Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
This curry noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food! It’s sweet, spicy, and guaranteed to fill your belly and warm you up from the inside out, making it perfect for chilly fall and winter days.
Featured Comment: “Wow, this was delicious! I’m already excited to make this recipe again.” – Sarah
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This is the soup I make when I know everyone’s hungry, I’m running behind on dinner, and I need something that comes together fast but still feels comforting and homemade.
It’s one of my go-to noodle soups on busy weeknights, even on weekends when I don’t feel like cooking but still want something good. Everything goes into one pot, and I build the flavor as it cooks, letting it simmer just until it smells right.
It comes out rich and comforting, with that slow-simmered taste, even though it’s ready in a little over 30 minutes.
Thai Curry Soup Ingredients
- Yellow onion
- Red bell pepper
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Red curry paste
- Chicken broth
- Coconut milk
- Fish sauce
- Noodles
- Fresh lime juice
- Cilantro and lime
Best Noodles for this Soup
- Ramen noodles – My personal favorite! Ramen noodles are a type of egg noodles. They’re delicious and easy to find at most grocery stores.
Sometimes you’ll find them on their own or with seasoning. For this recipe, you’ll need the noodles without the seasoning.
- Rice noodles – This is another great option for the soup. Made from rice starch, rice noodles are available in all kinds of lengths and widths. They absorb flavor really well and cook fairly quickly.
For this recipe, we recommend rice stick or pad thai type noodles.
What is Red Curry Paste?
Red curry paste is a thick, aromatic paste made from a blend of red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, and warm spices. It’s commonly used in Thai cooking, and you can usually find it in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
How to Make Thai Curry Noodle Soup
- Heat oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add onions, bell peppers, and carrots, and cook until tender.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Cook until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in noodles and cook until tender. Add fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Variations of Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
- Protein: Include protein options like chicken, shrimp, tempeh, or tofu.
- Vegetables: Add to or replace the vegetables with any kind you like best such as zucchini, spinach, bok choy, or mushrooms.
- Increase the Heat: Add additional curry paste or sliced fresh chili peppers.
- Herbs: Swap the cilantro with fresh basil, mint, or Thai basil for a different taste.
Thai Red Curry Soup Tips
- Choose full-fat coconut milk for its richness.
- The strength of curry paste varies from brand to brand. Check the label for spiciness. We used Thai Kitchen brand for this recipe.
- Feel free to add more veggies. Fresh spinach, baby bok choy, mushrooms, or bean sprouts all would be delicious in this soup.
- Stirring in a little lime juice cuts through the richness of the soup.
How to Serve Curry Noodle Soup
Serve the soup topped with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Fresh basil and sliced green onions also serve well with this Thai noodle soup and Sriracha for extra heat.
Want to turn the soup into a complete meal? Try pairing it with Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls, Chili Garlic Rice Noodle Salad, or Thai Chicken and Cabbage Skillet.
Storing Leftover Thai Curry Noodle Soup
This recipe is best served right away. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. For the best results, store the noodles and the rest of the soup in separate airtight containers. Otherwise, the noodles tend to become too soggy.
You can also freeze the soup for up to 2 months. Just be sure to leave out the noodles! Then, thaw it in the fridge overnight, warm it in the microwave or on the stove, and prepare the noodles fresh when you’re ready to serve.
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Thai Red Curry Soup
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Easy Thai noodle soup with sweet and spicy broth, ramen noodles, and fresh lime juice.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- ¼ cup red curry paste
- 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
- 1 (14 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 4–5 oz. ramen or rice noodles (see note)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a dutch-oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, red bell pepper, and carrots. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Cook until fragrant for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in noodles and simmer until tender. Cook time will vary based on the type of noodles. Check the package for directions.
- Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
Notes
- Curry Paste: The strength of curry paste varies from brand to brand. I used the Thai Kitchen brand to make this recipe.
- Noodles: Ramen or rice noodles work the best in this soup. For ramen noodles, make sure to toss the seasoning if included. For rice noodles, rice stick or pad thai type noodles work great. I do not recommend using ultra-thin noodles, such as vermicelli.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 307
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 1883.1 mg
- Fat: 21.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.1 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
Loved this – easy to follow. I topped with sautéed Maitake mushrooms, Serrano, green onions and cilantro. YUMMY!
