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Home » Recipes » Asian-inspired

Published: Jun 16, 2022 · Updated: Nov 13, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links

Vegan Massaman Curry

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Massaman curry can be made from scratch using simple and easy-to-find ingredients. Flavourful, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and extremely delicious, our vegan Massaman Curry has become a favorite at home.

Vegan Massaman Curry

We traveled around Thailand for a month, and we found this lovely massaman curry on a tiny island called Koh Lipe. After trying that dish, we couldn't order anything else but that curry. They served it with vegan protein and it was absolutely delicious. We always joke about going back to Koh Lipe just for that curry, even if we have to travel halfway around the world.

We decided to master this recipe and now it has become a family favorite. When we have people over, this is a dish we love cooking from scratch, including the massaman paste. It's creamy, rich, and not too spicy.

What is Massaman Curry?

Massaman Curry is a Thai curry that differs quite a bit from the rest of Thai curries by the inclusion of a variety of whole spices such as cardamom, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, star anise, or cinnamon. The Massaman curry paste is cooked with coconut milk and a selection of veggies and potatoes.

This curry is normally mild and really flavourful. One special thing about this Thai Curry is the peanuts added to the dish. You can add the peanuts at different points whether is while making the curry paste, while cooking the curry or before serving, as long as you have in mind that peanuts are a must for your Massaman curry recipe.

Potato Massaman Curry

Our Massaman Curry is:

  • Vegan
  • Thai-style dish
  • Made from scratch using homemade curry paste
  • Gluten-free if you use tamari instead of soy sauce
  • Mild
  • Flavourful
Massaman Curry

What makes our recipe unique?

We cook our Massaman curry from scratch to make sure we add the spice level we want, the whole spices we love, and no fish products such as fish sauce or prawn paste. Our curry paste is vegan, oil-free and gluten-free.

If making homemade curry paste seems like too much for you, you can jump straight to the curry recipe part and skip the paste-making process. You can use already store-bought Massaman curry paste or red curry paste.

Vegan Massaman with Tofu

Vegan Massaman Curry Paste from scratch

Making the paste from scratch does take a bit longer but every minute invested in making this, it's definitely worth it.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CURRY PASTE

  • Aromatics. To make our massaman paste we use a few aromatics slightly toasted or roasted as they release more flavour. This list includes lemongrass stalks, shallots, galangal, garlic and dried red chillis. The part of the lemongrass stalks you need is the bottom part which contains most of the flavour. If you cannot find galangal, feel free to use ginger instead.
  • Whole Spices. Cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cardamon pods. We slightly toast these spices too, before adding them into the paste.
  • Ground Spices. We add turmeric, nutmeg, white pepper and salt.
  • Miso paste. We know! Miso paste is Japanese, so why are we using it in a Thai curry? Well, we tried different ingredients to substitute the prawn paste that goes in curry pastes. After different tries, we found out that miso adds the perfect saltiness and flavour that we were looking for!

Step by Step Method

To make the curry paste, you can use a food processor (make sure you are making a big enough batch, otherwise it won't work), a mortar and pestle or a hand blender.

We use the small food processor of our hand blender, you can find it on amazon. It works amazingly when making curry paste, pesto, or other dips and sauces.

  1. Toast your whole spices for a couple of minutes, at a medium heat, making sure you are not burning them.
  2. Keep the shallots and garlic unpeeled and finely slice the lemongrass and galangal. Remove the seeds from the dry chillis for a mild curry. Roast your aromatics until they start to brown.You will need to remove the dry chillis before the rest of the ingredients as they burn easily.
  3. Peel the shallots and garlic and add all the ingredients into the blender: whole spices, aromatics, ground spices and miso paste.
  4. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Our recipe makes enough curry paste for 4 servings. If you need more or less, you can adjust the recipe ingredients or freeze the rest of the batch for another day.

