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.
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Any particular kind of rice? Want to make this tonight!
I prefer basmati but it’s really up to you!
Such a beautiful looking soup. I love the flavor combinations!
If I wanted to add some vegetables to this which do you recommend? I love your website! Thank you!
Mushrooms would be a great addition!
I always add red peppers to my curry soups – yum!
I added grated carrot and it is awesome! Right before I eat I add spinach which is also delicious!
Ah! This looks so good! 😀 Using coconut milk just adds so much flavour <3
The photography on your site is beautiful.. Recipes are great.
Hi! This looks so yummy. I was wondering on a scale of 1-10 how hot this is. Thanks so much. Looks like another winner.
I would say about a 3-4. But you can always reduce the amount of curry paste for a milder soup.
It sounds awesome but could you suggest a lower calorie alternative to the 2 cups of coconut milk?
Thanks
Judi
The coconut milk is a key ingredient in this dish so I do not recommend substituting this ingredient with the exception of light coconut milk. But if substitutions must be made due to dietary restrictions, please use your best judgment.
The recipe calls for 24 oz coconut milk, which is 3 C is this correct? The above comment references 2 C.
Yes, you are correct! The recipe calls for 24 ounces = 3 cups.
The recipe actually says 1 can/12 ounces, I’m confused and just got back from the store with only ONE can???
Yes, 1 can should equal 12 ounces.
I am also very confused. 12oz is roughly 1.5 c, not 3. Should the recipe call for 2 (12 oz) cans?
The recipe calls for 1 (12-ounce) can.
I first made this recipe in Feb 2016 and I see now that it has changed. Originally it was 2- 12 oz cans of coconut milk and 4 cups vegetable stock. I came back to the site to look at the calorie/nutrition and see that the recipe has changed. I’m thinking that’s where the confusion is because I was confused too!
Morgan, this recipe has not changed since it was published in 2015. 🙂
There is a lite coconut milk that I always use. Much lower fat and less calories. Still delicious!
Absolutely delicious!!! As promised in its name: easy to prepare! We just loved it!!! Thank you!!!
Thai food gets me every time. No thanks delivery—I’ve got you! 🙂
looks so delicious! i just discovered your blog tonight and have been salivating over all the recipes. one question: when you say “vegetable stock”, do you make your own or buy them? if you buy them, will the dissolvable cubes do? i usually try to stay away from those because i imagine them to be very high in sodium…
I generally use store-bought vegetable stock. As for the cubes, I’m not entirely sure if they would work as I have never tried using them myself!
I just finished cooking the soup, mmm so good.. Instead of vegetable stock I used 5 cubes and 1 liter of water and heated it.. I used 1 kg of shrimp and 800 ml of coconut milk.. I plan on eating this through the week 🙂 I love simple recipes like this one!
I’m the only one who loves this food. Can I freeze this in portions to have later? It looks so tasty!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
It looks like you may be able to freeze it, but be careful when reheating it! Don’t bring it to a boil, or the coconut milk will curdle and the shrimp will overcook. I would suggest freezing the shrimp separate and adding them at the end, like in the recipe. What I plan on doing is keeping it in the fridge and eating it for lunch for the week, if you’d prefer doing that
I would freeze just the broth maybe in serving size portions, let it thaw then reheat the broth and add the shrimp.
At the restaurant where I work we make something very similar and we freeze the soup / curry but I’d freeze it without the prawns and cook them fresh. Also reheat it at a low heat.
Look delicious, I’m definitely going to make it
Just made this for my family and we loved it. Even with picky children it was gobbled up. Not too much curry or spice, it just had a good flavor.
I’m glad you posted this. I was curious if this was kid friendly
This is really easy to make this by half. and eat the leftovers the next day, or make just a quarter of it, using half a can, freeze the remains of the can if you can’t use it up. (Coconut milk makes great, healthy smoothies. Oh, yeah.)
I make large portions of tom kha soup & massuman, both of which have a coconut milk base, and they freeze beautifully, no curdling. Shrimp becomes rubbery when it is cooked then frozen, so I’d suggest making the soup base, freezing it, and then adding your shrimp right before you eat it! :O)
I admire your blog so much because you have such a specific style! I follow over 60 food blogs and everytime I see a photo that you post I know that it’s you.