A pantry-friendly version of Tom Kha soup (Thai coconut soup) made with coconut milk, ginger, spices, and veggies. Easy vegetarian weeknight dinner idea!
I’ll be honest, up until a few years ago, I had never before tried Tom Kha Soup (Thai coconut soup) in my life. I’d never even heard of it! At that point, the extent of my Asian cuisine experiences had been sushi, Chinese food, pad thai, and Mongolian beef at PF Changs (lol). Maybe kimchi and Korean BBQ?
A few years ago, I went to dinner with friends at a nearby Thai place. My friend ordered Tom Kha Soup and not knowing what it was, I tried it. OMG. IT WAS DELICIOUS. A little sour, yet spicy. Creamy because of the coconut milk. Flavorful from all the spices and veggies. YUM. I had wanted to remake this Tom Kha Soup ever since that day but I never got around to it.
Until today!
What is Tom Kha Soup?
Traditionally, Tom Kha Soup is a Thai soup made with coconut milk, lots of spices, lemongrass, galangal root, Thai fish sauce, and Thai chili paste. It’s as delicious and flavorful as you can imagine!
Here’s the thing… for this recipe, I wanted to keep things simple for you. My idea was to create a homemade version of Tom Kha Soup that you can make on a whim on a random weeknight. A deliciously easy version made with common ingredients found in your pantry or local grocery store.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Yellow onion + garlic – The base aromatics for this dish.
- Mushrooms – I recommend using cremini mushrooms for this recipe since they have a mild flavor and won’t overpower the dish. Shitakes will also work!
- Carrots – I like to thinly shred the carrots. It adds a unique earthly, slightly sweet, flavor to the soup.
- Soy sauce – A common ingredient to use in place of fish sauce. I prefer to use low sodium soy sauce so the soup is not overly salty. You can also use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
- Ginger – I like to use ground ginger instead of galangal since I always have it in my pantry.
- Sugar – this helps balance all the savory flavors. You can also use coconut sugar if you prefer.
- Cayenne pepper – I like to use this in place of chili paste since I always have it in my pantry. It adds some heat to the soup.
- Lemon zest – Another easy-to-find ingredient to use in place of lemongrass which provides some fresh, brightness to the dish.
- Full-fat coconut milk – I use canned coconut milk and I love how creamy it makes this soup when combined with the vegetable broth.
- Cilantro – I like to add cilantro at the very end to give the soup an earthy flavor.
- Green onions – this garnish provides a little bit of sweetness.
- Lime juice – I love to add citrus to most soups but for this sweet-sour coconut soup, it’s just the perfect finishing touch.
How To Make Vegetarian Thai Coconut Soup
Making this vegetarian Thai coconut soup is so easy. There’s a video below that details the process however I’ll quickly run by the steps.
- Sauté the aromatics and mushrooms. In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes.
- Make the Tom Kha soup. Next, add carrots, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), ground ginger, sugar (or coconut sugar), cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, lemon zest, vegetable stock, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro. And don’t forget a squeeze of lime for extra freshness. That’s it!
Common Questions about Tom Kha Soup
Tom Kha soup tastes spicy, sweet, and sour. It has a savory umami flavor with a creamy texture.
Yes, it is a rich coconut milk based Thai soup made with veggies, aromatics, soy sauce, ginger, spices, and coconut milk.
If you want to save any leftover soup, make sure to transfer it to an airtight container. It will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
Any leftover Tom Kha soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Feel free to buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it up, and add it in, if you’d like. You can also add tofu.
Honestly, this vegetarian version of Tom Kha is so delicious as is, you may not even need to add anything else. It’s the perfect veggie-packed soup after an indulgent weekend or when you want an easy weeknight dinner.
Can’t wait for you guys to try it!
Easy Tom Kha Soup (Vegetarian Thai Coconut Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- Zest from one lemon
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cans full-fat coconut milk (13.66 oz)
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 green onions sliced
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Add carrots, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, lemon zest, vegetable stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve with lime wedges, top with cilantro and green onions and enjoy!
my Husband and i love Thai food and i made this soup today, it was absolutely gorgeous, and so easy to follow the recipe. We like the fact that it is vegetarian and low fat also. I absolutely adore any recipe that has coconut in it and this was amazing….i have made enough for two days and will be making it more often for friends and family. It did not take any time to prepare and using the store cupboard ingredients it was on the table and devoured …..delicious, thank you
Best wishes and keep up the good work
Thank you Marian! So sweet!
My family has yet to try it, but it came out delicious. I also added bok choy, and will be adding it in the future as well.
Oooo love the bok choy addition. Enjoy!
I recommend some lemongrass. Gives the soup a tart little kick..
A-fucking-mazing!!! So easy and flavour bomb
So delicious! The flavors are lovely. I liked the idea of lemon zest in this recipe so I went ahead and gave it a squeeze of lemon juice as well. Thank you for posting this gem of a recipe!
So happy you loved it, Amanda!
