This Tom Kha Soup recipe (Thai coconut soup) is pure comfort in a bowl! Rich and creamy, tangy and salty, it’s completely delicious! Make it with chicken, shrimp or tofu, on the stovetop or in your instant pot! Video.

bowl of Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) with pieces of shredded chicken, lemongrass, lime, kaffir lime leaves, mushrooms, chilies.

I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list. ~Mary Oliver 

When feeling under the weather, one of my favorite meals is Tom Kha Soup. This Thai coconut soup is made with a rich, fragrant coconut broth infused with Thai flavor- especially comforting during cold and flu season. The coconut milk gently coats the throat and soothes, while the mild heat clears up the sinuses. It’s one of my all-time favorite Thai soup recipes!

Why You’ll Love This!

  1. Authentic flavor. This Tom Kha soup uses galangal root, the star of the dish! Kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass add delicious brightness.
  2. Quick and easy. Can be made in 30 minutes on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot.
  3. Vegan–Adaptable. This recipe is paleo and gluten-free, but can also be made vegan -using cubes of tofu (or crispy tofu) and this vegan fish sauce (or sub soy sauce).

 Tom Kha soup | 60-sec video

What is Galangal Root?

Tom Kha means Galalgal Soup. Galangal root is the star of the recipe here and looks very much like ginger but tastes very very different. It has an exotic pine flavor, which, in my opinion, totally makes the soup. Galangal is shown on the top (in the photo below) while ginger root is on the bottom.

galangal root, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and ginger root on wood table.

Tom kha Ingredients

  • Protein: chicken breasts or thighs, or sub one pound shrimp or one block tofu.
  • Mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or straw mushrooms.
  • Coconut milk: Use canned full-fat coconut milk.
  • Galangal root: Buy at your local Asian market in the produce section or freezer section. Buy extra to freeze!
  • Ginger: Slice a 2-inch piece into ⅛ inch thick disks, skins ok.
  • Shallots: Diced. You can use onion if it’s all you have.
  • Lemongrass: Use whole lemongrass stalks, or chopped, or use lemongrass paste. All work.
  • Kaffir lime leaves: You will find these at the Asian market, either fresh or in freezer section.
  • Chicken broth: Or use vegetable broth.
  • Fresh Thai Chilies: or add Thai red curry paste to taste at the end.
  • Fish sauce: Or sub vegan fish sauce.
  • Fresh lime juice: From 1-2 small limes, to taste.
  • Palm sugar: Or use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
  • Garnish with fresh cilantro or green onions.

How to Make Tom Kha Soup

Tom Kha Soup can be made in an instant pot (especially easy if using whole chicken breasts) or cooked on the stovetop. Here are instructions for both.

Authentic Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) in bowl with chicken, mushrooms, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, chilies, in front on Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Place everything in the instant pot except lime juice, coconut milk and sugar – leaving the chicken thighs or breasts whole. Don’t forget the salt. Give a stir. 🙂
  2. If using chicken breasts, pressure cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, or 10 minutes for chicken thighs. If using tofu, pressure cook 4 minutes.
  3. Naturally, release for 10-15 minutes. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using two forks and add the coconut milk, sugar, and lime juice. Taste- adjust salt, lime and spicy heat. Serve with a lime wedge.

Stove Top Cooking instructions:

  1. Slice the chicken into thin bite-sized pieces (across the grain) and season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. In large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, saute shallot in a little oil over medium heat. Add ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal, and 2 cups broth and simmer gently for 5 minutes, letting the broth infuse.
  3. Add the chicken (or tofu) and mushrooms and gently poach, simmering for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through and mushrooms wilt.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies, and salt and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat. Add the lime juice and sugar. Taste. Adjust salt and lime and the spice level by adding more chili paste.

