Our Vegan Tom Kha Soup recipe is the plant-based version of the common Tom Kha Gai. Making your own Thai Coconut Soup is quite simple if you get the right ingredients and follow our step-by-step method. We'll also provide all the information if you want to make your own chili paste, but you can make our recipe using store-bought paste, too.
Tom Kha is one of the vegan recipes that we learned how to cook while in Thailand. It is, together with Khao Soi, our favorite choice when it comes to creamy and hearty soups. If you have been following us for some time now, you'll probably know that Thai cuisine is one of our favorites, so we make sure our recipes taste as close to the original recipes we tried in Thailand using ingredients that are available in most places.
This Vegan Tom Kha has everything you need for a chilly or rainy day or simply for an evening when you need a dish that will warm up your boy from the inside. It's creamy, spicy, hearty, umami-rich, and so so delicious.
For us, this is one of those recipes we keep for a night when the kids are at the grandparents, or one of those days we manage to get them in bed early enough to find some time to enjoy a quiet meal.
Traditionally, this Thai soup is made with chicken (Tom Kha Gai), but we like adding some tofu and mushrooms for protein, and if you need something heartier, consider adding a portion of noodles on the side.
What our Readers Think of our Vegan Tom Kha:
- Monica: This was very flavorful and ill definitely be making it again!
- TT: Absolutely delicious. was spending a fortune ordering out to get my tom kha fix.. Thanks for sharing!
- Rebekah: I absolutely adore this recipe. Tom yum/Tom kha are my two remedies to everything from colds, hangovers, headaches, sore tummies and even heart break so I really like it to pack all the flavour. This does it beautifully and is so simple and quick, freezes and reheats well too. Absolute winner.
Tom Kha would translate to galangal soup. Galangal root is a spice from the same family as ginger. Tom Kha soup consists of a spiced broth made with aromatics such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and, of course, galangal combined with coconut milk.
Tom Kha vs Tom Yum
Many of you have asked this question before, so I'll include a little clarification about the difference between Tom Kha and Tom Yum:
Both Tom Kha and Tom Yum are Thai hot and sour soups prepared with fragrant spices. Tom Yum can also be made with coconut milk (even if many people believe that is the main difference, including myself until I read Yumsome posts about Tom Yum).
So, what is the difference? As said before, Tom Kha translates to Galangal soup, as this recipe contains way more aromatics than Tom Yum soup and also uses fresh chilis instead of dried chilies used for Tom Yum.
Ingredients
Red Chilli Paste. For our Vegan Tom Kha soup, we prepare a simple paste made with bird's eye chillis or Thai chilies, carrots, shallot, garlic, and soy sauce. We briefly stir-fry the chillis, carrot, shallots, and garlic before blending everything with a splash of soy sauce to make the paste. If you want to speed up the cooking process and have some Thai red curry paste on hand, you can use that instead. If you are using dried chillis, you'll need to rehydrate them in warm water for about 15 minutes before using them.
Galangal. It may be difficult to find depending on where you live, but Tom Kha really calls for galangal. You can try to find it in an Asian supermarket, fresh, frozen, or even dried. As your last option, you can use ginger instead of galangal.
Lemongrass. One of the most popular ingredients in Thai food. Lemongrass will give your soup that unique Thai fragrance and flavor.
Kaffir lime leaves. This is a must ingredient when cooking Thai soups or curries. You may be able to find them frozen or dried. You can substitute this ingredient by using lime juice or kaffir lime zest.
Plant-based protein. For our Thai coconut soup, we love using tofu and a variety of mushrooms. You can also use seitan, edamame, soy curls, or vegan chicken pieces.
Veggies (optional). We kept the recipe simple, but you can add fresh veggies such as red bell pepper, green onions, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, bamboo shoots, or any veggies you need to use!
Vegetable broth or stock. If you are like us and always have some veggie broth in the freezer, now is the time to take it out. You can use store-bought vegetable stock.
Coconut milk.
Sweetener. This recipe calls for a little bit of sweetness, too. You can use any type of sweetener, such as brown sugar or maple syrup.
Soy sauce. The original Tom Kha uses fish sauce; you can make your own vegan fish sauce, use soy sauce, or use tamari for a gluten-free option.
Lime juice. A splash of freshly squeezed lime juice at the end makes a huge difference. You can also serve the soup with a lime wedge on the side to keep adding some more tanginess.
Don't worry if you don't have many of the ingredients on the list. You can find Tom Kha packs online that contain almost everything you need. We have seen a similar frozen pack in our local Asian supermarket, which is super handy if you don't want to buy a large amount of galangal and lemongrass.
Cooking Method for Vegan Tom Kha Soup
Make the chili paste. Using gloves, cut the red chills, remove the seeds, and roughly chop them. Chop the carrot, shallot, and garlic. Heat some coconut oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan and add the ingredients. Once they start to brown, transfer them to a blender jug, add soy sauce, and blend until you have a smooth paste.
If you are using store-bought red curry paste, you can skip this part.
Heat some oil in a large pot, briefly stir-fry the paste, and add the galangal and lemongrass.
