Instant Pot Thai Curry Recipe

Vegetarian Thai Panang Curry over rice in a white bowl

5 from 9 votes

Instant Pot Thai Curry Recipe

Instant Pot Curry is a fast vegetarian meal with chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a spicy, creamy coconut-peanut sauce. Use the pot-in-pot method to cook rice at the same time for a one-pot meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Natural Release10

Total Time24

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: curry, easy Thai recipe, instant pot, Instant Pot curry, vegetarian meal

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $7.00

Equipment

6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker
Pressure cooker-safe metal trivet and bowl

Ingredients

Panang Curry

1 14 ounce can unsweetened regular coconut milk (not light)
3 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste (see note)
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 14 ounce cans chickpeas / garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I prefer Bush’s or Goya brand)
12 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Pot-in-Pot Rice

1 1/2 cups long grain rice (Jasmine or Basmati rice work really well with this method)
1 1/2 cups water

To Finish the Panang Curry

1 1/2 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter (see note)
2 teaspoons fish sauce (sub soy sauce for a vegetarian, non-fish version)
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

In the bowl of the Instant Pot, combine all of the ingredients for Panang Curry - unsweetened coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes. (Note: If you don't want to add the pot-in-pot rice, skip ahead to Step #5.)
Top the curry with a 2” rack then with a 7-cup glass bowl. (Be sure that both the rack and bowl are approved for use in the Instant Pot.)
Rinse the rice well.
Fill the bowl with rice and 1 ½ cups water.
Close and lock the lid.
Set the steam valve to Sealing.
Cook on manual / high pressure for 6 minutes.
When done cooking, leave the machine on Warming (most machines automatically revert to this after cooking). Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. (Tip: I like to set a kitchen timer so that I don’t get distracted and forget.)
Manually release any remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the bowl of rice and rack and set aside, covered, to keep warm.
To the curry, stir in peanut butter, fish sauce, and lime juice. (Note: Stir gently - the sweet potatoes will be very tender.)
Taste sauce. If you’d like it to be spicier, stir in some more curry paste or some hot sauce.
Serve curry over rice. Top with roasted peanuts and cilantro.

Notes

Optional Pot-in-Pot Rice - Feel free to skip the pot-in-pot rice here. Just skip over the steps to add the trivet, bowl, and rice. Follow all other directions (including cook time) as written.

Curry Paste - American brands of curry paste like “Thai Kitchen” are typically less spicy than Thai brands that you might find at the international / Asian grocery store. I find that 3 Tbsp of Thai Kitchen brand curry paste is hardly spicy, and 3 Tablespoons of a Thai brand is about right for me, but I have a pretty good tolerance for spice. Feel free to adjust this amount. You can start always start with 1-2 Tablespoons and stir more in, to taste, after cooking.

Peanut Butter - I prefer unsweetened “natural” peanut butter for this, but you can use a sweetened brand for this as well. Start with about 1 Tablespoon of the sweetened variety and add more to taste after the dish is done cooking.

Nutrition