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Home Cuisines Thai Recipes

Tom Yum Soup (Thai soup)

By:Nagi
Published:30 Sep '19Updated:8 Apr '21
147 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Tom Yum soup – everybody’s favourite Thai soup is finally here! Choose from the classic clear Tom Yum Goong, or make the creamy Tom Yum version – both are made with the same broth.

Simple to make using whole fresh OR peeled frozen prawns / shrimp, this is astonishingly easy to make once you’ve gathered the ingredients! Bonus: Tom Yum is probably the healthiest Thai dish ever, clocking in at just 156 calories!

White bowl with Tom Yum Soup (Thai soup) with prawns / shrimp, mushrooms, tomato and garnished with coriander and chilli

Tom Yum Soup

Asian food has some of the best soups in the world! From the rich coconut Laksa Noodle Soup to Vietnamese Beef Pho, and Japanese Ramen, there’s a vast variety and Thailand’s Tom Yum Soup is right up there with the best of them.

And the bonus? Tom Yum Soup is good for you, with just 156 calories per serving and very low fat.

Two types of Tom Yum

First up, let me explain that there’s two different types of Tom Yum Soup:

  1. Clear Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Sai); and

  2. CREAMY Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon) which is made from the clear version with the addition of evaporated milk and a good hit of Thai Chilli Paste.

I’ve no idea which is more popular, and truthfully I like both equally so I don’t play favourites. The creamy version has a slightly bigger flavour punch because of the addition of the chilli paste. The evaporated milk really doesn’t add flavour, it just changes the appearance.

Two types of Tom Yum Soup - clear and creamy

Difference between Tom Yum and Tom Kha?

The soup broth flavour base is the same, but the key difference is that Tom Kha has chilli paste and a splash of coconut milk added. In fact, Tom Kha is the creamy version of Tom Yum I’m sharing today if you use the coconut milk option instead of evaporated milk!

Pot of Tom Yum Soup broth simmering on the stove

Tom Yum is best made with whole prawns/shrimp that you peel yourself. But I’ve got a recipe made with frozen peeled prawns too – see recipe notes!!

What goes in Tom Yum Soup

There’s 2 parts to Tom Yum Soup:

  1. Making the soup broth; and

  2. The stuff that goes in the broth.

Firstly, the broth. In addition to items shown below, you also need the head and shell of the peeled prawns/shrimp (see image below). If you can’t get whole prawns, don’t worry – in the recipe notes, there’s directions for making this with frozen pre-peeled prawns!

Key to this soup broth are all the fragrant fresh herbs and spices you see below. The kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, chilli and garlic. They impart such beautiful flavour into the soup!

What goes in Tom Yum Soup (Thai soup)

And here’s the stuff IN the soup.

What goes in Tom Yum Soup (Thai soup)

I live in the upper northern beaches of Sydney, which is a beautiful part of the world but is sadly in Asian food and produce. But even I can get my hands on all the ingredients for this recipe from my grocery and fresh produce stores!!

How to make Tom Yum Soup

The ingredient gathering is the hardest part of this recipe, being that the aromatics aren’t pantry staples and depending how well stocked your grocery store is, might require a trip to an Asian store.

The making part is very straight forward, calling for not much more than plonking and simmering, straining, more plonking then simmering again. EASY!

Process steps illustrating how to make the broth for Thai Tom Yum Soup

See? A lot of plonk and simmer above to make the broth.

And more plonk and simmer below when you add the “stuff” into the soup.

Process steps for how to make Thai Tom Yum Soup

That’s how you make the clear version of Tom Yum Soup which I find is the one more commonly served at Thai restaurants in Sydney.

The broth looks deceptively simple – clear and unassuming. But wait until you try it! It’s got terrific complexity of flavour from the prawn/shrimp shells – basically it’s a homemade prawn stock with a ton of aromatics added!!

Can you freeze Tom Yum soup?

Yes you can! What I like to do is make the broth, strain it, then just cook the shrimp/prawns and freeze it like that, before the mushrooms and tomato go in. But in fact, it would freeze fine even with the tomato and mushrooms – I just feel it’s better adding them in fresh later.

Rustic white bowl with Thai Soup - Tom Yum soup - ready to be eaten

And now for the creamy version!

How to make CREAMY Tom Yum Soup

For the creamy version, you simply take the clear one, add a good dollop of Thai Chilli paste then a splash of evaporated milk.

Process steps for how to make creamy Tom Yum Soup

Thai chilli paste and evaporated milk to make creamy Tom Yum SoupI think that people assume that the creamy version is made with coconut milk, being an ingredient associated with Thai cooking. But it’s not, it’s evaporated milk.

But coconut milk is also amazing – in fact, that changes Tom Yum into Tom Kha soup and some people who sampled this preferred that the best!

Pot with creamy Tom Yum Soup, fresh off the stove

Creamy Tom Yum Soup in a blue bowl, ready to be eaten

Whichever you choose – classic clear or the creamy version, you are going to love it. It tastes 100% authentic, as good as you get at Thai restaurants. I exaggerate not – some favourite takeout dishes are difficult or simply can’t be replicate at home because we don’t have commercial grade equipment. And when that’s the case, I’m very upfront about how close a homemade version can be (for example, Chicken Tikka Masala, Char Kway Teow)

Tom Yum soup is not one of those! It’s astonishingly easy, SUPER HEALTHY, and tastes just like the real deal! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it


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White bowl with Tom Yum Soup (Thai soup) with prawns / shrimp, mushrooms, tomato and garnished with coriander and chilli

Tom Yum Soup (Thai Soup)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 35 minutes mins
Mains, Starter
Thai
4.98 from 44 votes
Servings2
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above! The famous Thai Soup, made at home, and it's honestly the real deal!! See recipe notes for shortcut using frozen peeled prawns/shrimp. Also, CHOOSE from classic clear Tom Yum (Tom Yum Goong Nam Sa) or the creamy Tom Yum version (Tom Yum Goong Nam Khon)!

Ingredients

  • 300g / 10oz whole prawns / shrimp with heads and shells on (Note 7)

Broth:

  • 3 cup (750 ml) water
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken stock/broth , low sodium
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass , outer layers peeled(Note 1)
  • 1.5 cm / 3/5" piece of galangal , cut into 4 slices (Note 2)
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves , torn roughly (Note 3)
  • 2 Thai or birdseye chillies (Note 4)
  • 3 garlic cloves

Soup Add Ins:

  • 120g / 4oz oyster mushrooms
  • 1 roma tomato , cut into wedges
  • 1/2 white onion (medium sized), cut into wedges about 1 cm thick
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce (Note 5)
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • Coriander/cilantro , for garnish

Creamy Tom Yum Option:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp Thai roasted chili sauce (Nam Prik Pa, Note 6)
  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) evaporated milk

Instructions

Broth:

  • Peel the prawns. Place heads and shell in pot, reserve meat.
  • Use a meat mallet or similar to bash the garlic, chilli and lemongrass so they burst open to release flavour. Add into pot.
  • Crush kaffir lime leaves with your hands. Add into pot.
  • Add galangal, stock and water. Bring to simmer on high heat, cover, then reduce to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Strain the broth, discard the prawn shells etc, then return broth into same pot over low heat.

Finish Soup:

  • Add onions and mushrooms, simmer 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add prawns, simmer 2 minutes or until just cooked.
  • Stir in sugar and fish sauce, simmer for 1 minute.
  • Add lime juice, then taste. Adjust sweet (sugar), salt (fish sauce) and sour (lime) to your taste (trust me, you'll know when you like it!).
  • Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh coriander and fresh chilli! This is the CLEAR version of Tom Yum.

Creamy Tom Yum:

  • When you add sugar, also add Thai Chilli Paste and evaporated milk.
  • Then continue with recipe!

Bonus: Tom KHA!

  • Following Creamy Tom Yum steps but use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.

Recipe Notes:

1. Lemongrass - To prepare, cut in half, peel the reedy green shell to reveal the softer white part on the bottom half of the lemongrass. If lemongrass is hard to come by, you can use PASTE: stir in 1 tbsp.
2. Galangal is like ginger but it has a more sour and peppery flavour. If you can't find it, just substitute ginger and a grind of black pepper.
3. Kaffir Lime Leaves are the leaves of a kaffir lime tree. It's used to add earthy citrus flavours into Asian food. Sold at large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris) and Asian stores. Dried is an ok substitute (same amount), but I really urge you to try to find fresh if you can because it adds that "something-something" that really makes this "restaurant quality". Freezes 100% perfectly, I always have a stash!
4. Chilli - This soup is not that spicy but has a mild hum to it!
5. Fish Sauce - I'm afraid this is key to getting enough flavour in the broth so I can't offer a sub here!
6. Thai roasted Chilli Paste - you'll need to go to a Thai grocery store for this. If you can't get to one, use another Asian Chilli Paste and some chilli oil to achieve a similar flavour and effect. Sambal Oelak + chilli oil is an excellent fall back.
7. SHORTCUT FROZEN PRAWN/SHRIMP VERSION: I wanted to make a faster version made using pre-peeled frozen prawns. Even I was astonished how well it came out! Here's how to make it:
  • Skip prawn/shrimp shells and head in the broth. Instead, add 1.5 tsp shrimped paste into the broth. Proceed with recipe.
  • Use 200g/7oz frozen peeled prawns (this is more than the weight of peeled whole prawns) and add them in step 7. The resulting soup is extremely good, quite similar to making the broth using the prawn shells!
8. Storing - leftover soup can be kept for 2 days in the fridge then gently reheat in microwave without prawns/shrimp and add them in later (so you don't accidentally overcook them). 
Freezing - broth freezes 100% perfectly. For best results, follow recipe to strain, then return into pot. Gently cook shrimp/prawns than remove. Add fish sauce and sugar. Allow to cool separately, return shrimp into broth and freeze. Add mushrooms and tomato once soup is reheated, as well as lime (best to add these fresh).
9. Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 156cal (8%)Carbohydrates: 15g (5%)Protein: 21g (42%)Fat: 2g (3%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Cholesterol: 191mg (64%)Sodium: 2821mg (123%)Potassium: 593mg (17%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 287IU (6%)Vitamin C: 16mg (19%)Calcium: 138mg (14%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Keywords: Thai soup, Tom yum soup
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

A familiar sight – he does this every day. ie rolling around on a pile of his toys. Do you think he’s:

a) in need of a good back scratch

b) rubbing his stench all over the toys in a sign of ownership / deter other dogs from taking his toys

c) just loving life? 🤔🤔🤔

Dozer rolling on his toys

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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147 Comments

  1. Ruth says

    September 10, 2023 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi,
    This is by far the best Tom Yum recipe I’ve found! I’ve made several but I find this one is the best! I didn’t have kaffir leaves but I do have a few Yuzu lemon trees and I used those leaves instead. It was a fantastic substitute!

    Thanks again!

    Reply
  2. Agnes Mone Sumareke says

    July 25, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    Thank you for sharing Tom Yum Soup recipe. I love Tom Yam Soup.

    Reply
  3. jinan says

    July 15, 2023 at 5:52 am

    5 stars
    this was just spectacular! i had to make a few substitutions: ginger for galangal, serrano for thai chili, lime zest for lime leaves, oyster sauce for fish sauce, and a sweetened tamarind sauce instead of sugar (which i really recommend adding).
    thank you!

    Reply
  4. Cee says

    June 29, 2023 at 10:51 am

    What brand frozen prawns do you normally buy? I struggle to find a good one.

    Reply
  5. Chris says

    April 28, 2023 at 11:08 pm

    Thanks for recipe it looks great
    Can you add some noodles and extra veg maybe small brocolini and snow peas and corn Not that fond of mushrooms Nagi . I would like your new recipe book for Mothers day so letting hubby know so he can get it for me😊😊😊 luv your puppy dozer so…cute

    Reply
  6. Paul B says

    April 25, 2023 at 11:53 am

    Hi Nagi,
    Can this be made using por kwan Tom yum paste as a quick version like your laksa recipe?
    The por kwan laksa paste you recommended is awesome with a few ingredients added.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Natalie says

    April 23, 2023 at 1:10 pm

    This was divine! Didn’t have lime, so used lemon. Also used brown sugar and added a bit of red curry paste and lemon rind because I didn’t have lemongrass. Needs must in these times! Added dumplings, frozen prawns, and noodles. A real winner! Thanks Nagi 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jj says

    April 13, 2023 at 5:35 am

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe, my Tom yum soup turned out better than restaurants!

    Reply
  9. Pascale Bessette says

    February 20, 2023 at 5:20 am

    5 stars
    Insanely delicious. I didn’t have kafir leaves but it turned out spectacular nonetheless. I made the creamy version with coco milk and added rice vermicelli noodles for a more consistent lunch.

    Reply
  10. Simone says

    January 14, 2023 at 9:00 am

    5 stars
    Made Youre deliouse soup today! I love it … the smell!! Of the broth… tomorow the final ingredients.. can’t wait..

    Reply
  11. Frances Wheatley says

    October 27, 2022 at 1:04 am

    I haven’t made it, but I went to Thailand on some hedonistic journey 30 years ago and lived on this soup, it was 50c.

    Reply
  12. Sevillia Mckenzie says

    September 6, 2022 at 10:30 am

    5 stars
    Love this soup, was so close to just what I get from the Tai Restaurant I go to. Might have to tweak a bit. I bought my lemon grass, Galangal, chilis and the Kaffir Lime leaves all dried that came together to make the Tom Yum soup. Do you have recommended measurements for using these dried ingredients?
    Thanks

    Reply
  13. Mitchell says

    September 5, 2022 at 7:10 am

    5 stars
    Amazing! My only suggestion would be to add the shrimp only just before eating to prevent them overcooking.

    Reply
  14. Rachael says

    August 23, 2022 at 11:55 am

    5 stars
    I just made this for breakfast 🤣 why have cereal and milk when you can make Tom yum in 20min?!!! So delicious. Thanks Nagi

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      September 5, 2022 at 9:04 am

      5 stars
      So well written. My new favorite page!!

      Reply
  15. Lee says

    August 21, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    Absolutely beautiful. You did it again Nagi. I can’t wait till my book arrives and I’ve told my FB friends it is coming too

    Reply
  16. Heidi says

    May 7, 2022 at 8:59 pm

    Can you freeze the creamy version?

    Reply
  17. Lili Meisamy says

    March 24, 2022 at 9:52 am

    Hi Nagi. Thanks for delicious recipes. What brands of fish sauce, oyster sauces, and chili paste do u use? I always have a difficult time finding but don’t want to make my own. Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 24, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      I have a post on that Lili! https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-market-grocery-store-shopping-list/ N x

      Reply
  18. Dave Rouelett says

    March 11, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    123% of your sodium rdi?
    Per serving? And you say this is healthy?
    Are you actively trying to kill people?

    Reply
    • Michael says

      June 19, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      How true. I had 123% sodium in one day about a week ago, and I’m literally posting this reply from the grave.

      Reply
    • Michelle Austin says

      March 25, 2022 at 6:15 am

      Will you please chill out. If you don’t like the recipe, then don’t make it.

      Reply
  19. Deb Faulkner says

    March 11, 2022 at 8:43 pm

    I would love to make this recipe bit am allergic to seafood. Can I use chicken instead?

    Reply
  20. Arfa says

    March 7, 2022 at 1:35 am

    Hi! Is there anything I can use to achieve the same flavour from the prawn heads? My local market only does non shelled prawns. Thank you!

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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