Pour the vegetable stock and add kaffir lime leaves, mushroom, tofu and some sweetener. Bring to a simmer and leave simmering for 10-15 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes, making sure it doesn't get to a boiling point as it could curdle, and remove from the heat.
Serve your vegan Tom Kha soup with chopped cilantro and a splash of freshly squeezed lime.
Tip: You can use a cheesecloth or a spice bag for the lime leaves, lemongrass, and galangal, so you won't have to pick them out.
Vegan Tom Kha Soup
Ingredients
Red Chilli Paste
- 10-15 Bird's eye chillis
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or other vegetable oil
- 1 carrot
- 1 shallot or ¼ white onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or vegan fish sauce
Tom Kha Soup
- 3 tablespoon red chili paste or 1 ½ tablespoon store-bought red curry paste
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 2-3 inch galangal
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
- A handful of mushrooms
- 9 oz firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free option
- 1 ½ cup coconut milk canned
- A splash freshly squeeze lime
- A handful chopped cilantro
Instructions
Red Chilli Paste
- Using gloves, cut the red chills, remove the seeds and roughly chop them.10-15 Bird's eye chillis
- Roughly chop the carrot, shallot, and garlic. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add the ingredients. Once they start to brown, transfer to a blender jug, add soy sauce, and blend until you have a smooth paste.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 carrot, 1 shallot, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Tom Kha Soup
- Chop the galangal in 3 or 4 big chunks and the lemongrass stalks broken into two parts.2-3 inch galangal, 2 lemongrass stalks
- Using a big pot, briefly stirfry the red chili paste with the galangal and the lemongrass stalks.3 tablespoon red chili paste
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pot and add the kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms, tofu, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and leave simmering for 10-15 minutes.1 litre vegetable stock, 4-5 kaffir lime leaves, A handful of mushrooms, 9 oz firm tofu, 1 teaspoon palm sugar
- Add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes making sure it doesn't get to a boiling point as it could curdle, and remove from the heat.1 ½ cup coconut milk, 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- Serve with chopped cilantro and a splash of freshly squeezed lime.A splash freshly squeeze lime, A handful chopped cilantro
Newsletter
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Tom Kha is normally served as a starter. It's a great option for a light lunch or dinner, and it can be served as a main dish if you want to serve it as a portion of jasmine rice or rice noodles.
Add some fresh cilantro and drizzle some lime juice before serving.
If you want to add more heat to your Vegan Tom Kha Soup, you could serve some chili oil on the side, chili flakes, or sriracha.
Keep any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat using a microwave or a pot.
FAQ
You can use ginger or dried galangal if you can't find fresh or frozen galangal.
Aroy-D red curry paste is vegan and is the one we normally buy to make easy curries.
Instead of tofu, you could use more mushrooms, seitan, soy curls, edamame, or tempeh.
Lizzet says
Great Job! Delicious!!
Laura says
Thank you Lizzet!
Linda Ferro says
A knockout!
Ivana ? says
This vegan version of Tom Kha looks so amazing! I have to try it soon! ?❤️
Laura says
Thank you Ivana! You will love it!
Rebekah says
I absolutely adore this recipe. Tom yum/Tom kha are my two remedies to everything from colds, hangovers, headaches, sore tummies and even heart break so I really like it to pack all the flavour. This does it beautifully and is so simple and quick, freezes and reheats well too. Absolute winner.
Laura says
Thank you!
Renee says
Loved this recipe!
Laura says
Thank you Renee 🙂
Monica says
This was very flavorful and ill definitely be making it again!
Laura says
Thank You Monica!
TT says
Absolutely delicious. was spending a fortune ordering out to get my tom kha fix.. Thanks for sharing!
I forgot to spice it. Added salt and pepper etc. at the end and it was just fine.
I think next time, I'm going to use cheese cloth or a spice bag for the lime leaves, lemongrass and galangal so I don't have to pick them out.
Five star recipe!
Laura says
Thank you, Love the idea of using a cheese cloth to add the aromatics!
India says
We cobbled together an approximation of this with ginger instead of galangal, lemon instead of lime, and 1 big red chili, with half the coconut milk, but this was amazing! Will definitely have to try your recipe properly
Laura says
Thank you India, I am sure you will love it too!
Lynn says
Amazing and authentic! I cooked this outside on my new induction burner and my Thai neighbors must be going crazy wondering how I did it!! What helped was going to a nearby Asian market where I was able to buy fresh galangal and lemongrass. Thank you for posting this delicious recipe.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Lynn, really glad you loved this recipe!
Maarten says
Delicious, still trying to perfect the balance of the galangal, lemongrass and red curry paste.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Marteen!
Shannon Whitlock says
The recipe has nothing about removing the galengal, lemon grass and lime leaves. I had to read the whole blog to find that at the end, when it was all in the pot.
Laura Arteaga says
Hi Shannon, you don't need to remove them, you can leave them in the pot and when serving, leave aside. I normally just leave everything in the pot and put the ingredients aside while eating.