This paleo coconut curry zoodle soup is quick and delicious, loaded with creamy coconut milk, intensely flavorful red curry paste, and zoodles. This recipe is a wonderful paleo dinner or paleo soup recipe to add to your collection. Low carb yet filling, you can make this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup a vegan coconut curry zoodle soup with an easy swap! If you’re looking for an awesome spiralizer, this Paderno is affordable and amazing.
I still remember the moment I fell crazy in love with coconut soup. Like, “show up at your house in the middle of the night” crazy in love. Like, “Who’s that girl who commented on your Instagram?! I know you’re sleeping with her” crazy in love. Like… “slash your tires” crazy in love?
OK, so maybe I wouldn’t go that far (but seriously, who is she?), but hot damn, I fell hard and fast.
For coconut soup.
I’d taken a quick trip to Birmingham with a few college friends, and they had to go to this famous Thai restaurant there. It was one of their all-time favorites, but I just didn’t get it. Growing up, Thai food meant sweet noodles, drenched in a slimy sauce, topped with weird scrambled egg and um, peanuts? I just didn’t get it. I wasn’t, and am still not, a major noodle person, and for this, my aging mom bod thanks the heavens everyday. So to me, if all Thai food were like pad see ew or pad thai, I wasn’t into it.
And then I had a cup of the creamiest coconut soup, Thai tom kha, and nearly fainted. It was flavorful and balanced, with a richness from the coconut somehow delicately grounding the salty umami from the fish sauce, the spiciness from the Thai chiles, the sour lime juice. I think there might have been some literal magic working in that kitchen, but I’m not one to complain. That moment was one of only a few I remember vividly as being so good that the dish will flash before my eyes when I die. Nbd.
Of course, I was desperate to recreate the soup, and I even came up with a very-small-college-town-friendly recipe that I posted over a decade ago on food.com. But no matter what I did, no matter how many authentic recipes I tried, no matter how many times I drove 45 minutes just for fresh lemongrass, I didn’t come close.
It wasn’t until someone somehow got me the recipe that I realized the secret: red curry paste. How! What! I! Ugh. I was already a fan of the standard red curry with tofu, but this? Next level.
Since that moment, I’ve had red curry paste in my fridge at all times. Move into a new house? OK, we need almond milk for the baby, dozens and dozens of LaCroix, and, oh yeah, red curry paste. Everything else can wait.
So when it comes to needing a quick and easy yet delicious weeknight dinner, coconut curry often comes to mind. And this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup fit the bill perfectly, when I was in the mood for something flavorful but not too heavy. We used tofu because, well, we kind of love tofu, but I’ve included directions for using chicken to make it truly paleo. And if you’re making vegan coconut curry zoodle soup? You’ll just leave out the fish sauce and add more salt instead. Versatile, non?
You will seriously love this paleo coconut curry zoodle soup. Perfect when you’re filling icky or just feeling damn hungry, you’ll fall in love with it, just like I did. Except… don’t slash my tires. OK. Cool…
Paleo Coconut Curry Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , chopped
- 1 small red chile , chopped
- 6 1/4" slices fresh ginger
- 1 lemongrass stalk , cut into 2-inch sticks and smashed
- 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
- 2 14.5- ounce can chicken broth , or vegetable broth for vegan
- 1 13.5- ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 red bell pepper , deseeded, cut in half across the middle, and sliced into strips
- 8 ounces white mushrooms , sliced
- 1 12- ounce box firm silken tofu , cubed OR
- 2 chicken breasts , raw, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 8- ounce can bamboo shoots , drained
- 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce (nampla) to taste, or soy sauce for vegan
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 3 green onions , sliced on the bias
- 1/4 cup cilantro , chopped
- 2 large zucchinis , spiralized
Equipment Needed
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chile, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai curry paste and sweat, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to soften.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.
- Strain mixture and discard aromatics. Return infused chicken broth to stovetop and add coconut milk. Whisk to combine well, then add bell pepper, mushrooms, tofu or chicken breasts, and bamboo shoots and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through and red bell pepper is softened, about 15 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and coconut sugar and stir to combine. Taste and add more lime juice or fish sauce, if desired. To serve, place a serving of zoodles (spiralized zucchini) in a bowl and pour hot soup over. Top with green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
I use this spiralizer and absolutely love it.
