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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!
We love this soup so much We make it every few weeks. However, we add more veggies most of the time. Also, we limit the coconut milk to 2 cans instead of 4 and substitute veggie broth/stock. Yes, it make the soup thinner and less rich but it is less fatty. We also mix it up between the green paste and the red depending on what we have in stock.
I wasn’t sure about this one as I am not a big Curry fan although surprisingly it was very creamy with just enough spice and I enjoyed it. Of course I love zoodles!
This was, and remains to be, one of my most favorite soup recipes! It is so easy to make! Comforting and delicious!
Very delicious. First time making and having this flavor of soup. The curry wasn’t overwhelming.
This soup wasn’t too spicy but very coconutty. I love coconut but I could see it being a little too much for some. I loved all of the topping especially the lime!
Great healthy recipes!
Thai Coconut Soup is so warm and spicy . Love it!
A little spicier than I intended to make. I’m wondering if the different name brands of coconut milk may also have an effect on the taste of the soup. Overall enjoyed the flavors.
Added tofu and used half full-fat/half light coconut milk! We preferred to eat it over rice as a curry, and it was better than some of the thai curry we’ve ordered in Dallas!
Not my favorite. I don’t know if it’s the coconut milk or the curry paste. I like curry so I think it’s so much coconut milk. It’s a lot, not very flavorful. I did enjoy the veggies in the soup and the toppings.
Great soup! We enjoyed it.
If we eat with our eyes first, this soup didn’t disappoint. Colorful and packed with flavor. I’d add more curry paste next time. It was warm but not spicy. I tasted it without the lime but adding it definitely kicked it up a level. And I would cut the zucchini into shorter spirals. It looked pretty but was a little difficult to eat.
This was delicious! I didn’t have carrots, so I used cauliflower and I still enjoyed it! I will definitely make this again!
Excellent soup! Love the flavor and not too spicy. I would definitely make it again.
This soup was nice for a change with the coconut milk and curry paste. I love it! I will add more carrots and mushrooms next time. It looked liked you added cilantro in your picture so I added a few leaves and that was a good addition. Very comforting soup.
I made this last year and absolutely loved it. Once again my taste buds were very happy. I never used coconut milk before and was pleasantly surprised at wow delicious it was in this soup. This was my #2 favorite this year.
We so loved this recipe! Just enough spice and the spiralized zucchini was great. This one is a keeper.