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Thai Coconut Soup is full of sweet coconut, tangy lime, and tender chicken. You’ll love the bursts of sweet and savory flavor in this unique soup.
Featured with this recipe
- What is Thai Coconut Soup?
- Ingredients in this Coconut Chicken Soup Recipe
- Spices Needed for Thai Seasoning
- Entirely Optional Additions and Substitutions
- Suggestions for Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
- Storing Your Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Thai Recipes to Try
- How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
- Thai Coconut Soup Recipe
This Thai Coconut Soup really hits the spot during the autumn months. So fresh and flavorful, this chicken soup is not too heavy, not too dense, just the perfect creamy soup with the delicious combination of coconut and lime. It’s easy to make, with roasted chicken from the deli at your grocery store, rice and yummy spices that give this soup a unique flavor.
What is Thai Coconut Soup?
Thai coconut soup is also known as Tom Kha Gai, a creamy, rich, slightly sour and salty soup that has a warming spicy flavor. Some versions are simpler than others, but some Thai coconut soups can contain fish sauce, shrimp, and other delicious, interesting things.
Ingredients in this Coconut Chicken Soup Recipe
- Butter – you can sauté the carrots in olive oil or coconut oil too. Start cooking at medium heat.
- Carrot – shredded
- Thai seasoning – see below
- Chicken stock – you can substitute vegetable stock, if desired.
- Cilantro – fresh
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Deli-roasted chicken – from the grocery store, shredded. You can also use shredded chicken breast or chicken that has been diced into one inch pieces.
- Long-grain rice – previously cooked
- Lime – juiced
- Soy sauce
- Extra cilantro – for garnish
- Lime wedges
Spices Needed for Thai Seasoning
Before making this recipe, double check to see that you have all the spices needed to give this soup that tropical taste. You probably already have these spices in your pantry, because they’re kitchen staples, which is also what makes this soup so easy to put together. Here’s what you need:
- Cinnamon (gives the soup a warm scent and flavor that can’t be beat)
- Curry Powder (I love the sweet and savory flavor of curry, which gives this dish more depth and brightness)
- Ginger (you can grate fresh ginger into this soup, or use dried ginger. It’s hot and zesty yet sweet and warm with a slightly woodsy flavor)
- Chili Powder (Here’s where you can add extra heat to the soup if you like. It’s aromatic and spicy, so good!)
- Paprika (With its sweet, bright color, it tastes a little like red bell peppers in a powder form)
Entirely Optional Additions and Substitutions
I find this simple Thai soup to be simply perfect! But, if you want to add anything to the pot, these vegetables and the like would taste delicious!
- Mushrooms add an earthy flavor and a wonderful, soft texture to the soup.
- Top with bean sprouts for extra crunch.
- Red bell pepper is sweet and a little spicy, a great addition to the flavors in the pot!
- Green onions are a little earthy with a hint of spice, perfect for garnish.
- Tofu is a great protein addition, with a fun, squishy texture!
- Red Curry paste or green curry paste gives the soup a hotter, spicier flavor. Stir in just a bit to taste.
- For more seasoning, add a teaspoon of Thai basil, which is a bit bolder and spicier than sweet basil.
- Garlic – dice a couple of cloves garlic for a more intense flavor.
- Add broccoli, asparagus, peppers, or any veggies you like.
- Turn this into Thai chicken noodle soup by switching out the rice for rice noodles, if desired.
- Dice some lemongrass into the soup of a light, fragrant aroma that tastes delicious!
Suggestions for Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
- Do yourself a favor and get a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. It’s deliciously seasoned and shreds up perfectly for this coconut soup.
- Invest in a really good blender. I love my Blendec blender for soups like this one, which makes it so easy to give the soup a creamy, smooth texture.
- Don’t skip the coconut milk. You can find coconut milk in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. It gives the soup a sweet cream coconut flavor that is to die for!
- Any kind of rice will work for this recipe but I especially like using long grain rice. Make sure to cook it separately and add the already cooked rice to the soup.
