I always struggle to find the words to describe just how good this Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is. Honestly, I could easily skip the bowl and just eat it straight out of the pot with the huge ladle as my spoon. 😉 It’s packed with bold, Thai-inspired flavors made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. That, paired with its simplicity and ease of preparation, means I’d happily make this soup at LEAST once a week. If you’ve ever stood in front of your fridge wondering what to make that’s easy, affordable, and actually tastes exciting, this Thai red curry vegetable soup is just that.
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“Wow! I never leave comments on recipes…but this soup is AMAZING so I wanted to be sure to let you know how much I enjoyed it!! I will totally be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!”
Mollie
Easy Recipe for Thai Curry Vegetable Soup
Thai red curry paste brings all the magic to this Thai curry vegetable soup recipe. It’s a delicious blend of red peppers, chiles, garlic, ginger, and spices that builds a rich, bold base with hardly any effort. I start by sautéing it with fresh garlic and ginger, then let the sweet potatoes and bok choy soak up all that flavor while they simmer. Coconut milk adds creaminess and rice noodles help make it a full meal. Garnishes are optional but highly encouraged…I never skip the lime. One bowl in, and you’ll be planning your next batch.
Budget-Friendly Tips!
- If you have any in your area, it’s definitely worth checking out any nearby Asian markets or grocery stores. You can sometimes find staples like curry paste, noodles, and fish sauce for less than what you’d pay at a big-name store, and the selection is often better, too.
- When I first shared this recipe back in 2016, I only used two tablespoons of red curry paste and one bunch of baby bok choy. But over the years, I’ve made a few subtle changes. These days, I go with three tablespoons of red curry paste for a little more depth and two bunches of bok choy because I love the added greens and texture. That said, if you want to save a few pennies, the original measurements still work just fine.
Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup
Servings 4 (about 2 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil ($0.17 *)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced (1 Tbsp) $0.12)
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger (peeled and grated, $0.05)
- 3 Tbsp Thai red curry paste ($1.49 **)
- 1 small sweet potato (peeled and 1-inch cubed (about 1 lb.) $0.91)
- 2 baby bok choy (chopped into 1-inch strips (a little less than 1 lb.) $1.56)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (32 oz. $0.47)
- 3.5 oz. uncooked rice vermicelli noodles ($0.36 ***)
- 1 13oz. can full fat coconut milk ($2.98)
- 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce ($0.16 ****)
- 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)
GARNISHES (optional)
- 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup) $0.32)
- 1 lime ($0.25)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro (chopped, $0.28)
- Sriracha (to taste, $0.15)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables for the soup and garnishes first, if you haven't already. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger using a small-holed cheese grater. Peel and dice the sweet potato into one-inch cubes. Wash the bok choy well, then chop into one-inch strips, separating the fibrous stalks from the delicate green ends. Thinly slice the red onion and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Add the cooking oil to a large soup pot along with the minced garlic, grated ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the diced sweet potato and chopped bok choy stalks to the pot (save the leafy green ends for later) along with the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- While the soup is simmering, bring a small pot of water to a boil for the vermicelli. Once boiling, add the vermicelli and boil for 2-3 minutes, or just until tender. Drain the rice noodles in a colander and set aside.
- Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar to the soup. Stir, taste, and adjust the fish sauce or brown sugar if needed. Finally, add the bok choy greens and let them wilt in the hot soup.
- To serve, divide the rice vermicelli among four bowls. Ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodles, then top with red onion, cilantro, a wedge or two of lime, and a drizzle of sriracha.
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Equipment
- Large Pot
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Thai Curry Vegetable Soup Step-by-Step Photos
Prep the vegetables: Gather all of your ingredients. Peel and dice the sweet potato, thinly slice the red onion, cut the limes into wedges, and cut each bok choy into strips. Try to keep the stalk end and the leafy green ends separate, as you’ll add them to your soup at different times. You’ll also want to mince two cloves of garlic and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger.
Sauté the aromatics: Add 2 Tbsp of a neutral cooking oil (like canola, vegetable, peanut, sunflower, grapeseed), 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp grated ginger, and 3 Tbsp of the Thai red curry paste to a large pot.
Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the hard vegetables: Add 1 diced sweet potato and stalks of 2 baby bok choy so they can simmer in the soup and soften. Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft.
Cook the rice vermicelli: I like to cook the noodles separately as they cook super fast, and I don’t want them to overcook the soup. They only take about 2-3 minutes to soften in boiling water, then drain the noodles in a colander and set aside. I use 3.5 oz. of uncooked rice vermicelli.
Finish the soup: Back to the soup pot. Once the sweet potato cubes are soft, add a 13oz. can of coconut milk, 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce, and 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar.
After adding the fish sauce and brown sugar, give the broth a taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Finally, add the leafy green ends of the bok choy and let them wilt in the hot soup (the pot should still be over low heat).
Serve: Place some of the rice vermicelli in the bottom of a bowl and ladle the soup and vegetables over the noodles. Now, add your garnishes (if using): thinly sliced red onion, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha. Serve, and enjoy!
What Else Can I Add?
One of the best things about this Thai curry vegetable soup is how easy it is to customize. Toss in some shredded rotisserie chicken, or brown some chicken pieces in the beginning with the Thai curry paste. If you prefer shrimp, I suggest adding it at the end and simmering for just a few minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Other vegetables that would be great include: spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts, snow peas, carrots, or red bell peppers.
