Inexpensive recipes doesn’t have to mean tasteless and boring, and this soup proves that theory! This quick and easy Thai Coconut Soup is packed with bold flavor, comes together in no time, and is perfect for any budget. With a few simple, and relatively inexpensive ingredients that I already had on hand, I could take plain ol’ ramen and turn it into something amazing. Creamy coconut milk, zesty lime, and a touch of heat from jalapeño and ginger make every bite fresh and bright. Tender noodles and shredded chicken turn it into a hearty, one-pot meal that feels both light and satisfying. It’s the perfect way to bring big, vibrant flavor to your table with minimal effort.
Ingredients Needed
- Basic Ingredients – I purposely kept this really simple and omitted a long list of ethnic ingredients often called for in similar recipes. You can certainly add other things like garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, curry paste, chili paste, more veggies, etc. But the whole point of this recipe is to be quick, easy, and affordable! I’ll promise you’ll be impressed at what so few ingredients can do, this soup is really good.
- Ramen – Any brand of quick cook ramen noodles will do. You will be using the noodles only and discarding the seasoning packet, so avoid noodles in a cup where they are already coated in seasoning or have added freeze dried veggies.
- Mushrooms – optional. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms but they match the flavor profile really well here. So if you love them and want to add them, go for it!
- Jalapeno – The jalapeno doesn’t add any heat, just flavor- this isn’t a spicy soup at all.
- Ginger – I usually have fresh ginger in my freezer. Dried ginger would also work.
- Coconut Milk – Regular or light coconut milk works great, and remember you can buy coconut based non-dairy milk in cartons by the dairy milk as well, and it’s much cheaper per ounce there than it is for a can. At my store it was .05 cents per ounce, which would make the equivalent can about .67 cents. Generally a can of coconut milk $2- $3 a can so the carton is a great deal comparatively. The cartons are lower in calories and fat and have a consistency similar to the light coconut milk (which is thinner than full fat coconut milk). For some recipes I prefer real, canned coconut milk, but for this soup, either will work just fine.
How to Make Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup
- Start with minced jalapeño and ginger. You could certainly add minced garlic in here too.
- Give it a quick sauté to soften the texture and mellow the flavors and then add in some chicken broth.
- Add in some coconut milk, which will give the soup a creamy texture and a subtle sweetness.
- Once that mixture comes to a simmer, add in the ramen noodles. Don’t add in the seasoning packet that comes in the ramen- you can ditch that. I always break mine up because I think it’s easier to eat when the noodles aren’t 27 feet long.
- Just cook it for as long as it takes your noodles to cook, which is only about 3-5 minutes. If you like mushrooms, you can add some in now and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Then add in a little diced chicken. I used leftover rotisserie chicken, which makes it even quicker and easier.
- Since the chicken is already cooked, it just needs to heat through, so just let it cook for a minute to do that and then remove the pan from heat. Finish it off with a big squeeze of fresh lime juice and some chopped cilantro.
- Garnish it with more cilantro, a sprinkle of green onions and a lime wedge. Creamy, flavorful, and delicious. The best part is that it can be on the table in less than 20 minutes and it clocks in at a dollar or two per serving. Not too shabby!
Storage & Other Tips
- Cooking Tip: add the noodles and cooked chicken at the very end and don’t let the noodles sit in the broth; they only need a few minutes to heat through. Overcooking the noodles will lead to a very soggy texture.
- Storing: Ramen noodles absorb liquid fast, so it’s best to keep them separate from the broth if you plan on storing leftovers. Store leftover broth and noodles in separate containers for 3 – 4 days.
- Freezing: I personally haven’t tried this, but I’d imagine the noodles might become mushy when reheated. If you’re making this and anticipating freezing some, I’d leave out the noodles and add fresh when ready to serve.
- Reheating: reheat it gently on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally. The broth might thicken up a bit, just add a splash of chicken broth or coconut milk to get that creamy consistency back. Add fresh noodles as well!
- Garnishes: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and green onions bright bright flavor and fresh contrast to the creamy coconut broth.
- Serving Suggestions: This soup makes a great meal on it’s own, but here are some things you could pair it with:
- Leave out the chicken and serve as a side to these Orange Thai Beef Skewers or Tandoori Chicken
- Alongside Asian Cabbage Salad or Asian Wonton Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Ramen noodles soak up moisture very quickly, so they are best added right before you plan to eat this soup. You could make the broth ahead of quick weekday meal, then add fresh noodles, protein, and toppings just before serving for the best texture. You could also make the soup as is if you don’t mind your noodles getting a bit mushy upon reheating.
Ramen noodles soak up liquid extremely fast, so if you keep them in the fridge together in the same container, they will turn to mush and soak up a lot of the broth! If you know you’re making this and storing some to enjoy later in the week, I’d recommend cooking the noodles separately, then adding in only what you’ll want to eat right away into your individual bowl. Then, store them in separate containers in the fridge.
