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Best Vegan Tom Yum Soup

June 4, 2020 by Connie Edwards McGaughy 1 Comment

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Best Vegan Tom Yum Soup 🌱 A bright, flavorful hot & sour Thai soup abundant with fresh veggies & healthy ingredients. Your taste buds are going to say “yum yum” with this delish & nutrish plant-based soup! Oil-free and gluten-free.

Vegan Tom Yum Soup

About once or twice a month, I crave for a bowl of vegan tom yum soup.

vegan tom yum soup

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There is just something about the intense citrusy tartness and flavors of lemongrass, fresh lime, spicy chiles, and colorful veggies that I adore.

easy vegan tom yum soup

The first time I tried tom yum soup was at a small Thai restaurant in North Hollywood. I had ordered won ton soup and my husband decided to try something new, which of course, I had to sample. Let’s just say, his tom yum won over my won ton. We were both hooked, immediately.

As soon as we got back home, he went on a quest to make his own tom yum soup. The challenge was, many of the key ingredients weren’t items we kept on hand. In fact, some we hadn’t ever heard of, like kaffir lime or galangal. After doing a bit of research, he visited a local Asian market and found the ingredients he needed. A couple hours later, we had a big pot of the best vegan tom yum soup!

What is Tom Yum Soup?

According to Wikipedia, tom yum or tom yam  is a type of hot and sour Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp (prawn). Tom yum has its origin in Thailand.

The words “tom yam” are derived from two Thai words. Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. Tom yum is characterised by its distinct hot and sour flavours, with fragrant spices and herbs generously used in the broth. The soup is also made with fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed red chili peppers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_yum

With our vegan tom yum soup recipe, we omitted all the animal-derived ingredients. It’s so much better for us, the animals and the planet!

vegan tom yum soup

How to Make Vegan Tom Yum Soup

The first thing you should know is this soup is easy to prepare. Don’t let the exotic-sounding ingredients scare you. Chances are, you’ve seen most of these in your grocery store and didn’t know what they were! You should be able to find these ingredients at most Asian markets, organic produce stores or at many local supermarkets. 

🥕 Not to worry if you can’t locate an ingredient – you can substitute it with something similar, such as:

  • Galangal root – use ginger root
  • Cilantro – use dried coriander
  • Thai Chiles – use Chile de arbol (use less – they’re HOT) or red pepper flakes
  • Kaffir lime leaves – use dried/powdered Kaffir lime leaves

🥕Here are the basic veggies/ingredients we like to use in this soup:

  • Bok choy
  • Carrots
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Onion
  • Lemongrass
  • Limes
  • Onion
  • Tofu

🥕 There are lots of other great veggies/ingredients you can add to this soup! Go for it! Be creative!

  • Baby corn
  • Squash
  • Water chestnuts 
  • Bean sprouts
  • Broccoli florets
  • Snow peas
  • Green beans
  • Rice noodles
  • Steamed rice

For the batch of tom yum soup we made for this post, we didn’t have tomatoes on hand, but we did have some mini squash, so we added those to the soup. They were delicious! Don’t hesitate to add or switch out veggies in your ingredients. You really can’t go wrong.

See our recipe below for all the details!

  • minced red onion and garlic
    Finely dice onion & garlic
  • red onion and garlic in pot
    Sauté onions & garlic
  • vegetable broth and water
    Add broth & water
  • lime zest white vinegar
    Combine lime zest & vinegar
  • lime zest and vinegar added to tom yum broth
    Add to broth
  • lemon grass and red peppers rinsed
    Rinse lemongrass & peppers
  • Cut into strips
  • lemon grass red peppers garlic sliced
    Place with lime leaves/seasonings on cheesecloth
  • bundled sachet for vegan tom yum soup
    Bundle into a sachet with string
  • herb sachet into tom yum broth
    Place sachet in broth
  • baby bok choy
    Rinse bok choy
  • halved baby bok choy
    Cut in half lengthwise
  • carrots
    Peel carrots
  • chopped carrots
    Slice carrots
  • carrots and bok choy in tom yum broth
    Add bok choy & carrots to broth
  • Shimeji mushrooms
    Rinse mushrooms
  • Shemeji mushrooms added to tom yum broth
    Add mushrooms to broth
  • mini squash
    Rinse squash
  • chopped mini squash
    Roughly chop squash
  • veggies in pot
    Add to broth
  • cubed firm tofu
    Drain and cube tofu
  • tofu in pot
    Add to broth
  • removing sachet from pot
    Remove sachet
  • bowl and spoon tom yum soup
    Enjoy!

yum yum tom yum!

bowl of vegan tom yum soup

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out these other favorite vegan soups!

  • Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
  • Tuscan Bean Soup
  • Avocado Cucumber Soup
  • Vegan Rustic Vegetable Soup

very vegan 🌱 very good

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating it using stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the comments below. It helps other readers and allows more people to find it online. I love hearing from you! Let’s keep in touch!

vegan tom yum soup

Best Vegan Tom Yum Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 99kcal
Author: Connie 🥕
Best Vegan Tom Yum Soup 🌱 A bright, beautiful hot & sour Thai soup full of intense flavor. Your taste buds are going to say "yum yum" with this healthy, delish & nutrish soup! Oil-free and gluten-free.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 7 qt or larger soup pot
  • Cutting board
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • kitchen knife
  • Citrus juicer
  • Citrus zester
  • veggie peeler
  • Cutting board
  • A tofu press or two cutting boards and a few heavy cans or books for weights
  • Long spoon
  • Cheese cloth or sachet bag

Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion red or yellow, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic diced
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 6 cups water filtered
  • 3 whole limes juiced
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cuo cilantro fresh, chopped or 1 tsp dried coriander
  • 4-5 stalks lemongrass cut in 3" lengths
  • 10-12 whole Thai chiles sliced and de-seeded
  • 1 piece Galangal root
  • 6 – 8 leaves Kaffir lime or 1 tbsp dried Kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar or brown sugar – optional
  • 1 package tofu extra firm
  • 8 – 12 whole baby bok choy thoroughly rinsed, quartered lengthwise, then cut 1/2
  • 4 – 6 whole carrots peeled & sliced
  • 1 cup mushrooms your choice
  • 2 cups tomatoes fresh, firm tomatoes cubed into 1" – 2" pieces
  • salt or pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place 7 qt. (or larger) soup pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add onions and a small amount of water. Sauté until transparent.
  • Add garlic, stir frequently making sure not to burn.
  • Add vegetable broth and rest of water.
  • Add lime juice and zest. Stir to combine.
  • Add vinegar.
  • Create sachet by placing cilantro, lemongrass, chiles, galangal root (or ginger), Kaffir lime leaves (or powder), in a food-safe sachet bag or, bundle in a piece of cheesecloth tied with string.
  • Place sachet into broth and bring to a boil.

Tom Yum Veggies Tofu

  • Drain tofu and cube into 1" pieces.
  • Thoroughly wash and rinse bok choy. Slice in quarters lengthwise, then cut pieces in half.
  • Wash & peel carrots, cut into bite-size pieces.
  • Thoroughly wash and rinse mushrooms. Small mushrooms can be kept whole, larger mushrooms should be sliced.
  • Cut tomatoes, and other optional veggies into large bite-size pieces.
  • Add all to broth. Lower heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes – 1 hr.
  • Remove sachet with tongs, squeezing out the excess liquid & flavor into the soup. Discard.
  • Add extra agave/sugar or salt and pepper to taste, as desired.
  • Serve soup hot, garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes

🥕 You should be able to find these ingredients at most Asian markets,                              organic produce stores or at many local supermarkets. 
🥕 Some ingredients can be substituted, such as:
  • Galangal root – use ginger root
  • Cilantro – use dried coriander
  • Thai Chiles – use Chile de arbol (use less – they’re HOT) or red pepper flakes
  • Kaffir lime leaves – use dried/powdered Kaffir lime leaves
🥕This soup is quite tart. If you want to sweeten it, adjust the amount of agave or sugar to your liking. 
🥕There are lots of other great veggies/ingredients you can add to this soup!                Go for it! Be creative!
  • Baby corn
  • Water chestnuts 
  • Bean sprouts
  • Broccoli florets
  • Snow peas
  • Green beans
  • Rice noodles
  • Steamed rice

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 471mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 887IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? I love to see your photos!Mention @thecarrotunderground or tag #thecarrotunderground!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating it using stars in the comments below. It helps other readers and allows more people to find it online. I love hearing from you! Let’s keep in touch!

Filed Under: Dinner, Entree, gluten-free, Lunch, Main Dish, Plant Based, Side Dish, Soup, Soups and Stews, Vegan Appetizers and Starters, Vegan Dinner Recipes, Vegan Entrees, Vegan Lunch Recipes, Vegan Main Dishes, Vegan Recipes, Vegan Soups & Stews, WFPB, WFPB oil-free, Whole Food Plant Based Tagged With: best vegan tom yum soup easy vegan tom yum soup, galangal, kaffir lime, plant based, plant based sou, vegan, vegan hot sour soup, vegan plant based thai soup, vegan soup, vegan thai hot sour soup, vegan thai soup, vegan thai sweet sour soup, vegan tom yam soup, vegan tom yum soup, whole food plant based, whole food plant based oil free

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Connie Edwards McGaughy

    January 9, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    5 stars
    If you’re in the mood for a flavorful soup full of bright intense flavor, fresh healthy ingredients and super satisfying – this is your recipe! 🌱

    Reply

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