The Best Creamy Tom Yum Pasta Recipe

Tom Yum Pasta is packed with creamy coconut milk, and Thai spicy zesty flavors that you’ll adore! Best week night dinner right here!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• LEARN FROM AN EXPERT THAI COOKING CLASS TEACHER: A Thai cooking class instructor (aka me, Sherri! :)) will be teaching you step-by-step all my top Thai cooking secrets in this recipe!
• EASY WEEKNIGHT CROWD PLEASER DINNER: Quick, crowd pleasing, creamy, flavorful Thai pasta fusion dish?! Need I say more?
• USE UP THOSE LEFTOVERS: As long as you have Tom Yum paste or Tom Yum herbs, you can use any veggies, protein, or pasta you have on hand that needs to be used up!

What is Tom Yum Pasta? 

Sherri’s Story

The first time I tasted Tom Yum Pasta was in Bangkok sitting inside a restaurant chain called Kin Kao Kin Pla, which is what my Thai Hubby calls in Thai a “hiso” restaurant (hiso means high society, but we consider hiso restaurants in Bangkok anywhere that isn’t a street vendor and in an air-conditioned building).

I swirled a bite of the Tom Yum Pasta onto my spoon, tasted it and immediately I said to Thai Hubby, “I have to learn how to make this! It’s so good!”

The sauce was so creamy from the coconut milk, and it reminded me of a creamy Italian pasta sauce with chunks of tomato, but also it had the perfect spicy, sour taste of Tom Yum Soup, and the huge prawns were cooked perfectly. 

We ate Thai-style and shared many other dishes that meal, but my favorite one was the Tom Yum Pasta.

My Tom Yum Pasta recipe is a combo of what I ate at the restaurant along with some of my own additions. It’s been one of Thai Hubby’s favorite recipes ever since I posted this recipe years ago.

I’ve made this for my Thai family, and they adore it, and I’ve made it for my American friends who have never tasted Thai food, and they are obsessed with it, which means it’s the perfect Thai-American fusion!! So you have to try it!

Ingredient Notes

Uh-oh! Don’t have some of these ingredients? Don’t worry! Just look below for how to sub them in my Additions and Substitutions section! 

4 servings of spaghetti noodles, or pasta of your choice: We really don’t have a preference, just whatever noodles you have on hand that you like!

4 servings of shrimp, or 1.5 lbs. chicken breast, sliced thinly: In Thailand, Tom Yum soup is typically served with shrimp, but chicken works great too or any protein you have on hand.

2-3 tbsp. Tom Yum Paste: It wont taste like Tom Yum without this! Make your own Tom Yum Paste using my recipe, get it online, or at your local Asian market. 

4 fresh kaffir lime leaves, separated*, thinly sliced, stems removed: adds a spiced-citrus flavor which is lighter and zestier than a bay leaf.

3 c. sliced, fresh white mushrooms: Tom Yum soup always has mushrooms in it, but if you don’t have any, just use whatever veggies are in your fridge that you want to use up.

3 fresh roma tomatoes, sliced into chunks: Tomatoes are always found in Tom Yum soup, and tomatoes and pasta go so well together, it adds to the Thai-Italian fusion taste!

4 tbsp. Thai Roasted Chili Paste: savory, spicy, sweet Thai paste with deep-roasted smoky flavors that we love to add to Tom Yum soup. 

1 can Chaokoh Coconut Milk 13.5 Fl. Oz., or coconut milk of your choice: helps make the sauce taste creamy without adding any dairy. 

3-4 tbsp. fish sauce, to taste: My fav magical Thai ingredient! Even though it’s smelly, you’d never know once you add it to your Thai dish because all you taste is the savory, umami flavor that can’t be replicated with any other sauce!

1.5 tbsp. tamarind paste: Tamarind paste is normally added to Tom Yum soup to give it a sour, with a hint of sweetness tangy note.

juice from 2-3 limes, to taste: Lime juice adds the sour flavors that make you think of Tom Yum soup.

