Fresh and fragrant Thai cuisine is a feast for the senses. It delivers high on flavour, healthy nutrition and economy. Exciting and exotic mouth-watering dishes like tofu pad Thai, zesty salads, and delicious creamy curries, prove that you don’t have to include meat in your diet to enjoy aromatic and appetising food.
Whether you’re looking to expand your international cuisine home-cooking repertoire, or you’re seeking inspiration for something tasty to cook for a special occasion, meat free Thai dishes are the perfect choice.
These tasty and tantalising Thai dishes are great for meatless Mondays or any day of the week.
Satisfying Starters
Impress your dinner guests by serving up drinks with a little dish of spicy Thai fried peanuts. Fry the peanuts with lemon leaves, garlic, and chillies until crispy. These moreish nibbles will whet the appetite for the meat free Thai feast that follows.
Colourful Thai mango salad makes a great light appetiser. It’s traditionally made with lettuce, sweet and juicy diced mango, red bell peppers, and a jalapeño or two. Combine all of the ingredients in a spicy peanut dressing, and it’s good to go.
Spring rolls don’t have to be packed with pork, chicken or scrimp for them to be delicious and filling. Crunchy veggies of your choice, combined with soft noodles, make an excellent alternative stuffing for rice wrappers. This versatile starter is also great for breakfast or packed-lunches. Serve with your favourite soy or chilli based dipping sauce.
Inspired by the cuisine of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, vegan Thaisatay is definitely worth including on the menu. Swap the usual seasoned meat for finger length chunks of firm tofu that has been marinated in a soy sauce, coconut milk and spice mix. Freezing the marinated tofu overnight alters the texture, making it spongier so that it can easily absorb the dipping sauce. Freezing also improves the umami flavour. Arrange the tofu on wooden skewers and grill.
Creamy and silky vegan peanut sauce is a Thai food staple that complements just about anything. To perk up the light and flavoursome sauce, add spicy chill and ginger, or fresh and zesty lime. This quick and easy to make versatile sauce can also be added to tofu pad Thai.
Tom Yum soup is a popular dish that features on Thai restaurant menus worldwide. The spicy soup typically showcases shrimp as its main ingredient. For a plant-based version, simply omit the shrimp and add extra vegetables to complement the hot chilli paste and sweet coconut milk broth. Use vegan fish sauce to enhance the complex flavours.
Classic Main Courses With A Twist
In just 30 minutes, it’s possible to recreate an iconic Thai takeout at home. Tofu pad Thai is the meat free alternative to Thailand’s economical and nutritious rice noodle based national dish. Protein-rich firm tofu is an excellent substitute for beef or chicken meat.
The tangy pad Thai sauce is made with tamarind paste, garlic, red chilli pepper and palm sugar. You’ll need to swap the fish sauce for a vegan alternative, and leave out the dried shrimps. But you can definitely go to town with the optional extras of spring onions, bamboo shoots, lime wedges, raw banana flowers and peanuts. Leaving out the egg makes it vegan-friendly. You can also experiment by making this popular street food dish with other plant-based meat alternatives.
If you love curries, Thailand has a rich profusion of mild to fiery dishes to tickle your taste buds:
Thai red curry is the hottest with chili peppers and a hot red curry paste providing the foundation of its spice profile. Add tenderstem broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots and courgettes to enhance the taste and colour of your meatless fiery curry.
If you need to tone down the spice, try a hearty yellow Thai curry instead. Its creamy sauce is mild, compared to other dishes in the curry family. Featuring less chill heat doesn’t compromise the taste, as this curry packs in plenty of cumin, coriander, lemongrass, turmeric, fenugreek, garlic, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon and mace. Serve the mild sauce over a colourful array of mixed vegetables.
Traditionally made with beef or chicken, the one pot Massaman curry originates in the south, and is a fusion of Thai, Indian and Malaysian cuisine. This curry packs a mild heat punch, making it ideal for anyone who generally avoids eating spicy food. To make the creamy broth of this vegetarian dish, use a vegetable stock infused with coconut, lemongrass, Galangal, cumin, and nutmeg. Swap the meat for chunks of potato, sweet potato, and/or pan-fried tofu.
Fluffy, sweet and sticky Thai coconut rice is the perfect accompaniment for all creamy curries.
Round off your meat free tofu pad Thai feast with a simple but delicious, palette cleansing tropical fruit salad. Toss pineapple, lychees, star fruit, and banana in a refreshing coconut and lime dressing, and serve.
