This 30-minute Thai beef curry recipe features tender slices of steak and a medley of vegetables swimming in a fragrant red curry sauce. Everything gets cooked in the same skillet for layers upon layers of flavor — and fewer dirty dishes!
Making restaurant-quality Thai red curry at home requires just one skillet, a handful of basic ingredients, and 30 minutes of your time. Seriously, that’s it!
The red curry sauce is just spicy enough to let you know that, hey, I’m eating curry, but the heat level is still family-friendly.
This is an easy recipe to customize using whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Bell peppers, onion, and green beans are my go-to’s when I want crisp-tender perfection, but use what you have!
Heidi’s Tips for Success
- I’ve tested this recipe with a few different cuts of beef, and top sirloin steak is the winner. It’s got a bit more marbling than standard sirloin, which translates to big beef flavor and lots of moisture.
- Some curry pastes pack in more heat than others. We thought 1 tablespoon was the perfect amount for a nice kick of heat, but you can add more or less depending on how spicy you like your curry.
- The peppers and onions stir-fry quickly, so have a plate nearby to whisk them off the stove as soon as they’re crisp-tender. You want to maintain some texture to avoid a mushy curry.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Top sirloin steak — Remains more tender and juicy than regular sirloin steak, but you can use the two interchangeably in this recipe.
- Coconut milk — Choose a full-fat, canned variety for maximum creaminess.
- Lime juice — A little acidity wakes up the curry and balances out the rich coconut milk.
- Fish sauce — Is full of salty, pungent, umami flavor. It will not make your curry taste like fish. This is the secret ingredient that will make your homemade Thai beef curry taste like it came from a restaurant.
- Brown sugar — Some sweetness is key to rounding out the flavors of the sauce.
- Red curry paste — Some Thai curry pastes are spicier than others, so start with 1 tablespoon as instructed and add more if needed.
- Canola oil — Has a high smoke point, which is important when stir-frying. Feel free to replace with coconut oil.
- Vegetables — I used thinly sliced onion, bell pepper, and green beans, but use your favorites.
- Thai basil + peanuts — The perfect garnishes for an authentic tasting red beef curry. Thai basil is the slightly spicy cousin to Italian basil; you can use both in this recipe, but Thai basil is best.
How to Make Thai Beef Curry
- Stir-fry the vegetables. You want the skillet to be nice and hot before you add the oil and vegetables. If you sliced the onion and peppers thinly, they should only need about 3 minutes to reach that perfect crisp-tender stage. Remove them to a plate to prevent them from cooking further.
- Make the curry sauce. Cook the red curry paste in a little oil to release some of its flavors and wake up all those spices. Once you stir in the coconut milk, lime, brown sugar, and fish sauce, the mixture needs to simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken up.
- Cook the beef. Return the veggies to the skillet, then add the raw steak. The sliced steak will cook in about 2 minutes, so don’t walk away from the stove!
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle a generous amount of Thai basil and chopped peanuts over the beef curry before digging in.
FAQs
If you have a little extra time on your hands, try adding cubed butternut squash or sweet potato instead of green beans for a sweet and spicy flavor. Both should be simmered with the curry sauce until tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).
Otherwise, you could stir-fry any combination of broccoli, bok choy, sugar snap peas, etc.
I bet you could use yellow or green curry paste, if desired. Yellow curry paste is more mild, and green curry paste is milder still.
Storage Tips
Curry is one of the few dishes that gets better with age! Let any leftover beef curry cool before transferring it to an airtight container. It should last up to 5 days in the fridge without issue.
What to Serve With Beef Coconut Curry
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Thai Beef Curry Recipe
One pan, 30 minutes, and a handful of ingredients are all you need to make restaurant-quality Thai red beef curry at home!
Servings 6
Calories 231kcal
Ingredients
- 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- juice of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 4 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut against the grain into thin bite-sized strips
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 cup slivered fresh Thai basil
- sliced fresh red chiles and more lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
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In a small bowl, mix the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil. Add onion, bell pepper, and green beans and stir-fry just until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
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Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the curry paste to the skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk mixture, bring to a gentle boil, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, 5-7 minutes. Return the vegetables to the skillet, stir in the beef, and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the Thai basil and top with peanuts. Serve with lime wedges, white rice, and more Thai basil.
Nutrition
Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1047IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
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