These Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls are quick to throw together and packed with veggies and brown rice noodles. Healthy AND easy.
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Made this tonight with an addition of a red bell pepper. The sauce is nothing short of magical! Thank you for this beautiful dish!
Macie
This this this this thisssss. 😍😍😍
I am eating this Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl for L & D every day right now and I guess you could say it’s going alright.
Alright as in –> creamy coconut curry sauce clinging to brown rice noodles (these are the ones I buy) with bright green asparagus nuggets and crunchy broccoli bites and carrot shreds and basil ribbons and a little pop of purple cabbage, because we’re all about eating the rainbow around here. That is SO MUCH MORE than alright in my spicy noodle loving book.
Does it win your heart over even more if I tell you it takes less than 30 minutes to make?
It’s the truth. Last night I made this for dinner (again) – I started things around 8:30pm, and we had our steaming rainbow bowls of it on the table before 9pm. So just take one of two things from that: a) I’m not lying when I say this is a 30 minute super-quickie little coconut curry noodle bowl meal, and/or b) we are those people who eat dinner at 9pm.
Wait, does anyone even do that?
Just, here, take some chopsticks.
Okay, so what is this exactly?
Probably a good question to ask about many-most-maybe-all of my recipes.
This is a spin off of the Bangkok Curry from Noodles & Co. because fact: I eat at Noodles & Co and I likey. 🍜
It’s also kind of Pad Thai inspired (think this vegetarian Pad Thai wonder) because I’m using those same brown rice Pad Thai type noodles, and apparently this mashup got a jolt of some other influences as well since we’re sprinkling sesame seeds on top and they’re looking like they fit right in.
As with most of my recipes on this blog, this is less of an authentic anything and more of a what-do-I-have-in-the-fridge kind of recipe that turned out to be really delicious to me. And Bjork? What to even say about Bjork. Obsessed, maybe?
As long as there’s five hundred potential ways you could judge me for this post, let’s keep ’em coming. –> I used pre-chopped broccoli, onions, and shredded carrots that I bought in the lazy person section of the produce area in the grocery store. OH YES I DID. It was so slick and easy and wonderful. I got a big ol pile of veggie awesomeness within the constraints of what I felt like I could handle in the five minutes before the hangry-ness reached dangerous levels.
I mean, did you forget that it’s Monday or something?
If you’re a Noodle Friend, aka a Kindred Spirit, aka the Best Kind of Person, you and these Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls have a weeknight date.
Starting, like, right now.
Jellies! Have fun! 💃
How To Make Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls (Video)
Source notes: This recipe was previously titled “Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls” but was updated in August 2021 to better reflect and respect the cultural origins from which this dish came from. This is a Thai-inspired curry bowl that uses red curry paste, coconut milk, fresh aromatics, and herbs, which is traditionally how red Thai curry is made. It is delicious, salty, spicy, fresh, and we hope you love it as much as we do!
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Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These are the best Coconut Curry Noodles Bowls! Homemade (and super easy) coconut curry sauce, rice noodles, lots of fresh veggies, and a pile of herbs on top.
Ingredients
For the Coconut Curry Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 shallots
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (or a paste – I like this stuff)
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 14–ounce can regular coconut milk
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth (optional – see notes)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon hot chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
For the Bowls:
- 4 ounces rice noodles – I use brown rice noodles but they can be hard to find – so I buy these ones
- 1 tablespoon oil
- half an onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped asparagus
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- sesame seeds for topping
- limes for serving
- a handful of fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Noodles: Soak the noodles in a bowl of cold water. Start this right away – they need at least 20 minutes or so of soaking. When they’re soft, drain and rinse.
- Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and ginger; stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the curry paste; stir fry for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, sugar, chili paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes or so while you prep the rest of the ingredients – it should thicken slightly. If you’re adding the broth to make the sauce go farther, you might need a little extra simmer time for the sauce to thicken.
- Vegetables and Assembly: In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion, carrots, broccoli, and asparagus. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the broccoli and asparagus are bright green. Add the noodles and toss around in the pan with the vegetables. Add the sauce and toss together until just combined (if you cook it too long at this point, the noodles might get too sticky). Serve topped with the purple cabbage and sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime or basil leaves if you want.
Equipment
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Buy Now → Notes
If you want more of a saucy, soupy consistency to the curry, add the broth with the coconut milk. Otherwise leave it out – you won’t have as much sauce and it will be more like a velvety, sticky sauce on the noodles (also yummy). The pictures here show the version WITH the broth.
For a vegetarian or vegan version, make sure your curry paste is vegetarian, or make your own, and omit the fish sauce in this recipe or use a vegan alternative (you could make up for the missing saltiness with more soy sauce).
For those who like spice, add more chili paste or anything else you like to get a touch more heat! I would rate this as mild +.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: noodle bowl, curry noodles, vegetarian noodle bowl
Note: This post contains affiliate links for the brown rice noodles. There aren’t many foods I would buy online, but brown rice noodles are one of them! ✔️
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This was delicious, but I should know better than to soak the noodles. That method never works for me for some reason. I prefer to boil them. That said, it still was really good. I added an orange sweet pepper since I had it and a zucchini because asparagus is not in season now. My husband and I both said we wanted a little crunch next time like cashews or water chestnuts., which would make it perfect.
