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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!
Rich, but delicious!
It was very savory, loved it with the lime and cashew toppings
What a simple and tasty recipe. This is one I will make for company.
I used regular coconut milk instead of the coconut cream from Trader Joe’s. Cutting out that little bit of fat wasn’t enough to help with the mouthfeel. The taste was great but it was just too heavy of a soup for me.
I am not a fan of coconut, but I like this flavor profile. The Red Lentil Curry is still my favorite. But I would make this again for sure.
Well, I was so surprised the mix of ingredients all made a delicious soup! I love coconut, so I was eager to make it. Yummy, its a keeper!! We even had a spiralizer which after using it, I threw the zucchini spirals into the pan while it was only cooking for about 5 minutes. out of 20! The zucchini was still a bit crunchy in my soup, so it wasn’t a big mistake. I did follow the recipe exactly, except omitted the hot pepper.
Thank you Jen and staff. I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful healthy recipes.
I posted a photo of my soup!! I might even put it in the scrapbook as the beginning of a heathier life!
Wow Jen. Thank you, this is now my new favourite soup ❤ It’s so quick and easy to make, and souper delicious I love the zucchini noodles in this, I also added some snow peas from my mums garden, and topped with coriander, spring onions, chopped peanuts, chilli, and lime. My fussy 11 yr old said she didn’t really like it, but then she did eat most of it. The rest of the fam loved it too, and not one of them asked where is the chicken. Will definitely make this again, I might try
adding kaffir lime leaves next time ❤
Ah the complexity of the tween-ager! LOL. The kefir leaves sounds like a great add. Thanks for the idea Renee!
We loved this recipe! Our zucchini went bad before we could use them but we had rice noodles on hand and it was great! We did t add the peppers for our younger kids but we added bean sprouts. Will definitely be making this again!
This was my very favorite soup. My husband even loved it. I didn’t use 4 cans of coconut milk, just 2 and it worked out perfect. That was the only change I made.
Yummy soup — loved it!!! I will definitely make again. Followed the recipe exactly, even used all the suggested toppings.
Delicious and easy – my favorite combination! I decided to saute a little zucchini on the side and add to my bowl because I plan to freeze most of this batch. I love being able to bulk up soups with a variety of veggies.
Added some broccoli with the carrots, then threw a handful of Asian salad mix upon serving, Really good.
This was so easy and incredibly delicious! Omitted the mushrooms (personal preference) and added extra carrots. I’ve had a spiralizer for years but never used it. Who knew zoodles were even better than noodles? Everyone but me, apparently. I probably won’t be making this too often due to the high fat content and the fact that I need to lose a bit of weight, but there’s nothing wrong with an occasional indulgence.
Hooray for zoodles!! Glad you gave that spiralizer some exercise! Def go for lite coconut milk going forward if you want to make it again with lower fat and calorie count.
The recipe is great . I made fresh coconut milk in the blender . I increased the spice level as our family loves spicy food. Its a comfort food for a pleasant crisp evening.
My fav soup so far!
Wow! I like it! I used TK full fat coconut milk and red curry paste. It’s mild and delicious, quite easy to make. My daughter ( GF ) loved it! I was generous with the cashew , lime and green onion onions.