An easy dump & start recipe for Thai Tom Yum Soup, a popular hot and sour soup. Enjoy this healthy low-carb soup in which chicken and vegetables are simmered in a flavorful and fragrant clear broth.
Easy to customize or make vegetarian, this delicious soup is ready in just 30 short minutes in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
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What is Tom Yum Soup?
The name of this popular soup, Tom Yum or Tom Yam Soup, is derived from two Thai words, Tom & Yam. Tom refers to simmering or boiling, while yam refers to a spicy and sour salad.
These two words describe the flavors of this soup really well. It's a piping hot bowl of hot & sour soup made with aromatics, vegetables, and a delicious broth.
This Thai soup is known for its flavorful broth. The clear tom yum broth is made with fragrant spices and aromatics, like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and red chili peppers.
In my take on an authentic tom yum soup recipe, I pressure cook chicken with aromatics, Thai red chili paste, and broth (no sautéing needed), release pressure, then add vegetables, cilantro, and lime. And in just 30 minutes, this delicious soup is ready.
It is extremely easy to customize too. You can switch the chicken for shrimp, or make it vegetarian by adding extra-firm tofu instead. Either way, you'll end up with a tasty pot of soup that'll satisfy your take-out cravings 🙂
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Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients for making an easy tom yum soup recipe. You can find all of them at your nearest Asian store, or in the Asian produce aisle of your supermarket.
Aromatics: Lemongrass, galangal (or ginger), Kaffir Lime leaves, onion, and sliced mushrooms form the flavor foundation of the soup broth.
Broth: I use low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to enhance the flavor of the soup.
Seasoning: Soy sauce, fish sauce (skip for vegetarian), and salt.
Thai Red Curry Paste: Just a small quantity of this curry paste is added to get the authentic flavors of Tom Yum Soup. It's a ready-to-use shortcut instead of making the chili paste from scratch.
Protein: I use boneless skinless chicken breast in this recipe. You can also add boneless skinless chicken thighs. For other alternatives like shrimp or Tofu, check out the variations section.
Vegetables: Baby corn, carrots, zucchini.
Finishing flavors: Fresh Lime juice, chopped cilantro, and a touch of agave syrup or palm sugar really tie in the flavors of this soup together.
Scroll to the recipe card for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Tom Yum Soup
Here are the step by step photos and instructions for a delicious Chicken Tom Yum Soup recipe:
Pressure Cook
Add broth, water, chopped lemongrass, sliced ginger (or galangal), onions, mushrooms, fish sauce, red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, and chicken breast to the cooking pot. (pic 1-9)
Close the lid and set pressure cook, or manual for 8 mins at high pressure. (pic 10)
Once the cooking is done, release pressure in bursts. What that means is, to release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down. This prevents the soup from spraying out of the pressure knob. (pic 11)
Open the lid after the pin drops. Using tongs, remove the chicken, lemongrass pieces, and kaffir lime leaves.
After Pressure Cooking
Now add fresh lime juice, carrots, baby corn, and zucchini (or your preferred veggie combination). (pic 13)
Shred the chicken using two forks and add that back to the pot. (pic 14 & 15).
Add palm sugar, stir and give it a taste to check for seasoning. Add chopped cilantro leaves for garnish. (pic 16)
As an optional step, add 1 tablespoon of sriracha to give it that extra kick. We love it and I recommend it if you like spicy food.
How to Make Tom Yum on the Stove
- Heat a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Add broth, water, lemongrass, sliced ginger, onions, mushrooms, fish sauce, curry paste, lime leaves, and chicken breast to the cooking pot.
- Bring broth to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreddable.
- Using tongs, remove the lemongrass pieces and kaffir lime leaves.
- Remove the chicken in a bowl and shred it using two forks.
- Lime juice, carrots, baby corn and zucchini go in next followed by shredded chicken.
- Stir in palm sugar and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
How to Store & Freeze
Store this soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.
To freeze this soup, wait for it to cool down completely. Pour it in an air-tight container and store it in the freezer for up to a month.