You made this recipe super simple to work with. I wanted to make a Thai coconut soup, but your recipe had simple ingredients that I already had on hand! I loved that you gave a really easy base recipe that you can add and take away from. Didn’t have carrots, but added extra mushrooms. Didn’t have lemon so used lime. Added shrimp for substance and my husband added chicken. Great great flavor!!
Soooo happy you enjoyed it, Allee!!
I made this soup over the weekend. It was quick, easy and utterly delicious. I would recommend this to anyone to try, even if you aren’t hugely into Thai food it’s a lovely comfort eating bowl of goodness.
Made this twice. It’s a great recipe. I add Thai basil to it, baby bok choi, and fish sauce.
You give the recipe and it sounds delicious, but how do you meal prep it?
You transfer the soup to a few airtight containers and enjoy it within 3-4 days.
I never commment on food blogs, but i just have to say! This recipe was literally made for me tonight. Its raining and I don’t have a lot in the pantry so I took a look around and was like “I think I can make Tom Kha on a whim” jumped on google and whala, your no fuss version. Thanks!
So happy to hear that, Katie! Enjoy!
I adore This soup!
Does this soup freeze well?
Yes it does! Just make sure to fully defrost it before heating it up. :)
This dish was delicious! I made a few modifications – added 1/2 chopped red pepper, can of baby corn, 1 Tbs red curry paste, 1 Tbs minced lemongrass and 1 tsp or so of fish sauce. According to my husband, it was “restaurant quality”!
So happy you both loved it!! Thank you!!
I just made this easy and delicious soup. Thank you for the recipe. It’s going to be a staple in our home!
So happy to hear that!! Enjoy!!
I want to try a recipe. How much is 2 cans of coconut milk in cups or ml? Thank You :)
Hi! I use the Thai Kitchen coconut milk which is 13.66 oz each can. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that. Enjoy! :)
I’m going to eat this soup every day for the rest of my life! It’s AMAZING! I like that you used ingredients we’ve all heard of. This was so easy to put together and so delicious and really pretty too!
My favorite Thai restaurant burned down recently and I have been craving the Tom Kha soup they used to make. I’ve been looking for a copycat recipe and this one was BETTER! I added 10 oz of tofu and left out the mushrooms and it turned out beautifully. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! :)
So happy you loved it, Sarah!!
Hi! Can you substitute fresh ground ginger?
Yes you can!!
Love the recipe, but dont understand the nutritional calculations. A can of coconut milk is about 600 kalories, in the dish there is two. So that alone equals 1200 cals for 4 people. What am I missing?
I’ve updated the recipe. Thank you for the heads up!
What can you use as a substitute for mushrooms if you don’t like them? Someone mentioned tofu. If you use tofu, would you saute it first, and when would you add it to the soup?
Hi Karen, I’m not sure as I’ve never used tofu before in this recipe. Please let me know if you try it. :)
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! I might not order this soup again while dining out because this version was just that good! Thank you! Look forward to trying more recipes!
This recipe was a good starter. Added fish sauce, curry powder and potatoes. Also increased the ginger and salt. Family enjoyed it.
Hi, How to make the right vegetable stock? Bcos Italian and Thai soups might require different vegetables.. So if you can pls give me the complete recipe of the vegetable stock I will be delighted..Thanks
Hi there! I use store-bought vegetable stock. :)
Hey there – I am trying to eat oil-free and am just learning from what types of recipes I can, and cannot, eliminate the oil. Do you have an idea of what leaving out the olive oil would do to this? Or what I could use as replacement?
This was sooo good and so easy! I unfortunately didn’t have any of the fresh ingredients like carrot, mushrooms, cilantro, or green onions. I subbed tamari for soy sauce and lime for lemon. I also only added in one can of coconut milk cuz that’s all I had. Despite not adding the veggies, the broth is so flavorful! It satisfied my pregnant appetite. I can’t wait to make this again with the veggies.
This is so good and flavorful! I added some tofu as well. Delicious! Definitely adding to my soup rotation for the fall. Thank you!
So happy you loved it!!
Wow amazing!
This is my favorite soup! I added chili paste so it came out spicy but that’s how I like it. Also did mine with chicken and basil as well. But I did everything else from the recipe! It came out really really good. Like restaurant quality. Thank you for sharing. It was delicious.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks for sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
This soup is SO easy to make and comes together so quickly! Its also DELICIOUS! Thanks for such a an easy weeknight meal Jamie!!!
So happy you loved it!!
This was delicious! Tastes even better than the restaurant version! Adding to my staple recipes!!!!
What a great compliment – thank you!! So happy you enjoyed it!
This recipe sounds so good! Can’t wait to make it. What other veggies would work well in this soup if someone doesn’t like mushrooms (my d-i-l)?
Zucchini, potatoes, squash, eggplant…or you can omit them altogether. It will still taste delicious!
I made this in the past many times..it is so good. Especially on these “cold” Florida days. Your recipe is perfect and adding your recommended shrimp AND chicken..delicious!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.