Thai Coconut Curry Corn Soup
Spicy Thai Curry Corn Soup with coconut milk, fresh corn, shiitakes, and red bell pepper are simmered together in a golden broth for a crave-worthy vegan meal ready in 30 minutes!
With corn in season, this Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Corn Soup recipe is a perfect place to feature it!
The sweet corn pairs well with the spice from the red pepper flakes and curry, while the coconut wraps it all up making this a flavorful dish to come back to again and again.
Why We Love This Recipe!
- It’s healthy and nutritious. Full of whole food plant based ingredients, this recipe is 100% vegan and gluten-free, and loaded with protein, fiber, and vitamins! See the nutritional label below.
- Easily customized. This can easily be customized with different ingredients and is able to suit those with certain dietary restrictions as noted below.
- It’s made in one pot. All in one pot recipes make for easy cooking and clean-up!
Five ❤️ for this soup!
Ingredient Notes
There are just a handful of ingredients for this coconut curry corn soup. I’ve gathered all the substitution ideas and have them listed here reference.
- Corn – When in season, fresh corn is a favorite. If needed, you can use 2 cans (14oz), drained, or 3 cups frozen.
- Mushrooms – I used shiitake mushrooms here. They go beautifully with this soup. But just about any mushroom will do – cremini, wild, or white.
- Red bell pepper – Adds a pop of color and mild sweetness. You can sub with orange bell pepper.
- Celery – Adds a bit of crunch and coolness. If you’re not a fan of celery, by all means, omit it.
- Onion – Yellow or white onion will work well.
- Garlic – I love using fresh garlic in this recipe, but 1 – 2 teaspoons of garlic powder will do when you’re in a pinch.
- Ginger – Use fresh, or for convenience I’ve been loving this ginger paste that I pick up at Target (it can also be found in your local grocery store).
- Curry – I used a yellow curry powder. If you don’t have any on hand, try using 2 teaspoons of turmeric and 1 teaspoon cumin.
- Coconut milk – Use full-fat or light coconut milk. For extra creaminess, coconut cream will do wonders for this soup!
- Leafy greens – The recipe calls for spinach, but you can sub with baby kale or even baby chard would be great.
How To Make Thai Coconut Corn Curry Soup
Here is a quick overview of the process with photos for reference. You can find the full printable recipe card below.
- If using corn off the cob, lay the corn on its side and slice downward, turn and repeat until all the corn is sliced off. See upper left photo.
- In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Next, add in the corn, celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms, curry powder, coconut milk and remaining liquids, give a good stir.
- Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Add the lime juice and spinach, letting the spinach soften and wilt.
Now, you are ready to serve.
I love to add a squeeze of lime and cilantro with my individual serving, adding extra brightness and herbaceousness.
Top Tips
- Add protien. Round this meal out with some cubed tofu thrown in.
- The vegetables are meant to be somewhat al dente but feel free to cook your soup a little longer over low heat if you prefer them on the softer side.
- Storing. Leftover soup can be kept for up to 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator and reheated on the stovetop or microwave when ready to eat. Its also freezer-friendly!
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Nightshade free: Omit the bell pepper and red pepper flakes. In place of curry powder, use 2 teaspoons turmeric and 1 teaspoon cumin.
- Low fat: Use low-fat canned coconut milk along with water or vegetable broth for the remaining liquids. When sauteing, use water in place of oil.
- Fat-free: You can make this recipe virtually fat-free by using water saute and skipping the coconut milk, using vegetable broth in its place.
- Nut-free: Use vegetable broth in place of non-dairy milk. If using non-dairy milk, try oat, soy, or rice milk.
More Easy Soup Recipes!
- Lemon Rosemary White Bean Soup
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup
- Creamy Celery Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Soup
If you try this easy corn soup recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintSPICY THAI CURRY CORN SOUP
Spicy Thai Curry Corn Soup with coconut milk is a combination of simple, delicious flavors that come together for a delicious vegan meal ready in about 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: saute, simmer
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame or coconut oil (or 1/4 cup water for water saute)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated or minced
- 4 ears of corn, cut off the cob
- 3 celery stalks (leaves ok too), diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 5 – 8 oz. mushrooms (shiitakes or cremeni), sliced
- 3 – 4 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 can (15 oz) coconut milk, full or low fat
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or plant milk of choice)
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- juice of 1 lime
- large handful spinach, chopped if needed
- salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prep: Have all the veggies chopped, diced, and ready to go.
