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.
Angela says
Would dried galangal powder work?
bri says
Hi Angela! We haven't tested it this way, but it's worth a try. I usually start by substituting 1/3 the amount of dried (vs. fresh) since dried is usually more intense. You can always taste near the end and add more if it's needed. Dried galangal powder is a new-to-me ingredient. I did a quick read and it seems like the powder might be a bit less peppery than the fresh stuff. So if you feel the soup is lacking peppery-ness at the end, you could always add some black pepper to supplement the galangal powder. Not traditional (obviously), but just an idea to throw it out there! Hope this helps and let us know how it goes:)
Rachel says
Loved this! I used store-bought zucchini noodles from Whole Foods which saved some time. Making this again soon!
bri says
Hi Rachel! Yay, glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Yes, if you can find fresh zucchini noodles in the store, that's definitely a time saver. Thanks for mentioning it!
Diane H says
Delish!! So much flavor and I can't believe how light & healthy this is. Adding this recipe to my regular rotation.
bri says
Hi Diane! So great to hear you enjoyed this soup recipe. And even happier to hear it'll be part of your regular rotation:) Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Susan says
This recipe is amazing!! Yum
Sometimes I serve it with regular wheat/rice noodles and little cubes of tofu to add.
I've left out the coconut milk when I don't have a plan for the rest of the can. But it's better with it!
bri says
Hi Susan! Yay, so happy to hear you're enjoying this recipe! Noodles and tofu are great additions. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Eydie Desser says
This Recipe looks amazing. What do you mean for the Kaffir lime leaves, "center" removed. I have a Kaffir lime tree. I don't know what the "center" is. Thanks.
Bri says
Hi Eydie! We're referring to removing the center "spine" of the leaf, since its particularly tough. Here is a video tutorial, from Saveur, on how to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLeruVlKcDA . Hope this helps!
Anana says
Hi! I just wanted to ask how long this can keep in the fridge. If not for long, do you have any suggestions for meal prep?
sanju says
Followed this recipe to the dot and it came out amazing! I used lime zest instead of the keffir lime leaves and regular ginger. Also, I added in some umami seasoning from trader joes which gave it amazing flavor.
Alexa says
What can you use instead of the lime leaves? Cannot find them anywhere here in Portland Oregon area.
Bri says
Hi Alexa! If you can't find lime leaves, then I'd suggest adding a small amount of lime zest in their place. I've read that adding a small bay leaf (in addition to the zest) can also help! It won't be exactly the same, but the soup will still be delicious:) Lime leaves aren't super common where we live either (also on the west coast!), but usually an Asian grocery store will carry them. They're sold in packs - often way more than you need in one go - so I usually freeze the extras. Just in case you happen to stumble across some!
Rebecca says
I've found them at Uwajimaya in the past.
sujata says
Hi Bri, my bad. I neglected to read the comments below before I asked the question about the spiralizer. I will look around.
Bri says
No problem! Posted a product link in my previous comment, hope this points you in the right direction! Mine is slightly older but it looks exactly the same:) I'd say don't have crazy high expectations for the sticky feet on the bottom. We usually have to hold it down with one hand, while cranking it with the other. Have a great rest of your day!
sujata says
Hi, Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe in an easy and simple way. Could you kindly share the name and details of the appliance you use to make zucchini noodles, please ? I tried a couple and then gave up. Hence the question. I definitely would like to make veggie noodles. Thank you.
Bri says
Hi Sujata!
The spiralizer we use is made by the Paderno brand. We've had it for a number of years and it works pretty well (haven't tried any others though). https://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-Spiralizer-Counter-Mounted/dp/B0007Y9WHQ . Looks like they have newer versions with even more blades, but hopefully this helps!
Bri
Megan says
This looks delicious! Going to try and make it this weekend.
Megan
http://www.todayisthedaylifestyle.com/blog
Bri says
So great to hear Megan! Hope you enjoy the Tom Yum Soup - let me know what you think!
Shannon says
Hi! Which spiralizer do you use? And is it the same appliance you use for ribboning veggies? TIA!!! 🙂 I just found your blog and can’t wait to try all your recipes!
Bri says
Hi Shannon! I use a stand up spiralizer, where you use a hand to crank the vegetable (horizontally) through the blades. The brand I bought was "World Cuisine". Have been using it for a number of years and it still works well! But I do think there's a number of brands out there, so pick the one you like best. It's important for the blades to be sharp, and I do occasionaly make use of the inter-changable blades (when I'm feeling fancy - ha!). Hope you enjoy!! And let me know what you think of any recipes you try <3