Vegan Tom Kha (Thai Coconut Soup)

Vegan Tom Kha is a satisfying and flavor-packed Thai-inspired soup made from creamy coconut milk and flavorful aromatics. It's like a comforting hug on colder days!

Posted on: February 24, 2023. Updated on: January 22nd, 2025.

What is Tom Kha?

Tom Kha Gai is a Thai coconut chicken soup infused with lemongrass and galangal. It's creamy and vibrant with a sweet, savory, spicy, and slightly tangy flavor. In Thai, "Gai" means chicken, since this recipe is vegan, it substitutes chicken with tofu. Instead of traditional fish sauce, this recipe uses soy sauce.

It's a must-have for any Thai food lovers with the unique flavors of Thai food and the addition of creamy coconut milk.

For more Thai recipes, check out Thai Pumpkin Soup, Thai Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce, and Thai Mango Coconut Curry!

Why does this recipe work?

This recipe is:

• Creamy taste and texture of the coconut milk
• Umami: A flavor bomb of sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy and freshness from a variety of aromatics like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and lime juice.
• Easy to make with accessible ingredients: most of the ingredients in this recipe are easily accessible, or can be substituted.
• Made in 25 minutes: perfect as a weeknight meal!

Ingredients and substitutes

Here are the ingredients for my vegan Tom Kha recipe:

Aromatics: To create the base of the flavorful Tom Kha soup, the recipe uses:

• Lemongrass
• Galangal
• Thai red chili
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Lime juice

The base of the soup uses vegetable broth (or you can use water), full-fat coconut milk and seasonings (soy sauce, sugar, and salt).

Substitute ingredients:

Galangal: Galangal root is a spice native to Southeast Asian cooking, it is closely related to ginger and turmeric. Galangal can be added to dishes to add a spicy, peppery sharp taste. If you don't have access to galangal, you can use frozen or galangal paste. You can also use ginger, but note that the flavor won't be the same.

Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a Southeast Asian herb with a lemony, earthy smell and taste. You can use frozen or powdered lemongrass if you don't have access to fresh lemongrass. Instead of 2 lemongrass stalks, use 1 teaspoon of lemongrass powder.

Carrots & Mushrooms: these vegetables are used for added sweetness and texture to the soup. Feel free to use other vegetables that you have on hand!

How to make this Vegan Tom Kha recipe

Firstly, chop the lemongrass into chunks, then lightly smash them using your knife to release the aroma. Peel the galangal then chop it into thin slices. Thinly slice the Thai red chili.

Next, sauté the aromatics in oil for a few minutes or until fragrant.

Add vegetable broth and coconut milk and mix well.

Add in the chopped carrots and mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Next, add in the tofu cubes then simmer for 5 minutes more. Season with soy sauce, salt and sugar.

Transfer the soup into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

If you enjoyed this recipe, feel free to leave me a review below or tag me on Instagram @veggieanh. Thank you for supporting my work!

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📖 Recipe

If you enjoyed this recipe, also check out:

• Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup (Vegan)
• Bún Riêu Chay (Vegan Crab Noodle Soup)
• Thai Coconut Chickpea Curry
• Thai Coconut Curry Ramen with Coconut Crusted Tofu