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This Thai turkey soup recipe is irresistibly flavorful with a creamy coconut curry broth. It’s really easy to make and the tastiest way to use up leftover turkey!
If you like Thai-inspired recipes, try my Easy Thai Shrimp Curry or this Thai Green Curry Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one! If you made a Roast Turkey, chances are you have some leftovers. This Thai turkey curry soup is the perfect thing to ease you out of your turkey coma. It’s also a super low effort alternative to sandwiches.
This turkey soup recipe is warm and cozy but also fresh and fairly light! That’s what I love about making Thai-style food. We’ve got creamy coconut milk, fresh herbs, and vibrant flavors. Such a good combo, and you’ll having a piping hot bowl ready in just 30 minutes.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – tasty aromatics. I like using sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Thai red curry paste – it’s a ready-made paste that has fragrant spices and lemongrass. I recommend Thai Kitchen brand, which is not what I’d consider spicy (some brands are).
- Chicken broth – for more savory flavor
- Lime juice & wedges – for a pop of acidity and brightness
- Turkey – we’re using cooked leftover turkey
- Rice noodles – they’re those translucent ones that come in different sizes; I prefer thicker noodles here to vermicelli
- Red bell pepper – it adds some veggie goodness
- Coconut milk – definitely use full fat for the most flavor and best texture
- Basil, cilantro, scallions – classic fresh ingredients in Thai-style recipes
Pro Tip
Naturally, this soup works well for Thanksgiving leftovers, but it could also be made on another occasion where you have leftover Roast Chicken or rotisserie chicken. Or just cook a turkey breast if you want something a little different. I’ve done that before.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I recommend this ladle for easily dishing up this soup.
- This Staub Dutch oven is the one I use.
- Store the other half of your onion in this cute onion saver.
How to make Thai turkey soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the oil until softened. Stir in the garlic and curry paste, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the broth, water, lime juice, turkey, noodles, and red bell pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Stir in the coconut milk. Simmer until the noodles are cooked through. Add in the fresh herbs and scallions. Taste, and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Substitutions and variations
- This turkey curry soup is flavorful but not what I’d call spicy. If you do want to make it spicier, add some grated ginger, sriracha, and/or chili paste. Play with the flavor, and taste and adjust until you think it tastes perfect!
- Are you a salt fiend like me? Add in a splash of soy sauce.
- If you’re not feeling some of the fresh herbs, simply don’t include them all.
What to serve with turkey curry soup
- I like to serve each bowl with a lime wedge for an additional burst of fresh flavor.
- It’s pretty hearty, so pair it with a slice of fresh crusty bread, and you’re good to go.
- For more Thai flavors, make my Thai Quinoa Salad as a fresh complement.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover soup for 3-4 days, but keep in mind the noodles will soak up the broth fast. You may need to add a splash more chicken broth when reheating.
- You could freeze leftovers for up to 3 months if you’d like, but I don’t really recommend it. The turkey is cooked twice already, so that could make it dry out even more upon thawing and reheating, and the noodles can change texture.
More leftover turkey recipes
I hope you’ll give this leftover turkey soup a try! Questions? Ask me in the comments below. Please leave a star rating and review, or tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Thai Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 cups cooked turkey
- 7 ounces rice noodles see note
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 handful fresh basil torn/chopped, to taste
- 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped, to taste
- 1 handful chopped scallions to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a large soup pot for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and curry paste and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth, water, lime juice, turkey, rice noodles, and red bell pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the coconut milk, and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the basil, cilantro, and scallions. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately with lime wedges.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- I use Thai Kitchen red curry paste, and it isn’t particularly spicy. Some brands are spicy, however. Want to make this spicier? Add some grated ginger, sriracha, and/or chili paste.
- Rice noodles come in a variety of brands and package sizes, so you don’t have to be super precise with the weight as you may need to use only part of a package. I buy the thicker ones (3 mm) vs. the super fine ones that are almost like angel hair pasta. I like to buy Thai Kitchen’s stir fry noodles when I can find them.
- I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste and coconut milk. I recommend their coconut milk because it’s not too watery unlike some other brands I’ve tried.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on November 23, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This was a great way to use up some leftover turkey! I altered a few things. The 2 c water was chicken broth as well as the 4 cups called for. Instead of rice noodles, I used brown rice (cooked separately at first, then added in) and also added a bag of spinach for more veggies. The ginger and soy sauce added in (to taste) along with the fresh cilantro, basil and scallions, made this dish extra flavorful! Everyone loved it!
I’m so glad you liked it!
So so if you make it and simmer it for a while do you want to wait to put the noodles in or are they fine simmering
I’d probably wait to put the noodles in since they will soak up the broth.
That’s what I figured 🙂 I added carrots, spinach, fish sauce, mushrooms, fresh ginger and soy
This is possibly my favorite soup of yours that I’ve made! SO much flavor, simple to make, and a great way to use leftover thanksgiving turkey. I added some fish sauce like a few other commenters suggested, and left out cilantro because the store didn’t have any and I didn’t want to go on a hunt. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks, Natasha!
That makes me so happy! 😀 You’re very welcome!
Love Thai food and so was excited to transform leftover Thanksgiving Turkey into a totally different meal. This turned out so great! Added 2 TBS fish sauce, some garlic chili sauce and grated ginger to pump up the flavor and heat. Was delicious and full of flavor with 3 TBS of curry paste. Didn’t have any basil so I skipped that but used plenty of cilantro. Loved this recipe and so did my husband, in fact he insisted on seconds.
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it!! 😀
I made this soup tonight with leftover Thanksgiving turkey – added ginger & fish sauce for extra zip = easy, delicious, satisfying, & post-worthy. Yum
Fantastic!! Glad it was a hit!! 😀
Love, love, love this. Made two little changes. I had no medium onion so I used shallots, I hate fresh cilantro so I used cilantro chutney – same taste but no odor,
Thank you so much!
Made this today but instead of turkey I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs cooked in the soup before the step adding peppers in. Then I shredded it. A couple mods – I added a bit more chicken broth than called for, diced jalapeño, ginger and a little fish sauce and I cooked the rice noodles separate. I bought shiitake mushrooms to add too and totally forgot to put them in! Super tasty but if I make it again I think I’ll use a different pasta or rice or skip the starch altogether. The rice noodles were too slippery to get on your spoon and just sat at the bottom of the pot/bowl. Didn’t think to pull out chop sticks and eat it like pho until we were done eating!
I added ginger and fish sauce for depth ! Great recipe to use up the last of the turkey !
Great idea!! Glad you enjoyed it, Karen! 😀
Delicious and so satisfying. Wonderful leftover turkey meal.
Thank you so much!
Would this be able to freeze?
Sure, but you may want to add the noodles when reheating. Enjoy!!