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This Vegan Tom Yum Soup is fresh, flavorful, and healthy. The broth is spicy, sour, and full of umami—thanks to lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves. It's worth a trip to your nearest Asian grocery store to get the ingredients. Because, this soup is so refreshing and delicious! So much so that we crave it year round.
We love to serve this soup with crisp zucchini noodles for an extra serving of veggies. But, you could swap them for rice noodles instead (or check out this Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu recipe).
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Bursting with flavor: This recipe is inspired by the authentic flavors of Tom Yum noodle soup—but vegan! It's spicy, sour, full of umami, and balanced with a bit of sweet and creamy.
- Healthy and full of veggies: This light and refreshing soup is packed with tons of extra veggies, like mushrooms, tomatoes, and even zucchini noodles (if you'd like!).
- Meal prep friendly: You can pack extra noodles into jars. Then, all you have to do is pour hot broth over top for quick weekday lunches.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
Here are the main ingredients to make this vegan Tom Yum soup recipe:
- Lemongrass: You can buy lemongrass stalks at well-stocked grocery stores. Smacking lemongrass with the back of your knife helps release the aromatic oils.
- Lime Leaves: Lime leaves add a bright, citrus flavor to soups and curries. They can be found at Asian markets and are usually sold with the other refrigerated fresh herbs. You can freeze extras to save for later.
- Galangal: Galangal looks like fresh ginger, except it's paler with smoother skin. It has a sharp citrus flavor and is more peppery tasting than ginger. If you have extra, you can chop it up and freeze it for another use!
- Thai Chili: You can substitute Thai chili with other fresh peppers, crushed red pepper flakes, or more Sriracha. Adjust the amount of spice to suit your taste. And remember, it's always easier to add more heat than to take it out.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make
This vegan Tom Yum is bursting with flavor. Making it is easier than you'd think—here's how to make this recipe:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Recipe video
Want more vegan soup recipes? Check out our Instant Pot Bean Soup, Vegan Red Lentil Soup, Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup, Vegan Congee, and Creamy Vegan Ramen recipes.
Tips
- Shopping: You can find lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves at well-stocked grocery stores or Asian markets
- Freeze extra herbs and aromatics: If you have extra galangal, lime leaves, and/or Thai chili peppers...put them into freezer bags and freeze them for later.
- Use a high-quality vegetable stock: Use your favorite vegetable stock. This is a quick-cooking soup, so you really want to inject as much flavor as possible in a short amount of time.
- Coconut milk is optional: If you don't like coconut milk, you can simply leave it out. Tom Yum Soup is often made either with a clear stock or with added creaminess. It still tastes great without!
- Zucchini noodles: Buy pre-made zucchini noodles from the store if you don't have a spiralizer or want to save time. We prefer to keep the noodles crisp by putting them directly into the bowl and ladling hot soup over top. But, if you want them softer, you could add them to the soup pot right at the end to quickly cook them.
- Meal prep: If you have extra noodles and toppings left over, you can store them in a mason jar or other heat-safe container. The next day, gently reheat the soup in a pot (or microwave) and pour it over the jar of noodles for a quick meal.
Frequently asked questions
Tom Yum is traditionally made with shrimp and fish sauce. Sometimes other meats are added, like pork, chicken, or mixed seafood (fish, squid, clams, etc.). So no, Tom Yum Soup is not usually vegan.
However, our Vegan Tom Yum Soup recipe has a lot of the authentic flavors, while keeping it delicious and plant-based! Find the recipe below.
Yes, typically Tom Yum soup is spicy. But if you can make it milder by adding less chili—or omit it entirely if you don't like heat! The choice is yours.
If you're serving a mixed crowd, you can make the soup more mild; and serve it with extra Sriracha or other hot sauce on the side. This way, people can add more heat if they'd like.
Tom Yum soup is usually seasoned with fresh lime juice near the end of cooking. The lime juice is primarily what gives Tom Yum it's sour flavor. But, the other aromatics, like lime leaves and galangal also contribute light citrus notes to the soup too.
If you're looking to add plant-based protein to this vegan Tom Yum, tofu would be an excellent choice! You could use slices of smoked tofu, cubes of baked tofu, crispy air fryer tofu, or even shredded tofu (like in this Thai Hot & Sour Soup recipe).
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Tom Yum Soup
Ingredients
- 4 stalks lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced galangal (see note 1)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 Thai red chilis, minced (see note 2)
- 8 Makrut (Thai) lime leaves (center removed and thinly sliced, see note 3)
- 1¼ to 1½ lb zucchini (or sub zucchini noodles)
- 8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup lime juice (more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or cane sugar or brown sugar)
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
- Sriracha (to taste)
Instructions
- Prep lemongrass: Trim 1-inch (2.5 cm) off both ends of lemongrass stalk, and discard. Use the back of your knife to pound each stalk (this helps release the oils). Cut each stalk into about 3-inch (7 cm) lengths, then cut each piece in half lengthwise.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass and sauté, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add onion, sauté until golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and galangal, sauté, stirring constantly (so garlic doesn't burn), until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Simmer: Add vegetable broth, chili, and lime leaves. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, simmer to let the flavors infuse, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Make zucchini noodles: Meanwhile, use a spiralizer to make zucchini "noodles".
- Finish soup: Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove lemongrass from soup. Add tomatoes and mushrooms. Simmer uncovered until the mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Add lime juice, tamari, sugar and coconut milk. Stir to mix well. Taste and add Sriracha (about 1 tablespoon but adjust to taste) and more lime juice (if needed).
- Serve: Pile zucchini noodles into bowls and ladle soup on top. Garnish if you'd like (see note 4).
Notes
- Galangal: Galangal root looks similar to fresh ginger, but it has smoother, paler skin. Galangal has a sharp citrusy flavor and is commonly used in Thai cooking. You can find galangal at Asian markets and well stocked grocery stores. Chop up any extra galangal and freeze for longer storage.
- Thai red chili: A little goes a long way—most people find these peppers quite spicy. You can freeze extra Thai red chili peppers for another use. If you can't find them, feel free to leave them out and use more Sriracha for seasoning at the end. Or, use another type of fresh chili pepper or dried red pepper flakes, to taste. Remember it's easier to add heat (at the end) than remove it!
- Lime leaves: Lime leaves impart a bright, citrus flavor. They can be found at Asian markets. Before using, remove the tough stalk that runs down the middle of the leaf. Use your knife to make two lengthwise cuts, on either side of the center stalk, then remove the stalk and thinly slice the leaves. For a visual example, this Saveur video (at 0:25-0:35) shows you how to cut away the stalk.
- Garnish ideas (optional): Fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced scallions, lime wedges.
Rosel says
I didn't have the right mushrooms this time and used plain button ones. I definitely recommend using the flavorful kind called for in the recipe as I have done in the past. It makes a difference.
bri says
Hi Rosel! Happy to hear you've made this soup multiple times now! That's always a good sign:) Thank you so much for sharing. Have a great week ahead