Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup is a gorgeous, healthy, flavor packed soup recipe that will make your tastebuds tingle!
I firmly believe our tastebuds are trainable. If we serve them salt, they crave salt. If we serve them sugar, they crave sugar.
If we serve them healthy food that TASTES GOOD, they’ll crave healthy food!
When I say “healthy food that tastes good”, I’m not talking about plain chicken breasts, baked white fish, nor boring salads. I’m talking vibrant, flavor packed meals like Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup. This healthy, vegetable packed soup makes eating healthy actually enjoyable – I lick my bowl clean!
Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup
Coconut milk, garlic, ginger, red curry paste, lime juice, and fresh cilantro pack each spoonful of this healthy shrimp soup with flavor. It is so mouthwatering! Yes – a mouthwatering soup!! Plus it’s full of spinach and mushrooms so each bowl is incredibly wholesome.
I scoop my coconut shrimp soup over cooked white rice and serve with Gluten Free Flatbread, but you could just as easily serve it over steamed cauliflower rice to up the veggie ante.
Fire up the stove and let’s get this soup simmering!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by sauting chopped shallots or onion with pressed or minced garlic and ginger in a large soup pot until fragrant. Some of the ginger will want to stick to the bottom of the pot, and that’s ok. We’ll scrape it up in a bit!
Next add a huge thwack of red curry paste then saute until fragrant, another minute or so. I prefer Thai Kitchen brand for both the red curry paste and the fish sauce which we’ll add next. As written, this soup comes in at a medium spice level, though different brands of red curry paste have different heat levels. You can always add more at the end if the soup isn’t as spicy as you like it.
Now, slowly add chicken broth while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, followed by coconut milk, gluten free tamari, the aforementioned fish sauce, coconut sugar, dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat up to bring the soup to a bubble, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After simmering, turn the heat up to bring the soup to a rolling boil then add peeled and deveined shrimp, thinly sliced mushrooms, and chopped baby spinach. Cook until the shrimp are cooked through and the mushrooms are crisp tender, 3-5 minutes.
Last step is to squeeze in the juice from half a lime. The lime completely awakens the flavors in this soup – there is a night and day difference!
Scoop the soup over bowls of cooked rice then top with tons of chopped cilantro and extra lime wedges, if you please. I know you will adore this healthy and flavor-packed shrimp soup recipe – enjoy!
More Easy Thai-Inspired Recipes
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Coconut Chicken Curry
- Chickpea Curry
- Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Sesame Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large shallot or small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons red curry paste, depending on how hot you like it, Thai Kitchen recommended
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 15 oz can coconut milk, I prefer full fat in this recipe
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 2 teaspoons gluten free fish sauce, Thai Kitchen recommended
- 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb 16/20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 oz mushrooms, very thinly sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, cut in half, one half sliced into wedges
- For serving: cooked rice and chopped cilantro
Directions
- Melt oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add shallot or onion then saute until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger then saute until extremely fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add red curry paste – careful, as it may spit a bit – then saute for 1 more minute.
- Slowly pour in chicken broth while scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot then add coconut milk, gluten free Tamari, fish sauce, coconut sugar, dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat up to high to bring the soup to a bubble then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn heat up to high to bring soup to a rolling boil then add shrimp, mushrooms, and spinach. Simmer until shrimp are fully cooked through, 4-5 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime and stir. Serve soup with cooked rice, lime wedges, and chopped fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
A hit for the whole family
This soup is SO good! We served it over rice. Will definitely make it again, but will cut back on the red curry paste! ????
Oof! Did you use a different brand than the one I did? I’m a bit spice (heat not flavoring) averse and find that one to be pretty mild so just curious! So glad you loved it despite the heat!!
This has been a family hit, so I decided to try it for an adult dinner party. SUCCESS! Thanks for yet another excellent recipe! I really appreciate the notes on brands that you find best too. I prepped all the ingredients (for a TRIPLE recipe) and let it simmer covered in a dutch oven until just before we were going to eat and then finished adding in the mushrooms, shrimp and spinach. Likewise I started 3 cups of the California Jasmine rice in the instant pot just before the start of our gathering. It was perfect, I fluffed it while we were catching up, added a couple tablespoons of water and covered it. Perfect! One guest went back 3 times!
I am thrilled to read this, Victoria!! Thank you so much for trusting in my recipe for your dinner party!!
Omg! I just finished making the coconut shrimp soup! It is absolutely delicious! This is the very first time that I’ve ever tried to make it myself but I promise you it won’t be the last time!
Amazing, love the flavor!! I removed shrimp tails prior to cooking so I could eat easily with a spoon.
Made this tonight! So yummy. Doubled the recipe and served with Ramen. Easy, quick, flavorful.
LOVE that idea, Jen – I’m going to have to try it! SO glad this was a hit! :)
Can you scallops vs shrimp?
Definitely! I’d probably slice in half widthwise if large. :)
I’ve made this 3 or 4 times, I find myself craving this soup now! Thanks for the recipe, it is definitely a favorite!
I can totally relate – I crave this soup weekly, too! So glad you enjoy it, Jon!
This soup is perfect. My husband and I loved it and will definitely make again!
I can’t have dairy, soy, or gluten in my diet due to leaky gut syndrome so I substituted the soy sauce for Worcestershire and a small spoonful of Martins banana pepper sauce…it was so so good! Shared the recipe with my neighbor. My husband ate two large bowls! Thanks for the recipe.
My dad and I each made this over zoom together and loved it! We wanted more of a kick than the red curry paste was giving, so I added 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper, and he added garlic chili sauce. I also added red bell peppers (added at the same time as the onions, and really liked the addition). The recipe was very easy to follow.
LOVE the dinner date idea, Kelly! Glad you were both able to make it your own, too. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I love this soup
so much layers of flavor so authentic
will make often switching the protein
Fabulous! So glad you loved the soup, Loreen!
Once again, you created a perfect recipe. This is so simple yet utterly delicious! It’s a perfect addition to my usual soup repertoire during the colder months.
Oh my gosh, what a compliment, Melanie!! I’m so glad you loved the recipe! :)