Shrimp Curry With Coconut
Updated Aug 11, 2025
Thai-inspired shrimp curry with coconut milk, red curry paste, fresh cilantro & lime. Ready in 30 minutes, just serve with rice.
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Red Curry Shrimp With Coconut is so good!
Red shrimp curry is one of my favorite dishes to order at Thai restaurants, so I was really happy when I found a way to recreate it at home. This is my take on a Thai-inspired shrimp curry with coconut milk. I found that by using red curry paste, coconut milk, ginger, and garlic, I could mimic the similar flavors and textures of red curries I’ve tasted in restaurants.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Shrimp Curry With Coconut Ingredients
- Shrimp: I like to use large shrimp for this recipe, but you can use any size. Just keep in mind that cook-time will shorten with smaller shrimp.
- Red curry paste: This is the key to giving your red curry shrimp its unique flavor, so don’t skimp on it! You can also use green curry for this recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
- Coconut milk: Any canned or bottled brand of full-fat coconut milk will work!
- Veggies: I use thinly sliced onion and red peppers for texture and flavor here, but feel free to adjust the quantities of both to your liking.
- Lime: Go for fresh fresh lime (bottled lime juice just doesn’t have the same flavor profile).
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro, ginger, and garlic lend so much flavor here. Try to avoid using dried alternatives!
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
How to Make Shrimp Curry With Coconut
Shrimp Coconut Curry Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 pound large shrimp cleaned and deveined
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- Steamed white rice for serving
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large, heavy bottomed pot and set over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are softened and golden brown. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute more, or until very fragrant. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Add the red curry paste, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat all of the aromatics with curry paste. Add the red pepper and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add coconut milk, then fill the can about halfway with water and add that to the pot as well. Bring to a simmer.
- While the coconut milk simmers, season the shrimp with remaining salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the simmering sauce, then cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro before serving with steamed rice.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Serving Ideas
- Serve with rice. I always make rice to pair with this curry! My favorites are classic white rice, brown rice, or Basmati rice. For a lower-carb option, you can also try cauliflower rice or even quinoa!
FAQs
Store any leftover shrimp curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, just add a splash of water or stock and simmer on the stove until warmed through. Just be careful when reheating as you won’t want the shrimp to overcook and become rubbery!
Yes! To freeze your shrimp curry, just let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe zip-lock bag or airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove over medium heat until warmed through.
Comments
I added a heaping teaspoon of shrimp bouillon to accentuate the shrimp
That’s a great idea! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
instead of the ginger and garlic minced, can I use ginger/garlic paste instead?
Hi Glenda, yes, you can! I haven’t tested it, but I’d try 1 tablespoon ginger–garilc paste. The taste can vary depending on which jarred ginger-garlic paste you use, so start with 1 tablespoon and add a little more if you’d like a stronger flavor. Hope that helps!
This is a great non-spicy soup for those new to curry, in my opinion. I added 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth (no water), 1 tbs of reduced sodium soy sauce, and 1 extra tbs of curry paste. I also added mushrooms (sautéed them with the onion), and added some zucchini and water chestnuts (I like lots of veggies and texture). It tastes good! I don’t have fish sauce, so this was my first time making something like this (normally get it from restaurants) so this was a treat! I’ll be experimenting more with this!
The fact that you normally order a dish like this at restaurants and decided to make it yourself is such a win! Once you make it once and realize how doable it is, it opens up a whole new world of experimenting. I love that you’re already thinking about tweaking it and making it your own. That’s exactly how you build confidence in the kitchen. So happy you liked it, Debbie! Thank you for sharing!
I love this recipe. I doubled the recipe but did not double the coconut milk milk and did not add water.
So glad you love it, Elaine!! Thank you!
This recipe was really delicious. I am really proud of myself for conquering my fear of cooking a curry. It had always intimidated me but this recipe has changed that!!! Will be adding to our weekly dinner rotation 🙂
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much, Molly! Glad you loved it!!
The comments that stated it was bland were accurate. I decided to give it a go anyway. I first followed the instructions to the T, then tasted it. Indeed it was just lacking in flavor altogether. I had to add a bunch of stuff to get it to what I think it should taste like as someone who’ve tried many Thai curry. I would omit adding water and instead add more coconut milk if you want more liquid. I added more curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar. I didn’t have these on hand but I think adding lemongrass and kaffir leaves would make a huge difference too.
Thanks for the feedback, Diane. I’m glad you were able to flavor it to your liking with those extra additions.
LOVE this recipe! We add broccoli, some tomato paste & replace salt for fish sauce. love it so much we have made this just about every week for over a month now.
Love to hear this! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the great tips you shared on how to customize the recipe!
