There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of soup on a cool fall day… or so they tell me! I’m a Florida girl, so I have to pretend it’s a crisp, cool night. What I don’t have to pretend about is my love for this Thai Coconut Soup recipe, which is a vegan version of Tom Kha Gai. It’s warm, comforting, and I like to make a big recipe and share it with my friends.
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 new book, Simple Green Meals. Try this soup and if you love it, then share it with your friends!
Table of Contents
How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
This is a great 1-pot meal as all the veggies cook right in the coconut milk. Because there is a bit of chopping in this recipe, I like to get that out of the way first. Chop the carrots, mushrooms, cashews, green onions and chili peppers as well as spiralize or chop the zucchini.
When heating up the coconut milk + curry paste mixture, don’t heat up too quickly. I use medium low to medium heat so as not to burn the liquid.
Add the carrots and mushrooms before the zucchini, and allow them to cook 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. It won’t take long for the zucchini to heat up and soften, so no need to keep it on the stove long (it will turn mushy).
Once the carrots are ready, then add in the zucchini and just heat for a minute or two (seriously, the zoodles don’t take long!).
You can make this Tom Kha Gai soup a day ahead of time too, and allow the flavors to meld overnight. If doing this, then add the zucchini during the reheating time to keep it fresh. Once you give this thai coconut soup recipe a go, leave a rating below and tell me how it turned out! My friends and family love this soup so much, I bring it to gatherings all winter long.
Levels of Spice in Tom Kha Gai
I love a spicy kick, so this soup has one. Yet if spice isn’t your thing, then let’s make this Thai coconut soup work for you. First, the curry paste adds a lot of flavor. So instead of eliminating it altogether, try to use half the amount, or even a quarter.
If you like the crunch that peppers bring, but can’t handle chilis, then try first to remove the seeds (those are the hottest parts!). If it’s still too spicy, swap it out for a green bell pepper. All the crunch with none of the punch… see what I did there?
If you’re like me and crave a spicy soup, then go ahead and add in more curry paste! You can also top the soup with red pepper flakes.
Storage Tips
One reason I love soup is the ease of making a big batch then storing the extras for the future. Soups make quick + easy lunches or weeknight meals when you don’t wanna cook.
If you plan on freezing this soup, I recommend leaving out the zucchini noodles. They are super easy to add when you’re ready to reheat, and they often get slimy when frozen. I even freeze the toppings in a separate container, so they are chopped and ready to add when I pull it out again.
Make sure to store your Thai coconut soup in a freezer-safe bag or container. If using glass, leave room for it to expand. I’ve def had some glass mason jars burst in my freezer… and it’s not a fun mess to clean up.
Buying the Right Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is confusing to buy because it comes in many different packages! For this recipe, I recommend using canned coconut milk. The carton kind doesn’t contain the fat needed to make this recipe super silky creamy, which is what takes it over the top. I find the canned variety typically in the international section of the grocery store.
When choosing the right kind for you, decide if you want full fat or lite. I use full fat coconut milk in my thai coconut soup because it has the best flavor + creaminess. Then look at the ingredients. Companies like to add all kinds of crazy stuff to canned products that truly aren’t necessary! Look for limited ingredients that are pronounceable.
With the growing popularity of coconut milk, many stores are stocking more and more variety, which is awesome! Even Target has their own brand now. I typically buy Thai Kitchen, Trader Joe’s, or Thrive Market.
Origins of Thai Coconut Soup
If you’re ordering this soup at a Thai restaurant, you’ll probably see names like Tom kha kai or Tom kha gai. Note that it typically has chicken in it, while my inspired recipe below is vegetarian. It comes from northern Thailand and is traditionally served with rice. To keep my version grain free, I use spiralized zucchini, or zoodles.
Common additions include fresh ginger, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Don’t hesitate to add these to your recipe; they are sure to taste amazing!
Plant-Based Recipes to Share
While you can def add cooked chicken to this recipe, it’s delicious without it! People tell me how hard it is to cook vegetarian, and I get it. I like creating recipes that don’t rely on meat for nutrition, then you can choose to add it or leave it out when you make it (and either is fine). Here are some of my family’s fav plant based dishes:
- Almond butter zoodles
- Thai-inspired lettuce wraps
- Noodle salad
- Coconut bacon BLTs
- Jackfruit BBQ tacos
- Hemp hearts sauce w/ veggies
- Simple homemade ramen
- Teriyaki bowl
- Spiralized taco salad
- Crispy chickpea tacos
- BBQ pizza
Food shouldn’t be boring, and it should be easily shared. Grab one of these recipes today and help your family try something new!