Try a Variation
- Vegetarian/Vegan Tom Yum Soup: To make this tom yum recipe vegetarian or vegan, replace:
- Replace chicken with extra firm tofu and add it after pressure cooking, along with vegetables.
- Replace fish sauce with soy sauce.
- Add vegetable stock/broth instead of chicken broth
- Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Prawn Soup): The word 'Goong' means Prawns. By adding shrimp or prawns to this recipe, you can enjoy shrimp tom yum soup.
- Pressure cook all ingredients listed under "pressure cook" (skip the chicken ;). Release pressure and add deveined and cleaned shrimp or prawns.
- Turn on saute mode and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned opaque and cook through.
- Low-Carb Tom Yum: Skip the agave (or palm sugar), to make this soup low-carb.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- I use crimini mushrooms in this recipe. Some other mushrooms that go well in this soup are button mushrooms, shiitake, straw mushrooms.
- I used a combination of 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups water. You can use all broth, or all water. If using all broth, reduce salt to ½ tsp. If using all water, add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt, check for seasoning at the end and adjust taste.
- I used chicken breast in this recipe. You can use other cuts of chicken too. If using Chicken Thighs, reduce cooking time to 6 mins, Chicken Tenders= 5 mins; Chicken breast halves (thin Slices)= 7 mins.
- To use shrimp instead of chicken, pressure cook all ingredients listed under "pressure cook" (skip the chicken ;). Release pressure and add deveined and cleaned shrimp. Turn on saute mode and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned opaque and are cooked through.
- Few restaurants serve this soup with tomatoes. To add those, add thin slices of roma tomato to the soup after pressure cooking, along with other vegetables.
- I have tested this recipe and quantity in a 3qt and 6qt pressure cooker. This recipe can easily be doubled in a 6qt and 8qt pressure cooker.
- After pressure cooking, release pressure in bursts. What that means is, release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down. This prevents the soup from spraying out of the pressure knob.
- How to avoid QR: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins (NPR 10 mins). At this point, most of the pressure has released naturally and now when you do a quick release, it won’t be that impactful and long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tom Kha soup is very similar to Tom Yum soup, but there's a small difference between the two. Tom Kha is a hot soup with similar flavor foundations; however, coconut milk is added in that, which makes it more creamy in texture.
This soup is very healthy since it is loaded with lean protein and a variety of vegetables in a clear broth that is flavored with ginger and lemongrass. A single cup serving is less than 200 calories and contains just 6 grams of net carbs.
Traditionally tom yum sauce includes lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, onions, mushroom, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and occasionally tomatoes.
Kaffir lime leaves are extremely aromatic thick leaves of the Kaffir Lime plant. These leaves add a zesty aroma and flavor to the dish, which cuts through the creamy, or sometimes spicy flavors in Thai recipes.
You can find Kaffir Lime leaves in most supermarkets that sell Asian ingredients and produce. Look for them in the refrigerated section, along with lemongrass, ginger, etc. If not, look for it in Asian grocery stores.
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📖 Recipe
Tom Yum Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Pressure Cook
- 4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup onion ,sliced (about ½ large onion)
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms or button mushrooms, about 8oz.
- 2 stocks lemongrass
- 5-6 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 lb chicken breast about 2 breast
- 1 inch ginger or galangal, julienned (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce for vegetarian use soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoon thai red curry paste
Add After Pressure Cooking
- 4 tablespoon lime juice fresh, About 1.5-2 limes
- 1 cup baby corn canned or fresh
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced, about 1 carrot
- 1 cup zucchini thinly sliced, about 1 zucchini
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon agave or palm sugar (Optional-skip for low-carb soup)
- 2 teaspoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce (Optional-skip for mild soup)
Instructions
Pressure Cook- Instant Pot
- Add broth, water, chopped lemongrass, sliced ginger (or galangal), onions, mushrooms, fish sauce (see notes for substitute), red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves (see notes for substitute), and chicken breast to the cooking pot.
