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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!
I was pleasantly surprised that I like this soup. I used half full fat/half lite coconut milk. Also, shredded all of the veggies except the mushrooms. I know it will be even better for lunch the next day.
So far my favorite from the soup challenge, really enjoyed the flavor and all veggies in the soup. For the last soup I said I would add more spice, well ask and you shall receive, I used jalapeños from my plant as garnish and my mouth was on fire, they have been super spicy lately. Will be adding this to our soup rotation.
I absolutely loved this soup! I only had half the amount of coconut milk so I made half of a batch and I’m sad that I didn’t make a double batch. It was super fast and easy and very flavorful!
I was looking again at this. I think if it is for kids then it is good, but for me I would want to spice it up. I looked up what is usually in Thai cooking and found these ingredients. I know the paste was in there but I would want more.
Cinnamon
Coriander root and seeds
Cumin ground or seeds
Ginger root or ground
Garlic cloves
Green Peppercorns (Prik-thai-orn) …
Holy Basil (Bai ka-prow)
Fantastic Frances!!! 🙂
Delicious! Added thinly sliced red pepper.
Hi Jen! Day 3 Soup Challenge! This soup was delicious! I had never cooked with coconut milk before and I can’t believe how great and rich it tasted. It reminded me of lobster bisque (hmmmm maybe another recipe?) Will make again!
This is a keeper, love it.
It was good, but it was missing a little something, I didn’t know what to add,, saw some broccoli, didn’t think it would work but I really needed to use up the broccoli. Man oh man, this is awesome! This will go into rotation with the broccoli, it’s so creamy and delicious with the broccoli. Thank you for the recipe! Oh, and I did not add the lime.
It was good, but it was missing a little something, I didn’t know what to add,, saw some broccoli, didn’t think it would work but I really needed to use up the broccoli. Man oh man, this is awesome! This will go into rotation with the broccoli, it’s so creamy and delicious with the broccoli. Thank you for the recipe!
Super easy to make and good flavor. Too much fat/saturated fat though to justify making it again.
Day 3 Challenge: Coconut Thia Soup. I actually added onion and sauted with carrots and then set them aside. I then followed directions with the exception of mushroom and zucchini. I split the soup for 2 portions I would freeze and add zucchini & mushrooms when serving. I then took other half of soup added mushrooms and 1 portion of zucchini. I set up 2 portion for tomorrow and my dinner tonight.
#10daysoupchallenge
#simplegreensmoothies
#day3coconutthia
This soup challenged my comfort zone, as I think I would of not selected it due to curry paste & pepper and my thought that it was spicy. But I absolutely loved it!! I might add shrimp tomorrow for lunch. I would rate this soup 5++ stars.
#10daysoupchallenge #simplegreensmoothies
#day3coconutthia
Aw! Love how much you love this one Melisa!
Delicious, creamy and spicy! Will definitely make again!
Day 3 Soup Challenge: Coconut Thia Soup. I actually added onion and sauted with carrots and then set them aside. I then followed directions with the exception of mushroon and zucchini. I split the soup for 2 portions I would freeze and add zucchini & mushrooms when serving. I then took other half of soup added mushrooms and 1 portion of zucchini. I set up 2 portion for tomorrow and my dinner tonight.
This soup challenged my comfort zone, as I think I would of not selected it due to curry paste & pepper and my thought that it was spicy. But I absolutely loved it!! I might add shrimp tomorrow for lunch. I would rate this soup 5++ stars.
#10daysoupchallenge #simplegreensmoothies
#day3coconutthia
Not sure what it was about this soup but neither my husband nor I really enjoyed it. I did have one full bowl and found that I did actually like it more after a couple of spoonfuls. I think it was the little kick of the curry paste that took a minute to show itself. But one bowl was definitely enough for me!
Reminds me of soups I’ve had at Thai restaurants. Just as delicious.
definitely, my favorite so far seeing as love coconut.