Soups are such an easy comfort food without dairy. They’re warm, nourishing, and can be made creamy with a myriad of natural ingredients. This dairy-free rich and creamy Thai tomato soup, for example, uses tomato sauce, lite coconut milk, and comforting Thai-inspired flavors.
Creamy Dairy-Free Thai Tomato Soup that’s Simply Delicious
This creamy Thai tomato soup was a very happy accident. I was in pursuit of the perfect Thai lettuce wraps. It was my fifth round of attempts. All prior recipes were okay, but not quite there, so I decided to go with a different inspiration, one with a tomato-y base. I used a recipe as my general guide, and all seemed to be going well, until I added the coconut milk. Way, way too much. The seasonings were so diluted in the sauce that I knew the remaining chunks of veggies and meat wouldn’t be flavorful enough on their own.
I was about to give in, serve them in the lettuce wraps, and chalk it up as another mediocre attempt when something compelled me to just give the sauce a little taste to see if it was worth salvaging in some other way. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I seriously impressed myself. Not wanting to waste a drop, I added more light coconut milk and served it up as a chunky soup / stew. We licked our bowls clean within mere minutes. Needless to say, I have already made this Creamy Thai Tomato Soup again, and again.
Special Diet Notes: Creamy Thai Tomato Soup
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and gluten-free. Just be sure to choose the fish sauce that suits your dietary needs.
For vegan Thai tomato soup, substitute diced extra-firm tofu for the meat and use a vegan fish sauce. In a pinch, substitute soy sauce and optionally add some nori flakes for that fishy taste.
- 1 tablespoon coconut, peanut, or olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 medium – whites and lower green, tough leaves removed) or thinly sliced yellow onion (about ½ medium)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 8 ounces lean or extra-lean ground turkey (can substitute chicken or tofu)
- 1 8-ounce can plain tomato sauce (like Hunt’s or generic)
- ½ tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 cup light coconut milk or unsweetened coconut milk beverage
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the leek or onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Turn the heat up to medium, and add the turkey. Cook, breaking it up as you stir, until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce and curry paste, and allow the flavors to meld for about 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and zest and stir to combine. Let the soup simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken a bit.
Cabbage Option: Add 1½ cups thinly sliced cabbage with the onions.
Leftover Chicken Option: To shorten the cook time and use up leftovers, substitute 2 cups leftover cooked chopped chicken for the turkey.
More Comforting Dairy-Free Soup Recipes
Dairy-Free Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
Roasted Carrot Bisque with Four Variations
Creamy Vegan Miso Ramen
