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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’m way behind after a very busy weekend! Just finished the delicious tomato soup with cashew cream! I love it! This challenge has been really fun! Need to go shopping for next five and keep going!
Loved it!
Very nice change of pace for the palate! Loved it!
If you do a bit of prep ahead of time, this soup comes together in minutes. I made it in my instant pot on the soup function and it worked perfectly. Smells and tastes so good!
Pretty good but not our favorite soup.
Thank you so much. It came out so good. I made it with lesser coconut milk and more veggies. We used it as Thai Curry with our lunch. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much for all your lovely recipes. Enjoying every single day!!
Love this. Don’t think I would have attempted a Thai soup. Delicious
I really like this soup but it is way too spicy for me. It took me awhile to find curry paste that did not include shrimp. If you want it vegan or kosher, watch out for that. I will greatly reduce the amount or omit it all together next time. Since I googled serrano pepper, I was aware that it would be too hot for me. I used jalapeno sparingly instead.
Unfortunately, I froze much of my soup with zucchini in it before reading the caution about that. Oh well.
This recipe makes what looks like it should be a tricky soup amazingly easy. I added a lot more curry paste, almost double, but that’s because I love these flavors strong.
So good!
My husband always orders this when we go out for Thai and he was impressed with this version.
It a big fan but family liked it!
Seemed a lot of coconut milk; so I used two cans and 2 cups of broth… [also so I could use up some of a big batch of broth I made to use through the soup challenge ]. Worked well!
And another lovely use for zoo noodles!
I like adding coconut milk to a lot of other soups and sauces… Like my carrot ginger soup! Also curry…Not so much that it’s overly spicy but just to add a lovely nuance to the flavor! [Umami!]
Thanks for including this one!
Enjoyed this soup immensely! Thank you.
I love ordering this type of soup at Thai restaurants, so I was really hoping to LOVE this recipe. Unfortunately, I thought it lacked complexity and with the amount of fat, it really needs to be a ‘stunner’ for me. It is a BEAUTIFUL soup – so colorful and bright. It was not nearly spicy enough for me ‘as written’ so I will definitely be adding more curry paste as I eat my way through this batch.
This is an aesthetic soup to me, and you know what they say, you eat with your eyes.
I traded one of the zucchini zoodles for a handful of thin rice noodles.
I topped this beauty with fresh Chinese cabbage and green onion tops from my garden, and Serrano chilies, and cashews, drizzled with fresh squeezed limes.
Wow! That Thai Red Curry Paste is a game changer with all these other flavors!!
Like you said, this is something I want to take to dinners with family and friends as well!!
Wow!
Used button mushrooms instead of portabella