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!
I am such a sucker for Thai take-out, particularly for red curry and coconut soup. But ordering take-out has been getting a bit costly so this homemade coconut curry soup comes in very handy, especially during the cold, winter months. And the leftovers taste a million times better too.
Best of all, it’s so easy to make and it doesn’t require ingredients that are hard to find. And if you’re not a fan of shrimp, you can easily swap that out for chicken, pork or even tofu for a vegetarian option.
Either way, you’ll be sure to skip your usual Thai take-out and indulge in this budget-friendly version instead.
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.
I personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
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 (12-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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This soup was just okay. I will make it again but will double the amount of red curry paste and ginger. Will also not dice the vegetables. They are too small. I will cut them in chunks so the soup will have more body. All in all it was a good base just needs a little work. I also will add mushrooms and shredded carrot.
Easy, yummy & a hit with my family!!
Made it! So good went heavy on shrimp… no regrets! Thanks for the recipe
I never written any comment on pinterest but i thought i should let you know that I made this for dinner, it was so….. good. I added the shrimp for 1 serving and keep rice on the side. I am keep the leftover soup in the fridge and I’m thinking of just reheating it with zucchini and shrimp for my next meal. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe..
Made this last night, but not as a soup. Left out the veggie broth and doubled the red curry amount and garlic. It was delish and a big hit.
Super easy and fast. Always a hit at our house!
This was delicious! I used 2 cups of seafood broth and 2 cups of vegetable broth. I used another scoop of red curry paste to even it out. I also added mushrooms, shredded carrots, and a diced sweet potato(already cooked) at the end. I also served with a jalapeno and it was sooo good! I will be making this again.
This was an easy to make dish and proved very popular!! Thank you.
Absolutely delicious! I had to sub coconut cream because I didn’t have coconut milk. I also added a little crushed red pepper after first taste, per my family’s request for a little touch of “heat”. Other than that…a true family keeper. Everyone ate 2 helpings.
OK… so twice as much curry…about a 1/4 of a cup less stock and 2Teaspoons of Sugar…Cook it twice as long. Then you got some Lovininthe Pot!!! ❤❤
This was awesome!!! I added an extra tablespoon of curry paste and left out lime (didn’t have any.) I also didn’t cook shrimp first, just added near the end so they didn’t overcook. Definitely a keeper, and I’m not even a soup person!
I was craving a nice hearty, spicy soup tonight. Subbed leftover chicken for shrimp and orange pepper for red since I decided not to shop! Hit the spot for sure.
love love LOVE this soup!
I served it to a few friends and they all said it was the best they had ever had!!!
The only thing I changed was to cook the shrimp [with shells on] in the soup at the end . I find the shells add a lot of flavour and they make the soup a bit more interactive 😀
This was amazing! I added extra lime juice, substituted green curry for the red and added a minced jalapeño. We’ll be making this again!
You provided serving size but is that half a cup? 1 cup? How much exactly?
We (hubby and I) absolutely love this soup!
Made this about 12 times! It’s probably my favorite.
So fresh and tasty. The lime juice, ginger and cilantro really adds the freshness.
I do add double of the liquids as I like my soup to be soupy.
Thank you, I would have this daily 🙂
I felt the flavor fell a bit short, I added 3 table spoons of a Thai peanut sauce I really enjoy and I feel like it filled out the flavor a bit. Otherwise I really enjoyed it.
Love this recipe! I removed the red peppers as I’m just not a fan of them, left everything else as is. When reheating I have done it in increments while stirring and the shrimp don’t seem to be *too* overcooked. I plan to make a similar recipe with shredded chicken for my husband, as he isn’t a huge shrimp person.
The soup was delicious, definitely making again and even adding pea pods. Love a lot of the recipes and this one does not disappoint!!
So completely amazing! I, like others, upped the garlic, ginger, and curry paste, added sriracha, brown sugar, and a touch of honey, and increased the cilantro.
Question: I have so many leftovers! I’m worried about how best to reheat it without absolutely ruining the shrimp. Or at least minimizing the damage. What would you suggest?
Kennedy, you can reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave but with either method, the shrimp will get overcooked. Unfortunately, that’s part of the collateral damage but it should still taste great! 🙂
If you cook your shrimp as I do at the end in the soup you can add just enough for the meal you are serving it for . I suggest trying it with shell on shrimp as well ! It adds flavour 🙂
Take the shrimp out, reheat the rest of the soupmand when it’s hot add the shrimp back in will help keep the shrimp from over cooking.