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.
What a fantastic recipe! This soup was absolutely perfect. We made this recipe tonight, following the ingredient list and directions exactly and it turned out great. It has a really tasty depth of flavor and was so easy to make. This is a must try. Yum!
I’m so glad this was a hit, Shawn! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
don’t have coconut sugar. hope it turns out 🤞
You can use granulated in its place!
this was so good. I added some dried shrimp and enoki mushrooms to the mix and it was cravable. on my 5 star list to make again.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Theresa, and love hearing how you made this recipe your own. Yum!
This soup is amazing! Made a batch of it and my boyfriend and I shamelessly ate the whole thing in 1 day, thank you so much for sharing. This is in our rotation permanently!
I can so relate!! Thrilled it was a hit with you both!
Can you thicken the soup a little? If so how?
Sure! You could make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together 2 Tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water then stirring it in at the end and simmering until thickened — just a couple of minutes. This soup does have a bit velvety thickness as written though.
Can I add more stuff into the soup? Like bamboo shoots, water chestnut?
Sure!
I added some sugar snap peas
Love that idea, Rebeca!
OMGoodness!!! This soup is dang delicious. I followed the recipe. I’m so blown away that I could make this pretty & delicious soup. Husband just came in from walking the dogs and said, “honey I believe that is the best flavor soup I’ve ever had in my life!” thank you so much for this recipe – I will be making this one again and again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh my gosh, what a treat to read — I’m so glad this was a hit with you both. Great job!!
It REALLY helps! Thank you! And u appreciate the speedy reply, too!
You bet!!
Can’t wait to make this! How does it freeze? And how does it work is making a day in advance?
Hi Katie! Definitely fine to make a day in advance. As far as freezing, I would make the soup up to the point of adding the mushrooms, shrimp, and spinach, and freeze the broth. Thaw then bring back to a boil, and then add those ingredients fresh before serving. I hope that helps!
Hi, I made this soup and it was delicious. My family did too and they’re picky eaters! Question, instead of coconut milk can you use coconut cream? I bought the wrong one LOL
So, so glad to hear this, Catalina! You could try using less of the coconut cream, add more broth, then more coconut cream to taste.
This soup is OMG Good!
Wohoo! So happy to hear that, David! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Do you add the rice into the soup 🍲 or on the dide
Hey Linda! I cook the rice on the side then add it to the bowl before ladling the soup on top. I hope that helps!
My mom and I loved this recipe! I will def be coming back to this website for future finds!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Audrey!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
LOVE THE RECIPE. MINUS THE RICE IS THIS CONSIDERED LOWCARB?
Kristin, can you also add a whitefish? If you can at what point would I put it in?
Hi Judith! Yes, that could definitely work! Timing will depend on what type of white fish it is (for example tilapia would poach a lot faster than mahi mahi.) I would use this recipe of mine as a guide! https://iowagirleats.com/easy-seafood-stew/