thought it was the right amount of salt/flavor for me. Would definitely make again.
heather liecht
This was… D-I-V-I-N-E. I’m really surprised how much flavor this had with so few ingredients.
I read and headed the other comments about using the right brand of fish sauce and checking the saltiness- for anyone curious whose in the US- buy the bottle called “Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce, “. Do NOT buy the cheaper brands that dont say
“Premium Fish Sauce”, they are way saltier.
As for the recipe, I’m a huge fan of indian curries so I added half a pod of cardamon and a dash of ground cassia to make it more authentic. I also used crunchy peanut butter and the peanuts really added some nice texture to the dish. My grocery store doesnt sell scallions for whatever reason but had leeks, theyre great chopped up on top as a substitute.
Overall the sauce is amazing though! It will taste really weird until its reduced then suddenly its fantastic. Weird fire magic at work I guess. The only major part I’d change is boiling the shrimp instead of pan frying- its a pain in the ass to get them done correctly having to flip them one at a time.
Rebecca
So good. I didn’t make the cereal version. BUT I did have to make double the sauce to combat the salty in only four tbsp. Def a favorite and my husband LOVED IT.
kanarek
Another hi from Poland:)
The sauce was perfect! After reading the comments I was careful with the fish sauce, but actually 4 spoons is the minimum. Many thanks!
Sheila Chinn
4/30/2018
Made this tonight. Delicious!
Danielle L Nicol
This was AMAZING. I’ve been searching for a recipe with this Thai taste. So good. I used powdered PB2 as my peanut butter and served over cauliflower rice. Will be making this again.
Tomasz Wiendlocha
Hi from Poland! Great recipe. Had this today for dinner with my wife. We loved it.
Tanya
Sounds like a yummy dish. Don’t have any shrimp, but planning to use cod or pollock. Will heed the advice of others and half the peanut butter and third the fish sauce. Will come back and let you know the results.
Gayle King
My husband made this last night for dinner. It was DELICIOUS. We usually try new recipes on ourselves before we serve to dinner guests. This will DEFINITELY be on the menu for our next dinner party. Thanks so much, we LOVE your site.
Frosted
What makes the sauce such a beautiful yellow? There is nothing in the recipe that would achieve that color.
Judi Tockston
This dish is a winner. Skipped the fish sauce and substituted chicken broth. Baked chopped zucchini, sweet potato and carrot in a little oil, salt and pepper with fresh garlic which I topped on brown rice before the shrimp in Thai coconut sauce plus garnish. Used Argentine shrimp. Yumm!
Kim Gibson
The first Thai recipe I’ve ever made and it was delicious!! Definitely will make again!
Michelle
This recipe is THE BEST! It’s literally as good (if not better) than some of the best Thai curries I’ve had in restaurants, so definitely a winner that I’ll be making again in the future! Thank you so much for sharing. As for the fish sauce which I’ve seen others post about, I found the amount to be just right, not too salty, so must just be different depending on brand/quality.
Thank you Michelle! So glad you like the recipe so much. Yes, the quality of fish sauce definitely plays a part. I always buy Red Boat Fish Sauce because I’ve found it to be the most mellow. Aging fish sauce can get pretty strong too.
Shelley
Hi. Love the recipe, turned out great! Can you tell me what makes your sauce yellow? Ours turned out a pale beige but no where near the yellow you show. Also i can’t figure out what would make it that color. Thanks.
Dayton
Loved this shrimp in Thai coconut sauce recipe. Wanted to make for friendswho are in town tomorrow; however, my local stores are out of wild caught shrimp. Think substituting chicken would work with theses ingredients?
Joanna
I made this yesterday with a couple of tweaks, and it was delicious!! For simplicity, I used a full can of coconut milk (about 1.5 cups), a whole red bell pepper, and a whole orange bell pepper (and no yellow bell pepper). I also decreased the fish sauce to just shy of 1 tbsp, and I added a couple of teaspoons of chili paste to the sauce. It was perfect!
Mary P
This was excellent, and it will now be apart of my rotation! Thanks for sharing it!
Petra
OMG 22nd time I made was better than the first ! If that was possible
Love it love it….
Sandra
I am so crazy about this recipe! It is divine! It’s perfect, healthy and everything I could want in a recipe. Thank you!
Maria LoCastro
This was great! The family loved it. The suggestion about holding back on the fish sauce was perfect. I didnt have a choice of fish sauce to buy and I’m assuming it wasn’t high quality, but it came perfect! This will easily be a family favorite.