It’s no surprise that Thai food is one of the most popular cuisines enjoyed globally. With its bold flavors, colorful presentation, and a huge variety of fragrant rice dishes, it would be a shame to miss out on experiencing traditional Thai cuisine.

But can vegans partake?

In short, yes.

While many Thai recipes contain fermented fish paste, seafood, or meat, dishes are frequently made to order with the removal of non-vegan products or can easily be veganized at home. The variety of fresh herbs and spices more than compensate for the lack of animal ingredients. In fact, much of Thai cuisine is centered around seasonal plant-based produce. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves!

Today’s guide examines Thai food and culture. We’ll show you some of Thailand’s famous national dishes, their most beloved flavors and ingredients, and how to master vegan-friendly Thai cooking.

Here we go!

What is traditional Thai food?

Traditional Thai food is a celebration of fresh ingredients in meals that showcase the 5 tastes: spicy, salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. In addition to its bold flavors, Thai cuisine is well-known for its vibrant colors and beautiful presentation. Traditional dishes include colorful curries, spicy soups, sour crunchy salads, coconut broths, sticky rice, noodle stir-fries, and of course, fishy pastes and seasonings.

The fragrant cuisine has been heavily influenced over the centuries by countries including China, India, Vietnam, Laos, and Portugal. For example, it is believed that Portuguese traders introduced chili peppers to Thailand in the 15th century. Thai food as we know it wouldn’t exist without chili peppers! But Thailand certainly made the ingredient its own.

Traditionally, Thai meals consist of a variety of protein-based dishes (e.g. meat and fish), plenty of vegetables, a noodle dish, and sometimes soup. The majority of which is served to share, although rice and soup are usually provided to everyone individually.

Thai flavors

What do you imagine when you think of Thai food? Rich coconut curries? Bowls of fragrant rice? Crunchy papaya salads? Delicious pad Thai? Whatever you picture, now think about the flavors each dish contains...they’re pretty complex, right?

Sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter. The 5 major flavors. And they’re all ubiquitous in Thai cuisine! In fact, unlike Italian cuisine (which is known for its simplicity), the majority of Thai food contains at least 2 of these tastes and the trick is to create a careful balance, like yin and yang.

Common flavorful ingredients used in Thailand include Thai holy basil, lemongrass, galangal, chili, fermented fish paste, oyster/fish sauce, lime, tamarind, peppercorns, sea salt, bitter melon, mango, and pineapple.

Learn how to make vegan oyster sauce

What are the different Thai curries?

Thai curries, also known as kaeng/gaeng, differ from Indian curries in that they are made from curry pastes rather than individual spices. These pastes (and subsequent curry names) are often categorized by their color or geographical origins. The following are popular examples of Thai curries:

• Thai green curry or sweet green curry (kaeng khiao wan) - coconut milk curry made using green chili peppers, giving it a fresh and light green color (‘sweet green’ refers to the color rather than the flavor).

• Thai red curry (kaeng phet)  - a spicy curry paste cooked in coconut milk, usually served with chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork. Vegan versions taste great with tofu!

• Thai yellow curry (kaeng kari) - a mild curry containing less oil and chili than other Thai curries. 

• Massaman curry (kaeng matsaman) - a fusion dish with Muslim roots, this mild curry has a rich taste.
• Panang curry (Phanaeng) - a thick curry that tastes salty and sweet with a zesty kaffir lime flavor.
• Sour curry (kaeng som) - a sour and spicy fish curry/soup with vegetables.
• Stir-fried chilli ginger curry (phat phrik khing) - a drier curry fried in oil and made without coconut milk, this dish does not actually contain ginger...confusingly.

Many of these curries are made using shrimp or fish paste and are cooked with meat or seafood BUT they are also made with plenty of vegetables and they can easily be veganized. There is a history of Buddhism in Thailand and vegetarianism and veganism are growing in popularity (see below).

Rice as a Thai staple

There is perhaps no other ingredient that takes such a prominent place as rice in Thai cuisine. This abundant staple is always served at meals and is treated with great respect. The type of rice served differs based on geographical location; sticky glutenous rice is preferred in the north while fragrant Jasmine rice is favored in central Thailand, home of Royal Thai Cuisine.

Noodle dishes are also popular, although these were heavily influenced by the Chinese and are not as common as rice dishes.

Is Thailand vegan-friendly?

Over the past few years, Thailand has transformed into a mecca of vegan establishments. The concept of vegan food is not new; ‘kin jay’ or ‘gin che’ (eating vegetarian/vegan), a diet associated with Buddhist monks, has existed for hundreds of years and is now experiencing a resurgence, mainly due to tourism. What’s more, Thailand has an incredible selection of fresh plant-based produce available to buy from food stalls and markets.

Although meat and fish have become pervasive in Thai cuisine, many restaurants will serve vegan options and traditional dishes are easily adapted to make them vegan-friendly.

Discover more vegan-friendly cuisines from around the world

What Thai dishes are vegan?

The majority of Thai dishes are not vegan since most pastes and broths will contain crushed fish or seafood or are seasoned with dried shrimp, fish sauce, or oyster sauce.

Hang on, so vegans can’t eat pad Thai?

Of course they can! The good news is that pretty much all of the national Thai dishes can be easily veganized, including pad Thai.

Here is a delicious vegan Thai recipe that is super simple to cook at home: 

Are you ready to master Thai cuisine?

If you’d like to learn more about this Southeast Asian cuisine and how to create authentic Thai dishes in a vegan way, then why not take a plant-based Thai cooking class?

LEARN MORE

Watch the Vegan Thai Food course trailer: