Thai Vegetable Coconut Soup With Noodles

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 11/3/21
Tested by
Laurel Randolph
Photo of Laurel Randolph
Tested by Laurel Randolph
A fervid lover of the culinary arts and all things Instant Pot, Laurel has been writing about food for 10 years. One of her cookbooks was the #2 cookbook of 2017.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Recipe Testing Panel
Thai Vegetable Coconut Soup With Noodles

The Spruce / Ali Redmond
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
509 Calories
15g Fat
82g Carbs
17g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 509
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 19%
Saturated Fat 10g 49%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1880mg 82%
Total Carbohydrate 82g 30%
Dietary Fiber 7g 26%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 94mg 468%
Calcium 345mg 27%
Iron 7mg 39%
Potassium 1155mg 25%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Comforting and nutritious, this Thai vegetable coconut soup with noodles is easy to make and great for a light dinner or warm and soothing lunch. A rich broth made with vegetable stock and coconut milk is the creamy base for vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and carrots, as well as tofu, making this delicious soup a complete meal in itself. It's also a tasty spin on the traditional noodle soup often consumed when fighting a cold or flu, and thanks to mood-boosting lemongrass, it'll put some pep in your step to boot. 

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"Few soups come together this quickly and have this much flavor. Make sure you have extra soy sauce, fresh lime, sugar, and chili sauce on hand to adjust the broth to your taste before serving. I especially like soft or silken tofu for this dish." —Laurel Randolph

Thai Vegetable Coconut Soup With Noodles
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces dried flat wheat or rice noodles

  • 6 cups vegetable stock

  • 1 stalk lemongrass (minced), or 1/4 cup frozen prepared lemongrass

  • 1 thumb-sized piece galangal or ginger (sliced into matchstick pieces)

  • 3 makrut lime leaves, optional

  • 2 carrots, sliced

  • 1 head broccoli (chopped into florets including stems)

  • 2 cups bok choy or Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces

  • 1/2 can (6 to 7 ounces) coconut milk

  • 8 ounces soft or firm tofu (cut into cubes)

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, or to taste

  • 2 sliced chilies or Thai chili sauce (Nam Prik Pao), to taste, optional

  • 1/2 lime, or more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste, optional

  • 1/4 cup fresh basil or cilantro (roughly chopped if leaves are large)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Thai Vegetable Coconut Soup With Noodles ingredients

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  2. Cook the noodles according to package instructions.

    noodles cooking in a pot of water

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  3. Cover and set aside to keep warm.

    noodles in a bowl, covered with a towel

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  4. Pour the stock into a soup pot and add the lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and carrots.

    stock with lemongrass, galangal, whole lime leaves, and carrots in a pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium to simmer.

    boiling stock with spices and carrots

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  6. Add the broccoli and bok choy and simmer until the vegetables have softened but are still bright in color, about 5 minutes.

    Add the broccoli and cabbage to the pot of soup

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  7. Remove the lime leaves. Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve.

    add coconut milk to the soup in the pot

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  8. Add the tofu, stirring gently so it doesn't fall apart.

    tofu added to coconut soup

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  9. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine.

    add soy sauce to the coconut soup

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  10. If you prefer your soup spicy, add some fresh-cut chilies or 1 to 2 teaspoons chili sauce—or simply serve it on the side.

    fresh-cut chilies added to the coconut soup

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  11. Squeeze in the juice from half a lime. Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough and more lime juice if desired. If too sour for your taste, add up to a teaspoon of sugar.

    add soy sauce, lemon or sugar to the soup, to taste

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  12. Portion out the noodles into bowls.

    noodles in the bowl

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

  13. Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle with fresh basil or cilantro and serve with more chili sauce on the side, if desired.

    ladle Thai Vegetable Coconut Soup With Noodles into the bowl with the noodles

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Non-Vegetarian Variation

  • Use chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth.
  • In place of the soy sauce, use 3 tablespoons fish sauce plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
  • Replace the tofu with shrimp or chicken.

How to Store

Store any leftover broth and vegetables separate from the noodles, if possible. It will keep a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge.

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