This Thai Coconut Curry Soup is creamy, flavourful, and fragrant, with plenty of veggies and noodles to keep you satisfied. Best of all, it takes only 35 minutes from start to finish!

Overhead view of Thai coconut curry soup with noodles

I adore Thai food, but shrimp paste is a key player in so many soups and curries, which means restaurants and takeout aren’t always an option. That’s why I started making Thai-inspired dishes at home, from this Thai coconut curry soup to Thai peanut noodles and vegan pad see ew.

This soup is loosely based on my Thai green curry, with creamy coconut milk and lots of divine Thai basil and ginger. The soup itself isn’t spicy, so feel free to add some Sriracha or do what I do and add lots of scotch bonnet pepper sauce. (Did I just invent a new Thai/Jamaican fusion dish?!)

Overhead view of creamy broth for Thai coconut curry soup

Why You’ll Love This Thai Coconut Curry Soup

  • Crisp cabbage and wilted spinach. Rather than simmering the vegetables in the broth, this Thai coconut curry soup pours the liquid over the veggies. This wilts the spinach, but it allows the cabbage to soften a bit while still retaining some crunch. I love the contrast!
  • Lots of noodles. Isn’t soup always better with noodles?! Not all curry soups have noodles added to them, but I wanted this recipe to be a hearty, satisfying meal so in they went! I have no regrets and I don’t think you will either.
  • Quick and easy. Don’t let the ingredient list fool you—most of what’s listed are pantry staples or optional additions and the process is easy. Plus, this soup is so full of flavourful ingredients, it doesn’t need to simmer for hours on the stovetop to develop depth. 
Overhead view of Thai coconut curry soup ingredients with labels

Notes on Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

  • Sesame oil – I like to use toasted sesame oil, which is fragrant and nutty. Coconut oil can be used instead if you prefer.
  • Ginger – Use freshly grated ginger, which has much more punch than dried ground ginger.
  • Red curry paste – I use this vegan one.
  • Red onion
  • Garlic
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • Coconut sugar – Or another sugar you have on hand. While white sugar will work, light brown sugar is probably closest to coconut sugar in terms of flavour.
  • Liquid aminos – Or gluten-free tamari, coconut aminos, or lite soy sauce for saltiness and umami.
  • Coconut milk – You can use full-fat coconut milk or lite, but full-fat will give you a much richer broth.
  • Vegetable broth – I love using homemade vegetable broth.
  • Lime
  • Sambal oelek or Sriracha – These are optional, for a spicier Thai coconut curry soup.
  • Thai basil – Thai basil has a stronger, almost anise-like flavour to it. If you can’t find it, regular basil will do the job, or substitute mint.
  • Spinach – Chop this so it’s easy to eat in the soup.
  • Purple cabbage
  • Dry noodles – Vermicelli noodles, udon noodles, soba noodles or another variety you like or have on hand.

How to Make Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Overhead view of red curry paste and ginger added to sesame oil in pot
Overhead view of aromatics cooking in pot for soup
Overhead view of coconut milk stirred into red curry broth
Overhead view of rice noodles in colander
  • Cook the aromatics. Warm the sesame oil in a pan, then cook the ginger and curry paste for about a minute. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and translucent.
  • Simmer. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sugar and liquid aminos. Add the coconut milk and broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Finish. Squeeze lime into the broth. Divide cooked noodles into bowls, along with the veggies. Ladle the broth over the top, then garnish as desired.

Tips and Variations

  • Have fun with the noodles. You could use vermicelli noodles but I had some yummy udon noodles on deck so I used those. This soup also works with soba noodles to keep it gluten-free, or even the rice noodles you use for Pad Thai. Don’t be afraid to switch things up!
  • Make it green. I love the warm flavour of red curry in this Thai-inspired soup, but you could use green curry paste for a different spin on the recipe.
  • Add protein. Cubes of silken firm tofu are an easy way to work some extra protein into your soup and you don’t even have to cook them first! Just cube and add them to the bowls before pouring in the broth. Edamame is another option.
  • Try different vegetables. I used cabbage because, frankly, I had it on hand. Thinly sliced mushrooms, julienned carrots, and bok choy would also work well in this soup.
Overhead view of Thai coconut curry soup in two bowls

How to Store Leftovers

You can store the broth with the noodles and vegetables in the fridge, or store each component separately and pour the heated broth over the noodles and veggies. It’s up to you! Either way, the soup will last about 4 days in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

Yes! If you freeze this Thai coconut curry soup, I recommend freezing the liquid alone, without the noodles or vegetables. It will keep up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag; let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Thai coconut curry soup with noodles in bowl

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Thai coconut curry soup with noodles in bowl

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
This Thai Coconut Curry Soup is creamy, flavourful, and fragrant, with plenty of veggies and noodles to keep you satisfied. Quick and easy!
5 (from 13 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste – I use this vegan one
  • ½ red onion, (3.5g)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, or any sugar
  • 1 tablespoon liquid aminos/gluten free tamari/coconut aminos, or lite soy sauce
  • 1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk (full fat or lite), (383g)
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 lime
  • ½ tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha, optional, for heat
  • handle of Thai basil, finely chopped
  • handful of spinach, finely chopped
  • handful purple cabbage, optional, for topping
  • 8-12 ounces dry noodles, any noodles work – vermicelli noodles, udon noodles, soba noodles or other preferred kind

Instructions 

  • In a pan over medium high heat, heat the sesame oil. Add in the minced ginger and curry paste to fry it, stirring into the oil, for about 1 minute. Add in the chopped onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the sea salt, black pepper, coconut sugar, and liquid aminos on top and stir everything together. Add in the coconut milk and the veggie broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer, allowing to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring the soup. You can let it simmer even more if desired. Squeeze the lime over, stir, and then remove from heat.
  • While the soup is simmering, prepare your noodles according to package directions.

Putting it all Together

  • Add the noodles to the soup bowl. IF using noodles that may fall apart, you may prefer to prep the soup base separately, then add to noodles right before serving if storing for leftovers.
  • Add in the purple cabbage and any other desired veggies including the spinach. Pour the soup over the noodles and veggies and let sit for about 3 minutes or until cool enough to eat. Add in the thai basil on top, and stir in the sambal oelek (or Sriracha) or
    if using.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

You can definitely use coconut oil, I love the flavour the sesame oil gives this.
If you don’t have Thai basil, you can use a subtle mint, or parsley!
HOW TO STORE:
Now, how to store this beauty? Udon noodles stand up pretty strong, so we left ours in the soup and then reheated it with the noodles in there. The noodles had soaked up lots of flavour and tasted even better on day too. Even the cabbage faired well. Alternatively, you can always prep the soup base separately. Then, when you’re ready to eat and serve, cook the amount of noodles you’ll need and veggies you want to serve it with, place it in the bowl, and pour the hot soup over it. That way you could even have different veggies/noodles per person to leave the soup base “pure”.
Calories: 136kcal, Carbohydrates: 9.5g, Protein: 3.2g, Fat: 9.4g, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 5.4g

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Cuisine: Thai
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Soups
Author: Jessica Hylton