Yes you can! Fresh adds a great flavor, but dried or paste forms of these ingredients work well. The jalapeño is mostly for flavor, not heat, so adjust as needed.
Not a problem! You can thin it out when reheating by adding a splash of broth or coconut milk to restore the creamy smooth consistency.
I have not personally made this soup vegan or gluten free, but it would be fairly simple to adapt to those needs. Ramen noodles themselves are vegan, so veggie broth instead of chicken broth and firm tofu instead of chicken would probably work really well. Thai rice noodles would probably be a great replacement for traditional ramen noodles.
Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon jalapeno pepper minced
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger, fresh, minced or 1 ½ teaspoons ground dry ginger
- 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk or light coconut milk about 1 ¾ cups
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 packages ramen noodles discard seasoning packet
- ¾ cup mushrooms, sliced optional
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice fresh
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1 cup chicken, cooked diced or shredded
- toppings: additional chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat medium sized pot to medium-high heat on stove top. Add olive oil, jalapeno, and ginger (if using fresh). Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until jalapeno and ginger are softened and fragrant. If using ground ginger, add now and stir.
- Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and salt and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add noodles (note: you will discard seasoning packet that comes with noodles.)
- Add mushrooms, if desired. Simmer 3-5 minutes, until noodles are softened. If using mushrooms, add them in the final 2-3 minutes of cooking the noodles.
- Add chicken and simmer for about 30 seconds to heat through. Remove pot from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with additional chopped cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Note: This type of noodle absorbs liquid exceptionally fast, so you should serve the soup immediately. If you know you need to keep the soup warm for a while before serving, wait to add the noodles until a few minutes before you’re ready to serve.
Questions & Reviews
I made this tonight for dinner. My whole family LOVED it including all 4 of my kids! That never happens! Thank you Sara.
Agreed! I just made it tonight and loved it!
I am not a huge fan of top ramen.. but I had to run out to get all the ingredients for this! It was wonderful! Is there something you can use in place of the ramen? Maybe I just won’t use the full amount of noodles next time? I haven’t made one of your recipes that I didn’t love! keep em comin!!
Yes, you can definitely use any other Asian noodle- like Udon.
I make this recipe with rice noodles (the kind you soak in hot water for ten minutes) and I turned out amazing!
Thanks for the delicious recipe. I made it for dinner tonight. Even the four year old tried it out. Word of caution, because apparently I’m an idiot…wash your hands thoroughly before touching your lips…or face…or nose…or both eyes.
Burning will occur.
as an amendment…that should be to wash your hands after handling the jalapeno pepper.
I would add just wear gloves when handling the pepper. I’d always heard of the oils burning, and I washed my hands a couple times after I touched them. But I still got some in my eye, and WOW does it burn!! lol I washed my hands like a bajillion more times last night and I still have a little burning on one finger where I must have a cut I can’t see and got the oil in it.
Ha, yes! I should have linked our little tutorial on working with jalapenos!
hahaha! I did that once too! Both my eyes were burning so badly! I was screaming so loud my husband thought I had stabbed my eye with a knife!
I love top ramen and i would love to try it a new way so it isnt the same all the time
I didn’t know coconut milk came in cartons!! I love the stuff but hate paying for it. I’ll have to look for it next time I go to the store. This recipe looks delicious… I think this is going on our menu this week!
Hey Sara,
This looks amazing! My husband and I still dream about the soup like this at Mai Tai, and we have been hoping to find a recipe like it. I am curious if the Jalapeno is just used for an added layer of flavor or if it makes it hot and spicy. I don’t like a lot of spice but I am afraid if I omit the pepper it will throw something out of balance in the recipe..??
Nope, it honestly doesn’t add any spice, at all- just flavor!
I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and made it for lunch today. It was really yummy! Especially for something fast and cheap. The lime and cilantro really make it taste fresh. It was all such a yummy flavor combination. It is on my to make again list. Thank you. I have a question, about what percent of your recipes in your book are on this site and how many are only in the cookbook?
There’s about 150 recipes in our book and probably 40-ish are exclusive to the book, and the rest can be found here on site.
Hi i make it all the time but this is so much easier. If you ever go in to fast food they have a veg dish with crab and shrimp in a sweet,clear sauce. I would love to know how to make it, I have tryed but i do better with a recipe. We grow cilantro and it is really easy even in the house near a window. I am in calif so i grow it outside. thank you so much i appricate all the time you put in to this for all of us.
Thank you SO much for this recipe. My 20 week pregnant self saw it and had to have it tonight. I only made half a batch – big mistake! I’m making more tomorrow with the leftover ingredients! It’s perfect.
Sara, I was in your class Saturday and it was really great. I have the Best Bites Cookbook and my family has loved everything we’ve made from it. Thanks so much to you gals for putting it together and for your awesome site. My son is a ramen fanatic and was quite intrigued when I came home and told him how good this soup was. It’s on the menu this week!