Thai Coconut Curry Vegetable Noodle Soup Vegetarian Khao Soi Instant Pot Noodle Soup

Recently I have been sharing quick vegetarian weekday lunch/dinner recipes that you can easily make in your Instant Pot. Earlier I shared chakalaka, the South African vegetable relish, and then zucchini chili, and now it’s time for the Thai coconut curry noodle soup or the khao soi. Looking for more Thai-inspired recipes? Check out these amazing dishes: Thai Peanut Sauce, Vegetarian Thai Green Curry, Vegan Thai Mango Curry With Cilantro And Cashews, Vegetarian Thai Red Curry With Tofu, or Thai Iced Tea to enjoy with your next meal!

Khao Soi

Khao soi is a noodle soup dish that is quite popular in Myanmar, Laos, and Northern Thailand. According to Wikipedia, it’s a Chin Haw dish meaning this khao soi was created by the Chinese people who migrated to Thailand via Myanmar or Laos. