Keto Thai Curry Soup

This keto Thai curry soup is a fragrant coconut broth with lemongrass, ginger, garlic and chili, filled with tender chicken thigh, mushrooms, spinach and zucchini noodles in place of rice noodles. It takes about 35 minutes and serves 4, with about 24 g of protein and around 7.5 g of net carbs per bowl. It’s inspired by Thai and Malaysian curry noodle soups, like the yellow curry bowls in our photo, but made lower in carbs.

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: about 35 minutes

Ingredients

Curry base

• 1 tablespoon coconut or neutral oil
• 2 shallots (about 30 g), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• A thumb-sized piece of ginger (about 10 g), grated
• 1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, finely chopped (about 10 g)
• 1 red chili, finely chopped, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder, or 1 to 2 tablespoons Thai yellow or red curry paste

Soup

• 400 g (14 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
• 200 ml (about ¾ cup) full-fat coconut milk
• 700 ml (3 cups) low-salt chicken stock
• 150 g (5 oz) mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium zucchini (about 300 g), spiralized or cut into thin strips
• 60 g (2 handfuls) baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• A small handful of coriander (cilantro), to serve
• Sliced spring onions and extra chili, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until soft.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili and curry powder or paste. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken and stir to coat it in the spices for 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, with no pink in the middle. It should reach 74°C (165°F), the safe temperature for poultry in the USDA’s chart.
5. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust: more lime for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, chili for heat.
7. Divide the zucchini noodles and spinach among 4 bowls and ladle the hot soup over them. The heat softens them in a minute or two while keeping some bite.
8. Top with coriander, spring onions and chili.

Tips

• Use chicken thighs. They stay tender in soup, while breast can turn dry.
• Check your curry paste. Some contain sugar or shrimp paste. Read the label if you’re counting carbs or have allergies.
• Don’t boil the coconut milk hard, or it can separate. A gentle simmer keeps it smooth.
• Add the zucchini noodles at the end. Cooked too long, they go soft and watery.
• Bruise the lemongrass with the back of a knife before chopping to release more flavor.

Swaps and variations

• Prawns: add 300 g of raw peeled prawns instead of chicken in step 5 and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until pink.
• Vegetarian: use tofu cubes and vegetable stock, and soy sauce or tamari instead of fish sauce.
• Richer: use the full 400 ml can of coconut milk and less stock, though this doubles the saturated fat.
• More vegetables: add sliced peppers, bok choy, bean sprouts or green beans.
• Not on keto? Serve over rice noodles or with a scoop of jasmine rice.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

One serving is a quarter of the recipe. These figures were calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for raw chicken thigh, canned coconut milk, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, shallots, red chili, curry powder, fish sauce, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, lime juice and coriander. Stock isn’t included, so sodium will be higher with regular stock.

Most of the saturated fat comes from the coconut milk. This recipe uses half a can to keep it lighter. Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol in many people, as our guide to keto and cholesterol explains, so it’s worth balancing richer meals like this with fish, olive oil and nuts on other days. The soup is high in protein and the vegetables add fiber, potassium and vitamin K.

Contains: fish (fish sauce), and possibly shellfish in some curry pastes. Check the label.

Storage and reheating

Cool the soup quickly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours, and eat within 3 days. Store the zucchini noodles separately and add them when reheating. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through. The soup base freezes well for up to 3 months; freeze it without the vegetables.

Common questions

Is coconut milk keto?

Yes. Full-fat coconut milk is low in carbs, with about 3 g per 100 g in USDA data, but it’s high in saturated fat, so use it in moderate amounts.

Is curry paste keto?

Most Thai curry pastes are low in carbs in the small amounts used in a recipe. Check the label for added sugar.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes. Make the soup up to step 6 and refrigerate. Reheat and pour over fresh zucchini noodles and spinach just before serving.

Safety note: Keto isn’t suitable for everyone. If you have diabetes, kidney or liver disease, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before cutting carbs this far (why it matters).

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.