Making your own Thai green curry paste from scratch may seem a little bit intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. This easy blender version will have you with scratch made curry paste in under 10 minutes.
Thai green curry paste is the flavor bomb that's present in the most addictive curries and the most nourishing soups. It's full of vibrant flavor from the lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro. This version is not authentic. It's more of a shortcut version that is still so full of flavor and freshness that it will be a store bought jar every day of the week.
Thai Green Curry Paste
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Homemade Thai curry pastes will change your life. It's really just that simple. It may feel mildly intimidating to make your own curry paste, but it's really not. Once we break it down step by step, you'll be so ready to make not just one of these curry pastes but all three... in only 20 minutes. Seriously.
Here's the deal with Thai curry pastes. They all begin the same way. Garlic, shallots, ginger, and lemongrass. And just like that, you're already halfway there. Now, this is the genius part about how you are going to effortlessly make 3!!!! curry pastes in 20 minutes.
How to make 3 homemade Thai curry paste(s) in 20 minutes?
- Prepare all the garlic, shallots, lemongrass and ginger now. Like all at the same time. I promise once you've peeled all those garlic cloves you're pretty much done.
- The rest of the process is just adding things to the food processor and blending. And no. Don't wash the food processor out after each curry. Just go in this order: green, yellow, red.
*Note I updated this recipe so that each curry paste had their own dedicated post so that you could make the most of the tips and trick for each curry paste recipe.
- Thai Yellow Curry Paste Recipe
- Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe
What's the difference between Thai yellow, red and green curry Paste?
Thai yellow curry: A mellow, sweet and mild curry paste based on turmeric and curry powder blended with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and dried chilies. Usually the mildest of the three curries. It has an almost perfume quality from the kaffir lime leaves. But it does still bring some heat. This is the Thai version of Indian yellow curry.
Thai Red Curry: The red curry is similar to the green but it gets the color from dried red chilies. A lot of chefs choose to use chili powder because it enhances the color and gives the paste a richer flavor. I used a mix of chili powder and some dried red chilies.
Thai green curry: Thought by Westerners to be the mildest curry, it's frequently the hottest curry in Thailand. Its bright green is due to the bunches of cilantro and basil added to the mix, as well as the use of green chilies and lime leaves. I also still add a small red bird's eye, just to make sure that I get that kick.
Thai Green Curry Step By Step
- Peel the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and add them to a food processor.
- Decide how spicy you want your curry paste to be and add your chilies accordingly. See recipe notes on this.
- Add all the greens and spices and blend until a chunky paste forms. I prefer a paste with more texture. If you like it smoother, you can keep blending until the desired consistency.
- Use what you need and freeze the remaining paste for later use.
How are Thai Red, Yellow, and Green Curry Paste similar?
For all these curries I also used a mix of coriander and cumin seeds. The fragrance coming off of these pastes will get you so excited to be making your own curry pastes! From Scratch! You will never turn back to store-bought pastes again. Once you experience the depth and flavor of all of these pastes, and the control that you have to add more heat, less lime, whatever. You are in control of your curry paste destiny. Be bold.
Most traditional curry paste recipes will call for the use of a pestle and mortar and beat the ingredients into a paste. These recipes don't require that at all. Just toss everything in a food processor and blend. Because life's busy enough that you don't need to be pounding it out.
Now that you're a Thai curry paste expert you can your freezer will be full of meal prep solutions and your hearts will be full of dreams of Thai curry noodles. ♥
Recipes to use your curry paste
Tools used to make this Thai Green Curry Paste
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Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 shallot
- 4- inch piece ginger
- 1 bunch cilantro
- ½ bunch basil
- 3 green chilies
- 1 red bird’s eye chili
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 Tablespoons palm sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- juice and zest from 2 limes
- 2 Tablespoons water if needed
Instructions
- Peel the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and add them to a food processor.
- Decide how spicy you want your curry paste to be and add your chilies accordingly. See recipe notes on this.
- Add all the greens and spices and blend until a chunky paste forms. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary to get the desired consistency.
Sonja says
When you say 'a bunch of coriander', how much does this mean? Like the whole bunch from the supermarket, or just a 'bunch' of stalks? and same with a 'bunch of basil' 🙂
Thanks
Debs says
Hi Sonja. It's a whole bunch from the supermarket. This usually works out to be about 28-30g of herbs. Because they all get tossed in the food processor, there's no need to separate stalks from the leaf. Just blend it all together. Just make sure you give the herbs a wash if they haven't been.
Manila Spoon says
I am such a huge curry fan so I love using fresh curry paste when I can especially when I make Asian soup! Yours look so tasty and surely would liven up any dish!!
Sandi says
These all look crazy good! My family (even my picky kid) love Thai food so these easy sauces are perfect!
Kankana says
I a sucker for Thai food and often make these chutneys at home. Love the lemon grass flavor, so refreshing. I will try your version next time. Very useful post this is .
Debs says
Thanks so much Kankana! That means a lot when people find the posts useful! I bet your chutneys are absolutely out of this world!