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Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup

Sometimes a big, heavy soup just isn’t what you’re in the mood for, even though the chilly weather outside says otherwise! When something brothy is the answer to your soup cravings, turn to this Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup. It’s lightly creamy, but flavor-boosted with beautiful Thai-inspired flavors, including red curry paste, red curry paste, ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk. Earthy, umami mushrooms and shallots round out the soup, making it both satisfying and easy to prepare. This soup is a small-batch recipe — perfect for two people or one with leftovers — but can easily be doubled for the whole family.

An overhead shot of Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup in a handled white bowl.

Why I love this soup, and hope you will, too

I was making dinner one evening — just normal, everyday cooking, not anything for the blog — and while tasting and adjusting the sauce before adding the chicken, I had a lightbulb moment. The sauce was so good that I just stared into the pan for a moment, trying to commit to memory what I had just done.

I didn’t grow up with authentic Thai cooking but was fortunate enough to learn the basics of the Thai seasoning palate fairly early on, and it’s been a steady presence in my kitchen ever since: I always have curry pastes, ginger, lemongrass (sometimes galangal), fish sauce, and coconut milk in my pantry.

Anyway, the sauce that day was the inspiration for this soup, with some Tom Kha Gai influences thrown in. Carby, hearty soups are here to stay at SoupAddict, but sometimes something light and slurpy is exactly what we need!

Reasons this soup is a hit at mi casa:

  • Bold Thai-inspired flavors: Red curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic give this soup a complex and very delicious flavor.
  • Lightly creamy: The coconut milk provides just the right amount of creaminess without feeling heavy.
  • Quick & easy: You can whip up this small-batch soup in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for weeknights, and even lunches.
  • Customizable: Easily adjust the heat level by adding more or less curry paste, or try different types of mushrooms.
  • Comforting and satisfying: It’s a warm, cozy, brothy soup that still feels light and refreshing. Perfect for autumn!
Mushrooms for the soup arranged on a metal plate.
Mushrooms clockwise from top: white button, shiitake, lion’s mane, oyster.

Main Ingredients, Preparation Notes, and Substitutions

Thai red curry paste — This beautiful ingredient is having an extended moment in my kitchen lately, and I would say at least one meal per week — and that’s not including any soups I’m cooking for the blog — is something built around it. There are some great brands of Thai red curry paste out there, but I have a particular affection for Thai Kitchen’s roasted variation (Amazon link). It’s deeper and savorier and umamier. Just lovely.

Shallots — I don’t think anything in the onion family is particularly authentic to Thai cooking, but shallots have a nice onion-garlic flavor that complements the curry paste for the soup base. Shallots come in all shapes and sizes — exactness is not an issue here. Find a shallot or two that are about 2 to 3 inches long total and plump, and you’re good to go.

Ginger & Lemongrass — These zesty aromatics are sort of a pain to prepare in their whole forms, and tbh here in the Midwest, they’re hard to find anyway when outside of their seasons. So, I depend on the paste versions of both. I’d rather go with this shortcut than not have them at all! For purposes of cooking soup, the pastes are perfectly acceptable substitutions.

Coconut milk — Be sure to buy unsweetened coconut milk. A canned version is your best bet, as a boxed version made for drinking is not likely to have the amazing creamy solids that you find in canned versions. Shake-shake-shake the can well and scrape out all of that goodness into the soup.

Mushrooms — Big box grocery stores around here carry a reliable stock of button, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms. Any of those are acceptable. I have a small, local store that carries lots of interesting things that Kroger does not, and a nice variety of mushrooms is one of them. Oyster mushrooms, beech mushrooms. Sometimes lion’s mane. The contents of the soup today reflect what was available, so that’s why I added the note in the recipe about using what you can access.

An overhead view of Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup in a stainless steel pot.

Cook’s Notes

  • If you do buy the roasted red curry paste that I mentioned above, note that it contains fish sauce (some brands don’t), so keep that in mind when adding fish sauce to the soup. I usually go with the soy sauce alternative to keep the soup from getting too funky.
  • Storing leftovers: This soup will last up to 5 days in the fridge. I would not recommend freezing the soup because the coconut milk will likely break after freeze-thaw-reheat cycle.
  • This soup cooks up so quickly that you don’t really need to make it ahead, although of course you can. If you want to save a little bit of time somewhere, you can slice the shallots and clean and slice the mushrooms ahead of time, storing them in the fridge.
  • I love this soup mostly for its tasty broth; the mushrooms are a bonus. But if you want to add even more mushrooms, you can! The challenge of cooking a light soup with ingredients that have weight is that they sink to the bottom. There are a lot of mushrooms in this soup, but they don’t show up well in the photos!
  • Make the soup vegetarian by using vegetable or mushroom broth, and soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Double-check the ingredient label on your red curry paste to ensure it doesn’t have fish sauce or shrimp flakes in it.

How to Make Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to get the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the soup.

Step 1: Saute the mushrooms

Sauteeing the mushrooms and shallots in the pot.

Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart soup pot and cook the mushrooms until they begin soften and release their liquids. Add the shallots and saute for a few minutes more.

Step 2: Add the seasonings

Adding the seasonings to the mushrooms.

Stir the red curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic into the mushroom mixture until combined and fragrant.

Step 3: Cook the soup

Adding the broth and coconut milk to the pot.

Add the broth and coconut milk. Bring to a light simmering boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Step 4: Garnish and serve

The finished soup in the pot, with cilantro and green onions.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with your favorite garnishes. Make sure you go deep with the ladle to scoop up the mushrooms that have settled on the bottom.

Overhead shot of two bowls of Thai coconut mushroom soup.

This soup has been the surprise hit of late summer and early fall. It’s brothy but not consommé-sparse because the creaminess from the coconut milk gives a smooth and substantial base for the mushrooms.

The Thai seasonings give it so much flavor, it’s just a delight to enjoy for lunch or a light dinner.

Karen xo
Overhead view of Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup in a white bowl.
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Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup

Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup is quick and delicious soup for two, with Thai-inspired flavors simmered in a creamy coconut milk base.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: thai coconut mushroom soup
Servings: 2 people
Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 ounces mushrooms*
  • 1 medium shallot (about 3″ long) sliced thinly and chopped a little bit
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or paste)
  • 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (or paste)
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk (15 ounces is fine)
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 lime
  • chopped cilantro for garnish
  • thinly sliced chile peppers for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart soup pot over medium until the surface of the shimmers. Add the mushrooms and saute until they soften a little and just begin to render their liquids, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook for a few minutes more.
  • Spoon in the Thai red curry paste, ginger, and garlic and combine with the mushroom mixture until blended and fragrant.
  • Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring the soup to bubbly simmer. Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar. Adjust the heat to retain a gentle bubbling and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Squeeze the juice from one half of the lime. Carefully taste the soup, and add more lime juice if the soup needs a little brightening.
  • Serve with your favorite garnishes, such as cilantro, slice chile peppers, chili crisp, a drizzle of hot honey, crispy fried onions, etc.

Notes

*Mushroom availability varies from region to region, store to store, and season to season, so don’t worry if you can’t source something exotic. Shiitakes and button mushrooms will do just fine.
Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.
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