Serve this on its own, or over rice or rice noodles! Garnish with cilantro, green onions, or lime zest if desired. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Expert Tips

  1. When making the trip to the Asian market, buy extra galangal root, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass to freeze for later. Slice the galangal root before freezing, then just drop the frozen slices into your soup. You can find chopped lemongrass in the freezer section- that way you always have some on hand for Thai cooking.
  2. Tom Kha is a lovely balance of salty, sour, and spice. Find the balance! Adjust these at the end to your taste by adding more fish sauce (depth and salt), lime juice, sweetness, or heat( chili paste).
  3. Do not boil the coconut milk. This will make it less sweet; just bring it to a simmer and turn off the heat.

FAQs

Should I cook Tom Kha Gai in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop?

Make the Tom Kha Gai in an Instant Pot with chicken breast or chicken thighs, or cook it more authentically on the stovetop. Your choice! The instant pot version is very quick and easy- just put it all in the pot and set. When it’s done squeeze with fresh lime and serve in bowls.

Can Tom Kha Gai be frozen?

Yes, Tom Kha Gai freezes well. Make a big batch and freeze for busy nights. Freeze for up to 3 months.

What is the difference between Tom Yum Soup and Tom Kha Gai?

The primary difference between Tom Yum Soup and Tom Kha is that Tom Kha is richer and creamier by adding coconut milk. Tom Yum Soup is brothy, spicy and much more sour. Because it is made with a clear broth, without the addition of coconut milk, it is lighter, low in calories and saturated fat. Tom Kha is rich and creamy, with sweeter notes.

What is Tom Kha Gai made of?

Gai means “chicken” in the Thai language, so Tom Kha Gai translates to Galangal Soup with Chicken.

hands squeezing lime quarter into bowl of Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup), full of chicken, mushrooms, chilies, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves in coconut broth.

Enjoy this Tom Kha Gai – a warming Coconut Chicken soup that is full of amazing Thai flavor.

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Authentic Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) - a healthy, delicious and easy recipe that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Vegan Adaptable! #tomkha #thaisoup #tomkhagai #paleo #keto #thaichickensoup #galangal #coconutsoup #traditional

Tom Kha Soup ( Thai coconut soup)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 68 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 cups ( 4 servings)
  • Category: soup, gluten-free, vegan-adaptable
  • Method: instant pot, stove top, pressure cooker
  • Cuisine: Thai
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Description

This Tom Kha Recipe (Thai Coconut Soup) is authentic and delicious! Make it with chicken, tofu, or shrimp on the stovetop or Instant Pot.

Ingredients

Units
  • 1 –2 shallots, diced
  • 1/4 cup ginger, sliced into 1/8 inch thick disks, skins ok ( 2 inch piece)
  • 1/4 cup galangal root, sliced into 1/8 thick disks, skins ok ( 2 inch piece)
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass- or use lemongrass paste.
  • 8 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken- whole breasts or thighs (or sub 1 pound crispy Tofu or shrimp)
  • 8 ounces mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini, or straw mushrooms) or sub other veggies like bell pepper, snow peas, etc.
  • 2–4 fresh Thai Chilies, or add chili paste to taste at the end
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or sub vegan fish sauce)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

————–

  • 2 x 14–ounce cans of coconut milk (full fat)
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice ( 1–2 small limes) to taste
  • 2 teaspoons palm, coconut or brown sugar

Serve this on its own, over rice or rice noodles!

Instructions

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

  1. Slice the chicken into thin bite-sized pieces (across the grain) and season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  2. In large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, saute shallot in a little oil over medium heat. Add ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves and galalagal and 2 cups broth and simmer gently for 5 minutes, letting the broth infuse. Add the chicken (or tofu) and mushrooms and gently poach, simmering for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.
  3. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies, and salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the lime juice and sugar. Taste. Adjust salt and lime and the spice level by adding more chili paste.

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Place everything in the instant pot except lime juice, coconut milk and sugar – leaving the chicken thighs or breasts whole. Don’t forget the salt. Give a stir.
  2. If using chicken breasts, pressure cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, or 10 minutes for thighs. If using tofu, pressure cook 4 minutes.
  3. Naturally, release for 10-15 minutes. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using two forks and add the coconut milk, sugar, and lime juice. Taste- adjust salt, lime and spicy heat. Serve with a lime wedge.

