Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
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Skip the take-out and try making this at home – it’s unbelievably easy and 10000x tastier and healthier!
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reasons to make easy thai shrimp soup
- Takeout favorite
- Budget-friendly
- Uses easy-to-find ingredients
- Cold weather comfort food
- Leftovers taste even better
- Super flexible recipe (and can be made vegetarian friendly)
what is red curry paste and where can i find it
Commonly used in Thai dishes, red curry paste is made from a blend of red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger and various spices.
Red curry paste is typically used for stir-fry, soups or mixed with coconut milk for curry. It is readily available in most grocery store chains, particularly the Thai Kitchen brand, and online, with some brands containing shellfish (shrimp paste).
tips and tricks for success
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with chicken thighs, chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu.
- Use full fat coconut milk. Although lite coconut milk can certainly be used, full fat coconut milk will yield a much more rich and creamy broth.
- Mix it up. Swap the red curry paste for green, add in more veggies (cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms or bok choy) or use rice noodles in place of rice.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the rice will continue to soak up the broth.
what to serve with thai shrimp soup
Easy Thai Shrimp Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture.
Yes! Chicken is a great swap for the shrimp, and you can sub chicken stock for the vegetable stock as well.
We personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great with mild heat, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
We do not recommend freezing this as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.
Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion and bell pepper to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in red curry paste, garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk and vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Video
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Making this lovely soup for dinner this week! Question… instead of serving egg rolls as the side, what would you suggest?? Is there a certain bread that would be good with it? Looking for ideas! TY!
Crusty bread or even dinner rolls would be great accompaniment!
I never leave a comment on a recipe but this soup warranted a rave review. I had everything to make the recipe but sadly, only to make half. HUGE MISTAKE! I should have gone to the store to enable me to make a full batch. It is unbelievably easy and has big flavor. I would encourage anyone looking for a simple and unique soup to give this one a try. It is absolutely delicious!
I added mushrooms, Thai basil, and lemongrass. I omitted cilantro (I like cilantro but I wanted to use Thai basil because I love it). I used brown basmati rice.
It was delicious! I think next time I’d add more Thai basil, more fresh ginger, more lemongrass, and more fresh lime juice. I really love a stronger flavor profile. I might use sea scallops instead of shrimp. Yummy!
This was great!!
I am making it again tonight, and I’m wondering, is it all right for it to sit for 2 hours? thanks, Marley:)
Yes.
DELICIOUS!! One question: Why do you recommend an Indian rice (basmati) instead of a Thai rice (jasmine)? Just curious as we always get jasmine when eating at a Thai restaurant and basmati when at an Indian restaurant….
You can use either/or!
Made this last night, was impressed with how quickly it came together! Added shredded carrots and green onions to the phase with the regular onion and bell pepper and it turned out fine.
I made this soup and it definitely was “damn delcious”… my fiance and kids (11 & 6) LOVED it! I did make a few additions based on our personal tastes, but this was sooooo good! Paired it with garlic naan bread my family literally couldn’t get enough. This will most likely become a staple in our household and for those who are inquiring on the spiciness of the dish… it is very mild… my 6 year old had no issues and he is usually the first one to complain about spice lol. Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂
Can you use instant basmati rice instead?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I used basmati rice and it cooked just fine with the way that the recipe is written.
I have Kikkoman Thai Red Curry Sauce, do you think that would work ok in place of curry paste?
The curry paste is far more concentrated than the red curry sauce so I do not think it’s an appropriate substitute. But as always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Can I substitute the coconut milk for regular milk?
Yes, but I find that the flavors really shine when coconut milk is used.
This is a sure hit for anything from dinner parties to a cozy night in. Very modifiable. I also roast the red peppers and add a touch of honey before serving. There is an amazing organic coconut cream paste I add too, because I don’t avoid coconut fat or avocado fat for anything. No one in my immediate family eats seafood, so I make this with chicken for the home crew, and shrimp for me and my guests. I also play with quantities quite a bit. I use more of pretty much everything except the broth for richness and thickness, making it more like a sauce than a soup. The base freezes well, too!
Thank you, this really was “Damn Delicious”, I’m making this for the second time in three weeks. Yum!!!
Can I sub green curry paste for red?
Yes!
Can you add rice noodles or some type of asian noodle?
Yes, absolutely.
I tried this soup and my family loved it. I doubled the recipe. Next time I make it, I will increase the curry paste by about a tablespoon, decrease the vegetable broth by 2 cups and probably add carrots. Oh and I will chop the red peppers into bigger pieces! It is a great soup both savory and sweet and my whole family loved it which does not happen very often. Also, I used the basmati rice mix from Trader Joes as that was all I had. I will definitely put this on my make again and again and again list!
This looks amazing, would it work to cook in the crock pot?
It is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide. Hope that helps!
Can’t wait to make this! If I wanted to serve more people than 6, could I just double the ingredients to make a larger portion?
Yes!
I love, love, love this soup!! This is definitely one of my all time favorites.
The only 2 changes I made were that I used roasted red peppers and in the end added
about one and a half tablespoons of honey. I feel that the honey added a little more balance.
With all this snow we have, it’s nice to have something with a little heat. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
When I calculate the nutrition info, I’m getting way different results. I’m getting 387 calories, 13 g fat, 52 g carbs, and 32 g protein. I’m using MyFitnessPal and the exact ingredients and amounts. Any idea what’s going on?
Yes, my apologies. The numbers have been updated.
All i have is red curry sauce-do you know the what the equlivant of red curry paste to red curry sauce?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.