- Close the lid and set pressure cook, or manual for 8 mins at high pressure.
- Once the cooking is done, release pressure in bursts. What that means is, release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down. This prevents the soup from spraying out of the pressure knob.
- Open the lid after the pin drops.
After Pressure Cooking
- Using tongs, remove the lemongrass pieces and kaffir lime leaves. They are chewy and unpleasant to bite into so it's best to remove them.
- Remove the chicken in a bowl and shred it using two forks. Shred it as thick or thin as you like.
- Add fresh lime juice, carrots, baby corn and zucchini (or your preferred veggie combination). Add the shredded chicken back in. Add agave or palm sugar, stir and give it a taste to check for seasoning.
- Add chopped cilantro leaves for garnish.
Optional Step
- As an optional step, add 1 tablespoon of sriracha to give it that extra kick. We love it and I recommend it if you like spice.
Stovetop Recipe for Tom Yum Soup
- Heat a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Add broth, water, chopped lemongrass, sliced ginger (or galangal), onions, mushrooms, fish sauce (see notes for substitute), red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves (see notes for substitute), and chicken breast to the cooking pot.
- Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreddable.
- Using tongs, remove the lemongrass pieces and kaffir lime leaves. They are chewy and unpleasant to bite into so it's best to remove them.
- Remove the chicken in a bowl and shred it using two forks. Shred it as thick or thin as you like.
- Add fresh lime juice, carrots, baby corn and zucchini (or your preferred veggie combination). Add the shredded chicken back in.
- Add agave or palm sugar, stir and give it a taste to check for seasoning. Add chopped cilantro leaves for garnish.
Video
Notes
- I use crimini mushrooms in this recipe. Some other mushrooms that go well in this soup are button mushrooms, shiitake, straw mushrooms.
- I used a combination of 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups water. You can use all broth, or all water. If using all broth, reduce salt to ½ tsp. If using all water, add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt, check for seasoning at the end and adjust taste.
- I used chicken breast in this recipe. You can use other cuts of chicken too. If using Chicken Thighs, reduce cooking time to 6 mins, Chicken Tenders= 5 mins; Chicken breast halves (thin Slices)= 7 mins.
- To use shrimp instead of chicken, pressure cook all ingredients listed under "pressure cook" (skip the chicken ;). Release pressure and add deveined and cleaned shrimp. Turn on saute mode and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned opaque and are cooked through.
- Few restaurants serve this soup with tomatoes. To add those, add thin slices of roma tomato to the soup after pressure cooking, along with other vegetables.
- To make this recipe vegetarian or vegan, replace the chicken with extra firm tofu and add it after pressure cooking, along with vegetables. Replace the fish sauce with soy sauce.
- To make this soup low-carb, skip the agave or palm sugar.
- I have tested this recipe and quantity in a 3qt and 6qt pressure cooker. This recipe can easily be doubled in a 6qt and 8qt pressure cooker.
- After pressure cooking, release pressure in bursts. What that means is, release pressure 1-2 seconds at a time, then stop. Repeat this till most of the pressure has released and its intensity has gone down. This prevents the soup from spraying out of the pressure knob.
- How to avoid QR: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 mins (NPR 10 mins). In that time, most of the pressure has released naturally and if you do a quick release at this point, it won’t be that impactful and long.
- To freeze this soup, wait for it to cool down completely. Pour it in an air-tight container and store it in the freezer for up to a month.
srimayyia says
All these recipes look wonderful! You always create the most vibrant recipes and I adore them all! Keep Sharing.
Aneesha says
Thank you so much for your kind words!
James and Sofia says
thank you Aneesha, this was AWESOME
Aneesha says
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it- it's one of our favorites!
CHRISTY ELY says
Aneesha, is there a sub for the kaffir lime leaves? There are no Asian markets in my area and I cannot find them. I love making Tom Kha soup and I am dying to give this one a try for the lower calorie/fat content. Thanks!
Aneesha says
Hi Christy, you can use the zest of 1 lime instead. That's a pretty close substitute for lime leaves. enjoy!