Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste (10 Ingredients!)

Make your own Thai Green Curry Paste at home with this easy-to-follow recipe! All you’ll need is 10 ingredients, 10 minutes, and a food processor.

I’ve been a fan of Thai Green Curry since….pretty much as long as I can remember? It’s my go-to order at Thai restaurants, but I never really make it at home. Mostly because the store-bought curry pastes just taste kind of…off? stale? not-so-great?

I can’t believe I didn’t try to make my own Green Curry paste at home before! Now that I know how simple it is (think 10 ingredients + 10 minutes), I forsee a lot more curry in my future 🙂

The ingredients in curry paste are simple, but you won’t be able to find them in any ol’ grocery store. The good news is that if you live near an asian market (and most of us do), you’ll be a-okay!

The main flavors of this curry paste comes from thai green chilis, galangal (thai ginger), thai basil, lemongrass, and a few other odds and ends. I’ll list some easier-to-find ingredient substitutes in the recipe notes, but try to stick to the original if possible. It does make a big difference in flavor! 

Making Green Curry Paste is also incredibly easy.

All you need to do is roughly chop your ingredients, then chuck them into a food processor! Everything will start to break down, and after a few minutes (plus breaks to scrape the sides of your food processor), you’ll be left with a thick, spicy, and vibrant green paste.

I used my mini food processor for this recipe, but a larger model will work just fine. Unfortunately I don’t think this recipe will work in a blender – you’d have to add a lot of extra liquid.

Once you get your lovely curry paste, transfer it into jars and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. It’s best used fresh, however, and the flavors will weaken a little with time. If you don’t think you’ll use it all before it goes bad, try freezing it in an ice cube tray, and then thawing as needed!

7 Ways to use homemade Thai Green Curry Paste:

1. to make Thai Green Curry, of course!
2. thinned out with vegetable broth for flavorful soups
3. mixed with a touch of coconut milk to create a sauce for a fragrant noodle dish
4. mashed with avocado and slathered on bread for an epic avocado toast
5. as a marinade for tofu, tempeh, or other plant-based protein
6. blended with vinaigrette for a zesty salad dressing
7. mixed in with Mac & Cheese for a fun and spicy twist

If you have any other ideas, let me know in the comments below! I had to test this recipe quite a few times, so I happen to have a plethora of curry paste in my fridge right now…

If you’re looking for more asian-inspired sauce and dressing recipes, you’ll also love this Carrot Ginger Dressing, this Easy Peanut Sauce, and this Sesame Miso Dressing! 

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Make your own Thai Green Curry Paste at home with this easy-to-follow recipe! All you’ll need is 10 ingredients, 10 minutes, and a food processor.

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: about 1/2 cup 1x
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Food Processor
• Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6–10 thai green chiles
• 4–5 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks lemongrass, tough portions removed
• 1 shallot
• 3” piece galangal (thai ginger), peeled
• Zest of ½ lime
• Juice of 1 lime 
• ¼ packed cup thai basil
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp pink himalayan or sea salt
• 2+ tbsp filtered water or neutral vegetable oil, to thin

Instructions

1. Thinly chop the thai chilis, garlic, lemongrass, shallot, and galangal. Add all ingredients to the base of a food processor along with 2 tbsp of filtered water or neutral vegetable oil.
2. Process the ingredients for 5-7 minutes, scraping the sides of the food processor as necessary. A thick, bright green paste should form – if your mixture still looks a little chunky, add in extra water or oil in ½ tbsp increments until your desired texture is reached.
3. Use as desired. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze in ice cube molds and defrost as needed – the paste will keep in the freezer for up to two months.

Notes

Substitutions: for the best (and most authentic) flavor, try to follow the exact recipe ingredients. However, if you can’t find something, you can substitute jalapeños (or another spicy chili) for the thai chilis, ginger for the galangal, and/or italian basil for the thai basil.

Keywords: thai green curry paste, vegan curry paste, green curry paste, green curry recipe, vegan green curry