Curry night just got a whole lot easier (and dare we say, more delicious?). This tested and perfected Thai-style vegetable curry features firm tofu, tender potatoes, and sweet carrots coated in a blender-made creamy coconut yellow curry sauce. Best part? It’s baked! With no stovetop stirring required, just pop it in the oven and let it do its thing. This recipe is vegetarian, and vegan.
A Thai – Style Vegetable Curry I Return to Again and Again
While we love a good Red Thai Eggplant Curry, I can’t move on from this baked vegetable coconut curry recipe.
For a homemade tofu Thai curry, this recipe checks all the boxes. Prep is simple and the long slow bake tenderizes the veggies and concentrates the saucy yellow curry flavors.
Comforting veggies like potatoes and cabbage are infused and coated with a spicy-sweet coconutty sauce that’s ultra silky, rich and flavorful, while the tofu soaks up the sauce as the curry bakes. Baking is a hands off approach to curry that I’m loving.
What emerges from the oven is a fragrant, hearty and satisfying meal I can’t stop thinking about!
This Recipe Is:
- about a spicy 2 1/2 ⭐️
- vegetarian and vegan
- fragrant, sweet-spicy
If you love hearty homemade Thai inspired recipes, you’ll enjoy the flavors of this tasty vegetarian curry recipe.
About the Key Ingredients
For the Yellow Coconut Curry Sauce
- Full Fat Coconut Milk: carries the flavors of the curry and has a naturally sweet coconut flavor. Use full fat (canned) for ultra rich and creamy texture. I tested this recipe using one can verses two cans, and found the additional can of coconut milk offers more richness and curry sauce. Not only does this stretch the recipe further, but when shared with rice, it soaks up the curry sauce.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: both offer authentic, earthy, savory flavor with a bit of spice. Fresh ginger and garlic verses prepared (jarred) offers sharper, spicier and fresher flavor. Stick with fresh.
- Tamari: while not traditional in Thai cooking, it’s a versatile ingredient in vegetarian and vegan cooking since it adds umami flavor (instead of fish sauce). You can substitute soy sauce, but the flavor profile will be saltier and not quite as rich.
- Prepared Yellow Curry Paste: the essential ingredient in yellow curry. It’s made in part with lemongrass, chilis, kaffir lime leaves, and Turmeric which gives it its signature color. Look for vegetarian and vegan yellow curry paste (without shrimp paste). I use Mae Ploy brand.
- I tested this recipe with varying amounts of yellow curry paste, from two to four tablespoons. While two tablespoons reduced the spiciness, the flavor just wasn’t quite as bold as I was after. Four tablespoons made the curry sauce *too* spicy (4 ⭐️ ). So I landed on 3 tablespoons of curry paste which balanced the heat while allowing bold flavors to shine.
- Maple Syrup: adds a touch of sweet and balances spicy notes of curry paste. You can adjust this to taste. While maple syrup is not authentic to Thai cuisine, I use it as a natural sweetener here. You can substitute brown sugar to taste.
For the Curry
- Firm Tofu: plant based and delicious, tofu carries the flavors of the sauce or marinade it’s accompanied with. In this recipe, tofu soaks up the yellow curry sauce. For a firmer tofu texture, you can substitute extra firm tofu.
- Yellow Potatoes: use Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn or yellow baby potatoes here. They keep their shape as they bake, and have a creamy texture.
- I tested this recipe with chunkier cut potatoes, cut about one inch thick, in keeping with the large cut cabbage, but the potatoes took much longer to bake (well over an hour). So I cut them smaller to keep the overall bake time down.
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How to Make Veggie Yellow Curry with Tofu
step by step
Making yellow curry sauce in the blender not only makes this recipe a snap to pull together, but also, breaks down the aromatics and distributes them evenly in the sauce mixture.
Tofu Thai-style curry is a rich blend of complex flavors—ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chilis, and lemongrass. Luxurious and smooth, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and spice. The ultimate comfort food!
Traci’s Tips
- Press Your Tofu: in all my Vegetarian Tofu Recipes, I press the tofu to remove excess water. Pressing tofu makes way for sauce or marinade to infuse it’s spongy texture.