How to get your kids to try Tom Kha Gai
Two things help my kids try more foods: helping pick out ingredients and helping cook. As you can see from the video for this Thai coconut soup recipe, Clare was 100% on board to help make this soup. I chose age appropriate ways for her to help, and was okay with less than perfection in the kitchen as we cooked. This Tom Kha Gai soup has foods she traditionally shies away from… yet not when she helps make it!
I also let my kids join in when shopping for ingredients. Jackson loves trying exotic fruit and I’m all for it! He is turning into quite the chef nowadays, and my mama heart is bursting with happiness that he shares my love for good food. Plus, he makes great food and gives Ryan and me the night off cooking (win-win!).
Thai Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 7 cups coconut milk light or full-fat canned
- ¼ cup Thai curry paste red or green
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 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
This soup was sooooo good! Full of flavor and creaminess. Will absolutely put it in the rotation. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
I loved how quick and easy this recipe was. I did cut it with some vegetable broth to loosen it up a bit, but that’s more personal preference than anything else. I will definitely be making this again – great for lunches throughout the week!
Love it! But I swapped out full fat milk for light. Just too many calories and fat. Could not tell the difference because it had really good flavor
The soup was delicious! I took a low-fat route, and tried low-fat coconut milk.
I used less coconut milk for a lighter version and omitted chili it was perfect! Such a hearty and delicious soup!
Soup had good flavor. But did not set well with me. I had never used that much coconut cream in a recipe and it may be just too rich for me. All of which I had no idea was an issue – so I am happy I am participating in this 10 day event. I can now change the recipe up, while still keeping the flavors and work to find out what works for me and my spouse.
For sure go for coconut milk next time, rather than coconut cream, if you can! That will keep it from being too rich.
This is an amazing soup!! It is always a hit for my family! My hubby really loves it!
I’m a big fan of Thai food so was excited about this soup. I did make a few changes. 4 cans of coconut milk added way to many calories and fat. I used two cans and 2 cups of broth, plus a little cornstarch to thicken. I omitted the maple syrup and used fish sauce and coconut sugar instead. I also added protein and a couple of extra veggies. I added rice as a side. The soup was delicious. I enjoyed how easy the recipe was and that it cooked up fast. Perfect for a busy night. I will make it again.
The flavor of this soup was good, but the proportions seemed off to me, not nearly enough vegetables compared to broth. Next time I’d at least double the carrots and mushrooms, and add some tofu to make the soup a meal.
Love that you have plans to customize next time, Mary! Rawk on!
The flavors were good. Next time I’ll add rice and more carrots to make it more substantial. My spiralizer makes really long strands. Next time I’ll use the food processor to grate them.
Something about cooking this soup brings joy to my soul.
It is Aromatic, Tasty & Filling.
I slowly slurped every spoonful and suggest you do the same.
Bask and enjoy the aromas in every taste and morsel, yeah – it’s that good.
Oh, and don’t be afraid to use the full fat Coconut milk.
Hi Dora!! Soup that can bring joy to your soul is def a keeper! So glad you love it as much as we do!
Loved this soup especially since it did not include fish sauce. Would definitely make this soup on a cold winter day.
Easy to cook and yummy. Actually I don’t like the spicy curry, however by using the syrup, the spicyness is reduced dramatically. This is a good recipe.
Quick question – the 873 cal – is that for 1 bowl with full fat coconut milk or is that the cal. count for 4 bowls? I forgot to mention in my previous comment, one of the reasons it was likely bland is because I did use the low fat coconut milk, I’m certain that changed the quality of the flavor a bit- bland but not bad at all. Again would make again just would ramp up the flavors for my palate.
Hi Lisa! The 873 cal. is per serving for this Thai Coconut Soup, when using full fat canned coconut milk. To reduce calories and fat, you can use a lite coconut milk instead. Def play around with spices and seasonings to rawk those flavors, Lisa-style! 🙂
I would make it again but for me it was bland – I would probably spice it up a little. (kept tasting it while cooking it yesterday)
The modifications I would make are not true to a thai recipe I’m sure – I would probably add some chipolte pepper or hot sauce, squeeze the lime on top. I did double the zucchini spirals to increase the bulk (so I fill up and get more veggies).
It’s just me so when I serve it tonight I will likely serve it with a piece of meat either a small 4 oz. steak or a grilled chicken breast.
Actually Lisa, traditional Thai food is super heavy on the spice and flavor – so we say go for it!
Used red Curry paste. It was delicious.
I don’t have a spiralizer but wanted to use the last of my garden zucchini, so I used the largest grater on my food processor. It still worked well!