This soup was amazing!! Thank you for sharing… sharing is caring. 🙂
Excellent recipe! We subbed Hatch green chili for red bell pepper as it’s what was on hand. Great heat, spice was right on. Made two batches using wonton noodles and thai rice noodles. Both options worked well with the flavors. Fresh ingredients added to the bright rounded flavors. Absolutely loved this recipe.
Hi! You mentioned tossing the seasoning packet if using ramen. Did you mean tossing it into the soup or tossing it aside?
Hoping to make this tomorrow for our family dinner! 🙂
Correct – just toss it away! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Hello,
I was wondering if the fish sauce can be left out? If so, do you recommend any alternatives?
Hi Shannon: Fish sauce adds a savory, unami punch to the dish and you definitely don’t want to leave it out, however, you can try soy sauce instead.
I found Vegan fish sauce – so good my husband thinks it might not be Vegan 🙂
Can you freeze this without the noodles of course? And also can you use double cream( I’m from UK)
It should freeze just fine without the noodles. For an authentic taste, I would stick to coconut milk in this recipe.
Super good!!
This recipe was Soooooo good! I’m super full but I want to keep eating it lol it’s that delcious, thank you so much fo4 sharing, only thing I added was red chili flakes for some more spice, other than that, perfection
Thank you!
Hi, this looks delish. Has anyone added a protein like chicken to this soup so make it a little heartier. Need more calories for my teenage athlete boy. Thanks!
You can easily add chicken to this soup. I would recommend boneless thighs or chicken breast. Cook the chicken before you saute the veggies. Take it out and then start on your veggies. You can add the chicken later into the soup.
So flavorful! definitely a keeper. I added mushrooms and spinach as well, and left the fish sauce out. Thanks for the recipe.
Can you make this without the fish sauce?
I think it would be a little flat if you omit the fish sauce. Soy sauce would be a good substitute.
I appreciate other reviewers feedback as I do read for pointers or tweaks on all recipes I try. I am not one to give reviews on recipes and I’m new to Thai flavors but love other Asian cuisine so I did this tonight. I have taken one reviewers suggestion on flavors being even better the next day but I absolutely love it right now! I didn’t add carrots and instead added baby bok choy and sliced baby radish. I also have not added the noodles and will do that tomorrow when I heat it for dinner. I only added 4 cups of low sodium chicken stock and it’s perfect for me like that. I am also waiting to add the lime juice tomorrow since I think of it as more of a finishing ingredient. I look forward to tomorrow nights dinner already with this soup and a couple of vegetable egg rolls! Thank you for a great recipe and the reviewers who convinced me that I needed this soup in my life!!
I loved this soup.It had just the right amount of everything. I used a mixture of 1 package ramen noodles and I had some stir fry noodles I wanted to use up so I added those. I followed the recipe as written except for the mixture of noodles. It tasted even better the next day and the noodles were not soggy. T by any you for sharing the recipe, I will definitely be making this recipe again.
Sounds delish. Any suggestions with the noodles if you want to enjoy leftovers? I’m guessing if the rice noodles are left in the broth for the next day, they will be soggy?
Thank you
Hi Kristy: If you’re concerned about soggy noodles and you know you’ll have leftovers, I would cook and store the noodles separately from the soup. Hope that helps!
is this a single serving?
It serves about 6
Wow, this was delicious! I’m already excited to make this recipe again. I reduced the amount of red curry paste to 1.5tbsp because the brand I have is very spicy. I personally would have liked a little more spice, but my husband and 18mo old son loved it. I added some zucchini, edamame beans, and topped with some crispy tofu. Yum!
This is the best recipe/food site ever. I want to make everything. Thanks
Truly enjoyed this recipe. I added mushrooms, green beans and bok choy. I also used rice noodles as they my favorite.
Delicious! And very easy. What’s not to like? Thanks for sharing.
I haven’t tried this yet, but quick question. In the ramen noodle section you say “toss the seasoning if included”….do you mean toss IN the seasoning or toss OUT the seasoning. Silly question, but thank you for clarifying. Love your recipes.
Hi Dee – yes you want to toss out the seasoning and only use the noodles. I hope you enjoy this noodle soup!