It can be frozen and it will last for months in the freezer or you can keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Massaman Paste

How to make Massaman Curry Sauce

Ingredients for Vegetarian Massaman Curry

  • Massaman paste. If you are making your paste from scratch, follow the steps above. Otherwise, simply get your vegan store-bought paste ready!
  • Protein. We use tofu for our main protein. We like pan-frying the tofu before but you can add the tofu into the curry raw and let it cook with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Coconut milk. One ingredient that you will need to make most of the Thai curries is coconut milk and Massaman is one of them.
  • Potatoes and carrots. As much as we like colorful veggies, we like to keep our Massaman recipe simple, this is why we only add parboiled potatoes and carrots.
  • Whole spices. We like adding cinnamon, star anise and cloves when simmering the curry.
  • Soy sauce or tamari
  • Sugar (optional)
  • Crushed peanuts and coriander to top your curry before serving.
Massaman Curry Ingredients

Step by Step Method

  1. Add some coconut milk to a pot or wok with the massaman paste to medium heat.
  2. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
  3. Add parboiled potatoes, carrots, the rest of the coconut milk, and spices. Add water or stock and bring to a simmer.
  4. Finally, add tofu, soy sauce, and sugar and keep cooking for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Serve with crushed peanuts and fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Vegan Massaman Curry

Serving Suggestions

Massaman Curry is best served with steamed jasmine rice. You can adjust our recipe and make it with more coconut milk, water, or stock for a more brothy curry, or reduce the amount of water or stock for a creamier meal.

Before serving, we like adding crushed peanuts, freshly chopped cilantro, and chili flakes to the dish. If you enjoy your food spicy, add some sriracha as well!

If you manage to have some leftovers (which we never do), keep them in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.

Thai Curry

FAQ and Tips

  • Are store-bought curry pastes vegan? Depends. Brands like Aroy-D are vegan but some other brands contain prawn paste. The only way to make sure is by reading the list of ingredients before buying it.
  • Where can I find vegan Massaman paste? You should be able to find a vegan option in a local Asian supermarket or online (amazon).
  • Is Massaman Curry spicy? Curry Massaman is milder than red or green curry but it has a bit of a spice to it. Our recipe contains two dry chillis (deseeded) which makes this dish quite mild. You can add more chillis for a spicier curry or skip this ingredient for a non-spicy massaman recipe.
  • You can keep the leftovers in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
  • If you want to prepare this dish ahead of time, you can leave the curry paste cooked and frozen. It will save you time when you want to prepare the meal!
Vegan Massaman Curry
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4.90 from 28 votes

Vegan Massaman Curry with Tofu

Flavourful, slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and extremely delicious, our vegan Massaman Curry has become a favorite at home.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: curry, dairy-free, massaman, thaifood, Tofu, Vegan
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 448kcal

Ingredients

Massaman Curry Paste

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • Seeds of 2 cardamom pods
  • 3 shallots roughly chopped
  • 2 lemongrass stalks thinly sliced
  • 1 thumb-piece galangal sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 dried chillis deseeded
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon miso paste

Massaman Curry

  • 4 tablespoon massaman curry paste
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 350 ml stock or water
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free option
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 big potatoes around 500 g
  • 2 star anise
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 250 gr tofu
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts
  • A handful fresh cilantro
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Curry Paste

  • Toast your whole spices for a couple of minutes, at medium heat.
  • Keep the shallots and garlic unpeeled and finely slice the lemongrass and galangal. Remove the seeds from the dry chillis for a mild curry. Using the grill of your oven or a pan, roast the aromatics until they start to brown. You will need to remove the dry chillis before the rest of the ingredients as they burn easily.
  • Peel the shallots and garlic and add all the ingredients into a blender: whole toasted spices, roasted aromatics, ground spices, and miso paste.
  • Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Massaman Curry

  • Before starting to cook the massaman, parboil the potatoes for 3-4 minutes in boiling water, drain the water and reserve for later.
  • (optional) Add some oil in a pan and panfry the tofu. Set aside. If you choose to add the tofu directly to the curry, add it during the first step when adding the massaman paste.
  • Add some of the coconut milk to a pot or wok with the massaman paste to medium heat. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. (if you choose to not cook the tofu beforehand, add it now).
  • Add the parboiled potatoes, carrots, the rest of the coconut milk, and spices.
  • Add water or stock and bring to a simmer. Finally, add tofu, soy sauce, and sugar and keep cooking for 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat. Serve with crushed peanuts and fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1323mg | Potassium: 964mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5364IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 6mg
If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations! 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara says

    May 27, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    Never considered making curry paste. Sounds super easy! Definitely gonna try this one. Looks delicious?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      May 29, 2020 at 10:49 am

      It is indeed! You need to try 🙂

      Reply
  2. haniel says

    November 09, 2020 at 6:16 am

    no mention of peanuts in list of ingredients that i can see. or am i just not seeing it?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      November 10, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Hello Haniel, we did not add the peanuts as an ingredient, simply added them in the instructions part. Thanks for letting us know, it's fixed now! Enjoy the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  3. haniel says

    November 09, 2020 at 6:18 am

    how rude of me! i hit send before i thanked you for the recipes! will definitely try them out. and figure out the peanuts... 🙂 Thank you again! Looks super.

