Tom yum soup with Noodles is one of my favorite things to order at Thai restaurants. It is sour, spicy, creamy, and packed with shrimp and vegetables. This recipe has coconut milk and a spicy lemongrass broth that in my opinion is one of the best soups ever.
There is no better starter or appetizer when going out to eat Thai food or even when you get an order to-go. When I make it at home, I like to sometimes add more to it to make it a complete meal on its own. This is why I started adding rice noodles to homemade Tom Yum soup. It is a filling warm bowl of comfort food with Asian flavors that is simply fantastic.
Thai Tom Yum soup is a seafood coconut milk soup that has hot and sour flavors. That authentic Thai soup broth combines that spicy hot, sour, and salty flavor that is so addicting. Tom Yum soup is also a healthy, low-calorie, gluten-free recipe. Serve it with Asian Peanut Coleslaw for a soup & salad duo that is fresh & packed with flavor.
Ingredients for Tom Yum Soup with Noodles
Tom Yum soup is a seafood soup in a rich flavorful broth with many aromatics and coconut milk. To start this recipe you will need shrimp. I recommend medium shrimp for this soup recipe. Make sure they are peeled, deveined, and with the tail-off. You can you raw or precooked shrimp, both are included in the instructions below for homemade Tom Yum soup. You can also use a seafood mix of prawns, squid, scallops, and fish. You can add chicken too along with the shrimp for a Tom Yum Gai soup recipe.
The vegetables in this recipe include shiitake mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
For this recipe, you also need a hearty broth of chicken bouillon or better-than-bouillon, fresh lemongrass, fresh lemon juice, fish sauce, and Thai red chili garlic sauce. You also need some rice ramen or noodles plus a can of coconut milk for this Tom Yum recipe. To finish it off, fresh cilantro is wonderful to top the soup.
How to Make Homemade Tom Yum Noodle Soup
In this recipe, the chicken broth is flavored with salty fish sauce, citrusy lemongrass, sour fresh lime juice, spicy red chile garlic, and creamy coconut milk for a punch of flavor that gets every taste bud perfectly.
Begin the Tom Yum soup broth by adding the water and Better-than-Bouillon to a large stockpot. Mix and bring to a boil. While that is coming to a boil slice the lemongrass into medium-thick slices.
Once it is at a boil, turn to medium-high heat and add the sliced lemongrass and red chile-garlic sauce. Stir to combine and let it heat up and flavor the broth.
Next, slice the mushrooms into ¼" thick slices. If you have large mushrooms, dice them further. You want them to be in bite-sized pieces for the soup. For the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half or quarters. This depends on the size of the cherry tomatoes, again you want them to be bite-sized.
Keep the soup on medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Just before the soup with the mushrooms and tomatoes is done cooking for a total of 15 minutes, start making the noodles. Cook per the package instructions. Mine cooked for 3 minutes in boiling water, then I drained and rinsed it slightly.
These are quick-cooking and sticky noodles compared to regular wheat pasta that you may be used to. For help on the best way to boil rice noodles check out HOW TO COOK RICE NOODLES SO THEY DONT STICK TOGETHER.
Now add the raw or precooked shrimp to the soup. If you are using raw shrimp, cook them in the soup over medium heat for 5 minutes. They will plump up and turn pink when they are ready. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, warm for just 2-3 minutes. Once the shrimp is ready, turn the heat down to low to keep it warm while serving.
Adding Noodles to Thai Soup
There are two ways you can enjoy ramen or rice noodles in this Tom Yum soup recipe. You can either add the noodles into the soup pot, stir, and then serve a bowl of the soup with noodles to everyone. Add the noodles immediately to the soup once they are done cooking and stir to combine. Serve immediately by ladling the tom yum soup with noodles into soup bowls and top with fresh cilantro.
If not everyone wants noodles which may be the case if you want a low-carb, keto, or grain-free version, you can ladle the noodles separately. I recommend adding rice noodles to each soup bowl and then ladling the hot soup over them.