- Serve a big bowl of soup along side some homemade fry bread or some sweet coconut bread.
Storing Your Leftovers
This Thai coconut soup recipe will last longer than the night you make it, and your family will thank you! If want to make some for a rainy day, place it in freezer-safe containers, either zip bags or Tupperware, and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you just have enough for the refrigerator, allow your soup to cool completely and place in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, either microwave or place on the stovetop at a low simmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tom Yum soup is much spicier, and has a clear broth, while Tom Kha uses coconut milk to stabilize and mellow the flavors, making it both sweeter and slightly heavier. Tom Yum is usually made with shrimp, while Tom Kha is more commonly made with chicken.
Yes! Non-dairy soups hold up better when freezing and have a lesser chance of separating. If you want to freeze your soup, allow it to cool completely, place it in a freezer-safe bag or container, and place in your freezer for up to 3 months.
You could replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and use tofu in your soup instead of shredded chicken or chicken thighs.
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Thai Recipes to Try
If you love the coconut and lime flavors of this Thai Coconut Soup, try some of our other favorite Thai recipes and serve up a huge feast for your next dinner party!
How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
Thai Coconut Soup
Equipment
- Blendtec Blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 carrot shredded
- thai seasoning see below
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 bunch cilantro fresh
- 15 ounce unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 1/2 pounds deli-roasted chicken from the grocery store, shredded
- 1 cup long grain rice previously cooked
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- extra cilantro for garnish optional
- lime wedges optional
Thai Seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter, carrots, and thai seasoning and cook until carrots become soft.
- In a blender, add chicken broth and cilantro and pulse a few times, then pour contents of blender into the pot.
- Add the coconut milk, shredded deli roasted chicken, rice, fresh lime juice, and soy sauce. Bring to a low boil then remove from heat.
- If desired, serve topped with extra fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
- Do yourself a favor and get a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. It’s deliciously seasoned and shreds up perfectly for this coconut soup.
- Invest in a really good blender. I love my Blendec blender for soups like this one, which makes it so easy to give the soup a creamy, smooth texture.
- Don’t skip the coconut milk. You can find coconut milk in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. It gives the soup a sweet cream coconut flavor that is to die for!
Nutrition Information
recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
We made this for dinner tonight 🥴We had high hopes because we love curry everything, it was super bland and not very tasty.
My daughter doesn’t eat meat so I’ll make this with whitefish put into with the broth about 10 minutes before serving and use veg broth.
This soup was so easy and delicious and I don’t even like coconut!
Will definitely make again!!!
The soup turned out delicious.
This soup is absolute perfection. I did replace cilantro with basil and I didn’t have cinnamon on hand so I replaced that with garam masala. Worked out well!
A friend and I had this at a local wine & tapas restaurant. They were open for lunch and this was so good I ventured to ask for the recipe. The owner was only too glad to share. I have a picture of the ingredients. Her change was to not add the rice and not shred the carrots. It was so good I had to make it tonight! Glad I found your recipe
Is it supposed to be coconut cream instead of milk? I used Trader Joe’s canned coconut milk and it turned out brothy not creamy. It was still delicious!
We use the canned coconut milk, and the soup is a more brothy soup, but I think the cream would be yummy too!
I’ve been making this soup over the past few years. It’s so warm from all the spices! I absolutely love it. Planning on making it this week, so I decided to finally write a review. Changes I like to make: I like to add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and use canned chicken.
This is amazing!!!!!!! My whole family loved it!!!!!!
Huge hit with the whole family. So easy to make with a rotisserie chicken, and so much flavor. I serve it over rice rather than adding the rice to the soup so that leftovers don’t have mushy rice.
This is one of my favorite soups! I love it sooo much!
SO DELICIOUS!! I was really wanting just a broth. I made the rice before but Im gonna use it as needed. I didnt have a carrot so I put a jalapeno in the mini chopper instead. Added a little more curry, ginger and lime, because….helloooo, my favorites! Its sooo good! Hit the spot for sure!
