Keto tom kha soup is a fragrant combination of savory chicken and mushrooms simmered in a coconut infused broth with lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. A splash of fish sauce and Thai chili paste adds a ton of flavor, and the whole recipe takes less than 30 minutes! This is a complete one pot meal and homemade low-carb alternative to eating at a Thai restaurant.
What is Tom Kha Soup?
Tom kha soup is part of Thai cuisine’s tom soup family. In basic terms, it is a creamy Thai coconut soup with chicken or shrimp. In our recipe here, we use chicken which is reflected in the term gai. Tom kha is most similar to tom yum soup but distinguished by adding coconut milk which creates a milky broth.
Is tom kha soup healthy?
As a mix of chicken and mushrooms simmered in bone broth flavored with aromatic ingredients and topped off with spicy Thai chili paste, this is a low-carb meal with fresh ingredients and naturally excludes many common allergens, making it healthy for many different diet types.
Not only is a coconut lemongrass soup recipe low-carb and great on a keto diet, but it’s also a quick 30 minute meal you can make at home with simple grocery staples. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more flavorful, easy one pot soup to make for dinner!
How to Make Tom Kha Soup
I adapted a traditional recipe for modern convenience and keto macros. You can find all ingredients at a local grocery store without needing to drive around town looking for specialty products for your delicious keto tom kha gai soup recipe.
What is in Tom Kha Soup
Lemongrass – Head to the fresh produce aisle at the grocery store for this ingredient and look for a green stalk, likely positioned next to the ginger or near specialty produce. If your shop doesn’t have the fresh item, 2 tsp of lemongrass paste may be substituted instead.
Coconut oil – A complimentary oil for cooking the ingredients before adding the broth.
Ginger and garlic – Fragrant add-ins for Thai food!
Chicken breast – Boneless and skinless chicken breast or with skin on if you like that. Slice it before adding it to the soup.
Mushrooms – Your standard button mushroom, cremini, will work just fine, although straw mushrooms are more traditional in Asian soup.
Chicken broth – Full of flavor and nutrients, chicken broth builds the base of this soup.
Coconut milk – Canned coconut milk is something nice to keep in your pantry for both a keto diet and cooking Thai food. Choose a brand of full-fat coconut milk for best results.
Fish sauce – All major grocery stores stock fish sauce. You can find it in the Asian food aisle or as an employee for help. Small independent Asian grocers are also sure to carry it since it’s a staple ingredient in so many Asian dishes.
Thai chili paste – Wherever you go to buy fish sauce, will also stock Thai chili paste. Substitute with red curry paste or tom yum paste.
Lime juice – One squirt for an exquisite flavor! The juice of approximately one-half lime is all you need.
Cilantro – Mince fresh leaves for garnish
Step-By-Step Directions
Follow these simple directions for keto thai coconut soup, and you can’t go wrong.
Saute until fragrant
Start the keto Thai soup off by preparing the lemongrass. Trim the root tip and peel off the thick fibrous outer layers until you reveal the inner core. Discard the scraps and finely slice the stalk into rings.
Now, turn the stove to medium heat and heat the coconut oil in the bottom of a 2-quart pot. Add the lemongrass, peeled and sliced ginger, and minced garlic. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant.
Simmer
Next, add sliced chicken and mushrooms to the pot. Then, immediately stir in broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and chili paste. Finally, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Now this creamy coconut chicken soup is ready to serve! See how quick that is? Remove the soup from heat. Squeeze the lime juice and stir to combine. Serve warm in bowls with cilantro garnish.
Nutritional Info for Low Carb Tom Kha Soup
There are four total servings of keto thai chicken soup in this recipe.
Each serving contains:
- 27 g protein
- 5 g fat
- 5 g total carbs
- 0.5 g fiber
- 3.5 g net carbs
There are 178 calories in tom kha soup
How many carbs in tom kha soup?
Recipes will vary with ingredients. This low-carb version has only 5 grams total carb, 0.5 g fiber, and 3.5 g net carb per serving.
The nutritional value will change if you substitute ingredients. Use a nutrition app like My Fitness Pal to recalculate and reflect your changes.
More Keto Soup Recipes
- Keto Egg Roll Soup
- Keto Beer Cheese Soup
- Keto Egg Drop Soup
- Spicy Brazilian Shrimp Soup
- Fish Stock Recipe
- Keto Chicken Noodle Soup
- Keto Miso Soup
Keto Tom Kha Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks lemongrass
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 inch ginger peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound chicken breast thinly sliced
- 4 ounces mushrooms stem removed, sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14-oz) can coconut milk
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp thai chili paste
- 1 tsp lime juice about ½ lime squeezed
- 2 tbsp cilantro minced
Instructions
- Prepare the lemongrass by trimming the root tip and peeling off the thick fibrous outer layers until you reveal the inner core. Discard the scraps and finely slice the stalk into rings.2 sticks lemongrass
- Heat the coconut oil in the bottom of a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant.2 tsp coconut oil, 1 inch ginger, 2 cloves garlic
- Add sliced chicken and mushrooms to the pot. Then, immediately stir in broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, and chili paste. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through.1 pound chicken breast, 4 ounces mushrooms, 3 cups chicken broth, 1 (14-oz) can coconut milk, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp thai chili paste
- Remove the soup from heat. Squeeze the lime juice and stir to combine. Serve warm in bowls with cilantro garnish.1 tsp lime juice, 2 tbsp cilantro
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
I made this last night and had 3 helpings. I could not stop eating it. One substitution I made is replacing cilantro with Thai basil. I loved the flavors. Nothing was overpowering and I might even double the lemongrass next time. Thank you for the simple, fast, delicious recipe!
Awesome Michelle! I’m so happy to hear about your success with this keto soup recipe! Way to go! Also, I love the substitution of cilantro for Thai basil – perfect! Thanks for sharing.