Easy Thai Beef Green Curry Recipe

Thai green curry is one of my favorite comfort foods. There’s comfort food that I love to eat any day for any reason, and comfort food that I absolutely crave for when I’m sick (like this green curry roast chicken). Chicken or beef green curry ticks both of these boxes!

As someone who cooks and shares a lot of curry recipes, Thai green curry is my go-to whenever I’m feeling under the weather. The spices help clear the sinuses and help me feel better. Plus, I can easily include lots of nutritious ingredients to make the curry wholesome, satiating, and healing.

And by adding extra water or coconut milk, I can turn this into a spicy, warming soup-like dish to be eaten with steamed rice!

Green curry is also generally the spiciest of Thai curries (compared to yellow curry and red curry), and that’s another reason why we love it!

Why this recipe works

• Green curry is always a crowd favorite, and such a versatile way to make a nutritious curry!
• Traditional green curry is SO delicious, but you can also easily adapt it to include any pantry ingredients you have (even if it’s not as traditional).
• A good green curry paste makes this recipe a breeze to make for busy weeknight meals.
• I also show ways to INCREASE the flavor of the curry, even with store-bought green curry paste.
• You can make this beef green curry with a cheap cut of beef, AND use any vegetables you have at hand, making it cost effective and wholesome.
• I show you how to make green curry beef with tender pieces of beef, and also how to avoid tough cuts of beef.
• You can make a large batch of this curry and freeze for later. It’s one of my favorite meal prep recipes for whenever I crave easy, comfort food!

• Beef – I use chuck beef (also called the blade steak in Canada), which is cheaper than other cuts. Since beef is ridiculously expensive these days, you can still use cheaper “dry” cuts of beef in this recipe and get tender, delicious green curry beef.
• Green curry paste – Crucial ingredient for any green curry, obviously. You may not realize it, but just like curry powder, there can be a huge variation and difference between bad green curry pastes and good ones, and then you also have excellent green curry paste that’s even better! I talk about it in more detail below.
• Coconut milk – Use a good quality coconut milk, and avoid lite coconut milk if possible. This curry has to use extra oil because it relies on the coconut milk to sauté and temper the curry paste.
• Thai basil leaves and Kaffir lime leaves – If you have access to thai basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves, they are a fantastic addition to the curry to enhance the flavor. But, if you don’t have thai basil leaves, you can use regular basil leaves instead. It’s not an exact match, but it’ll still add a lot of flavor. You can use cilantro as well, as long as you don’t find cilantro to taste “soapy”. Kaffir lime leaves can be bought dried as well, but if you don’t have it you can leave it out.
• Fish sauce – ONLY needed if you’d like more seasoning. You can also use salt or soy sauce instead. Green curry paste contains shrimp paste, so there’s already a lot of umami flavor in the curry. The fish sauce adds more flavor, but isn’t required.
• Palm sugar – To balance the salty and spicy flavors. The deep molassey flavor from palm sugar adds a more complex sweetness than white sugar. But regular brown sugar can be used instead as well.
• Vegetables – I use vegetables that can be fairly common in green curry such as carrots, eggplants (I use Indian baby eggplant, but thai eggplant can also be used), snow peas or sugar snap peas, and bamboo shoots.

Other vegetables you can add,

• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Edamame
• Daikon radish
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Water chestnuts
• Peppers – such as red bell peppers (or any other color), sweet or spicy banana peppers, shishito peppers, or any sweet pepper
• Asian greens – bok choy, yu choy, yam leaves, gai lan etc.
• Leafy greens – spinach, kale, collard greens etc.

Optional ingredients

These ingredients are optional, but can increase the flavor of your green curry. I typically added these if I use a green curry paste with a weaker flavor.

• Lemongrass
• Kaffir lime leaves OR lime zest

How to choose Thai green curry paste

There are many brands of green curry paste. The best green curry I had was when I was living in Australia – from a very small hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant that was close to where I lived in Sydney. They had the most amazing green curry and Thai fish cakes!

