Tofu Tom Yum, Vegan Thai Noodle Soup
This traditional Thai soup — called tofu tom yum — has a thin broth brimming with refreshing citrusy flavours, balanced umami, rich saltiness, creamy undernotes, and subtle sweetness. I’ve opted to serve it with delicate rice vermicelli noodles and crispy tofu, which adds protein, texture, and a mild nutty taste.
When hot summer days come visiting, my appetite leans away from heavier, warming meals. Instead, I find myself longing for the fresh, light, and vibrant flavours of warmer countries.
I first came across this delicious meal when ordering from a local restaurant. I know instantly i have to recreate it and share it with my readers!
I haven’t visited Thailand (yet!) but as a certified foodie, the distinctively sour, sweet, and salty flavours of classic Thai dishes such as tofu pad Thai, vegetable Thai curry, and now tofu tom yum, have caught my attention. There’s just nothing else like it out there.
After recipe-testing for months, I finally perfected a tofu tom yum recipe that captures the beautiful traditional flavours. It’s got sweetness from quartered tomatoes, silky nuttiness from a splash of coconut milk, fiery heat from red chilli paste, saltiness from the vegetarian fish sauce (yes, it exists!), and hints of peppery citrus from galangal, lemongrass, fresh lime leaves, vibrant cilantro, and lime juice. The complexity of flavour you can achieve with very little work is astounding.
Is Tofu Tom Yum Soup Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free, and Soy-Free?
Tom Yum Soup is usually not vegetarian, as it includes fish sauce and often additional seafood. However, this recipe is a different kettle of fish (get it?). I’ve adapted it to be vegan, nut-free, and dairy-free. Tofu is the main protein, which happens to be naturally vegan and vegetarian.
To make Tofu Tom Yum gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce (most brands actually include wheat by default), or Japanese tamari. Additionally, do check the ingredients on your vegetable stock cubes, as these are sometimes not suitable for those with a gluten intolerance either.
To make Tofu Tom Yum soy-free, you’ll have to swap out tofu (made with soybeans) for something else or omit it entirely for a vegetable-based Tom Yum soup, which is equally as tasty. Additionally, exchange soy sauce for coconut aminos.
What is Tom Yum Soup?
Tom Yum soup is a sweet, sour, and spicy soup with classic Thai flavours. In Thai, “tom” refers to the process of boiling the broth, while “yum” means “mixed,” relating to the depth of flavour profiles. It’s easy to remember the name because the soup is yummy! It’s made with a fragrant, aromatic broth packed with healthy spices, vegetables, and umami-filled ingredients. Traditionally, the dish usually includes seafood — most commonly, prawns — although the one we’ll be making today is vegan, and therefore utilizes delicious crispy tofu instead.
The meal is incredibly light and refreshing, making it perfect for the hot weather of the summer months. I choose to serve my Tom Yum soup with vermicelli rice noodles, although it’s also wonderful spooned over rice, or eaten directly as a broth. Let me know which you opt for in the comments below!
What is Tom Yum Soup Broth Made Of?
A fantastic Tom Yum soup that packs a real depth of flavour is all dependent on the soup broth. It’s full of aromatics such as galangal, garlic, shallots, chilli peppers, and lemongrass. Let’s look at a more in-depth explanation of all the ingredients:
- Vegetable Stock: Using vegetable stock as opposed to water helps give your broth a rounder, more full-bodied flavour. I like to use Knorr Vegetable Stock Cubes dissolved in water, but you can use your favourite liquid stock too.
- Lemongrass: Provides a distinctive citrus taste, with the sharpness of ginger. It’s a valuable aromatic to use in Thai food, and I recommend using it fresh. Simply peel and cut into two.
- Galangal or Ginger: Galangal is another common aromatic in Thai foods, and well worth seeking out. It’s similar to ginger but has a sharper, spicer flavour profile. If you can’t obtain galangal, substitute it for ginger and an extra pinch of black pepper.
- Garlic Cloves: Crush the garlic to release its flavour, and when cooked in the broth, it will add a gorgeous aroma and pungency to the soup.
- Shallot or Onion: The milder subtleness of shallot is the more authentic flavour, but if you can’t get hold of them, substitute for yellow onions.
- Fresh Tomato: The sweetness from fresh tomatoes is an essential component of Tom Yum soup.
- Chili Powder or Paste: You can use store-bought chilli paste, make your own with dried chilis, or in a pinch, use dried red chilli powder.
- Ground Black Pepper: Just a small pinch of black pepper elevates the other flavours. You can skip this, but I highly recommend the addition if you’ve substituted ginger for galangal.
