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When I traveled to Thailand, I was always in awe of how the locals could mix fresh ingredients in one pot and produce the most aromatic, flavorful dishes. With this easy Coconut Curry Soup, I did my best to capture just a sliver of the authentic bowls I had on my travels. All I have to do is close my eyes while I eat this, and I am instantly transported back to hot days and tropical beaches.
Why You’ll Love Coconut Curry Soup
- Quick: This coconut Curry Soup only takes 10 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to make.
- Colorful: If you want a dish that will wow your family and friends, this is it! This coconut curry soup is so beautiful, with its colorful broth and toppings.
- Flavorful: Curry is supposed to be jammed with flavor, and this does not fall short. This soup is so damn delicious!
Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients – Have you ever walked down the “ethnic” food aisle at the grocery store only to find pre-packaged and boxed curry and noodle bowls? Please, friends, quickly divert your eyes and get out of Aisle 10! Skip the packaged curry mixes and go straight for the produce section! Fresh vegetables, aromatics, and herbs are the secret to creating authentic depth and rich flavors in this coconut curry soup. The vibrant colors and textures of butternut squash, peppers, and fresh herbs create a bowl that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Nutritional Yeast – This nutty-tasting deactivated yeast is a plant-based eater’s cheesy dream, making its way to the main stage of trendy foods for good reason. It’s the perfect substitute for parmesan cheese. Sprinkle it on popcorn, mash it with potatoes, or add it anywhere you want that distinctive umami flavor. I keep my pantry stocked with Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast for all my vegan recipes. Beyond taste, this vegan superfood packs impressive nutrition: just 1/4 cup provides 8g of protein, 3g of fiber, and substantial B vitamins, including B-1, B-2, B-6, and B-12 (11.85mg, 9.70mg, 5.90mg, and 17.60mcg, respectively).
How to Make Coconut Curry Soup
- Into a large soup pot add your coconut oil and heat for 20-30 seconds on medium-low heat before adding your white onion. Sweat this out for around 5 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
- 2. Now add your peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding your garlic, ginger, curry, and cumin. I let this cook for 3-5 minutes. The longer you let them cook, the more fragrant the soup. Now add your butternut squash, turn the heat to low, and pop the lid on for 5 minutes or until the squash is tender.
3. Remove lid, increase heat to high and add your red curry paste, desired seasoning to taste, chilli flakes, coconut milk, water, veggie stock paste, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos and tofu. Stir till everyone is well combined and then bring mixture to a boil.
4. Once bubbling, add your noodles and reduce heat. Cook your noodles as per the package instructions.
5. Serve this soup hot with fresh cilantro, lime, jalapeños and red onion!
Tips and Tricks
- Flavor Development: Let the aromatics (garlic, ginger, curry) cook for 3-5 minutes – the longer they cook, the more fragrant your Coconut Curry Soup.
- Squash: For tender butternut squash, cook it covered on low heat until it is just fork-tender.
- Noodles: Add noodles at the very end to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Substitutions
- Coconut Oil: Swap coconut oil for any kind of cooking oil. I recommend using olive oil or avocado oil.
- Coconut Milk: I promise this Coconut Curry Soup will not have a heavy coconut flavor, but you can always substitute another milk product.
- Coconut Aminos: This can be swapped with soy sauce for a similar flavour profile.
- Protein: If you aren’t on a vegetarian or vegan diet, swap for cooked chicken or beef.
Best served with
- Asian-Inspired Broccoli Salad
- Veggie Spring Rolls with Mango Salsa
- Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Sauce
How to Store Leftovers
This will last for up to 5 days in a tight, sealed container in the fridge.
Common Questions
This vibrant curry noodle soup comes together so easily, and just like the street vendors in Thailand, all you need is one pot! You can have this simmering in the oven any day of the week, or you can bust it out for friends and family. Trust me, even the most timid curry-goer will enjoy this noodle bowl.
It does have a bit of a kick. If you like it less spicy, use less red curry paste and chili flakes.
Yes! Frozen butternut squash is a great time-saver and works perfectly in this Coconut Curry Soup. Add it directly to the pot without thawing—just adjust the cooking time slightly, as it may cook faster than fresh squash.
Rice noodles are traditional and hold up well in the broth, but you can also use ramen, udon, or even vermicelli. For a lower-carb option, try shirataki noodles or spiralized zucchini.
The combination creates complex flavor layers – curry powder provides aromatic spice notes while red curry paste adds depth, color, and authentic Thai flavor. Together, they create a more well-rounded and rich curry experience than either would alone.