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. My family loved it. It’s easy and so tasty. Perfect for cold evenings!
So glad you liked this soup! Thanks so much for the 5-stars!
We make a this once or twice a month. It’s so good! We add a splash of fish sauce and a dollop of sambal oelack on top.
That sounds so good! I’ll have to try that next time. And thanks!!
Perfect, I have a bunch of clilantro that needs used up as well as cauliflower.
We are Paleo so out goes the rice, but we are subbing with cauliflower. I happen to have all ingredients on hand!
I love your idea of subbing cauliflower for the rice. I’m sure it will be delicious!
Yum, yum, yum! This is my favorite dish. I double the seasonings.
Wow. looks delicious. Being vegetarian, can this recipe still taste good if I remove Chicken ingredients like Chicken broth?
Yes, you can use vegetable broth instead. It will still taste great 🙂 Hope this helps!
I never take the time to write a review but since this was such a hit, I thought it deserved some recognition. I made this on New Years Eve to take to a family gathering. I wanted something quick and easy bc I didn’t have much time. Sent my son to the store to get ingredients I didn’t have and boom had this made in no time flat. Liked so well that I made another batch the next day! Kudos!
Thank you so much for the comment! I’m so glad you like the soup!
I’m not seeing where you explain what “Thia spices” are?
It’s in the recipe below the initial ingredients- it says Thai Seasoning- then it lists out the spices.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe. I wanted to post and thank you for feeding my family so many times. 🙂 I’m wondering if you have nutrition information??
So glad you like this recipe– unfortunately we don’t have nutritional information available on our recipes (it would take FAR too much time to calculate each one) but you can find that information on a recipe calculator like “fitbit” or “livestrong”
this was delicious! The best chicken soup recipe yet. I cut up a jalapeño and it added just a slight heat. This is my go to chicken soup from now on.
So glad you liked it! Love the jalapeno idea, thank you for sharing!
How many does this feed? Serving sizes?
It is about 4 servings.
Wow – made this in no time. Made some tweaks, used one cooked chicken breast only and no cilantro in the cooking but garnished some bowls with cilantro (my wife doesn’t like cilantro). This is very filling and good. Will make again.
I came across this recipe when looking for something nourishing to feed my sick family (all five of us have colds). This is easy to tweak (used cut baby carrots instead of shredding a big one, used Garam Masala in a pinch b/c I didn’t have curry powder) and is just delicious!
This soup is absolutely amazing…and was a great way to use up some chicken and rice leftovers from last night. Thanks so much!
So glad you liked it!
Emily,
How much chicken did you use? It looks like the recipe calls for twelve (12) 2.5lb pieces of chicken. That would be 36lbs of chicken!
Please advise.
D.
Thank you, D. I will make a correction on the recipe. It is 2 – 2 1/2 pounds of a roasted chicken, not 12. So sorry for the confusion!
Would turkey taste okay instead of chicken? I have a lot of turkey right now!
Coconut milk tends to do strange things when frozen the fats and the other liquids separate. It might not in a recipe, but just be aware of that. I agree with the fish sauce addition!
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing it so Im not sure!
I really like soup, but unfortunately my kids do not really like to eat them. I’m looking for interesting recipes to encourage my kids to eat soups. I think this recipe would be perfect, it has all the ingredients what they would like. But I never thought that all these elements can be combined into a whole. I have to try this recipe today.
As soon as I saw this I wanted to make it. So quick and easy. I had everything on hand to make it. It was good, but missing a little something. I added some Thai fish sauce I had in my fridge and that gave it a more authentic flavor. It is not “fishy,” so don’t be afraid to try if if you like Thai food. It is more authentic than soy sauce. I would make this again with the addition of about 1 Tbsp. of Thai fish sauce.
I made this soup this past week and we really loved it. It has a wonderful flavor. Fast and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Holy cow, this soup looks INCREDIBLE!!! My mouth is watering right now. I am totally going to make this soup this week. I know that my husband will absolutely approve of it as well 🙂