How To Make Thai Curry Paste

Toss a few ingredients in the blender, and you’ll have a freezer-friendly Thai curry sauce that lasts for months. A single tablespoon makes sauces creamier and boosts flavor without adding a ton of carbs!

I like making all the basic ingredients I cook with instead of buying ready-made. I never buy ketchup, BBQ sauce or mayonnaise because I want to have full control over what I eat. Most store-bought products don't contain just sugar, but also preservatives and additives that are best avoided.

I've been making my own curry paste for over two years and always have some in the freezer, ready to be used in Asian keto recipes. It adds an amazing taste and even creams up sauces so you won't have to use a thickener.

This homemade curry paste will spice up any dishes, including simple side dishes like cauli-rice, skillet meals, keto recipes for the slow cooker and quick curries.

Step-by-step

1. Peel and roughly chop the shallots, garlic, ginger and turmeric root. Zest and juice the lime. Remove the outer woody lemongrass stalk, 1-2 layers as needed - only use the soft bulb inside. (Note: You can find fresh turmeric root in Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.)

   

2. Place the coriander seeds, peppercorns and cumin seeds in a hot pan and dry-roast briefly for just 30-60 seconds. Cut the stems off the chilies and remove the seeds (or keep some if you prefer your curry paste extra hot).

   

3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

   

4. Place the paste in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.

   

5. Freeze any remaining curry paste in an ice-cube tray for up to 3 months.

   

Recipe

How To Make Thai Curry Paste

★★★★★4.7 (146 ratings)

Toss a few ingredients in the blender, and you’ll have a freezer-friendly Thai curry sauce that lasts for ...

Hands on

10m

Overall

10m

Servings

31

2.1 g

Net carbs

0.4 g

Protein

0.1 g

Fat

12

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings31 servings62 servings93 servings124 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes about 1 ¹/₂ cups

• Curry paste:
• 3 medium shallots or brown onion (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
• 2 heads garlic, about 16 cloves (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• ¹/₃ cup sliced ginger root (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
• 2 tbsp fresh turmeric root (12 g/ 0.4 oz) - see notes below
• juice and zest from 1 lime
• 2 lemongrass stalks, peeled
• 10-20 green or red Thai chilies, deseeded (40 g/ 1.4 oz) - size varies
• 2 tbsp fish sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¹/₄ - ¹/₂ cup fresh cilantro
• Spices for toasting:
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns, white or mixed

Instructions

1. Peel and roughly chop the shallots, garlic, ginger and turmeric root. Zest and juice the lime. Remove the outer woody lemongrass stalk, 1-2 layers as needed - only use the soft bulb inside. (Note: You can find fresh turmeric root in Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.)

2. Place the coriander seeds, peppercorns and cumin seeds in a hot pan and dry-roast briefly for just 30-60 seconds. Cut the stems off the chilies and remove the seeds (or keep some if you prefer your curry paste extra hot).

3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

4. Place the paste in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.

5. Freeze any remaining curry paste in an ice-cube tray for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

Carbs 76%Protein 16%Fat 8% of calories

Net carbs

2.1 g

Total carbs

2.6 g

Fiber

0.5 g

Sugars

0.6 g

Protein

0.4 g

Fat

0.1 g

Saturated fat

0 g

Calories

12 kcal

Sodium

167 mg · 7.26% RDA

Magnesium

7 mg · 1.77% RDA

Potassium

63 mg · 3.15% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Shallot, fresh	0.7 g	0.1 g	0 g	3
Garlic, fresh	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Ginger root, fresh	0.4 g	0 g	0 g	2
Turmeric, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lime juice, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lime zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lemongrass, fresh	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1
Peppers, chile (chili), fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Fish sauce	0 g	0.1 g	0 g	0
Cinnamon, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Coriander (cilantro), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Spices, coriander seed	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Cumin, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	2.1 g	0.4 g	0.1 g	12

Serving size 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan