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This gorgeous Thai Noodle Soup is incredibly flavorful and easy to make! The mild heat is kid-friendly and the soup can easily be customized with the vegetables you like best. Quick enough for any day of the week!
Trust me, you need this Thai Noodle Soup in your life! It’s cozy and comforting and healthy and nourishing, not to mention oil free, gluten free, and easy to make! Even my kids gobble this one down – they love anything with noodles!
You can easily customize the veggies to what you have on hand in your fridge. And you can town down or increase the heat as you like.
Try it today!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Don’t be deterred by the ingredient list. Some items can be swapped out for what you have on hand. And it all comes together easily.
Red Curry Paste ~ This is obviously a necessity for a red curry soup. I use store-bought paste because it’s convenient. I prefer Thai Kitchen brand. It’s flavorful, yet mild in heat. Take note that some brands will be spicier than others.
If you have a homemade red curry paste you love, feel free to use that.
If you have green curry paste, you can certainly make this into a green curry Thai noodle soup instead. Be aware that green curry tends to be spicier than red.
Aromatics ~ Fresh onions, garlic and ginger are really going to bring the curry flavors alive. Don’t be tempted to use powdered spices in place of fresh.
Vegetables ~ I love cauliflower, zucchini and sweet bell pepper (any color is fine) in this dish. You could easily swap these out for what you have hanging out in your fridge. Broccoli, green beans, green peas, mushrooms or carrots would be delicious. Even winter squash or sweet potatoes would work, but note that they will take longer to cook.
If you like it spicy, throw in some sliced hot Thai chiles.
Coconut milk ~ Coconut milk is traditional in curry soups. The flavors go so well together. It also helps make the Thai Noodle Soup creamy and balances out the heat. I suggest you go for full fat coconut milk from a can.
Noodles ~ I typically use the Lotus Foods Organic Brown Rice and Millet Ramen. I get a big bag at Costco and use 3 of the “cakes” for this recipe. Any rice noodles will work.
Heck, you could even use traditional spaghetti noodles or any other noodle shape you like. It will certainly be far from traditional if you do that, but I am not one to stick to tradition while cooking anyway, so I say use what you have!
Garnishes ~ Finish the soup with fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and green onions.
You could use Thai basil if you hate cilantro. Other additions that would be delicious are chopped peanuts or a few dashes of hot sauce.
Protein ~ I prefer the texture of this soup with veggies only. If you want to add some protein, chewy baked tofu would be super tasty or you could simply add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
How to make the recipe
Start by chopping all the vegetables and aromatics so they are ready to go when called for. You can chop the garnishes, like green onions and cilantro while the soup is simmering.
Add a bit of the full fat coconut milk to the pot (1) and heat it over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent (2). Now add the red curry paste (3) and stir well to combine (4). Sauté another minute or two to release the flavors and fragrance.
Note: The fat from the coconut milk is going to help release the most flavor from the red curry paste. Don’t skip this.
After the red curry paste has sautéed in the coconut milk, add the garlic, ginger, bell pepper, cauliflower, and zucchini. Mix well to coat all the vegetables in the curry paste (5).
Add the broth and coconut aminos (6) and remaining coconut milk (7) and stir well to combine (8). Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Add the noodles to the pot (9) and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. If you’re using the ramen blocks, I find it helpful to use kitchen tongs to pull the noodles apart as they cook (10). Once they are cooked through (11) add the green onions, lime juice, and cilantro (12). Stir well, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Storage/Freezing
Leftovers of this vegan Thai Noodle Soup will last for several days in an airtight container in the fridge.
I don’t recommend freezing this soup as the noodles will get too mushy about thawing and reheating.
Pro tips for success
~ Chop all your veggies and aromatics before you begin cooking, so everything is ready when you need it.
~ Use a little of the coconut milk to sauté the red curry paste – the fat will help release the oils from the spices in the paste and make your finished dish more flavorful.
~ You can swap in most vegetables that you have in your fridge, but be sure to keep the total measurements the same.
~ Don’t forget the garnishes! While I call them garnishes, they bring tons of flavor and the soup won’t feel finished without them.
~ Add a few dashes of hot sauce if you like more heat.
~ Add a bit more coconut milk, an extra sprinkle of sugar or another squeeze of lime, if you want to tame down the heat.
~ Always taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking before serving.
FAQs
Yes! This Thai Noodle Soup is very healthy! It’s low in calories and high in vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium and iron. It also boasts healthy fats.
Nope. Rice noodles cook in just a few minutes. Simply add them dry to the hot pot of soup and stir so they don’t clump.
Each brand is a little different. The Thai Kitchen brand I use contains red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, coriander, and lime peel.
If you want to make your own, try this recipe.
If you like your curry spicy, feel free to add a few dashes of hot sauce. You can also add chopped dried red chiles or slices fresh red chiles.
While this particular curry has just a mild heat, if you are sensitive to spicy dishes and find it too much, you can add more coconut milk. More lime juice and another sprinkle of coconut sugar should also tame the heat a bit.
More vegan curry recipes
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Thai Green Curry Vegetables
- Coconut Curry Soup
- Curried Tofu Salad
- Vegetable Curry
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Red Curry Thai Noodle Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can (13.5 oz) full fat coconut milk
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste I like Thai Kitchen
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower about ½ of a head
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 sweet bell pepper (any color) chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari or soy sauce
- 8 ounces rice noodles or noodles of choice
- juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup coconut milk to a soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the red curry paste, stir well to combine, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the garlic, ginger, cauliflower, zucchini, and bell pepper. Stir well to coat all the veggies in the curry paste.
- Add the broth, coconut aminos, and remaining coconut milk. Stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the noodles and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through.
- Add the lime juice, coconut sugar, green onions and cilantro. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, adding salt and pepper or any additional seasoning as necessary.
- Serve hot.
Kelli says
I loved the flavor of this soup..couldn’t get my kids to try it but my husband and I enjoyed it. I added Bok Choy and some water chestnuts for crunch. I didn’t have red onion so I used a yellow one. I wonder how much different the flavor would be. I will definitely make this again!
Jenn Sebestyen says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelli!
Chris says
This soup was awesome! I added a full head of cauliflower, a green pepper and a block of pressed cubed tofu! MAGIC! Mine was really thick, more like a stew. Of course more liquid could have been added.
Thanks Jenn!
Jenn Sebestyen says
So glad you loved it, Chris. I’m sure it was thicker because you added extra ingredients. If you have leftovers, it will thicken up even more as the noodles continue soak up some of the liquid. You will probably need to add more broth when reheating. As always, thanks for your feedback!
Sue says
This is phenomenal! Thanks for the wonderful recipe; it’s a keeper.
Jenn Sebestyen says
So happy you love, Sue! Thank you!