Homemade Panang Curry Paste

Step by step instructions explaining how to make homemade panang curry paste. Homemade curry paste is soooo much better than the stuff you buy in the stores, and is totally worth the extra effort involved.

What's great is that one panang paste batch makes several batches of curry. And it can be frozen so you can pop a cube out of the freezer whenever you're ready to cook!

We have all heard that homemade is better, but many of us just don't have time to make everything from scratch. That said, this panang curry paste is ultra easy to make, and like I said above, one batch can be made ahead and frozen and used for multiple different Thai recipes.

And once you make this from scratch version, I can promise you'll never go back (like this Creole seasoning blend that we just fell in love with). The flavors are just nothing like the flavors you get from the premade stuff. 

It's brighter, fresher, spicier (or less spicy - you can control this!) and just more flavorful overall than it's pre-packaged counterpart. Try this massaman curry paste recipe from scratch too!

Why this Thai panang curry paste recipe works

• While there are a lot of ingredients, it is very simple to make. This is restaurant quality curry here!
• The flavor is fresher and more pungent than the store bought versions - plus you can adjust for you spice preference.
• It's so versatile, you can use it in soups, sauces, to make actual panang curry, or even used in this red duck curry in place of the red curry paste!

The ingredients

Don't get scared off by the long list of ingredients - this is curry paste guys, it's supposed to have a lot of ingredients! And just because it has a lot of ingredients, definitely does not mean it's hard. This is one of the easier recipes on the site. 

The full list of ingredients is found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

A guajillo chili is a dried chili most often used in Mexican cuisine to make dishes such as salsas and other sauce. It is used in this recipe for it's tangy, smoky flavor.

Kaffir lime leaves are the leaves off a kaffir lime tree that are often used in Southeast Asian coking for it's tangy, citrusy quality. They may also be labeled as makrut lime leaves.

Thai chilies are one of the spicier chilies, but add that signature spice we always think of in Thai curries. You can adjust the number of them in this recipe for your heat preference, but I don't recommend leaving them completely out.

Shrimp paste is basically just made from ground up shrimp. It may not sound appetizing, but it adds an incredibly important umami quality to the curry paste.

Lemongrass has a wonderful citrusy quality to it that is instrumental in giving the curry paste part of it's zing. 

It is highly recommended to use fresh garlic and shallots to make authentic Thai panang curry.

Substitutions and variations

• Replace the fresh lemongrass with lemongrass paste if desired.
• Toast the whole coriander seeds for a slightly smokier flavor.
• If you can't find guajillo chilies, dried ancho chilies can be substituted.
• Add more or less Thai chilies depending on the heat level desired (Thai chilies are very spicy).
• Traditional panang curry recipes use galangal instead of ginger, but I use ginger here as it is easier to find. Feel free to substitute galangal.

Step by step instructions to make panang curry paste

1. Remove the seeds and soak the guajillo chilies in water for about 20 minutes to allow them to soften.
2. Remove the tough outer portion of lemongrass and mince the bottom tender white part (remove the tough top portion).
3. Remove the stems from the Thai red chilies and chop. Remove the seeds for less spice.
4. Chop all ingredients as small as you can get them to make it easier to crush into a paste.

5. Combine all ingredients in a mortar and mash together using a pestle until a fine paste forms.

6. If the paste is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to thin it out.

Use this curry paste in place of the red curry paste in this coconut curry ramen or the green curry paste in this Thai shrimp curry or in this coconut curry pumpkin soup.

Expert Tips

1. Using a mortar and pestle provide the best results as it lets the oils come out of the ingredients - however, you can use a food processor to make this quicker and easier.
2. If your Thai curry paste is thick, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time to thin it out and make it easier to work with.
3. If you sit on the floor while doing this, it is actually easier as you can let gravity help the pestle pound the ingredients in the mortar.

Frequently asked questions

More authentic Thai curry recipes

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