1 tsp. or so sugar: Helps balance the sour flavors. 

handful of fresh, roughly chopped cilantro: adds sharp, clean notes and sprinkled on each serving makes Tom Yum Pasta look extra pretty!

How to make Tom Yum Pasta : Step by Step

Boil the water for the pasta, so you can cook the noodles while you are making the sauce.

Add 2 tbsp. of cooking oil to a wok or large saucepan and warm over medium-high heat.

Once pan is warm, add in the Tom Yum paste. 

Stir-fry until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Add in the thick top part of the coconut milk. Stir until combined.

If cooking with chicken, add it in now and mix it up until it’s all coated. 

Add in the rest of the coconut milk, mushrooms and Thai chili paste, and stir it up. 

Cook on medium high, stirring off and on, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms soft, about 15 minutes or so. 

Add tomatoes, and if using shrimp, add in now too.

Be careful with the shrimp since it cooks so quickly. It might just take 1-2 minutes for it to cook. Once it’s turned pink and white and pretty, then turn off the heat.

Add fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and lime juice to taste. I like mine more on the sour end.

Place noodles on plate, and put the sauce on top. Sprinkle some cilantro and kaffir lime leaf strips on top. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• If substituting a ground meat for the sliced meat, cook it separately from the sauce, and then ladle the sauce on top of the meat and veggies. Cooking the ground meat in the sauce soaks up the sauce, so then you have no sauce! Yup, it happened to me before!  

Storage & Reheating

Fridge: 

• According to the USDA, leftovers like Tom Yum Pasta are still good after 3-4 days of being in the fridge.

Freezer:

• According to the USDA, leftovers like Tom Yum Pasta are still good after 3-4 months of being frozen. 
• Cook your pasta al dente, and add a little bit of olive oil if using spaghetti noodles while they’re hot, so they don’t clump together.
• Once the noodles and sauce are completely cooled, put the noodles in one freezer bag and the sauce in another in desired portion sizes.

Reheat:

• Transfer the bags to the fridge to thaw. Then, put the pasta into boiling water for a minute or two until warmed and drain it, or put it in the microwave to reheat. The sauce can be thawed in the fridge and reheated in the microwave or stove top.

Ingredient Additions and Substitutions

Your Questions Answered

Is Tom Yum served with rice?

Tom Yum Pasta is a fusion dish based on the classic Thai soup, Tom Yum Soup. Tom Yum Soup is served with rice. But Tom Yum Pasta isn’t usually served with rice since it’s served with pasta. 

Where is Tom Yum paste from?

Tom Yum Paste is a Thai ingredient made with the ingredients you’d find in Tom Yum soup like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, Thai dried chiles and galangal. My favorite way to use it is in dishes like Tom Yum Pasta or Tom Yum Fried Rice to add Tom Yum soup flavors to other Thai dishes.

You can make your own Tom Yum Paste or buy Tom Yum Paste online or at your local Asian market.

Is Tom Yum good for your stomach?

Yes, Tom Yum dishes can be great for your gut! Ingredients found in Tom Yum Pasta like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal have antimicrobial effects and effectively fights stomach infections. 

Why is Tom Yum healthy?

Yes, Tom Yum Pasta is healthy. All the Thai herbs in it are packed with antioxidants and antimicrobial effects that help keep your body strong, and especially if you make your own Tom Yum paste it’s extra good for you since you don’t add any weird preservative ingredients that they might add at a factory. 

Is​​ Tom Yum Paste spicy?

Yes, Tom Yum Paste is typically spicy since Tom Yum soup is known for being spicy. But the fun thing about making your own Tom Yum Paste is that you can make it as spicy or not spicy as you want depending on how many Thai chilies you choose to add.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Tom Yum Paste
• Tom Yum Fried Rice
• Tom Yum Wings
• 35 Popular Thai Dishes

I hope you love this Tom Yum Pasta! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it.

And if you make it, I want to see! Take a pic and tag us on Instagram @thaifoodie! Happy Thai Cooking!

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