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 medium sized white onion, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 2 inch cube of ginger, grated or finely chopped – skin removed
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
- 3 tbsp. red curry paste
- season to taste
- ½ tsp chili flakes – add as little or as much as you’d like
- 1 can coconut milk
- 4-6 cups boiling water, more if you find the soup is too thick
- 2 tsp. veggie stock paste
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast – I used Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 cup cubed tofu, optional
- 45 g uncooked vermicelli rice noodles
- garnish with: fresh cilantro, lime, jalapeños pepper and red onion
Instructions
Start Cooking- Into a large soup pot add your coconut oil and heat for 20-30 seconds on medium-low heat before adding your white onion. Sweat this out for around 5 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Now add your peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding your garlic, ginger, curry and cumin. I let this cook for 3-5 minutes. The longer you let them cook, the more fragrant the soup. Now add your butternut squash, turn heat to low and pop the lid on for 5 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- Remove lid, increase heat to high and add your red curry paste, desired seasoning to taste, chilli flakes, coconut milk, water, veggie stock paste, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, brown sugar and tofu. Stir till everything is well combined and then bring mixture to a boil.
- Once bubbling add your noodles and reduce heat. Cook your noodles as per package instructions.
- Serve this soup hot with fresh cilantro, lime, jalapeños and red onion!
- Enjoy!!
Notes
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill
143 people are discussing this recipe.
This is absolutely my favorite new recipe. So good and tasty. I actually enjoyed just a little more the second day! We’re making it again this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing.
Yesss!! This is amazing. Everyone seems to be liking the soup more the next day which is amazing. So pumped you’re going to make it again!!!
Great recipe and super simple to make! The toppings you add at the end make a great difference to the dish. I use Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste and the soup came out as bright as Maria’s photos show. I exactly followed the recipe and it was perfect. The flavours were amazing and rich. I did not need to add any salt. I added tofu to the recipe and it made it super nutritious.
Thank you Maria for this recipe.
Thank you so much Alexia! This is such a great recipe, I am glad you loved it too!
Brilliant!! Tasty, easy and delicious 🙂 Totaly love this. I was home alone and wanted to make me some comfort food and then I rembemberd this recipe. So happy I did!!
Thank you Maria for your amazing food, pictures and easy recipe to follow.
Kærar þakkkir – as we say in Icelandic.
Bjarney
Thank you so much beauty! Glad you loved it!
Oh. My. God. Maria, you are magical. This recipe is AMAZING. I added bean sprouts to add some crunch and in place of cilantro + jalapeños and I was NOT dissappointed. It was PACKED with flavour. My boyfriend was amazed. Oh, and I didn’t miss meat at all! I can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks Maria!
Hello!!! Thank you so much for the love here girl and thanks for sharing your substitutions!! That sounds so delicious. I honestly love this soup and I am so pumped you and your man did too!!!
Beyond incredible! One pot deliciousness is so easy. Thankyou again for opening my eyes to more plant based meals for all my family:-)
Hello beauty! Of course, thank you so much for your support. SO happy I can help you and your family eat more plants!!
Literally beyond delicious!! Flavour amazing, so easy to make. One pot meals are my favourite kind of meal.
You are inspiring me everyday to be more creative on plant based meals and for that Thankyou!!
HEY!! Thank you so much!! Of course, I love my job, messages like this make me so happy. Thanks for your support! Please let me know what you make next!!!
Absolutely delish! One pot of perfect! Thanks so much for the easy recipe. Its a fun twist on butternut squash soup. It was so good that I had to make another one of your recipes, the night after making this one. I went with the shepherds pie… and my heavens I loved that too. BEST part… my meat lovin’ hubby obsessed over both recipes. You mean I didn’t have to make us separate dinners two nights in a row…. life saver. Now Maria, what to make for dinner tonight? ( but seriously 😉 )
Hello!!! Oh my gosh, I am so excited for you!! Thanks so much for your support. Have you tried my grandmas pasta sauce yet? Do you have my cookbook? The mushroom soup is out of this world!!!
No I don’t, but I need it!!! I’ll get on it 🙂
<3
Extremely tasty one pot meal, about to make it again!
Hello Joanna! That’s great to hear. Glad you love it!
Three words….”to DIE for!! “
I puréed it slightly before adding noodles just to make it creamier. My kids LOVED this!
Yes Elaine! That is brilliant and such a great tip to get kiddos eating more! What a win with the tough critics!
Would it taste ok without the nutritional yeast?
I don’t see why not!