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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!
Not sure what it is with this soup but I don’t digest it well; it cannot be the spices so it must be the coconut milk. I’ve tried several things to help over the last few years (because every time I see it gets such rave reviews), i.e. in this instance, I added some broth to try to “dilute” it. The problem then is that it makes it thinner and I find the whole thing just meh. It is very easy to make but does not hit for me the right spot; 3 out of 5, as it feels disjointed to me; the vegetables are nice but it feels like they are drowning in a so/so liquid. Modifications wise, as I used vegetable stock cubes, I did not add the salt. I topped it with fresh spring onions, a lime wedge and raw cashews.
Oh dear! Could def be a coconut sensitivity or allergy maybe? Might be worth exploring with your nutritionist or healthcare provider if other coconut based recipes have the same result.
Thank you for sharing these amazing recipes, I would have never tried to make them otherwise. I’ll be 51 this month and never would have guesses I would like these recipes. So thank you
I was really blown away when I made this soup! I had tried a coconut milk-based Thai soup once and it was awful! I only made this as it is part of the challenge but I was amazed at how good it really is! My family loved it too and my husband told me to put a star on it and make it again and again!
I couldn’t get Thai curry paste in time so I just used a tablespoon of curry powder, although I could have added more. I topped it with green onions, chopped cashews, a lime wedge, and jalapenos for the men.
Thank you for ‘making’ me try this recipe!
Love the hint of maple syrup with the spicy Serrano pepper. Delicious!
This soup is tasty but I think needs more zing. Lemongrass, ginger, garlic + a little fish sauce would give it a hand.
Loved this soup! I love zoodles! I only thought it was very liquidy and I would do a little less liquid and more carrots and maybe a potato or two. But the cashews, lime, and green onions gave it the perfect flavor profile. It was really good with egg rolls on the side.
This soup is really delicious and easy to make. Next time I’ll use lite coconut milk. 873 calories is a lot!
This soup is AMAZING! Next time I will add frozen peas, and sautéed peppers and onions for a few more veggies
Absolute winner in my house! Satisfying and soooo tasty, with lots of options for toppings. This one is so quick and easy, I make just enough for the meal at hand. A+++
We think you’re a total winner for giving this one a try! Yay Nicole! 🙂
Good soup! I like it. Its different and yet simple to make. Thank you.
I wasn’t sure how I would like this but it was really good! Will definitely make this again, might add some more spices and veggies . Loved that it was so simple to make. I definitely would have never taken it upon myself to make this recipe if it wasn’t for the soup challenge! So, thank you for introducing varied recipes!
The soup is a good based but lack vegetable variety. I will add snow peas and bell pepper next time. In addition, I will cut the spiral in shorter string to make it easier to serve and not have to cut it when serving.
The flavors were phenomenal, especially with some Tajin sprinkled on top and mixed in my bowl! I’ll definitely be testing some leftovers of it with rice tomorrow for lunch! I even wonder if blending it all together could help it taste even better, like the vegan tomato soup.
This soup was very tasty! Because of a head injury last year (I’m fine now), I have very little taste and smell. I was able to sense some tastes with this soup. The texture was good as well.
Love Thai curries and this one did not disappoint! Looking forward to having this one again!! One change I made was swapping out the mushrooms for the tofu. It was delicious!!
This was such an easy recipe to make, yet so flavorful! I should have listened to your advice and used the canned coconut milk, but chickened out and used 5 cups of carton, thin kind and 2 cups of the canned one. So, it was not that bad, but I am sure this would have been even more awesome if I had used all canned coconut milk 🙂
Canned coconut milk is the way to go for this Thai Coconut Soup. We look forward to you getting to try it that way one day soon! 🙂