This Thai Shrimp Soup is quick and easy to make and packed with flavor! This shrimp coconut curry soup has simple ingredients and is naturally paleo, Whole30 compliant and low carb. It’s much healthier than takeout and ready faster!
I’ve been wanting to make more healthy versions of takeout lately and had to try out this soup!
Thai food is a favorite but I rarely attempt to make copycat homemade versions of my favorites. With the exception of my spaghetti squash pad Thai (that you need to try!) this is really my first attempt.
I looked at a bunch of coconut curry Thai shrimp soup recipes on the internet and took a shot at my own Whole30 version. The final version is loosely adapted from Allrecipes as well as a few other recipes I found online.
Since it’s Whole30 compliant, that means no noodles or sugar, but other than that the basics of the soup are all naturally paleo and Whole30 friendly! Like broth, coconut milk, spices and of course shrimp!
I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy the soup was to throw together on the stovetop and the flavors were perfect.
What You Need to Make This Thai Shrimp Soup
The ingredients for this soup are simple and should be available at most grocery stores. Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the soup:
- avocado oil or olive oil
- garlic, minced
- onion, diced
- fresh ginger
- lemongrass
- red curry paste
- chicken or vegetable broth
- fish sauce
- full fat coconut milk (unsweetened)
- fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- medium shrimp
- Lime
- Sea salt
- Cilantro
- Scallions
How to Make Thai Shrimp Soup
The soup couldn’t be easier to make! Prep your ingredients first, then heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until fragrant, then stir in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste and cook for one minute.
Pour the broth into the pot while stirring continuously, then stir in the fish sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and stir, then add the mushrooms. Cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp and cook until no longer translucent , about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and juice and season to taste with salt. Serve right away, garnished with chopped cilantro, sliced scallions, and lime wedges.
Store leftovers in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To keep the soup longer, you can freeze it for up to one month, then reheat on the stovetop until heated through.
Tips for the Perfect Thai Shrimp Soup
As with most recipes that cook quickly, I like to make sure I have all of my ingredients prepped and ready to go in the pot. This makes the cooking part a breeze and for this recipe, the prep is minimal (just some dicing and mincing.)
If you’re not used to cooking with coconut milk, make sure you buy the right type. Look for unsweetened full fat coconut milk that comes from a can. This recipe uses 2 full cans of coconut milk.
I find that certain brands have a better flavor than others when it comes to coconut milk. My favorite is the 365 brand (Whole Foods) and my second favorite is Thai Kitchen.
This was one of my first times cooking with fresh lemongrass. Lemongrass comes in small stalks and has a tough outer layer which you want to avoid cooking with. Peel away the outer layer and mince the softer inside to use in the soup.
Seasoning is key for making any recipe taste amazing, so feel free to adjust the salt and lime added at the end of the recipe to suit your taste.
Make sure to give the flavors a chance to meld together before getting an accurate taste. I have made this mistake too many times, and over-salted, which is basically the worst thing you can do to a meal/soup in my opinion!
I hope you’re ready for a delicious soup that’s packed with flavor, protein, good fats and veggies too!
Grab your favorite stock pot and all your ingredients because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Thai Shrimp Soup {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Thai Shrimp Soup {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 1 Tbsp minced lemongrass MInce the inner part of one stalk
- 1 Tbsp red curry paste
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (check ingredients for Whole30}
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk
- 8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 lb medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- Zest of one lime grated
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice about 1 lime
- Sea salt to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
- Scallions for garnish
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant, then stir in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste and cook for one minute.
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Pour the broth into the pot while stirring continually, then stir in the fish sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and stir, then add the mushrooms. Cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
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Add the shrimp and cook until no longer translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and juice and season with salt to taste. Serve garnished with cilantro, sliced scallions and lime wedges.
Nutrition
Want More Paleo + Whole30 Soup Recipes? Try One of These!
Turkey Meatball and Zoodle Soup
Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Instant Pot
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I love your recipes but for my family your serving sizes are tiny. This would feed 2 people, 3 tops and that stretching it with lots of other add ons.
This was really good! The flavoring was delicious. I substituted mushrooms for yellow bell pepper and sugar snap peas. Will make again for sure!
Delicious! Tons of flavor! My family all said “You can make this one again!”
SO GOOD! I followed the recipe exactly and this is the most delicious Thai soup I’ve ever had. My husband is a Thai food snob and he went back for seconds. Thank you for the recipe!!
So good! I added thinly sliced chicken breast along with the shrimp. Next time I will probably add serrano chilies during the cooking process instead of as a garnish to give it a little more kick 🙂
I made this for dinner yesterday, and it was wonderful! I actually had dried shiitakes instead of fresh (already had them, and I’m on a budget), and so I reconstituted them and used the mushroom broth instead of chicken or veggie broth, and it was still delicious and beautiful. I was worried about the darker broth color, but it was fine with the curry paste and coconut milk camouflaging it.
This is SO good!!! Like amazing, really. So much flavor, so light and rich at the same time. Even my 3 year old and 9 month old liked it! Will definitely make again.
This is my family’s favorite soup!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Love this, easy and so good.
Really yummy! I think it could use a few more veggies to make it more filling, but the base of the soup is really tasty.