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.
“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
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.
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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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