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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 am one day behind on the soup challenge our group is on. Love this recipe. I do not like curry so i changed it out for chili paste and it was great.
Of course this is slamming’. Usually have to make extra to share with the nephew and fam. Its so easy with so much flavor. Too bad can only get that curry paste in such a small bottle when trying to make so much of this soup. But it’s all good, really.
Love this coconut milk soup. Needs more veggies like broccoli, red pepper, and Thai basil.
I loved this soup – even more than expected! My heart health led me to use 2 cans of coconut cream, 1 can of coconut water and and 1 can of homemade broth – It still had plenty of delicious coconut flavor. I also replaced the mushrooms (not a fan) with air-fried eggplant and tofu. My favorite of the soups so far and not a recipe type I had in my repertoire previously.
Glad we could help diversify your soup portfolio! Stay well Joanne. 🙂
Another winner in flavor and SO easy to make! One of my sons (who’s not a picky eater) and I will enjoy this for lunch this week!
Soup is good but for my spicy palate, it needs sriracha and a lot more veggies and protein. I threw in some wontons, but it would definitely benefit from chicken, shrimp, and bamboo shoots. It wouldn’t be vegan, then, but folks could use tofu or just crank up the amount of veggies. Baby bok Choy might be good, too. The basic flavor profile, though, is on point!
comfy soup…loved the smooth feeling. Will definitely make it again but use 3 cans of coconut milk and add shrimp instead of zucchini.
Very creamy, filling, and warm flavor!
This soup was absolutely amazing that I can’t believe it was that way to make! Definitely my favorite soup from this challenge.
Creamy and nutritious and filling soup.
This was yummy! I think it was a little thin for me though, next time I’ll use way more veggies since I prefer a fuller soup. But the flavor was great and I think it would have been perfect if I was able to get the cans of coconut milk versus the cartons, the cartons didn’t offer as full of a flavor.
Delicious.
It was a pretty good soup not my favorite but with some glass noodles and some nut I like it.
Didn’t have enough curry paste and it wasn’t as good as the first time I made it. Don’t be shy with the curry! Not my favorite soup of the challenge so far but still a nice creamy soup and the veggies provide some great texture. The toppings are a must!
So delicious! So creamy and filling! So much flavor. My whole family loved it. We will definitely be making it again!
So good, entire family enjoyed it.