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Saucy, creamy 20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic. The best quick and easy spring noodles! Make these saucy noodles with whatever you have on hand, I used a mix of zucchini, then stirred in lots of coconut milk and rice noodles. Add some heat with curry paste, and balance it all out with a squeeze of lime. The best part…all you need for this recipe are pantry ingredients and just about 20 minutes!
These curry noodles couldn’t be easier, AND they ended up being one of my favorite recipes of the week! I’ve been wanting to make Thai red curry noodles for a while but held off until I had just the right idea. I wanted mine to be simple…but just a touch different too!
I was inspired by the Thai basil plants growing in the pantry and my brother’s trip to Thailand. It’s been a while since I did a good saucy curry. So I decided to brainstorm a bit until I finally came up with the perfect saucy noodle!
Here are the details…
As you can imagine, the details are pretty simple, but everything starts with that fried coconut garlic. What is fried coconut garlic you ask? Well, it’s fried garlic with the addition of coconut flakes, so it’s even more delicious.
Most curry noodles come just as is, in their delicious curry, and topped with fresh herbs and lime juice. As I mentioned, I wanted mine to stand out a bit. A nice, salty-sweet garlic crunch sounded just perfect for topping my noodles. And that’s just what the fried coconut garlic adds. It gives a crunch plus a salty-sweet, garlicky bite. Totally delicious and makes the noodles “extra special”.
Once the garlic is fried up, everything comes together extremely quickly. For the noodles, I love using thicker cut linguine style rice noodles or egg noodles, but super-thin vermicelli rice noodles work great too if you prefer thin! Really, use whatever noodle you love or have on hand. Just be sure to find a noodle that will hold up well in a good amount of curry sauce.
Now that sauce! You’ll need three key ingredients: veggies, curry paste, and coconut milk.
For the veggies, again, you can use whatever you have on hand…bell peppers, broccoli zucchini, they all work, so use what you like or what you have. Cook up the veggies, then add the curry paste, coconut milk, and a dash of soy sauce. You could throw in some fish sauce too, which would be delicious. Simmer everything for a minute or two.
Toss the noodles with the sauce, and guys that’s it. SIMPLE is the name of the game here.
Some notes for you!
I love a spicy red Thai curry paste (my favorite is the Thai Kitchen brand) and full-fat canned coconut milk. The curry paste and coconut milk are key to this recipe. They are the flavor and the creaminess to the curry, so don’t skimp on them!
As soon as the curry is done, serve it up with lots of that fried garlic crunch on top. It’s important to eat the curry as soon as you toss it with the noodles. The noodles will soak up all that amazing sauce pretty quickly.
Finish with some spicy chili peppers, lots of fresh Thai basil, and lime juice. Dinner in just about twenty minutes and made using pantry staples…plus whatever vegetable you’ve got on hand!
I love a fancy meal, but there’s really something to be said about a simple dish like this. They’re always so well loved!
Looking for other quick 20 minute recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
20 Minute Honey Garlic Cashew Chicken and Coconut Noodles
20 Minute Florentine Butter Chicken with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp in 20 Minutes
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 601 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely shredded coconut
- flaky salt
- 2 zucchini or summer squash diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped
- fresno peppers, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook rice noodles according to packaged directions. 2. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the coconut and cook until the garlic is crisp and the coconut is toasted, about 2 minutes. Spoon the mix out of the skillet and drain onto a paper towel, season with salt. 3. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in the curry paste and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.4. Pour in the coconut milk, 1/3 cup water, soy sauce, and honey. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. If the sauce thickens too much, add additional water to thin. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and basil.5. To serve, divide the noodles and sauce between bowls. Top with peppers, fresh basil, and the fried garlic.
This was so good and easy to make! I did add toasted peanuts and felt like it gave it a nice extra crunch.
Hey Grace,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxTieghan
This was great, but took me close to an hour to make. The washing/chopping alone was nearly 20 minutes given all of the veggies, garlic, herbs etc. I absolutely love your recipes but find it is a consistent theme that they always takes me much longer than the time you list. Is anyone else having this issue and/or do you does have any tips for speeding things up?