Notes

The galanga, ginger and lime leaves infuse flavor into the soup and can be discarded when serving.

When making the stove top version, sometimes I’ll poach whole chicken breasts in the infused broth (covered) then shred with 2 forks- a little longer cooking time, but no pre-cutting required. Then add the remaining ingredients. 🙂

Boiling coconut milk will take some it’s lovely sweetness away, so don’t over boil it or over cook it, just simmer gently and not for too long. 🙂

To make a vegan version, sub veggie broth for the chicken broth. Add cubes of raw tofu or  crispy tofu ( pan- sear cubes of tofu in a skillet first, with olive oil, salt and pepper). Add other veggies if  you like! Sub vegan fish sauce for regular fish sauce. 

If using shrimp, peel and devein, and drop into the simmering soup, cooking until tails curl. 

Feel free to serve over rice or rice noodles.

The soup freezes well!

RECIPE UPDATE: I changed the Instant Pot version, to add the 2 cans of  coconut milk AFTER pressure cooking. Some folks had issues with the coconut milk curdling during the pressure cooking.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups using chicken breast
  • Calories: 461
  • Sugar: 3.4 g
  • Sodium: 1123.7 mg
  • Fat: 33.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 28.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9.5 g
  • Fiber: 0.7 g
  • Protein: 25.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 66.2 mg

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Comments

  2. I appreciate this and actually wondering the same as I’ve had it both ways at Thai restaurants – with ginger and without. I will note the recipe.

    Reply

  3. Hi Sylvia,
    This is DEEE-LUSCIOUS SOUP!!! (spelled incorrectly on-purpose!)
    I found most of the ingredients at an Asian grocer except the kefir lime leaves, which I LOVE (I actually break them into tiny pieces and eat them with Thai soup). Was disappointed about that, but used at least a Tbsp of lime zest instead and it seemed to work just fine!
    Your soup recipes are The Best!

    Reply

  4. I am in total awe how excellent it turned out! Best Tom Kha Gai I ever tasted and I even used a frozen aromatics as they are not widely available in my country.

    Just added a good spoon of Tom Kha paste from a jar (Asian stores).

    I’ll do Tom Yum Gai following the same recipe.

    Great work on the recipe! Shared it with local IP community.

    Reply

  5. Absolutely delicious soup, I thought it was even better than the one I’ve tried from my favourite Thai restaurant – the difference was this recipe gave me a stronger lime leaf flavour which I enjoy. My mom doesn’t like spicy so we left out the chilies, but the rest of the family added a little bit of the chili garlic paste to our bowls, was still good even though it didn’t simmer in the pot with the rest of the ingredients.

    Reply

  7. Those are not authentic choices of mushroom for Tom Kha. The most authentic would be

    #1, whole straw mushrooms (cap open, or “peeled” in mushroom jargon)
    #2, whole oyster mushrooms
    or maybe #3: sliced shiitake.

    Cremini/button mushrooms don’t even grow in Asia, and cannot remotely compete with the texture of straw and oyster shrooms or with the flavor of shiitake. You’re sending your readers to the Asian mart anyway; they might as well pick up a can of actual Southeast Asian mushrooms while they’re there.

    Reply

    1. You are totally right. I updated the recipe to reflect this. Thanks for pointing it out. Sometimes I list more common ingredients found here in order to encourage people to make it with what they have- but the galangal is essential and yes, mostly available at Asian Markets, so why not pick up good mushrooms? Great point. Thanks Jay.

      Reply

  8. I just made it.the parfum of lime filled my kitchen. I’m totally passionate with this soup. My husband felt like eating in Thailand itself.

