Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup (Printable Version)

Creamy Thai soup with shrimp, coconut milk, red curry, lemongrass, and fresh herbs in a perfectly balanced broth.

# What You Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 12 oz large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

→ Aromatics & Vegetables

02 - 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
03 - 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (optional)
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small onion, thinly sliced
06 - 3.5 oz mushrooms, sliced
07 - 1 small red chili, sliced (optional)
08 - 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger or galangal, sliced

→ Broth

09 - 1¾ cups coconut milk
10 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
11 - 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

→ Seasonings

12 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
14 - 1 teaspoon sugar

→ Garnish

15 - Fresh cilantro leaves
16 - Lime wedges
17 - Sliced green onions

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger or galangal, and chili. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
02 - Stir in Thai red curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release its aromatic oils.
03 - Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth. Add kaffir lime leaves if using. Bring to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes until just tender.
05 - Add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until pink and cooked through.
06 - Stir in fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lime juice, fish sauce, or sugar as desired.
07 - Remove lemongrass, ginger or galangal, and kaffir lime leaves from soup.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, so you can have restaurant-quality soup on the table on a random Tuesday.
  • The shrimp cooks so quickly that everything stays fresh and delicate, none of that rubbery overcooked texture.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, which honestly makes me want to cook it even more often.
02 -
  • Don't skip smashing the lemongrass—pounding it releases oils that make the entire soup taste more authentic and alive, not just boiling it whole and hoping.
  • Fish sauce smells absolutely vile in isolation, but it's what transforms this from pleasant to genuinely crave-worthy. Trust the process and don't be tempted to skip it or you'll have a one-dimensional soup.
03 -
  • Make the aromatics and broth base an hour or even a day ahead—the flavors deepen as they sit, and you can just reheat and add the shrimp when you're ready to eat.
  • If you accidentally oversalt the soup, add a pinch of sugar or a squeeze of lime to balance it out rather than dumping the whole pot and starting over.
Go Back