My student budget couldn’t afford this curry every time I was too tired to cook, so I tried ALL the curry pastes to find what I loved the most. Every time I moved, I’d try out ALL the green curry pastes available in that region to find my favorite. So I’ve become VERY picky about green curry pastes!

Here’s what to look for in a good curry paste.

• The green curry paste should be… well… a paste! Do not use a sauce, or a paste that’s thin and light in color.
• The aroma should be strong and the flavor concentrated – The spices and herbs used in the paste should have a strong aroma! Shrimp paste by itself has a very strong aroma that might seem too fishy – but I promise you that this adds SO MUCH flavor. You can also use a vegan version that will still have all the flavor and aroma without shrimp paste.

Brands that I recommend (my favorite ones)

• Maesri curry paste
• Namjai curry paste

These two are my favorite green curry paste brands that I’ve used for years now.

Honorable mentions

These brands are more widely available and are good. But not as good as the ones above. They can be easily found in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.

• Aroy D
• Mae ploy
• Blue dragon (ONLY the green curry kit) – The paste in the curry kit is delicious, but the bottled paste is awful! The curry kit is expensive though, so I don’t recommend buying it unless you have no other option.

Here’s what I avoid

• Blue dragon green curry paste in a bottle
• Thai kitchen green curry paste
• Any “green curry sauce” bottled or canned

Type of beef to use for the curry

Usually, a beef cut with some marbling will be delicious in a curry. The marbling ensures that the beef stays juicy. But since beef is pretty expensive, I don’t want to use expensive cuts for curries.

• My favorite cut of beef for curries is chuck roast (the shoulder area). In Canada, you can also buy the blade cut, which is a cut of beef that is part of the chuck steak. I use this cut to make Sri Lankan beef curry, spicy dry beef curry, curried beef buns, curried beef grilled cheese sandwich, and I sometimes sous-vide chuck roast as well to transform it into a tender, succulent roast.
• Flank steak or brisket.
• Bottom or top round – This is a very lean cut, but can be used in a curry as well.
• You can also use pre-cut stewing beef cubes, but you’ll have to take some extra steps to make these tender. These are usually top or bottom round steaks, but already cut into pieces for braising.

Step 1 – Prepare the meat

First, cut the piece of beef into thin strips. I like to keep the strips to about 1 x 2 – 3 inches, and cut thinly, so that they are bite-sized and not too long. The key is to cut the beef AGAINST the grain (image 1).

The cut of beef contains muscle fibers that usually go in one direction in different sections. Once you identify the direction in which the muscle fibers run, cut strips of the beef perpendicular to this.

The resulting strips of meat will be quite “stretchy” because of the shorter meat fibers (image 1). This will ensure that the meat is tender even if it overcooks slightly, because the fibers are shorter.

Place all the meat in a bowl and set aside (image 2).

Step 2 – Prepare the vegetables

Wash and cut the vegetables that you’re using in the green curry (image 3). I like to use about 3 – 4 cups of vegetables per 1 – 1.5 pounds of meat. The more vegetables you add, the more curry paste and water you may need to add to flavor the additional amount of ingredients in the curry.

Cut the carrots into slices, drain and rinse bamboo shoots, cut the eggplants into thick strips (as it’s fairly meaty and soft), or smaller eggplants into quarters.

Cut the snow peas / sugar snap peas in half or keep them whole, if you like.

I like to add onions as well, so I slice some onions. Grate the palm sugar and set it aside as well (image 4).

Step 3 – Pre cook vegetables or meat (optional)

This step is optional. I pan fry my eggplant to slightly caramelize it before adding it to the curry (image 5). This is just to add some extra flavor to the eggplant, but it’s not necessary.

Likewise, if you’re using larger pieces of meat (stewing beef cubes), or large pieces of chicken or pork, you have the option to brown the meat (caramelize) to add more flavor.

Step 4 – Bloom the green curry paste

In a saucepan, place the green curry paste and about 1/2 cup of coconut milk (image 6). Heat over medium heat to dissolve the paste in the milk (image 7). Continue to cook while frequently stirring.

The coconut milk will start to boil and then separate as it continues to cook. The oil in the coconut milk will separate, and the curry paste will be cooked in this oil (image 8). If I’m using lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves to increase the flavor of the curry, I add it at this stage, so that the curry has time to be infused with these flavors.