- Sugar: While it may seem odd to use sugar in a spicy broth, Tom Yum soup is actually a balance of flavours: Spicy, Sour, and Sweet. Sugar mellows out the spice and provides a gentle depth in the background.
- Dark Soy Sauce: A small amount goes a long way to adding that essential umami.
- Vegetarian Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is an important ingredient in traditional Thai Tom Yum soup, but of course, it’s not vegetarian. Most Chinese supermarkets in metropolitan cities offer vegetarian alternatives, or you can order them online. If you really can’t find it, add a little extra soy sauce, salt, and a piece of dried seaweed (wakame) to enhance the taste of the sea.
- Kaffir Lime Leaves: Use the fresh kaffir lime leaves whole, just so they impart their fragrance into the dish. It’s a distinctively citrusy, tart, and punchy flavour with peppery notes. The best substitute would be lime zest, but it’s worth specifically seeking them out for Thai recipes.
- Lime Juice: Tom Yum soup is deliciously sour, and lime juice is the perfect addition to bring that sharp acidity.
- Salt: This should be added to taste.
- Coconut Milk: You can leave out coconut milk for a much spicer version. My personal preference is a slightly mellower soup broth with hints of coconut flavouring.
Phew! That’s a long list, and it can seem overwhelming. While there are a lot of ingredients, it’s easy to slowly build up a pantry of useful ingredients by assessing the ones you require most often and heading to an Asian supermarket. In this case, while it may seem like too many ingredients, the method is really simple, so please don’t be put off.
Tips to make the Best Vegan Tofu Tom Yum Soup
- Press the tofu! This small step may add extra time to your prep, but it’s worth it. Pressing tofu has several advantages, mainly texturally. Tofu generally has a lot of excess moisture, and when we press that out, we compact the texture, making it more robust and ‘meaty’. This, in turn, improves the crispness when fried and allows the tofu to absorb the flavours of the broth much better. Although you can use a makeshift tofu press with two plates and anything weighted, if you cook with the ingredient often I recommend investing in a tofu press.
- Prep the lemongrass properly. You’ll get a much better flavour out of the lemongrass if you remove the outermost dry layer. Some people crush the lemongrass so it releases more flavor, or cut it into large pieces. Either works for this recipe.
- Don’t skimp on the aromatics. Galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, and chilli paste add so much flavour. Although we’ve already got a great base with vegetable stock, these infuse all the gorgeous flavours Thai food is known for.
- Season to taste. Tom Yum soup has a lot of different flavours going on — spicy, sour, salty, and sweet. Getting the balance right is integral to the recipe. Everyone has different tastes, so I highly recommend tasting the broth as you cook and adjusting it as you see fit. Bear in mind that after adding coconut milk the flavours will mellow out slightly, so add extra lime juice, vegetarian fish sauce, or sugar at the end.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables. You can use whatever vegetables you like, but be sure to cook them al dente. A little bite of the vegetables really enhances the fresh flavours and textural play between the smooth, creamy broth, soft noodles, and crispy tofu.
- Garnish, garnish, garnish. Adding freshly chopped cilantro (coriander) and green onions (spring onions) add the end will help the other flavors to sing.
This Recipe Is …
Tofu Tom Yum, Vegan Thai Noodle Soup
Thai tofu tom yum soup is one of the lightest, healthiest, and intensely flavourful meals. It's umami-rich, citrusy, salty, and subtly sweet.
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 1 Litre Water
- 1 Vegetable Stock Cube
- 2 Stalks Lemongrass
- 1/2 inch Fresh Galangal, or Ginger
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 5 Kaffir Lime Leaves
- 1 Shallot or White Onion, quartered
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Paste (add more to taste)
- Black Pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Lime, juiced (add more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 4 teaspoons Vegetarian Fish Sauce (add more to taste)
- Salt to taste
- 1 Large Tomato, quartered
- 40g Carrot, peeled and sliced
- 20g Green Beans
- 40g Mushrooms, quartered
- 200ml Coconut Milk****
- Handful Fresh Cilantro, chopped, to garnish
- 2 Green Onions, finely sliced, to garnish
- Red Birdseye Chilis, sliced, to garnish
For the Tofu*
- 160g Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cut into triangles
- 2 tablespoons Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- Neutral Oil, to deep fry**
For the Noodles
- 80g Fine Rice Noodles
- Hot Water, to soak noodles
Instructions
- To begin, fry the tofu*. You can skip this step if using tofu puffs, or you can simply add raw tofu to the soup, to heat in the broth (this is safe to eat). If you want to fry your own tofu, pre-heat the oil to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit). Cut the tofu into cubes or triangles, and put them into a bowl. Sprinkle over cornflour and gently shake the bowl to cover. Once the oil is hot, gently add the tofu and fry until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside until later.
