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Here it is, my Thai coconut soup recipe! You'll be happy to hear, my pursuit for the perfect low carb, keto friendly tom khagaihas been a complete success. My Facebook friends got a sneak peek of this beauty last week while I was developing the recipe and the positive responses were amazing! With thechilly fall weather and winter just around the corner, it's no wonder people are ready to dive headfirst into this comforting Thai coconut soup!
Don't forget to PIN it for later!
What is tom kha gai?
Tom kha gai is a rich, creamy coconut-based soup that packs a nice sour punch with just the right level of spicy. Prepared with coconut milk, broth, and a mixture of herbs and spices, the base of this recipe is quite low in carbs already.
However, the typical Thai coconut soup served at a restaurant contains added sugar, loads more lime juice, including other additions that might not be the best choice for a ketogenic diet. Not to mention the side of rice that's served alongside it.
Low Carb Thai Coconut Soup Recipe
There were a few changes I made to lower the carb count and eliminate ingredients with added sugar, gluten, or soy. I left out some of the usual add-ins: mushrooms, lemongrass, and of course, sugar. You can certainly enjoy mushrooms and lemongrass on a keto diet, but I always try to keep the ingredients to the bare minimum to capture the essence of a dish.
Not only does a minimalist cooking style make it easier to keep track of carbs, but it also makes the recipes easier to recreate at home. Any more than ten ingredients and my readers balk at the idea of making it.
In place of soy sauce, I used coconut aminos. Coconut aminos look and tastevery similar to soy sauce, but it doesn't contain soy or gluten. Thisreplacement is the perfect option for those of us avoiding soy or gluten, but feel free to sub in regular soy sauce or liquid aminos if that fits in your diet.
I also chose to use Red Boat fish sauce for similar reasons; it's the only gluten-free fish sauce I can find at my grocery store. I'm not sure if there are other gluten-free brands available, but I use Red Boat fish sauce likes it's going out of style, so of course, it's included in the recipe.
There are a variety of Thai garlic chili pastes to choose from, but I've only used the Huy Fong brand. It's the same guys that make Sriracha, but no added sugar; I love it so much I should marry it.
I used a full-fat coconut milk, but if you prefer to reduce calories from fat, there are some really tasty brands of lite coconut milk that would work great in this dish. Tweak it however you need to fit with your macros!
As always, if you know of any other options, please be sure to comment below for the other readers! 🙂
Looking for other keto soup recipes?
Try one of these:
- Low carb pho
- Creamy chicken garlic soup
- Creamy shrimp soup
- Cabbage and beef soup
- Spicy halibut tomato soup
- Keto clam chowder
Thai Coconut Soup Recipe - Tom Kha Gai
📖 Recipe
Thai Coconut Soup Recipe - Tom Kha Gai
This low carb Thaicoconut soup is flavorful and free of sugar!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, One pot meal, Soup
Cuisine: American, Asian, Thai
Special Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo
Servings: 6 servings
Serving Size:
Net Carbs: 3g
Author: Tasha
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts large
- 14 oz coconut milk
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 28 oz water
- ¼ cup red boat fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Thai garlic chili paste
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 sprigs Thai basil fresh
- Cilantro to garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Thinly slice chicken breast into ¼-inch thick strips, then cut once more to make the pieces of chicken bite-sized.
In a large stock pot, combine coconut milk, broth, water, fish sauce, chili sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, ginger, and basil. Bring to a boil overhigh heat.
Stir in chicken pieces, reduce heat to low-medium, and cover pot; simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove basil leaves from the soup and garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Thai Coconut Soup Recipe - Tom Kha Gai
Amount per Serving
Calories
227
% Daily Value*
Fat
16
g
25
%
Sodium
1160
mg
50
%
Potassium
505
mg
14
%
Carbohydrates
3
g
1
%
Protein
18
g
36
%
Net Carbs
3
g
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Megan says I’m sorry if this is a dumb question but is the chicken cooked or raw when you add it to the pot? Thank you!
Reply
Not a dumb question! The chicken is added raw and it will cook in the broth while it simmers. Hope that helps!
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- Joolzy says
Delicious, I didn't have Coconut Aminos so left out but will have to source some it sounds brilliant. I used a tbsp of Laksa paste to get the garlic, chilli, galangal and lemon grass flavour as didn't have everything needed and it worked well, I also used a couple of chicken stock cubes as I didn't have broth. Very easy and yummy, definitely will be a go to as can't stop slurping it.Reply
- Angelina says
Good question because I precooked mine 🤦🏼♀️
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- Heather says
Would this taste okay using a vegetable stock and omitting chicken? While I live a ketogenic lifestyle, I teach cooking classes and some of those people are vegan. Any suggestions for this? I would definitely add in the mushrooms in this case.
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Definitely! I think that would be a really good substitute for a vegetarian option.
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- Liz says
What would be your opinion on days good in the fridge, or freezer?
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- Tracey says
In my opinion it was better the second day!
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- Jamila says
Are the nutritional facts listed above accounting for the entire portion cooked? Or what is the serving size the nutritional facts apply to? 🙂
Reply
The nutritional facts for each recipe on this site are per serving. The nutritional data is totaled, then divided by the number of servings indicated to give a per serving (or per unit, in some cases) nutrition label. For this recipe, the number of servings yielded from the entire recipe is 6, so 1/6th of the recipe is a single serving. Hope that helps!
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- Stacy says
Do we need to add the coconut aminos? Is their a substitute if I don't have that?
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You can use regular soy sauce or liquid aminos. Both are very low carb, even lower than the coconut aminos. I personally avoid gluten and soy, so I have switched over to coconut aminos for all things soy sauce flavored. Just a personal choice. Hope that helps!
