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This 20-Minute Thai-Inspired Coconut Shrimp Curry is what weeknight dreams are made of! A true one-pan dinner that’s almost entirely hands-off yet packed with flavor. I know this dinner is going to make it into your weekly rotation.
Y’all, I mean it when I say this is a one-pan wonder. In just 20 minutes, you’ll have a perfectly balanced dinner ready to serve. And if that wasn’t already exciting, this meal is almost entirely hands-off—no sautéing, no pre-cooking, just layer, pour, and let the heat do the work. If you can chop vegetables, you can make this dish!
Now, let’s get into the flavor. The sauce is truly the star. Coconut milk, red curry paste, tamari, lime, garlic, and a touch of coconut sugar blend into something that tastes like it simmered for hours but takes about 2 minutes to make.
You might be thinking, “Are you sure this is going to cook correctly? Even the frozen rice?” And yes, I am sure! The trick here is layering everything cold into the pan and letting it all steam together at once—the shrimp poach gently in the sauce and stay incredibly tender. No rubbery shrimp! And the frozen rice steams right alongside it all, soaking up all of that incredible sauce.
Ingredients:
- Coconut Sugar
- Unsweetened Full-Fat Coconut Milk
- Thai Red Curry Paste
- Tamari
- Lime Zest and Juice
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Frozen Brown or White Rice
- Matchstick Carrots
- Green Onions
- Red Pepper
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves
Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step One: Make the Sauce
In a high-speed blender or wide mouth jar with an immersion blender, combine the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Step Two: Layer Your Ingredients
In a large, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid or 3.5-quart braiser, layer the frozen rice, then the carrots, the white parts of the green onion, red bell pepper, and shrimp. Sprinkle the top with salt and pour the sauce over the top of the shrimp, trying to coat all of the shrimp in the sauce.
Step Three: Cook the Skillet
Place over medium-high heat, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Try not to peek! This will allow the shrimp to poach/steam. Uncover and give it a stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the veggies and rice are tender, about 4 more minutes.
Step Four: Garnish and Serve
Remove from heat and give one last gentle stir to combine. Top with the green parts of the green onion and cilantro. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ:
YES! Y’all this method is a great way to put a frozen bag of microwave rice to use. One of my team members tried this one and could not believe how well it cooked!
Red curry paste is the shortcut ingredient that makes this taste restaurant-quality without any effort and adds a medium to hot spice to your dish. Thai Kitchen and Maesri are both great brands to look for.
While I think the coconut milk helps mellow this dish, if you are serving extra-sensitive palates, I would go down to 1 tablespoon of red curry paste or even sub in yellow curry paste which tends to be a bit milder. You can always add some sriracha or rep pepper flakes to yours when serving if you miss the spice!
I cannot wait for y’all to try this one! I hope this dinner brings a little less stress and a lot lmore flavor to your weeknight dinner. Comment below once you try it!
For more recipes using red curry paste:
Thai-Inspired Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Chicken and Veggies
Thai-Inspired Red Curry Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
20-Minute Thai-Inspired Coconut Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- Zest of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Skillet:
- One 10-ounce bag frozen brown or white rice
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces, white and green parts divided
- 1 small red bell pepper, core removed and thinly sliced
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- In a high-speed blender or wide mouth jar with an immersion blender, combine the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the Skillet:
- In a large, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid or 3.5-quart braiser, layer the frozen rice, then the carrots, the white parts of the green onion, red bell pepper, and shrimp. Sprinkle the top with salt and pour the sauce over the top of the shrimp, trying to coat all of the shrimp in the sauce.
- Place over medium-high heat, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Try not to peek! This will allow the shrimp to poach/steam. Uncover and give it a stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the veggies and rice are tender, about 4 more minutes.
Garnish and Serve:
- Remove from heat and give one last gentle stir to combine. Top with the green parts of the green onion and cilantro. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