Variations & Substitutions
Here are some alternate ingredients & variations that work well with this recipe. Try a few & come up with additional ways to enjoy this Thai-inspired soup recipe.
- Rice Noodles - use ramen or udon noodles
- Mushrooms - instead of shiitake, use white or brown button mushrooms
- Shrimp - use a seafood combination including scallops, mussels, or cod or use precooked diced chicken instead if you have a seafood allergy
If you do not want rice noodles in your soup you can add other ingredients to make it more filling or hearty while keeping it grain-free. I like to add bok choy to Tom Yum soup for a crisp and crunchy texture that is fresh and healthy. Or try these variations too.
- Extra Spicy - add double the amount of Thai chili garlic sauce.
- Vegetarian/Vegan - use vegetable bouillon & replace the shrimp with tofu while omitting the fish sauce or use soy sauce instead.
To serve, enjoy it with many tasty toppings. Ladle the soup into soup bowls and top with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, additional hot sauce, or a splash more of fish sauce. A great meal on its own or enjoy with crispy air-fried potstickers or as a starter along with my Thai Curry Chicken Meatballs.
Storing & Reheating Tom Yum Soup
Since Tom Yum soup is dairy-free it makes a great soup to make in bulk to store in the refrigerator or freezer. I recommend not adding the noodles until you are ready to eat the soup as they can get soggy and fall apart in the soup.
You can store leftover Tom Yum soup in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, rewarm thawed Tom Yum soup over low heat on the stove for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
Tom Yum Soup with Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 Teaspoons Better than Bouillon plus 4 cups water or 4 bouillon cubes or 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 stalk lemongrass about 3-4" long sliced into large rings as shown above
- 2 Tablespoons Thai red garlic chile paste
- 1.5 Cups shiitake mushrooms washed and sliced
- 2 Cups Medium-sized Shrimp (about 30 total) peeled shrimp, deveined and tail-off (can be precooked or raw)
- ¾ Cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ⅓ cup cilantro leaves
- 4 ounces rice noodles or ramen, uncooked
Instructions
- In a medium-large pot, add the bouillon and water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and stir to dissolve.
- Once the broth is boiling, add the sliced lemongrass and Thai red garlic chili paste, stir.
- Slice the mushrooms and quarter the cherry tomatoes. Be sure they are in bite-sized pieces.
- Keep the soup on medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Just before the soup with the mushrooms and tomatoes is done cooking for a total of 15 minutes, start making the noodles. Cook per the package instructions, drain, and then rinse. Set aside.
- Now add the raw or precooked shrimp to the soup. If you are using raw shrimp, cook them in the soup over medium heat for 5 minutes. They will plump up and turn pink when they are ready. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, warm for just 2-3 minutes. Once the shrimp is ready, turn the heat down to low to keep it warm while serving.
- If everyone wants noodles, add them to the soup pot now and stir to combine. If only a few people want noodles, add them to individual soup bowls and then ladle the soup on top.
- Top with cilantro. Add additional lime juice, fish sauce, or hot sauce to your liking.
- You can store leftover Tom Yum soup in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. I recommend storing it with the noodles separately.
Nutrition
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Brenda says
I cannot stop sipping the broth on this. The whole soup is fabulous but the broth is for sure my favorite part. We do not have a nearby Thai restaurant so I make a lot of it at home and this soup hits to spot.
Thuy says
This was easy to follow and my first time making it. I like things spicy so I added twice the red chili paste and it was wonderful. I will make this again many times.
Angela says
I am glad you enjoyed it and turned up the heat level to your liking. My husband likes it spicy too and stirs some in when he serves his bowl.
RJ says
This is my favorite soup to order from the Thai place next to my work. When they closed in the pandemic I had to learn to make it myself. I keep forgetting to write a review but I have probably made this 10 times in the last year and it is so good.
Angela says
It is so good and I am glad you agree!