Serving Suggestions
Sometimes, I swap the rice noodles for cooked jasmine rice or leave them out altogether and serve my ramen noodle salad on the side for something different. For extra protein, you could top each bowl with some crispy air fryer tofu or a few cooked frozen dumplings (or cook them directly in the soup as we do in our dumpling soup recipe). I also sometimes swap the red onion for pickled red onion, which adds the perfect tangy bite.
Storage & Reheating
I store this homemade Thai curry vegetable soup (without the noodles) in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When I’m ready to eat, I just cook a quick batch of vermicelli noodles and add them to my bowl before serving. But if you’re short on time, like reheating lunch at work, it’s totally fine to skip the noodles and enjoy the soup as-is. This soup also freezes well (again, without the noodles) for up to 3 months. Just reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot, and you’re good to go.
More Delicious Asian-Inspired Recipes
Our Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup recipe was originally published 3/16/16. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 6/4/25.
STOP putting ginger or bell peppers in Thai dishes! They are NOT used in Thai cuisine.
This soup is SO good. Made as written. Might be one of the tastiest things I’ve ever made; Next time I’m adding dumplings. Already looking forward to it… Is it allowed to cook the same meal twice in a row?
One of the best recipes on this site! I’ve been making it for years. Anyone who hasn’t yet tried it should read through the comments as there are so many ways to vary this delicious and flexible recipe. I just threw it together for lunch today–I used shaved carrot & celery, a couple of sliced mushrooms, sliced onion & red bell pepper, a couple of lonely mushrooms, several snow peas, and spinach for the greens–I think all of these are included in your suggestions. The only challenge is to remember that this is soup–it needs to be fairly thin. For noodles, I used shiratake–those calorie free noodles made from a Japanese root vegetable, konjac, and widely available in produce sections with the egg roll and wonton wrappers (they don’t smell good when you open the package, so do as directed and rinse them well in a colander and they will be perfectly fine!). They have no taste, but a nice springy mouth feel and absorb other soup flavors. Beth, in one of replies, mentions using an Asian grocery store–the closest to me is about 60 miles, but whenever I’m in a larger urban area, I hit one of those and stock up on plenty of things!!! The prices are amazing, the produce wonderful, plus they carry authentic Asian brands not available in most American supermarkets. The staff in every one where I’ve shopped has been amazing–helpful and pleasant–so if you are overwhelmed when first you step into one, ask for help!
Delicious!! I made a few modifications based on what I had on hand, and it was delicious! We had ours with sweet potato, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, and green onion. I’ll definitely try it with bok choy next time!
My new favorite soup!! My husband was feeling under the weather, so I decided to make this soup and its sooooo flavorful and filled with nutrients. I added mushrooms and shredded chicken to make it more filling. Will for sure be on my meal rotation going forward!
Another winner going into the rotation! I used green curry paste because the grocery store was out of red. I skipped the onion, and throw all the ingredients except the coconut milk into the crock pot on high for around 4 hours. After 4 hours, I turned off the crock pot and added a thing of Ramen noodles and the can of coconut milk, and the lime juice. Yum!!
Such a delicious and simple base recipe! I adored it! I made quite a few subs to use up things i had laying around but even they did nothing to diminish the sheer flavor of this soup. Perfect for a cozy weekday dinner. I had mashed yam so subbed that for raw and just added it at the end, plus added drained garbanzo beans for a bit more protein and a little bit of all the veggies i had at home and it is perfection! Thanks, as always, Beth, for another winner!
I’ve made this soup many many times and I figured I should rate it! This recipe is great to also just use as a base and add the ingredients you have on hand. We love to add broccoli, carrots, spinach, or anything else we have on hand!
This is a great weeknight soup and it amazing the next day for lunch!
So delicious! I did make a couple substitutions. My store didn’t have bok choy, so I used half a head of cabbage. I also subbed tamari for soy sauce to make it vegan. The only thing I’ll say is that I might add some red pepper next time because, as the recipe states, red curry paste is not very spicy. Delicious!!!
Added chicken potstickers for my meat eating son. Very good. Will make again.
Delicious! My fiancé likes the flavor of it but instead of two tsp of Thai red curry l, I added 3.5 and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and ginger. I believe is what gave the soup that extra kick instead of adding jalapeños for heat. I didn’t have vermicelli on hand so I substitute for thin spaghetti, used squash and adult bok choy. First time making it and fiancé liked it a lot. Thumbs up esp. for someone as picky as him with vegetables.
Just cooked this recipe, but I think the proportions of some ingredients are off/confusing.
1 serving makes sense with 3.5oz vermicelli noodles, and so does 1 bunch of baby bok choi. But 1 full can of coconut milk, 4 cups chicken broth , etc. with that?
I think the recipe should be updated to include a note that you’ll need: 4x 3.5oz vermicelli noodles (1 per serving) and 1 bunch of baby bok choi per serving too (I’m reading a “bunch” as one bulb)–something along those lines.
Recipe is quite tasty though. Other than the above, it makes sense.
I have been making this soup for years. This is a tried and true recipe in my home, and one I find myself turning back to constantly, especially in the colder months.
I have sometimes made a few additions or modifications—such as adding white yams, a shallot, Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp, or using green curry paste instead of red—but the bones of this recipe are as solid as they come. It is delicious, filling, and tasty every single time I make it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. <3
So good!
this is so amazing i just tried it after making a big batch for meal prep
This has been one of my primary go-to healthy and ultra tasty recipes for years. I’ll add different things I have on hand like mushrooms and kale, and I use zucchini noodles instead of vermicelli to make it low carb. I love how adaptable it is. Also, I like a strong curry flavor, so I double the amount of curry paste. I always keep Red Thai Curry Paste on hand so I can make this anytime. This recipe is perfection!!