It’s a good recipe. I’ve made it a few times. The last time I added more coconut milk and tossed in mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and squash. I got four large servings from that batch, although I did hold back half the shrimp for the next day when I reheated it. I’m not a vegetarian but if you added potatoes instead of shrimp it would still be an excellent dish.
Love all of your additions! They sound so good. So happy you like the recipe, Robin!! Thank you!
This was wonderful. I’ve made a lot of curries, but this was easy and quick. I was worried it was too liquid after adding water, but it was great with brown rice. I added a little more chili paste based on personal taste. Garlic green beans on the side. Yumm! Thanks
Love that pairing, yum!! So glad you liked it! thank you!!
Awesome recipe but ditch the half can of water, add another tbsp of curry.
Glad you liked it, Noyb! Thank you!!
Made the recipe as written except I added fresh baby spinach at the end. We thought the flavor was too mild. I added a tablespoon chili crisp and another tablespoon of red curry paste. It was better but will not make it again.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Elouise. Adding more red curry paste and chili crisp sounds like a great solution. You are always welcome to add more seasoning to my recipes to suit your taste preferences!
Delicious!!! Had this at dinner the other night and wanted to create it. Excellent recipe… Loved it!!!
Yay!! Aww, so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
I grow Thai basil just so I can add to this dish (although cilantro is also very good). I prefer to leave out the water. I often add snap or snow peas. Highly recommend this recipe!
Wow, love that!! Thanks for sharing, Lucille. So happy you like the recipe!!
I crave Thai curry on the regular. We skipped takeout and I gave this a go last night. It was so amazing! Leftovers were even better. We added some pineapple chunks too, which we love in red curry. The only thing I missed was the authentic lemongrass taste- what would you suggest for adding this here? Thanks so much for sharing!! Definitely will be making regularly!
Yum, I love the addition of pineapple! So happy you liked the recipe, Chelsea! You can add whole stalks or pieces of lemongrass to the pot while the curry is simmering on the stovetop. Sounds delicious—enjoy!!
As many have said this is a good base recipe. I also use fish sauce instead of salt and I add diced Thai hot chilis as well as a couple of kaffir lime leaves for depth.
Love those swaps and additions—yum!! Thank you for sharing!
A very tasty and versatile recipe! We had some broccoli and spinach to add in and served it over Thai rice noodles. So good! Plan to try it with tofu and maybe chicken as suggested. Thank you!
So happy you liked it, Jeanne! Love the addition of broccoli and spinach! I hope you like the recipe with tofu and chicken too. Thank you!
I made this recipe as written, although I did not add the 1/2 can of water (per other reviewers suggestion) and it was excellent! Husband loved it as well.
So happy you liked it, Sonia! Thank you!!
This is a good base…but this recipe is pretty bland. Some fish sauce fixed it for me
Thanks for the feedback, Char. I’m so happy you were able to adjust the flavor with some added fish sauce.
AMAZING recipe. WOW! I never bother to post a review but this is a real winner. AND really affordable. (I bought aromatics/curry etc. at H-Mart. Veggies and shrimp at Aldi.) Served over Cauliflower for me and rice for my family. I added Thai basil as well.
Yay, I’m so glad you loved it and found it to be budget friendly!! Thanks, Tracey!
I’ve made this recipe multiple time and love it! I have made some adjustments for our taste preferences though. I skip the added water and add a small can of crushed pineapple instead. Turns out a bit sweeter which I love!
Yum, love that!! I’ll have to try adding pineapple too, that sounds so good. So glad you like the recipe, Sarah! Thank you!!
Just tried this. It felt very low on flavour :/ I wanted to love it but it felt low on salt. I added salt and lime and even some sugar to combat the bitter taste from my initial taste test. It’s better as a soup but once I combined it with white rice it became even more flavourless. Not terrible, it’s still good as a soup but lacking some flavour
Oh no! So sorry you found it a bit bland. Next time, I recommend adding more red curry paste to increase the flavor. I’m sure the salt helped a lot too! I appreciate the feedback, thank you for sharing.
I overlooked the note about not adding water and my curry was so soupy 🙁
So sorry you missed the note, Bob. I like my curry to be more soupy but luckily, you can keep cooking off the extra water if you’d like it to be thicker!
Omg wow. This tasted better than restaurant quality!!! I changed up the veggies (added frozen broccoli and cauliflower). I forgot the lime juice but it still turned out so unbelievably good, I’ll add it next time. I had bought a jar of Thai red curry paste recently (not cheap!) and followed a different tutorial online and was so disappointed at how bland it turned out. I was determined to try again and so glad I found your page!!
Aww, so happy you loved it!! Thank you so much, Sarah!
Wow! This recipe was absolutely delicious! It will definitely be on repeat in my house.
Yay, so glad it was a hit!! Thank you, Janine!
