Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Skip the take-out and try making this at home – it’s unbelievably easy and 10000x tastier and healthier!
Featured Comment
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
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is sooo good, and very easy to make. It’s going to be a regular from now on. Thanks!
Delicious and easy. I used two cans of coconut milk full fat to make it more creamy and instead of pre-made broth I just added billion and just a small amount of water. Also I used green curry paste because I prefer it to red. I didn’t have bell peppers so I used about three good sized jalapeños one of which I used as a topping at the end as well as basil and cilantro.
The amount of rice in the recipe was perfect.
Good ! I substituted rice noodles for rice.
I just made this and doubled the recipe. The entire pot is gone! My family loved it! The only thing I did different was add green onions and regular onions. I will be making this again soon. THIS WAS AMAZING!
Hi – Can I substitute the rice with pasta?
One reader used rice noodles. You can use anything you like. I dont have balsamic rice, so I’ll use what I have: white rice
Haven’t made this yet, but I’ve made a bunch of your other recipes and they are all GREAT!!!! Love this website. Ned
This was a huge hit for my family and I’ve made it twice now. The first time, my husband bought low fat coconut milk and it was ok but clearly not as creamy so I don’t recommend subbing that. It needed extra heat for me so I added some hot sauce and a bit of chili garlic sauce too. Really great soup and of course, even better flavor development overnight for a next day lunch!
Turned out perfect, I sautéed some spinach and added for spittle more texture. Also, cooked some seafood biscuits to go with it. Will definitely make again.
Delicious! Sooo good
My fave!!!
I add raw fish and cook it in the soup as an addition. I make the rice in a rice cooker and add it in heaps to the finished soup.
I’ve been doing this recipe for years and adore it! Always a hit! This time, I decided to cook the rice directly in the soup after the broth and coconut milk was added and let it all cook together for that 10 minutes time period – perfect! i always undercook the shrimp too so that they’re not overcooked by the time I serve the soup. My all-time favourite!
Damn delicious! Followed the recipe exactly, and hubby said, save that for sure. Perfect amount of spice!
Delicious
I add more shrimp and vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms,frozen peas) so more like a stew.
Wondering if I can pre make all except for shrimp, coriander, lime juice to be able to serve at dinner party with just a few minutes of prep. Thoughts? And thanks
i make crock pot Curry often and i am Lao/Thai i find it east to add the vegetables that take longer to cook. Potatoes, Bamboo,straw musroom ect, then flash add the rest 30m before you eat.
Super yummy and easy! I used green curry paste (all I had in the house) and I added mushrooms.
This Thai shrimp soup is sooooo easy to make. And tastes great. A couple tweaks on may end were.
I cooked the shrimp to 3/4 done, then put aside. I also added a total of 3 Tablespoons of the curry past, and 2 cans of coconut milk. When the soup was 2 minutes from completed I added a handful of fresh trimmed and raw green beans. Then once portioned I added the shrimp back to each bowl. The soup is to hot to eat for 2-3 minutes and the shrimp finish cooking.
This is going to become a household favorite, I can tell. Next time we plan to use chicken to just change it up.
Thanks Chungah for sharing your recipes.
Jeff
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
This shrimp soup tastes amazing! It is one of my go to soup recipes and everyone who tries it loves it! I usually add more red curry paste than what the recipe calls for, but that could be because the red curry paste in Germany isn’t as strong as other places in the world. I very highly recommend this soup!
Didn’t have cilantro, so substituted with fresh mint, curry & parsley and put some extra butter for flavour. I can’t get enough of it. Absolutely delicious!!!
Love this recipe! I do everything the same except instead of rice I use noodles. Once i got comfortable with the recipe, I tried variations, by adding vegetables that I love, but adding vegetables, takes away from the flavor. So, I just stick with the original recipe (with noodles instead of rice). Love the bold flavors that way. The shrimp, curry, and ginger are undoubtedly the stars of this soup! The lime and cilantro are just next level! Definitely a comforting meal. Not too filling unless you have double or triple the serving (which is hard not to do!).
Was outstanding. Only thing I changed was to add a touch of sugar. Seemed like the flavor profile needed it. Love the ease of prep.
Made it. Loved it. Quick, easy, and amazing flavors.
perfect very intensive taste, I did yesterday evening, it was excellent. thank you