Name: Tofu Tom Kha Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 shallot diced; 3 cloves garlic diced; 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce; ¼ cup diced fresh ginger OR 1 tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp limes juiced; 4 cups vegan "chikn" broth or vegetable broth; 2 can full fat coconut milk; ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro or mint; 2 tbsp ground lemongrass or fresh, but cut off the root end and the tough upper stalk. Then smash it to soften the layers. You can also use lemon zest in replacement for the lemongrass; 1 cup mushrooms - I like shiitake but you can use whatever you have; 8 oz drained, pressed, and diced tofu; ½ cup diced red or orange bell peppers. Serrano peppers also work well in this dish.; 2 medium tomatoes diced; 2 tsp ground red chili ( I like the one with the lime from Trader Joe's ); 23 shaved carrots or carrots finely diced; fresh mint or cilantro for the topping

2020 has started out to be a stressful year already! So we are cooking up some comforting vegetarian Tom Kha soup to fill your bellies and hopefully soothe your worried minds. Tom Kha is an easy, dairy-free Thai soup made with coconut milk, veggies, and tofu.

Our recipe is vegan and can be gluten-free, and can be easily swapped with ingredients you have in your pantry and refrigerator. We have also included many substitutions to help you to make this dish with what you have on hand.

It’s tangy, savory, and flexible so you can kick up the spice or keep it tart.

We love the creamy intense flavors of Tom Kha soup over some hearty white rice. It’s a filling meal without the meat!

Click to go to the recipe

Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy!

This post contains affiliate links that I make a small commission on with no added fee to your purchase.

What is Tom Kha soup?

Tom Kha is a common soup served in Thai restaurants that has a tart tangy flavor with a coconut milk base. Often served with mushrooms, where it gives of an earthy meatier taste. The lime and cilantro are fun flavors with the creaminess of the full fat coconut milk. It’s a special blend of seasoning, acid, and zest.

We know groceries are hard to come by.

We have been cooking up some unusual dishes in our house as we are in full lockdown due to the coronavirus. When we made our soup today, we couldn’t get fresh mushrooms so we tossed in a few leftover peppers, a potato, and rice.

So don’t feel like you have to have all of the ingredients. The key ones are the coconut milk, the limes but you could use lemons in a pinch, the ginger and garlic can be dried or powdered if you can’t get fresh.

And lastly, if you don’t have broth, you can use water. It’s going to be good!

Fun Topping Ideas:

Thai fish sauce
garlic chili sauce
Arugula
cayenne pepper

Ingredients Substitutions

Lemongrass = lemon zest
soy sauce= liquid aminos
sugar = honey or agave
Veggie “chicken” broth = vegetable broth

Where to find more Thai recipes:

I love learning new recipes and cookbooks are my favorite thing to sort through on lazy days. These days I’ve had a lot of time to catch up on reading and I’ve made a lot of recipes from my favorite cookbooks.

You can find great recipes in Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes From The Thai Home Kitchen including Tom Kha soup! You can find recipes for Pah Thai or golden fried spring rolls!

For more vegetable-packed meals, check out Love and Lemons Every Day They also have a great Tom Kha soup recipe with delicious sweet potatoes.

Vegetarian Tom Kha soup with Tofu

CategoryMain DishDifficultyBeginner

Prep Time30 minsCook Time25 minsTotal Time55 mins

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot diced

3 cloves garlic diced

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

¼ cup diced fresh ginger OR 1 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp limes juiced

4 cups vegan “chikn” broth or vegetable broth

2 can full fat coconut milk

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro or mint

2 tbsp ground lemongrass or fresh, but cut off the root end and the tough upper stalk. Then smash it to soften the layers. You can also use lemon zest in replacement for the lemongrass

1 cup mushrooms – I like shiitake but you can use whatever you have

8 oz drained, pressed, and diced tofu

½ cup diced red or orange bell peppers. Serrano peppers also work well in this dish.

2 medium tomatoes diced

2 tsp ground red chili ( I like the one with the lime from Trader Joe's )

23 shaved carrots or carrots finely diced

fresh mint or cilantro for the topping

After you press all of the water out of the tofu, toss it in a deep soup pot with olive oil, garlic, and shallots or onions. Allow this to saute for 5 minutes until the onions are soft.

All of the other ingredients EXCEPT the carrots, cilantro or mint, and peppers go into the pot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add the carrots and peppers, top with cilantro.

To serve: This is best served over rice and topped with cool carrots or other toppings of your choice. You can spice it up with Thai garlic chili sauce or tamari.

Ingredients