Hey Meredith,
Fantastic! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Unfortunately, everyone works differently in the kitchen, especially if there are any distractions. xTieghan
No tips! I loved it but yes, took me much longer to prepare. Would do it again though.
Shortcuts I used:
-omitted the veggies and airfried the garlic / coconut with butter to speed things up.
-helps to cook the pasta before hand. (You could cook and freeze batches of spaghetti. Defrost and use when needed)
-used the store bought lemon juice here coz I was too lazy to squeeze lol!
-Oh! and I have a ginger + chili paste ready in the fridge ? just use as needed -like in this casel
I am a fairly experienced cook but always find the estimations here extremely inaccurate. I usually plan for double the time!
Loved this! I substituted the zucchini with carrot and bell pepper because it’s what I had, and also worked!
Hey Kate,
I am so so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Oh my gosh I loved this recipe so much!! It was so easy to make and super delicious. It came together really quickly, and the crunchy garlic coconut sprinkle over the top was a game changer – don’t skip it! I didn’t have any rice noodles so I served this over cauliflower rice instead, and I added about a half block of tofu for some extra protein! Can’t wait to make this again.
Hey Catherine,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was a very simple and tasty meal. I skimped a bit on the spice/heat level and although still very good, next time I will add full spice/heat. I will definately make this again. The crunchy garlic and coconut really added a wonderful texture.
Hey Adele,
I am so glad this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
SO good!!! Definitely making this again.
Hey Elizabeth,
I am so glad this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
This was so good and easy to make! I added the suggested fish sauce for a little oomph at the end. Yummy!
Hey Devvon,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I think this may be the first HBH recipe I wasn’t crazy about. I love thai food and have had red curry before in restaurants but I’ve never cooked with it at home. I added 2 tbsp of red curry paste and it was overpowering, I had to add more coconut milk to balance it out. I want to try this again with only one tbsp of the curry paste. I’m also a fairly novice cook and didn’t toast the coconut and garlic long enough and didn’t realize until I took a bite. I’m going to give this one another shot with those corrections and see how it goes!
Hey Megan,
So sorry this recipe wasn’t enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I just made this for dinner to surprise the fam and everyone LOVED it! I’m super happy!! I added a little baby corn to the zucchini and it worked out sooo good. The coconut garlic was just the cherry on top – it added so much flavour and just the right amount of crunch to make it a little more special!
Thanks for another great recipe! Lots of Love from Hamburg
Hey Lara,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Will be making this this week, and I’d love to add more veggies. What would you recommend?
Hey Brittany,
Honestly, any veggies that you enjoy will work here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Cooked this for 9 people, doubled ingredients… 10/10 stars ⭐️ Great recipe with just the right amount of heat. Everyone loved it!!!!
Hey Jesse,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great Sunday:) xxTieghan
I was craving Thai tonight so made this. I used gorgeous thick artisan made noodles, zucchini and topped it off with cilantro.
I used two Tab of the curry paste as the brand I used is quite strong and it was just perfect.
The only negative thing I have to say is about my cooking LOL… I legit burnt the coconut garlic?♀️ Wondering how it will reheat in the microwave as I have frozen several portions.
Hey Jess,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great weekend:) xxTieghan
I wanted something simple for supper and this filled the bill! It is delicious! And yes!!!! That fried garlic coconut is wonderful!! I was disappointed in my sauce bc it wants thickened much. I attribute to the brand of milk even tho it was full fat. Definitely a keeper!!
Hey Yvonne,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
This is so good! I used a summer squash and small delicata squash i got at the local farmers market. I also added some seared chicken thighs for protein!!! Will totally make this again!!!
Hey Katie,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
This was GREAT! I was skeptical about the browned garlic, but cooked exactly like you say Teighan – browned [not overdone or too brown] combined with the coconut and sea salt was addictive! We loved it as a topping, and it added layers of flavor once stirred in. This recipe is keeper! I had to use green curry paste – worked well. Also added red bell pepper. Delicious!
Thanks- Tieghan [ps – please use the garlic coconut topping again!]
Hey Lee,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xxTieghan