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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 Freezer System.
- 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
- 6 cups coconut milk light
- ¼ cup Thai curry paste red
- 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
- 14 oz extra firm tofu pressed and cut into 1" cubes
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 tofu, 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
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Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks! Winners announced each season in my newsletter.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!
I made this last night to have for dinner tonight. Such an easy thing to make!! When I tasted it before putting it away I was kinda like, “eh, not sure.” BUT! I’m having for dinner tonight and it’s amayyyyzing! Will definitely make again and again!! Thankful to have enough for leftovers and lunch!! Yum!!
Todays soup was definitely interesting. I love Thai food and so does my husband so we were very anxious today. It was interesting. It was very simple to make. I made 2 pots more or less… I cut the ingredients in 1/2 because I wanted to try two different variations. As it was printed and then without the maple syrup. I am not a sugar person, so I just wanted to see. I found that the maple syrup one was too sweet for me. My husband loves maple syrup so he didn’t complain at all. :-). I also liked the flavor of the full fledged recipe without the syrup but was thinking it needed something more to be a complete meal. So, I defrosted some shrimp in cold water and quickly sautéed them then threw them in my soup. I think Kale and tofu would have also been a wonderful … thank you for the recipe !!
Absolutely Shannon! We’re not anti-meat here, so if tossing those shrimp in made this soup for you, then we say go for it! Love that you lowered the sugar content by omitting the maple syrup. Rawkstar move!
This was fantastic! I was so surprised how easy it was to make. Both of my kids really liked it too. We used leftover rice instead of the zoodles, and I didn’t have lemongrass, but it still turned out good. Next time I’m going to follow the recipe exactly. It’s very filling.
I usually make curry from scratch. This is my first time using a store bought paste and I have to say, I will never do that again. It came out really bland spice-wise but really sweet because of the added sweetener. I ended up adding some ginger, coriander, a dash of cayenne and that made it edible. I wish I had had some lemongrass I feel like that’s almost a requirement for this dish.
Also, I feel like there wasn’t enough substance. It was mostly liquid. I even used two carrots and more than a cup of sliced mushrooms.
First time for Coconut soup and it was very good. I did use half of the coconut milk in light coconut milk We will probably add chicken the next time for some extra protein.
This the first time I have eaten this type of Soup. The coconut thai Soup had a nice flavor and the “toppings” added to the texture. Mild and gentle, I would make again.
This is abundantly flavorful! It is a favorite! So easy to make! Delicious!
I made this soup last night and, quite honestly, was a little disappointed that it wasn’t more flavorful. Fast forward to today when I remembered the suggestion to add green onion, Serrano peppers and cashews as toppings. I wanted this to be an entree soup so I added some power greens and tah dah, it is delicious. I like things pretty spicy so I would add more curry paste next time.
Love your add-ins! Upping the flavors in a way you love is always a win with us!
I absolutely LOVE this soup! My grandson liked it but my son says he didn’t. He never likes anything.
Delicious and full of flavor. I added some diced avocado and next time I’ll add some chicken as well :-).
I love curry and I truly enjoyed this soup! I served it over rice and it was delicious. I did add a little seasoning to it because it was a little bland, but other than that I really liked it. The cashews, green onions, Serrano peppers, and lime are a very nice touch.
Toppings for the win!
Sooo delicious and simple! Excellent introduction to plant based foods for those who are hesitant.