This dish is so amazing, simple, and absolutely delicious! I have two teenage boys who request this about once a month. We don’t change a thing but have started to add additional seafood – this time we added tubes and tentacles (octopus) and it was so good. 2 tablespoon of red curry is a bit much for my wife so I’ve dialed it back to 1 tablespoon and it seems to suit her much better. Awesome recipe.
Yay, I’m so glad your teenage boys like it! Love that they’re enjoying octopus. Thank you so much!!
Great as a base to start the curry experience. A couple of things that can really lift this is to reduce half of the coconut milk into half. Also remove the salt and use fish sauce for saltiness and authentic taste.
Great suggestions, Daniel! I appreciate it!
Wow ! Love this thank you for sharing this recipe
Yay! You’re welcome, Salima!
This was fabulous recipe! I will definitely make it again!!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Can you use yellow curry powder instead of red curry paste? I’m just concerned about the spice level. If yes, how much?
Thank you!
Using a yellow curry powder will change the taste of the dish since yellow and red curries use different aromatics. I recommend using less red curry paste instead so you can get the same flavors and still adjust to your spice preference. Let me know how it turns out!
Can you cook it with tofu? How would you suggest doing it if so!
Sure! I would just swap the shrimp for tofu and let the tofu simmer for a bit in the flavorful broth.
Is this freezable?
Yes, I might suggest doubling the base of the curry, then freezing just half of that (without shrimp). That way, when you reheat, your can cook your shrimp fresh which will prevent them from getting overcooked.
This recipe was delicious. I made it as written. It was good—Yum Yum Yum!
Yay! Thank you so much, Scott! So glad you loved it!!
My daughter and I made this Amazing Dish! It is Magnifiet!
Thanks so much!
Simply delicious. I did add about 1 tablespoon of Sesame Tahini because I love that flavor, and added some chopped basil, and peanuts in addition to the cilantro an extra yum.
Sounds great!
Could I add chicken with the shrimp???!
Sure, if you like! I would suggest adding it a few minutes before the shrimp since it will take longer to cook.
I really enjoyed preparing this meal. I loved all the ingredients and the aromas were beautiful. I served mine over Jasmine rice and did not add water I actually added some heavy cream as I like it very creamy. I served it with Naan and the taste and flavors were absolutely delicious. Would highly recommend it
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, thank for sharing how you made it your own!
I added some zucchini and carrots. This was the best red curry we have had in quite a while. Thank you!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it!
You are my go-to for Lebanese recipes which my husband, from Beirut, appreciates, but we also love south Asian flavors. This is a delicious and easy to make dish. I am making it tonight with crispy tofu instead of shrimp.
So happy to hear, thank you!
We have been searching for a good red curry since we moved from Michigan to New Mexico. We have tried many restaurants and many recipes, but this is the one which my wife.said has most duplicated the good curry we got in Detroit. We added eggplant and it worked great.
So glad you loved it, thanks fo sharing!
I tried this! very simple to prepare and very authentic and tasty flavor!!
I have been preparing it with differnt types of fishes also, salmon and mahi mahi and works very well too.
Amazing flavors … I added a little more salt at the end when serving as I felt it needed that added flavor but otherwise DELICIOUS! Already shared it with friends!!
Thanks for letting me know about the salt, so smart to taste and customize it to your liking at the end. I appreciate you sharing the recipe with your friends, I hope they love it, too!
Absolutely Delicious!!!!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it!
This is very flavorful and has the perfect level of spice for my family. I served it over rice. I will make it again!
So happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it, Ann!
It’s hard to cook for one, so I halved the recipe (except for the curry paste) and it turned out just to my liking.
My next try, I’ll go for pan seared salmon and see how that cooks up 😁.
Yum, sounds like a great idea!
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for shrimp curry that’s easy to follow, this one looks really good. I will make it very soon for friends and family. I just hope the curry paste is not too spicy.
Hi Connie, you can adjust the amount of curry paste to your taste. Hope you enjoy!
This was so good! Great flavor. A little spice. I’m going to throw in broccoli next time and eat over rice.
Thank you, Kay! Great idea to add broccoli; that sounds delicious!
So easy and so delicious!!!! We really enjoyed this. Definitely adding it to the rotation.
Thank you, Nancy. I am flattered to make it onto your rotation!
I loved it! If you want to serve a little salad or slaw with it, what would you suggest?
I am so glad you liked it, Jane! I usually serve this with rice, but a salad would also be yummy! I have quite a few salad recipes I’d love for you to browse and see if one sticks out. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a simple house-style salad or a lightly dressed cabbage slaw. You’ll have to come back and let me know what you went with!
This is a delicious easy dinner! Definitely a keeper!
So glad you liked it!
Is there a certain brand of red curry paste that you recommend?
Hi Brandi! Most of the time, I use Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste. When you make this, I’d love to get your feedback on it!