- Tear the Tofu: instead of slicing. Those craggy edges help hold on to the sauce!
- Adjust the Spicy: this recipe is about a spicy 2 1/2 ⭐️ using Mae Ploy yellow curry paste. Prepared yellow curry paste brands vary in their spice levels. To reduce the spicy, you can reduce the curry paste, but not too much (1/2 tablespoon) since it will change the overall character of the dish.
- Make Ahead: this is an ideal vegetarian curry recipe to make ahead. While it hangs out in the refrigerator, the flavors develop further. It reheats easily too!
Baked Vegetable Coconut Curry with Tofu
Servings:5 Servings
Calories:548kcal
Curry night just got a whole lot easier (and dare we say, more delicious?). This tested and perfected Thai-style vegetable curry is made with firm tofu, tender potatoes, and sweet carrots coated in a blender-made creamy coconut yellow curry sauce. Best part? It's baked! With no stovetop stirring required, just pop it in the oven and let it do its thing. Share with white rice or try my easy Brown Jasmine Rice and optional toasted cashews for a hearty, spicy 2 1/2 ⭐️ meal. This recipe is vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces (397 grams) Firm Tofu one block, pressed 15-20 minutes and drained*
For the Sauce:
- 2, 13 1/2 ounces ea (403 grams ea) Cans Coconut Milk full fat
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1 1/2 inch (15 grams) Knob of Fresh Ginger
- 5 (16 grams) Cloves of Garlic medium, peeled
- 1 tablespoon Tamari
- 3 tablespoons Yellow Curry Paste start with 2 1/2 tablespoons for less heat and adjust to taste.
- 1/4 Lime juiced, plus more for serving
- 2-4 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup or brown sugar, adjust to taste
For the Curry
- 1 1/4 pound (600 grams) Green Cabbage base of the stem removed, cut into four wedges
- 14 ounces (400 grams) Yellow Potatoes like Yukon Gold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, about 3 medium potatoes
- 8 ounces (220 grams) Orange Carrots peeled, cut into 2 inch segments, and sliced lengthwise, about 3 carrots
Share With (optional)
- Jasmine Rice, Toasted Cashews**, Lime Wedges, Cilantro or Thai Basil
Instructions
Get Ready
- Grease a 9×13 inch (3 quart / 2.8 liter) baking dish with coconut oil or pan spray. Set aside. Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 Fahrenheit (204 Celsius).
Make the Sauce
- To a high speed blender (I use Vitamix), add the coconut milk, broth, ginger, garlic, Tamari, yellow curry paste, lime juice and maple syrup. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for sweetness/spicy adjustment. Set aside.
For the Curry
- To the baker, arrange the cabbage wedges down the center. Arrange the potatoes on the outer edges of the baker, then the carrots in the center around the cabbage. Tear the tofu into chunky bite size pieces. Arrange the tofu around the vegetables.
- Pour the sauce over the veggies making sure everything gets some sauce poured over it. The baker will be full and some veggies will be poking out of the sauce (that's okay). Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender. There will be some caramelization on the veggies and the sauce reduced slightly. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
To Serve
- Spoon into bowls over Jasmine rice and share with your choice of lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil and toasted cashews**.
To Store
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat covered in a 375 Fahrenheit oven for about 15-20 minutes. To freeze, cool completely then store in a freezer container for up to two weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Notes
*To press tofu, use a tea towel and place it under and on top of the tofu. Set it on a plate. Place something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet to press the water out. We don’t want it too heavy or it will squash the tofu. Move the tea towel a few times to a dryer area of the towel so it can absorb more water.
**Toasted Cashews: in a small pan, place 3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews (112 grams) in the 400F oven with the curry during the last 8 -10 minutes of baking. The cashews are done when they’re lightly golden and fragrant. Cool, rough chop. Share on the table.
This recipe is inspired by Epicurious Coconut Cabbage and Tofu.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 1100mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 8889IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 234mg | Iron: 8mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!
followed the recipe to a T its lacking depth of flavor sauce was a little runny as well.
This was so good and so easy, I am going to make it again with the other half of the cabbage! I’m always happy when I can bake something, rather than make it on the stove.
Hi Maggie! Thank you for your note and giving the curry a go. Hooray for a second round!