When the mixture has slightly thickened, and the paste is very fragrant after blooming in the coconut oil, add some water to the curry base.

Step 5 – Cook the beef green curry

Add the onions and sliced carrots first. The carrots need to cook the longest, so they need to be added first. But they do cook very quickly.

After about 1 – 2 minutes, add the eggplant (image 9). Stir it in to combine, and after another 1 – 2 minutes, add the thinly sliced beef and bamboo shoots (images 10 – 11) and stir them in. Bring the curry to a simmer.

The beef strips should cook in about 3 – 5 minutes if sliced thinly, but can take longer depending on how thick the slices are. Since the beef is cut against the grain, the beef will still be tender even if slightly overcooked.

Add the remaining coconut milk and bring it to a simmer. Add more water if you’d like extra gravy. Taste and add palm sugar and fish sauce (or salt) to your preference.

Finally, add the snow peas and thai basil and stir it in (image 12). By adding the snow peas at the end, they stay crunchy in the green curry.

Step 6 – Serve

I love eating this hearty beef green curry with steamed rice. But you can also ladle the curry into a bowl with rice noodles or egg noodles.

Tips for the best beef green curry

• Use a good green curry paste. My top recommended green curry pastes will yield the best flavor. The paste is where all the flavor is, and if the paste tastes bad, the final curry will be as well.
• Traditionally, the curry paste is stir-fried in the coconut milk. Don’t skip this step! You can also use coconut oil or vegetable oil, but the coconut milk allows the curry paste to thin out, and the liquid (and fat) will bloom and meld the flavors together better.
• Use a cheap cut of beef, and cut against the grain. This will ensure you still have tender pieces of beef without breaking the bank.
• In some recipes, the protein is added after stir frying the paste. You can do this if you have larger pieces of meat, or marbled pieces of beef. However, if you cut the meat into thin strips, it’ll cook faster. Cheaper cuts of beef (especially lean cuts), either need to be cooked fast to remain tender, or braised for a long time to become tender. Otherwise, the meat can be rubbery in between these stages.
• Leave some of the coconut milk to add at the end to retain the creaminess of the curry.
• You can easily adapt and substitute with other vegetables. Since this green curry contains proteins AND vegetables, you don’t have to make other side dishes.
• Make a large batch – enough for leftovers! Just like any other curry, the beef will absorb the flavor as it sits in the fridge and leftovers will taste even better!
• Green curry is usually the spiciest of the Thai curries. If you want a less spicy curry, use red curry paste, or yellow curry paste for a mild curry. To add more spice to the green curry, I like to add sliced green chilies. The only way to make a green curry milder is to add more coconut milk, which can also dilute the flavor.

Storing green curry beef

You can store cooked thai beef green curry in an airtight container and in the fridge for about 4 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 1 month.

If you’re storing the curry in the fridge, use safe food-handling practices. Do not keep the curry outside for long periods of time, and do not reheat and refrigerate over and over.

Use a clean spoon each time to reduce contamination. Alternatively, store the curry in individual serving portions.

To meal prep, serve rice and the curry in freezer-proof containers in single portions, and freeze. For my family, I make a large batch of the green curry and then divide it into smaller portions. Then I can freeze the containers and thaw out what I need in the fridge.

Recipe variations

• Vegan green curry – You can substitute the beef with tofu or soya nuggets. Any meat substitute strips can also be used. You can also add chickpeas to the curry to increase protein and fiber content.
• Chicken green curry – Substitute the beef with chicken. You can use thinly cut chicken thighs, or chicken breast sliced against the grain. I personally prefer chicken breast.
• Velveting meat – Another way to ensure that the meat is very tender. While this is an option, I prefer this technique for stir-fries, and not so much for curries.
• You can also change up the vegetables to suit your taste, and use what is in-season and available.

More beef recipes that you’ll love

• Sri Lankan beef curry
• Instant pot beef short ribs
• Korean BBQ short ribs
• Spicy dry beef curry
• Curried beef roti
• Beef cannelloni
• Indonesian beef meatballs