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Craving something warm, creamy, and full of flavor but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen? This 30-minute vegan Thai coconut soup is my gift to you. It’s a quick and cozy take on the classic Tom Kha, made with tender mushrooms, sweet carrots, and creamy cashews for a satisfying, plant-based soup.
The rich coconut broth is infused with bright notes of lime, lemongrass, and a hint of heat—comfort food with a Thai-inspired twist. I’ve made this soup more times than I can count and I never get tired of it. I love it so much that I included it in my cookbook, Simple Green Meals.
Thailand Origins
Thai Coconut Soup, often called Tom Kha Gai, traditionally includes chicken and hails from northern Thailand, usually served with rice. My plant-based version swaps the meat for cashews and keeps it grain-free with zucchini noodles. Classic ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves add bold, aromatic flavor—feel free to include them!
Why This Thai Coconut Soup Rawks
- It’s a one-pot wonder. Simmer fresh veggies right in creamy coconut milk, soaking up every drop of Thai-inspired flavor. It’s got a cozy, spicy kick—just enough to warm you up without setting your mouth on fire. Not into heat? No problem. Simply dial back the curry paste and skip the serrano peppers to keep things milder.
- This soup actually gets better with time. Make it a day ahead and let those bold flavors mingle overnight. Just hold off on adding the zucchini noodles until you reheat—it keeps them from getting mushy and makes the whole bowl taste fresh and vibrant.
- It’s packed with plant-based nutrients. Between the mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, and creamy coconut milk, you’re getting fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats in every spoonful—aka fuel that tastes amazing.
- It’s ridiculously fast. This soup comes together in about 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you want something warm, nourishing, and not boring.
Storage Tips (Without the Mess)
One of my favorite things about soup? You can make a big batch and enjoy it all week—or freeze it for future “I-don’t-want-to-cook” nights. Thai coconut soup stores beautifully, but here’s a few pro tips:
- Skip adding the zucchini noodles if you plan to freeze it. Zoodles tend to turn mushy and slimy after thawing, and they’re super quick to toss in fresh when you reheat.
- Store your soup in a freezer-safe container or bag. I love Souper Cubes (use code Jen10 to get 10% off!)
- If you’re using glass jars, leave some space at the top for the soup to expand as it freezes (learned this the hard way with a shattered mason jar—zero stars, do not recommend).
Vegan Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha)
Ingredients
- 7 cups coconut milk light or full-fat canned
- ¼ cup Thai curry paste red or green
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt, unrefined
- 1 carrot very thinly sliced
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 zucchini spiralized
For Serving
- ¼ cup raw cashews chopped
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk and curry paste.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup and salt.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Add the zucchini noodles. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with cashews, scallions, chile pepper, and lime wedges.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If zucchini ‘noodles’ aren’t your thing, then swap for brown rice or millet ramen
- You can use a vegetable peeler to create zucchini strips if you don’t have a spiralizer.
- Use full fat canned coconut milk for the richest flavor, use light canned coconut milk for less fat
- The nutrition facts are based on full-fat canned coconut milk. Use light canned coconut milk for fewer calories and fat.
- Omit the chili pepper and halve the amount of Thai curry paste for a less spicy meal
Nutrition
More Vegan Soup Recipes You’ll Love
After making this Thai coconut soup, try my other vegan soups —you won’t miss the meat for a second.
- My light and creamy celery soup takes 30 minutes and it’s easy to prepare a big batch and enjoy throughout the week to get in lots of fiber, nutrients and plant-based protein.
- This spicy black bean soup is bold, hearty, and bursting with flavor thanks to the smoky chili powder, warm cumin, and fragrant oregano.
- Experience the rich, smoky flavors of fire-roasted tomato soup. This hearty blend of roasted tomatoes, herbs, and spices delivers warmth and comfort in every spoonful.
Food shouldn’t be boring, and it should be easily shared. Grab one of these recipes today and help your family try something new!
Thoroughly enjoyed your vegan tomato soup and this was even better! It was so easy to make. I always thought it’s too complicated to get the spices right for Thai soup or curries. But I used mekhala organic red curry paste and it tasted so authentic. My husband loved it too! We added extra carrots, mushrooms and some green peas to pack in more veggies. I’m definitely going to make it again.
Loved the flavor – coconut is one of my favorites. A little too brothy for my taste but will add more veggies next time.
Kale yeah to more veggies!
This was so good! The biggest surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the zucchini in it! I think I will add more carrots and mushrooms next time, I just love them!
I was not able to get the curry paste and tried to compensate on my own. I’ve never had a curry soup and would like to make it again with the paste. I added lemon grass, onion, garlic and a pepper.
This soup is amazing! I topped it with thai basil, cilantro and green onion with a squeeze of fresh lime. I added chicken. My husband loved it as well! We will definitely make it again.
Coconut soup was good but the amount of curry specified in the recipe in my opinion was too much curry.. The soup came out extremely spicy
I will definitely make it again but only 1/2 the curry
It specified on recipe.
Soup 3 of the ten day challenge,
It has taken me about 4 try’s to get it to a taste the way my whole family likes It. today I added lemon grass and reduce the coconut milk to half and use broth to make the difference. Also I made my own version of the Thai paste.
Overall it was nice
Nice warm blend of flavors! Creamy and rich. I didn’t have quite enough coconut milk, so I added a bit of cashew cream. Also added a cup of cooked rice to include a grain; quinoa would also work. Is interesting enough to serve to company, perhaps with a crisp side salad and naan. Love all the toppings! I think peanuts and cilantro would be great toppings too. Excellent!
I really wanted to like this soup more than I did. I don’t like milk, so that could be my issue. I love the consistency of the zucchini noodles, the crunch if the cashews and the lime juice brought it to a new level. It was just too milky for me. Maybe if I had it as an appetizer, smaller serving, I would have enjoyed it more.
You could def use less milk and broth, plus more veggies to make it a consistency you’d enjoy more. We’re all about making it your own!
The taste was smooth and creamy. The aroma took my breath away and I felt swept away to a tropical island.
This one is a keeper with a few adjustments. We love spicy so I threw in the pepper to meld while cooking along with a couple of tablespoons of red crushed pepper. I do not have a spiralizer, so I thinly sliced the squash. Also added a bit of rice. Next time, I will double the veggies as it seemed a bit of a waste of coconut milk.
This soup was interesting. Not spicy at all. But adding the little extras were a must. I had an extra mushroom so fried it up and added it along with the cashews and onion but oh my adding extra lime was a must for me. Completely changed the soup in my mind.
Super easy to make but flavor a little lacking. I don’t handle spices so it was difficult to use spice for flavor without making it too hot to eat or trouble my stomach. My husband didn’t care for it but he also doesn’t like mushrooms. Will see if the flavors are enhanced tomorrow.
So yummy!!! So healthy!!! But best of all, SO SIMPLE!!!
My favorite soup recipe so far. I can’t wait to share this with my mom, sister and my daughters!
Thanks for sharing Kristina!
My favorite so far in the 10 day soup challenge