An easy, dairy-free, lightened up version of thai coconut soup made with coconut milk, ginger, spices and veggies. Perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner idea!
I’ll be honest, up until a few years ago, I had never before tried Tom Kha (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?
Yeah.
SO…a few years ago, I went to dinner with friends to a nearby Thai place. My friend ordered Tom Kha 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 Thai Coconut Soup ever since that day but I never got around to it.
Until today!
How good does that look!?
Traditionally, Tom Kha aka Thai Coconut Soup is made with lots of spices, lemongrass, galangal root, Thai fish sauce, and Thai chili paste.
But here’s the thing…
I wanted to keep things simple for you.
My idea was to create a version of Thai Coconut 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. Like for example, lemon zest in place of lemongrass and cayenne pepper in place of the chili paste.
Feel free to buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it up and add it in, if you’d like.
Honestly, this vegetarian version is delicious as it. 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!

An easy, dairy-free, lightened up version of thai coconut soup made with coconut milk, ginger, spices and veggies. Perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner idea!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded carrots matchsticks
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest from one lemon
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions sliced
- Lime wedges
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In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for 3-5 minutes.
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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.
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Serve with lime wedges, top with cilantro and green onions and enjoy!
*This recipe is vegetarian but feel free to buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it up and add it in, if you'd like.
SHOP THE RECIPE
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