    Reply

  9. I apologize for the stupid question but I’m old and I forgive myself. I see in the pics lime wedges, lemongrass stalk, galangal and/or ginger slices, and lime leaves. Do you eat around these things? I mean, lemongrass stalks, galangal, and ginger are all powerfully pungent, leaves (unless thoroughly softened) are palatably unpleasant, and, well few people eat entire lime wedges. Maybe you left them in for the photos but wouldn’t it be better taking those things out to avoid the painful fishing for edible ingredients? I had read a recipe from a Thai chef where he thinly sliced the lime leaves which I can see as making them “friendlier” to eat.

    Reply

    1. Hi David, you eat around them. The lime is for squeezing. The lemongrass, galanga and lime leaves infuse the broth but you don’t eat them. When you eat this dish in Thailand or in a Thai restaurant, it is typical to find them in your soup, and you just eat around them. 🙂

      Reply

    2. I’ve made this 4 times. Im learning how to adjust the recipe to my liking. I actually use chopped frozen lemongrass and I use my microplane for the galangal root. I eat it that way and it’s good for you! The soup is so infused with flavors!

      Reply

      1. I like to eat the galangal too! Love the flavor. Glad you are enjoying this Sandy!

        Reply

  11. This recipe is definitely terrific. However, having raised two kids while I worked more than full time, prior to my official retirement at age 70, PLUS having first tasted Tom Ka Gai when traveling thru Thailand for 3 weeks 25 years ago, I became a cooking “cheat” and use the Lobo brand of Tom Ka paste packet as a base. In fact I took it one step further and adjusted the recipe by reducing the amount of water, increased the size of the chicken pieces and produced a main course Tom Ka Stew. I’ve served it at dinner parties and taken it to pot luck dinners with my bridge club and it was always a winner. Also, got creative periodically by adding mushrooms, green beans or other Asian vegetables (bean or pea sprouts, spinach or other leaves, etc.) just before serving. Give it a try!

    Reply

  12. Oh my gosh~~ this soup was heavenlyyyy !! I am new to the Instant Pot game, so this was going to be a true test of how codependent I’m about to become with my new “machine”~~ this recipe has sent me over the edge, and now I’m addicted to cooking this way~~ soooo EASY and the flavors of this soup were truly **amazing** !!

    Luckily there was a Thai market not too far away~ first time making thai food, so you know I had to get all the authentic goods! I also used drumsticks since that’s all I had, and pressure cooked for 20 mins for fall-off-the-bone consistency~~~ omg YUM!! Also added the red bell pepper and snow peas in addition to mushrooms and had to up the salt, fish sauce, lemongrass paste and lime juice to accommodate the extra veg. Tastes just as good if not better than restaurant quality! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe and making me a full-on believer in the power of the Instant Pot!

    Reply

  13. Loved this recipe! I am currently pregnant and have not been enjoying most of my meals recently due to food aversions. This was absolutely delicious! I tweaked this a little by using Trader Joe’s ready-to-use sliced roasted chicken breast, and sautéed the aromatics with a little oil in the instant pot before adding everything else. I put in some tomatoes and Thai eggplant, and pressure cooked for 4 min. So glad I over-bought most of the ingredients because I am making this again the first chance I get! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  17. This recipe is printing landscape, and won’t allow me to change it. Can you change it to portrait?

    Reply

  19. Added carrots and Tony been peppers, only used 1.5 cans of coconut milk, it came out very nice. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  20. This soup was incredible! Probably better than any I’ve had at a restaurant. It was super quick and easy to make too. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    Reply

  24. Pretty good except the 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt. It made the broth incredibly salty. The 3 tablespoons of fish sauce more than accommodate the saltiness.
    I used this as a base for steamer clams. 7 pounds made and devoured!

    Reply

  25. Can’t wait to make this recipe! If using lemongrass paste, how much do you use? Also, do you eat the galangal and ginger or eat around it?
    I’m planning on trying the instant pot version and saw someone had an issue with the coconut milk foaming up. Should I add this in at the end or cook it all together? Thank you so much!

    Reply

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