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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!
Love this recipe! My husband spices his up with peppers and I stick with the scallions and cashews and lime and makes for hearty and delicious layers of flavors!! Kids ate it too (with ham added). I had it leftover with some fragrant jasmine rice, perfect.
This soup was a perfect fall day warmup!!
I added some pumpkin purée and topped to with cashew cream – so smooth and flavourful
Super easy! Made as instructed and both my husband and I thought of using rice, chicken, tofu, shrimp . . . in the future.
I liked it..not sure if I loved it. Loved all the veggies in it.
Great tasting soup and very easy to make. It’s a keeper for sure!
This is a staple in my household! I will pick up veggies and toppings for it, but it is usually what I have on hand, and I serve it with jasmine rice, but tonight I just did sourdough bread. Tonight I served it with some chicken chunks, you can always leave it out for vegan. I loved your ideas for toppings! I also use a little coriander and cumin.
Yum! 🙂
This soup was so creamy and delicious! I will definitely add this to my regular lineup. My husband is on bowl number two!
Wow! So easy to make! I think I’ll be making this one again and again in the future with different veggies and tofu, etc.
Tastier than expected, needed more spice. Would like to make it with some tofu to make it more of a meal.
So good, I would give this 10 stars if I could!
Well I first have to say that I hate coconut and don’t really like curry spice. And after reading some of the reviews prior to making it I was very skeptical. But I actually really loved the soup! I made it exactly like the recipe called, adding just what was suggested and not leaving anything out! It’s definitely a keeper in my recipe book!
Yummy and fun to eat with the zucchini zoodles!
Flavour was great – i will add more curry next time. We added rice noodles and half the zucchini
This was delicious! My kids devoured it. We thought it tasted an awful lot like Mulligatawny Stew, which we already love. I loved the coconut milk base, it made it so creamy. Two thumbs up for this one.
(I did have to leave the mushrooms out so that I didn’t have a revolt on my hands, but I’m sure they would have been delicious.)
I love this soup. It is easy to make and very filling. I use half full fat and half lite coconut milk. It is delicious.
I’m a little on the fence about this soup. I LOVED all the vegetables and toppings… *chef’s kiss perfection! I used half and half lite and regular coconut milk and the Thai Kitchen green curry paste. It was very creamy and comforting as Jen says, but maybe the flavor profile just wasn’t my cup of tea? I will definitely try the leftovers for another meal.
Glad you tried this one Briana! Let us know what you think of it as leftovers after the flavors have had a chance to marinate more.