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- Camille says
Is the amount of 1/4 cup of fish sauce correct? I've made Tom Kha Gai before but only recall 1-2 T of fish sauce. Thanks!
Reply
It's a recipe I personally developed. I liked the flavor with 1/4 cup, but you could reduce to meet your preference. Hope that helps!
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- Laura Auletta says
I really love this soup recipe!! If you cannot find Thai basil, regular will do fine. This soup is in regular rotation. My husband loved it as well. I'd make this whether I was doing keto or not! Sometimes I add lemongrass, if I have it. Wonderful. So tasty!Reply
- Joolzy says
Delicious, I didn't have Coconut Aminos so left out but will have to source some it sounds brilliant. I used a tbsp of Laksa paste to get the garlic, chilli, galangal and lemon grass flavour as didn't have everything needed and it worked well, I also used a couple of chicken stock cubes as I didn't have broth. Very easy and yummy, definitely will be a go to as can't stop slurping it.
Reply
- Vanessa says
I was going to ask this, but it seems someone already said regular basil is fine. My local store has dried Thai basil, would this work fine?Reply
- Erin says
So easy. So quick. Amazing flavor.Reply
- Whit says
I had a half of a store bought ooked chicken in the house and i always have coconut milk. I happily found your recipe and made this with cooked chicken and a ton of substitutes as i just got home from a two week vacation. Cupboards almost bare. And it was GREAT anyway ! Thank you thank you! Loved it 5 stars!Reply
- Sunny says
If I cant find Thai Basil will regular basil be ok to use?
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- Jacqueline says
Very, very good! However, I cut the fish sauce in half to cut down on the sodium. It was still a bit salty for me. Maybe 1 T next time.
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- Connie M Mabry says
Where would I add in lemongrass and mushrooms...at the beginning or with the chicken....thank you...sounds delicious...love this soup
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- Elly says
What are the net carbs? Is there a fibre count? Thanks
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- MP says
WAY too much fish sauce. It ruined my entire batch of soup. I suggest starting with 1 T and working your way up. It just overpowers all the other flavors.Reply
- Mallory Dittmer says
This. Is. Phenomenal. I made it exactly like the recipe called for except I added 5 chicken breasts because they were small. I will be making this weekly!Reply
You can't go wrong with more chicken! Thank you for the glowing feedback on the recipe, so happy you enjoyed it.
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- Gretchen M says
Do you think you could add zoodles or some other veggie to this soup? (I saw a similar soup that used green curry and zoodles. I like the flavors in this one better but want to incorporate more veggies into everything.)
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Absolutely! That sounds delicious, spiralized or chopped vegetables would be perfect. Zucchini noodles or even chayote would work really well with these flavors.
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- Jennifer says
Wow, this recipe is delicious - flavors are perfect! Will definitely make again.Reply
- Lori Cook says
how would I reduce the sodium from the 1160mg per serving? Can't wait to try it 🙂
Reply
The fish sauce and coconut aminos are the source of the high sodium content. Using less of either would reduce the amount of sodium per serving.
Hope this helps!
Reply
- Jill says
Wondering what I could use instead of fish sauce? Or can I omit it completely?
Reply
You can definitely omit the fish sauce! I can't think of a direct replacement for fish sauce, but the soup will still be tasty without it.
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- Aimes says
Amazing!! I can't believe how easy this soup is to make to come out as delicious as it does. I cut the fish sauce to 1/8 of a cup due to the insanely high sodium content and added one kaffir lime leaf. I didn't add the kaffir lime leaf last time but it took the soup to another level. Love this soup!!
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- Tammy says
Loved this recipe. Tasted just like the Coconut Soup that we love from our favorite Thai restaurant. I followed your recipe exactly as written and it was perfect except that used canned chicken breast for the meat. Love the heat! Now we can have this soup and not have to go out to eat to get it. Thanks!
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Awesome! I'm so glad you loved the recipe, thank you for the wonderful feedback. 😍
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- Linda Armour says
I will be making this for sure. We have a new Thai restaurant nearby and I ate in the first time, but have been calling in to-go orders for the soup since. I buy 3 quarts at a time and try to make a quart stretch to 2 meals, but it's really hard to do. I'm afraid I'm totally addicted to it now. It is, hands down, the most delicious soup I've EVER had in my life. I just close my eyes and drink it in. It transports me to another place. That's sad isn't it? I'm going to add a side of steamed broccoli or cauliflower, a piece of meat and/or a big salad. I know I need to have more than just soup all day, because I fast, (other than fat coffee for breakfast), and eat one meal at night. I know that this is TMI!
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- Katie says
Just made this for dinner tonight. It was stupid how easy it was to literally throw together, hardest part was probably slicing the chicken. Which I definitely recommend using thighs instead of breasts to add more fat and flavor. I also added a lemongrass stalk that I smashed and just let steep in the soup because I just really like lemongrass. Definitely going to make it again!Reply
Yes! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. The lemongrass addition is genius, thanks for sharing the suggestion!
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- Sarah Sherratt says
I made this and started by cutting up a whole chicken and then boiling down the frame to get the stock( bone broth) then following your recipe.. Worked a treat
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- Angelina says
How much is a serving?
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- Angelina says
Never mind. I just saw 1/6 of the batch.
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- LATASHA says
I love Thai food and wanted a keto version of anything Thai! This was soo yummy! I was careful with the fish sauce from some reviewers so I started with a tbsp but as I continued to taste test it I ended up adding your original amount lol! The cilantro sprinkle at the end was everything great recipe!Reply
- Sara says
How much by weight is "4 chicken breasts"? At one store they're 6-8 oz each, and at the next they're over a pound each.
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