This Vegan Tom Yum soup is spicy, tangy, and loaded with Vitamin C. It is a Thai broth-based soup that can be customized to your taste and comes together in just 10 minutes of your prep time. A low carb, low-calorie soothing soup for cold & flu season.
2tablespoonred curry pastehomemade or store-bought, see notes
1tablespoonlemon zest
Handful cilantrochopped
Handful basilroughly torn
A couple of twists of pepper
Salt to taste
To add after cooking - 2nd part
1small cucumber sliced
1Roma tomato roughly chopped
1cupfirm tofucut into cubes
Fresh lemon juice1-2 lemons
1-2teaspoonsambal olekred chili sauce if you like it spicy
Instructions
I have used 6 Qt Instant Pot.
Put everything called for under the title “To cook in the Instant Pot - 1st part ” in the pot.
Give it a stir.
Switch on the Instant Pot. Press Manual LOW pressure.
Adjust the time to 5 minutes. Turn the black knob on the top to the SEALING position.
Once the pot beeps let it rest for 2 minutes then perform QUICK RELEASE.
Always loosely cover the black knob with a dishcloth before turning it to a VENTING position.
Carefully open the pot and add in cucumber, tomatoes, and tofu.
Press saute mode and let the soup simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Switch off the Instant Pot and squeeze in a generous amount of lemon juice.
Add more juice or red chili sauce if needed.
Notes
The Spice level of this soup is 4 on 5, 5 being very hot. Use 1 tablespoon curry paste if you prefer it less spicy.Homemade Vegan Thai Red Curry Paste recipe here.
Making soup without an Instant Pot
Follow the same steps for stovetop cooking.
Simmer everything partially covered with a lid.
Once it comes to a simmer, cook the broth for 6-8 minutes on medium-low heat.
Then add tomatoes, cucumber, and simmer for additional 4 minutes.
Taste it and add lemon juice accordingly.
Possible substitutes
Tofu is optional. It just adds protein to the soup.
Mostly Tom yum soup is made with mushrooms or mushroom broth, but if you don’t like it leave it out.
This is a very broth-like soup. But you can increase or decrease the number of veggies to your preference.
Swap Thai curry paste with a store-bought vegan and gluten-free Thai soup base. Make sure it is without fish or oyster sauce.
Swap lemongrass stick with 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste or with an extra 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
If the soup base or curry paste is unavailable then at least add a splash of sambal olek or any red chili sauce, couple twists of black pepper, extra lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic.
Smart tips to make the best vegan tom yum soup at home
Always keep in mind that this soup is spicy and tangy. Adjust the spice level to your taste.
Don't bite into the lemongrass. Take it out before serving.
Taste the soup several times and adjust the lemon or spicy sauce accordingly.
Vegetable broth and tomatoes add a lot of taste to this soup in a short span of time, so please use it.
Adding lemongrass, basil and cilantro will make the soup taste exactly like the restaurant one.