Amyjollc says
July 23, 2018 at 10:36 pmThis was SO good. The flavors are amazing. I am doing whole 30 so I substituted coconut aminos for the coconut sugar. My husband loved it too. This is my new favorite dish!!!
Cheryl Malik says
July 24, 2018 at 12:35 pmHooray! So happy you liked it!
Amy says
March 6, 2018 at 4:52 pmIf I can’t find lemongrass anywhere local, any suggestions for a substitute?
Cheryl Malik says
March 7, 2018 at 10:37 amYou should be able to find it already minced in a tube in the refrigerated section. Not the best but it’ll do in a pinch!
Amyjollc says
July 23, 2018 at 10:38 pmAny Asian market has it. Also, I have seen it in the herb section at Fred Meyers. Trader Joe’s did not have it.
Haley says
December 3, 2017 at 9:07 pmHi Cheryl!
Im dying to try this recipe but the “buy here” links aren’t working for some reason. Could you tell me what brand of red curry paste you use?
Thank you!
Cheryl Malik says
December 4, 2017 at 11:34 amHi Haley! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 I’ve updated those!
Tinisia says
November 12, 2017 at 7:43 pmI made this soup for dinner tonight and it was to die for. Thanks for the recipe. This one is a keeper!!
Cheryl Malik says
November 13, 2017 at 1:16 pmI’m sooo glad you liked it! Thanks so much for coming back to tell me 🙂
Alyssa says
August 19, 2017 at 9:07 pmHello! I ran acroos this recipe on pinterest and want to share some info with you. I had the same experience the first time I had Tom Ka Gai. After A LOT of searching and cooking, I figured out what ingredients I was missing. You need all 5 of these ingredients to re-create the flavor of an authentic Thai coconut soup. You can play with the ratios to your liking.
Galangal Root (looks just like ginger, darker in color, but ginger is no substitute)
Fish Sauce
Kafir Lime Leaves
Thai Chili Paste (this is also a weird one to find, the brand I get is called “Pantai”)
Lemon Grass
Gotta have all 5! Good luck!
Cheryl Malik says
August 20, 2017 at 3:31 pmHi Alyssa! You’re very right! For a traditional tom kha soup, you need to include those authentic ingredients. You can check out my authentic tom kha recipe here (though I use Thai bird eye chilis, not paste): https://40aprons.com/my-cupcakes-baby-daddy-tom-kha-in-normal-form/
This recipe is not intended to be a tom kha, but a quick weeknight Thai-inspired soup using easy-to-find ingredients. 🙂
Lauren says
July 18, 2017 at 10:56 pmMade this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it.
The only thing that puzzled me was the chile. The instructions don’t specify what kind, so I just left it out. The soup was still very tasty, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more heat.
Next time I hope to add kafir lime leaves with the aromatics. I think it’ll give it an extra boost of flavor!
Cheryl Malik says
July 19, 2017 at 10:21 amThanks for letting me know, Lauren! I’ve updated the recipe with more specific instructions on the chile. And kaffir lime sounds amazing! I love when I have a batch of those in the freezer. Such a wonderful lime and citrus taste without too much acid! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know that you liked it 🙂
Ellen says
June 8, 2017 at 12:27 amAbsolutely loved this dish! Thank you 🙂
Cheryl Malik says
June 12, 2017 at 2:39 pmI’m so glad you liked it, Ellen! Thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me so 🙂
Laurel says
March 31, 2017 at 8:25 amI am so in love with red curry paste recently, and can’t wait to try it in this recipe. Thank you for including a vegan option! LOVE!
Cheryl Malik says
March 31, 2017 at 8:26 amRed curry paste is *the best*, right?! And heck yeah for vegan options ??
Billy says
January 6, 2018 at 9:02 pmKeep in mind that with the red curry paste, this recipe is NOT VEGAN. Red curry paste contains shrimp (including the recommended paste in this recipe) and often fish sauce as well. Just FYI.
Cheryl Malik says
January 8, 2018 at 12:39 pmIf you are vegan, of course you will need to purchase a vegan red curry paste. They are VERY easy to find, including this version which is available at almost all grocery stores:
https://thrivemarket.com/thai-kitchen-red-curry-paste
The ingredients are extremely simple and entirely plant-based: Red chilli Pepper, Garlic, Lemongrass, Galangal (Thai Ginger), Salt, Shallot, Spices, Kaffer Lime