- Make the broth. Add 1 liter water to a large stockpot along with a vegetable stock cube***. Take the outer layer off the lemongrass and cut it into two, and tear the kaffir lime leaves. Add these to the broth along with galangal, garlic cloves, shallot, and chili paste. Stir well, set to medium heat, and bring to a boil.
- Strain the broth. Once the broth has boiled, strain it into another pan through a metal sieve or cloth. Discard the aromatics, and put the clear broth back on to cook.
- Season the broth. Season the clear broth with black pepper, brown sugar, lime juice, dark soy sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, and salt (taste before adding, as vegetarian fish sauce is sometimes extremely salty). Taste the broth and if needed add more chili paste, lime juice, or vegetarian fish sauce.
- Cook the vegetables. Once the broth is seasoned to your taste, add a large tomato, quartered, carrot, green beans, and mushrooms. Cook until the vegetables are al-dente, or with a slight bite. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Finish the soup. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and add the coconut milk and tofu.
- To make the noodles, add to a large, heatproof bowl or saucepan and pour over enough boiling water to cover completely. Leave them to sit for 2 minutes, then drain.
- Assemble the Tom Yum soup. Add a portion of noodles to a boil and ladle over the soup. Garnish with fresh cilantro, green onions, red chilis, and a wedge of fresh lime (optional).
Serve with fried rice crackers on the side for extra crunch.
Notes
* If you would prefer, you can use pre-made deep-fried tofu puffs. They're delicious and it cuts down on the cooking time too.
** You can shallow fry the tofu if preferred, or even bake/air fry.
*** Instead, you can use one litre of vegetable stock from a bottle/carton.
**** You can make tofu tom yum without coconut milk, making it "tom yum kung" — however, you may wish to add less chilli paste.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 596Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 959mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 6gSugar: 10gProtein: 24g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
It’s very apt that “yum” is in the name of this dish. This looks absolutely delicious! I’m definitely giving this one a try.
The recipe sounds delicious, especially for those who enjoy Thai cuisine and are looking for a flavorful vegetarian option. The step-by-step instructions along with the photos make it seem quite doable, even for someone who might not be an expert in the kitchen.
Thank you Ramil! I’m so glad you found the instructions helpful. Making the vegan mushroom wontons can seem intimidating, but it’s actually really easy. And super delicious!
Great recipe. Sounds wonderful and yummy. I can’t eat Thai food in restaurants because they always put MSG in it. But if I make my own…
I know the feeling, Richard. I generally avoid Thai restaurants as they put fish sauce in vegetarian dishes. The best thing about cooking at home is that you can adapt the recipes however you like them! This tofu tom yum soup is super easy and has NO MSG!
I’ve never had sour soup. I’d like to try the Tom Yum soup.
It’s worth trying, Rosey! The tofu tom yum soup has a perfectly balanced sweet, spicy, and sour flavor that makes it really moreish.
Crispy Tofu Yum Yum! Where I am based right now I don’t have access to many good Asian Restaurants. So I’m loving this recipe.
I know that feeling, Karletta! Hopefully the recipes on Oh My Veg help you to recreate your favorite Asian restaurant dishes at home, including this tofu tom yum!
Wow, your description of the Tom Yum soup has my mouth watering! It sounds like the perfect meal for hot summer days, and I love how you’ve added rice vermicelli noodles and crispy tofu for some extra texture and protein. I also appreciate how you’ve taken the time to perfect the recipe and capture all the complex flavours. I can’t wait to try it out myself! Thank you for sharing your delicious creation with us.
The food looks so delicious, it makes me hungry! This food is so new to me
Learning a new cuisine can be overwhelming when everything is new to you. But if you take it slowly, it can be such a rewarding experience! Thai food, including tofu tom yum soup, is really delicious, you’re right.
Ooh! This sounds so healthy and delicious. I’d love to try it as a new dinner option. Yum!
Yes, it’s surprisingly light and healthy! Especially with all the extra vegetables and vegan protein from tofu. Please try it out and let me know what you think.
I like the Tom Yum Soup. And I’m sure this is one of the best vegan dishes. Looks so good. I want to try it with instant noodle.
This is yummy, love the look and how colorful it is. I would love to try this for te first time. Thank you for sharing!