    Reply
  4. Nora says

    May 10, 2021 at 11:05 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious and very easy to make; better than my local Thai restaurant. I really like the idea of making the paste. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      May 15, 2021 at 1:00 pm

      Thank you Nora! We are happy you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Dixie Burns says

    July 03, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much Truly Scrumptious 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura says

      July 08, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Kelly Marie says

    March 15, 2022 at 11:40 am

    Your link to store bought massaman recommends a non vegan kind. I ordered without looking at ingredients because your link recommended it and Once I received it yesterday, I saw that it contains shrimp. May want to change your recommendation link to an actual vegan massaman since that’s what this recipe is, vegan.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 18, 2022 at 1:19 pm

      Hi Kelly so sorry to hear that. Our link recommends the Aroy Massaman paste which is vegan, maybe because it wasn't available from where you were buying it, amazon suggested a similar product, but the one on our page is 100% vegan.

      Reply
  7. Ann says

    April 02, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    The curry paste recipe looks like it makes more than 4 Tbsp. How many batches of curry does one batch of paste make?

    Reply
    • Laura says

      April 06, 2022 at 9:01 am

      Hi Ann, depends on the size of the shallots you are using. If you have some leftover curry paste, you can freeze it and keep if for the next time!

      Reply
  8. Jessica says

    June 15, 2022 at 11:48 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe!

    I have made many many massaman curries and they always taste a bit different but this one really had a lovely unique flavor that was very enjoyable and distinct.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      June 16, 2022 at 7:28 pm

      Thank you Jessica!

      Reply
  9. Megan says

    June 22, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    5 stars
    We love a good massaman here and this is our go-to dinner for meat-free Mondays. You have so many great recipes and this is one of our faves. Thanks guys!

    Reply
  10. Leslie says

    June 23, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    5 stars
    This is exactly how I like my curry, not too spicy, but flavorful. It's the perfect combination!

    Reply
  11. Amanda Mason says

    June 23, 2022 at 10:55 pm

    5 stars
    I know this is a vegan recipe, but I added some chicken. So good!! I served it with naan bread and rice and oh wow...so good! I'll be making this on the regular!!

    Reply
  12. Natalie says

    June 24, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious curry recipe! As a big curry fan, I must say this is one of the best versions I tried, thanks!

    Reply
  13. Kate says

    June 24, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    5 stars
    I have never made curry paste from scratch before but the step by step instructions and tips made it easy. I like that it wasn't overly spicy so my kids could enjoy it too, thank you!

    Reply
  14. Jessica says

    June 24, 2022 at 11:56 pm

    5 stars
    This curry really hit the spot! It was flavorful but not too spicy, comforting, and delicious. I will be making this again soon.

    Reply
  15. Jenny says

    June 25, 2022 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for this lovely Massaman curry recipe. I can’t wait to try it. Cheers!

    Reply
  16. Marie says

    June 26, 2022 at 11:46 am

    5 stars
    This curry is so incredibly flavorful, yet easy to prepare! I had no choice but to give this recipe a try after seeing your mouthwatering photos. Gorgeous!

    Reply
  17. Tristin says

    June 26, 2022 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    How dreamy that you got to travel Thailand for a month! Since you experienced it first hand, I had to make this curry recipe. YUM! Will definitely be again!

    Reply
  18. Moop Brown says

    June 27, 2022 at 7:12 am

    5 stars
    This curry looks super flavorful and tasty and I like the addition of the tofu as well for extra protein.

    Reply
  19. Lisa says

    February 12, 2023 at 8:43 pm

    My go-to massaman curry! Quick, simple and so so good. I love the flavors and that it has tofu in it. I use a store-bought curry paste but I bet it’s even more delicious with the homemade one.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      February 13, 2023 at 5:25 am

      Thank you Lisa, you need to try the homemade paste next! 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to Six Hungry Feet! We are Astra, Laura, Luca, and Lena, a family of foodies. Through our food blog, Six Hungry Feet, we want to inspire you to cook delicious and nutritious vegetarian and vegan meals at home that the whole family will love.  More about us →

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