This Keto Thai Curry with Shrimp is quick, easy, and flavorful. With sauteed vegetables and cauliflower rice, it is a better for you choice than a traditional Pad Thai. Peanut Thai Shrimp will satisfy your takeout craving in no time.
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My husband surprised me with a bag of shrimp the other day. Most wives would probably prefer chocolates or flowers but I was thrilled with a 2-pound bag of frozen shrimp.
There's not like being able to create flavors from my favorite Thai restaurant easily right at home. Cooking keto Thai curry with shrimp is one of my favorite fast and simple recipes to make.
That meant we would not be eating leftovers again for dinner. One of my favorite Thai dishes is Pad Thai. This peanut Thai shrimp mimics the flavors of that classic without the heaviness of all those rice noodles. It is a drier curry than a red curry or green curry with flavors closer to Massaman curry. It is a quick dinner and can be prepared in under thirty minutes.
Ingredients
Peanut butter - I actually prefer crunchy peanut butter in this, but you can use smooth/creamy peanut butter if you'd like.
Soy sauce - Using a low sodium soy sauce is great for cutting out excess sodium. You can also use amino acids.
Rice vinegar - Mixed with a few other ingredients to make the curry sauce.
Water - Adds more liquid for the sauce. You can also use vegetable broth, chicken stock, or chicken broth.
Ground ginger - This is such an awesome flavoring for this dish.
Coconut oil - You can use any type of other but I prefer the added flavor and health benefits of coconut oil.
Onion - I like to use a sweet onion.
Garlic - Add all the garlic!
Shrimp - Deveined can easily be purchased at the store so they're ready to cook as-is.
Sweet pepper - Slice and add for a nice burst of sweetness.
Zucchini - Great for adding more vegetables to this delicious dish.
Mushrooms - I always use fresh mushrooms but in a pinch canned mushrooms work in place of fresh.
Crushed red pepper - This will add a good amount of spice so you can add it or opt to leave it out.
Cilantro, peanuts, lime wedges, thai basil - Optional as they are used for toppings.
How To Make Keto Thai Curry
Step One: Make the sauce. Combine the first five ingredients in a rocket blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can whisk them together in a small bowl.
Step Two: Heat coconut oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onion for 2 min over medium heat until it starts to soften.
Step Three: Add the garlic and pepper. Cook until softened.
Step Four: Move the veggies to the edges of the pan and put the shrimp, zucchini, and mushrooms in the middle. Cook the shrimp until they curl up and turn pink all the way through.
Step Five: Stir in the sauce. If it is too thick you can add a few more ounces of water. If using the crushed red pepper now is the time to add it. If you like spicy food add as much as you want. Taste, as you go, until the sauce has the right heat level.
Variations + Substitutions
Almond butter - Switch out the peanut butter and use almond butter instead.
Coconut milk - If you want to add a richer and creamier taste, you can use a bit of full fat coconut milk in place of the water.
Protein - Instead of shrimp, you can add pork, beef, chicken thighs, or chicken breast. You can easily change up the type of keto Thai curry you make by varying the protein option.
Vegetables - Adding in other vegetables like green beans or shredded cabbage can be a nice crunch!
Common Questions
How do you reheat leftovers?
Just pop the dish in the microwave and warm it up! It's fast and simple and a quick way to have a meal fast when you're running low in time.
How do I know if I overcooked the shrimp?
If the shrimp is chewy and rubbery, you've overcooked it. You have to be really careful when reheating leftovers that you don't overcook the shrimp as well. But don't worry - even if the shrimp is cooked too long, it's still edible!
Can I make this thai dish vegetarian?
Absolutely. Just omit the shrimp from the keto Thai curry, and it's as simple as that!
You can also make a quick and easy Thai inspired stir fry with chicken and broccoli. Or try my keto chicken pad thai!
All you need to do is stir fry some veggies and shrimp. Then, combine the sauce ingredients in a rocket blender and blend until smooth. Add the sauce to the pan and dinner is served. I like to serve this over cauliflower rice.
If you don't have a small blender you can whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Make sure to try my Keto Coconut Shrimp next!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (or 4 tablespoon coconut aminos and omit water)
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ sweet pepper sliced
- 1 lb shrimp thawed
- ½ lb zucchini sliced (or other vegetable of your choice)
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- pinch crushed red pepper optional
- cilantro, peanuts, lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Combine the first five ingredients in a rocket blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can whisk them together in a small bowl.
- Heat coconut oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onion for 2 min over medium heat until it starts to soften.
- Add the garlic and pepper. Cook until softened.
- Move the veggies to the edges of the pan and put the shrimp, zucchini, and mushrooms in the middle. Cook the shrimp until they curl up and turn pink all the way through.
- Stir in the sauce. If it is too thick you can add a few more ounces of water. If using the crushed red pepper now is the time to add it. If you like spicy food add as much as you want. Taste, as you go, until the sauce has the right heat level.
- Serve with chopped cilantro, peanuts, and lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published January 17, 2018. Revised and Republished January 13, 2022.
Kim says
Delicious!
Olga says
Thanks for Sharing Wonderful. Yummy Recipes 😋
Kathy Cooke says
This was delicious! Tasted like takeout! I pretty much doubled the recipe (except for the shrimp), because I had lots of veggies to use up. At another reviewer’s suggestion, I added 2 tsp each of fish sauce and toasted sesame oil to the sauce, and I used a tbsp of grated fresh ginger rather than a tsp dried, which amped up the flavor. I served over drained and rinsed Well Lean shirataki noodles (not rubbery and not fishy-smelling), which I stirred into everything else until they heated through. It was pretty high carb for a dinner-sized bowl of this at 25g net carbs. The coconut aminos were responsible for many of the carbs (48g for 8 tbsp), so next time I’d do half coconut aminos, 1/4 soy sauce, and 1/4 water to cut that down. I do
like the taste of the coconut aminos better than soy sauce though. The sauce was a good thickness, and I added a little water, which thinned it too much. So next time I’d leave the sauce as is. Excellent!
Rebecca says
Rice Vinegar is on plan?!
Taryn says
For THM? Yes. They use it in some of their recipes.
Margot says
I made this tonight and loved this so much I shared it with my sister, son, and daughter! Just one question—how many servings does this make? I’m guessing 4, but the nutrirional information didn’t say.
Taryn says
Yes. It says it near the top of the recipe card, there are 4 servings.
Kim says
It seems to be very tasty and healthy. thanks for sharing.
Betsy says
This was fabulous! 5 stars. A lot of flavor for a stir fry. Made a few changes to our tastes but overall great recipe. Added asparagus, fresh ginger, 2 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil to sauce. Will go into regular rotation served on cauli rice.
Jessica Belk says
My husband loved this and had me print it out so he could save it (even though I had to make a few substitutions, who runs out of soy sauce, seriously?) Thank you!