Saute: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and saute onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, saute 1 minute more. Add the corn, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms, cook 3 – 4 minutes.
Simmer: Pour in the coconut milk, unsweetened non-dairy milk, water, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste, and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Add spinach + lime: Add lime juice and spinach, and cook until wilted to your liking. Test for flavors adding more spices if desired.
Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if you like.
Serves 4 – 6
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 – 3 months. Let thaw before reheating.
Notes
Corn: If not using fresh corn, add 2 cans of corn (drained) or 3 cups of frozen corn.
Add protein: Looking to add protein, throw in some cubed tofu when you add the liquids.
Adjust spiciness: 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes this pretty spicy. Use less if you’re not a fan of heat.
If you don’t have plant milk on hand, use 3 cups water, or for full flavor, vegetable broth is best.
Cooking variation: In the recipe post, I sauteed the onion, garlic, and ginger, then added the remaining ingredients, except for the spinach and lime, and simmered for 15 – 20 minutes. Continue as directed with spinach and lime. Both ways work well.
Dietary Adjustments
- Nightshade free: Omit the bell pepper and red pepper flakes. In place of curry powder, use 2 teaspoons turmeric and 1 teaspoon cumin.
- Low fat: Use low-fat canned coconut milk along with water or vegetable broth for the remaining liquids. When sauteing, use water in place of oil.
- Fat-free: You can make this recipe virtually fat-free by using water saute and skipping the coconut milk, using vegetable broth in its place.
- Nut-free: Use vegetable broth in place of non-dairy milk. If using non-dairy milk, try oat, soy, or rice milk.
Updated: This recipe was originally published in September 2012. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in July 2021. The only changes made were adding ginger for another layer of flavor.
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My family and I really enjoyed the flavors in this dish. It’s going into our rotation!
★★★★★
Made tonite for dinner and definitely the prep ahead on the veges helps. Could try some tweaks and HWP ere is what I’d do.
To amp up corn flavor, I would one cup of raw corn and blend with the can of coconut milk or use coconut cream. I would help the texture and flavor. I used Calabrian chili peppers in the jar since my red pepper flakes looked flat. Ine teaspoon of that was perfect for the heat. Finally, it definitely needs salt. I wonder is salting during the vege cooking would help versus adding the salt at the end. Now that I think about it, I’d do something to improve the texture of the Mushrooms….they were kinda chewy. Otherwise, it’s definitely a keeper recipe and I’ll try it again with my tweak ideas.
★★★★
This is delicious. It was so satisfying. I have a spicy yellow curry seasoning that is infused with peppers and it worked perfectly for this. The flavors were amazing. Will make again. Thank you!!
★★★★★
I’m new to nightshade free diet – curry is listed as a don’t do it at the top of your website, is this recipe nightshade free?
Great question, Andy! To make this recipe nightshade-free you will want to replace the curry powder with 2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp cumin. There’s a note in the recipe card for making the proper adjustments. I hope that helps, enjoy!
I just made this recipe for lunch, and it was absolutely amazing, and easy to make! thank you 🙏❤️
★★★★★
Can I replace the mushrooms with potatoes? Suggestions on quantity and direction?
Yes, you can use sub the mushrooms with potatoes. Add them when the mushrooms are called for, and cook as directed adding another 5 – 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. I would use about 1 – 3 potatoes (anywhere from 8 – 12 oz.), cubed, with or without the skin. Sounds delish, enjoy!
Amazing! I was not sure I was going to enjoy this recipe since I’ve tried similar soups at restaurants and supermarkets but didn’t care for them. But since I had all the ingredients required including a can of coconut cream that needed to be used due to the expiration date, I gave this a try. So I made this soup according to the recipe using water instead of broth and coconut cream instead of coconut milk. It turned out amazing! It is now in my top three plant based recipes ever!
★★★★★
Loved this, super easy. I used 2 cans of coconut milk as I didn’t have plant milk on hand, which made it super creamy and delicious. Very satiating, nutrient filled and easy.
★★★★★
Coconut milk sounds amazing! I may try it as written first, but I love coconut milk, so I’ll probably try that too, thanks for the suggestion!
Fabulous and very easy. My husband and I are just starting on our vegan adventure at 60 years old, so finding recipes that have plenty of flavor and substance are especially important for us. (We’ve been skeptics.) This recipe is why we hang in there! Followed the recipe exactly, then tasted and added a little more curry. We added the cilantro. I also added kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. I added a can of cannelloni beans to the leftovers for tomorrow. Might even throw a little filé gumbo in there for fun.
★★★★★