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Thai Tom Kha Gai (Paleo, Keto)

Thai Tom Kha Gai is a coconut milk soup with mushrooms, chicken, ginger and lemongrass. This quick and easy recipe makes a satisfying, clean and delicious meal.

This post is sponsored by Truvia® Natural Sweetener.

Tom Kha Gai is a traditional Thai soup made with coconut milk, galangal, mushrooms, chicken, lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves. It’s creamy, tangy, and has a slight kick to it for a belly-warming cozy soup that covers all the flavor bases.

Thai food is my ultimate comfort food, and making it at home is one of my most coveted rituals.

I love the way my home smells while I’m cooking, and enjoy the combination of creamy, tangy, sweet flavors. I also love making Thai for friends and family, as it’s always an impressive crowd-pleaser!

Depending on where you live, it can be challenging to find galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass.

In order to make this yummy soup accessible to all, I use ingredients anyone can find at any grocery store. The flavor isn’t a perfect replica of the Tom Kha you’ll find at an authentic Thai restaurant, but it comes close.

In this sense, this is not an authentic recipe for Tom Kha Gai, as it replaces galangal with ginger and kaffir lime leaves with lime juice and lime zest.

Traditionally, Tom Kha Gai includes cane sugar to give it a little sweetness, offsetting the heat and sour flavors. This soy-free, refined sugar-free approach to Tom Kha Gai makes for a tasty rendition.

I use Truvia Natural Sweetener instead of cane sugar to keep the sweet but sugar-free. Truvia is a zero-calorie sweetener naturally sweetened from stevia leaf extract, which makes this soup keto-friendly. For those who are celebrating everyday wellness in the New Year, this is a great recipe to keep your palate pleased and to kick off your self-care routine.

Let’s hop to it!

How to Make Tom Kha Gai:

Heat the avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue sautéing another 3 minutes, until mushrooms begin to sweat.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover the pot, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until the soup is very aromatic and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve soup in big bowls with lime wedges and cilantro.

Recipe Adaptations:

  • Omit the Truvia sweetener to make Whole30, or replace the Truvia with 1 to 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or coconut sugar to give it that sweetness but keep it Paleo
  • Replace the lime zest and juice with 10 kaffir lime leaves.
  • Use oyster mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms instead of baby bellas
  • Add another can of coconut milk for even creamier soup.
  • If you can find galangal, replace the ginger with it (or use it in addition to ginger if you love ginger)
  • Add red chili sauce or a chopped jalapeno to make soup spicy (it is mild as written)

You May Also Love:

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4.43 from 47 votes

Thai Tom Kha Gai

Soy-free, refined sugar-free Thai Tom Kha Gai made in just 30 minutes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Soups, Stews, & Chilies
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 351kcal
Author: Julia

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue sauteing another 3 minutes, until mushrooms begin to sweat.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover the pot, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, or until the soup is very aromatic and the chicken is cooked through.
  • Remove and discard the lemongrass before serving.
  • Serve soup in big bowls with lime wedges and cilantro.

Notes

*Replace the ginger with galangal if you can find it!
**Or 2 Tbsp lemongrass paste.
***Replace the lime zest and juice with 10 kaffir lime leaves if you can find them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4 | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 24g | Sugar: 2g

Thai Tom Kha Gai - Lemongrass ginger coconut milk soup with chicken and mushrooms - keto, paleo, whole30, healthy and delicious!

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Recipe Rating




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jay

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

kaffir lime leaves...please

Julia

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Hi Jay! I mention in the post very clearly in multiple places that if you have access to kaffir lime leaves to use them. Most grocery stores in the U.S. do not carry them and not everyone has access to specialty markets to purchase them.

nads

Sunday 8th of January 2023

hi

just after some clarification on the nutritional values. Yield is 6 but then it says "serving one of 1 of 4", what does that mean?

It's a meal for 4 people, not 6?

Do you have the fibre count too please? Net carbs!

Thanks for the recipe by the way

Dawn Costello

Friday 18th of November 2022

Would you be able to can this soup for long term storage (my daughter goes to college almost 1800 miles away and has some allergies so I make meals and ship to her and she would love this soup)

Julia

Monday 21st of November 2022

Hi Dawn! I must confess, I have no experience with canning and shipping soup, so I don't know how it would work out. I wish I had a better answer for you! If you've had success in the past with canning soups and shipping them to her, I assume this soup would be no different. Best of luck! xoxo

Kristen

Monday 6th of December 2021

What is the serving size? 1 cup?

Julia

Tuesday 7th of December 2021

Hi Kristen!

1 serving will be 1/6th of the recipe, which should come out to just under 2 cups per serving :) Hope you love the soup! xoxo

Eleanor Briggs

Wednesday 10th of February 2021

Just sat down to have a bowl of this soup- I have to say I was a bit skeptical, having never made any Thai dish before( I do have lots of experience eating it though ) It is wonderful! the only thing I did different was added a bit of heavy cream thicken it. Definitely will be making again! Thank you!

Julia

Thursday 11th of February 2021

I'm so happy you like it, Eleanor! The addition of heavy cream sounds delightful! xoxo

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