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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!
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!