I love this recipe so much! I’ve made it so many times I have it memorized! I use frozen veggies because it’s easy but the sauce is phenomenal! Highly recommend
This recipie is a keeper. I nixed the bowl idea and just made it as a curry noodle dish. The sauce is so delicious.
Love this recipe! Becoming a family favorite with my hubby and kids that range from 14-1 y/o
My relief at realizing this was still an accessible bookmark! Haven’t made this in years and thought of it the other day. Used to be a staple and I always came to your page to go through while making it. It is so good and thank you so much! Excited to prep everything and make it tomorrow!
Delicious flavor! I bought the same noodles as you suggested but was not successful with the cold water soaking. After about 40 minutes still weren’t soft all the way through so ended up cooking the rest of the way in the sauce. Will definitely make again but will probably following the cooking directions on the box for the noodles.
This recipe is a keeper. I had to improvise a little due to not having every single ingredient but it was as good as or better (so fresh) than our favourite Thai restaurant.
Thank you!
This recipe is delicious. I added tofu and will probably add edamame too next time I make it. The recipe was easy to vegan-ize by using a veg fish sauce as well.
I have never left a comment on a food blog before, but this was SOOOOOO good, that I just had to! Thanks for providing delicious, nutritious, inspirational recipes. This one will forever be in my regular rotation.
Delicious!! Although just soaking noodles in cold water didn’t soften them so I dumped boiling water from kettle and soaked for a couple minutes. I really enjoyed the flavors. I didn’t have fish sauce or shallots so I doubled the soy sauce and used a red onion.
We made this and it was delicious!! We used maple syrup instead of sugar and reduced the amount to 1.5 tbsp, and substituted chili paste for chili garlic sauce. We served it with sautéed chicken breast and peppers in addition to the original broccoli and red cabbage. Fantastic and an absolute keeper!
Absolutely Fantastic recipe. I’ve made this so many times and each time it turns out so yummy. My granddaughter found your recipe and I made it for her following the recipe exactly. Everyone loved it! The cabbage adds a wonderful crunch and the dish is just beautiful. I’ve since made it with shrimp, salmon and cubed chicken each time it turns out delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
The best Thai soup I have eat!!!! My family love it
Excellent recipe! I had green curry paste and leftover beef to use up, so I made green curry with beef and used veggies that I had on hand. Modifications below:
– Replaced red curry paste with green curry paste and omitted the sambal since green curry paste is spicier.
– Replaced the shallots in the sauce with fresh garlic (Microplaned with the ginger).
– Replaced sugar with 2 Tbsp. honey.
– Used veggies I had on hand (onion, carrot, green cabbage, bell pepper).
– Added leftover cooked sliced beef to the skillet at the end of the veggie cook time.
– Instead of adding the noodles to the skillet with the veggies, added the soaked and drained noodles to the sauce in the saucepan and gently mixed until almost done, adding water as needed to prevent it from getting dry.
– Gently combined noodle/sauce mix with veggie/beef mix and topped bowls with chopped fresh herbs (cilantro & basil).
This is amazung, what I do is add more broth and serve it as a thai soup, I did for a birthday celebration and it was a winner
10 stars!! Made this for dinner tonight and it’s our new favorite curry. Used the thai wheat noodles from Trader Joe’s (2 pks), and just carrots and asparagus for veg.
THIS IS TASTY!!!! This recipe is fabulous, my whole family loves it. I’ve made this lots of times, and have evolved it on really slim dinner nights to chop any vegetables I have in the fridge and throw in whatever protein I can find in the freezer. Always super tasty, don’t skip the basil!!
This is SO good, flavourful, and easy to make. Will definitely be a regular in the rotation (:
This recipe was a home run! Will be doubling next time for leftovers!!
Loved this dish!!! It was easy and so flavorful. Will definitely be making again 🙂
Probably the tastiest dinner I’ve ever made! Highly recommend this recipe 😍
Quick, easy and absolutely delicious! Made this following the recipe exactly, even found the brown rice noodles. Was thinking it was going to be too spicy but it wasn’t t had the perfect punch. The cabbage, lime, basil and sesame seeds add the perfect crunch, acid and pop. Did add some shrimp to cook with the vegetables at the last couple minutes. This recipe will definitely be added to my “favorites” list. My husband requested I make this again for dinner since there were no leftovers from last night.
Amazing recipe. Easy to make and just delicious! Thank you so much!
Making for the second time tonight! We sub brown rice for the noodles and it worked great. I didn’t have chili oil/paste and it turned out a little too sweet without it, so tonight I’m adding some extra soy sauce and chili flakes. I definitely say double the veggies if more than two of you are eating it, they condense quite a bit
Extra veggies are always a good idea! Thanks for sharing, Hannah!
I made this dish tonight and our family of 4 practically licked the bowls. I made 3 substitutions: I used egg noodles, sriracha instead of sambal Olek and Worcester sauce instead of soy sauce. This will definitely go into regular rotation in our household. Thank you for this recipe!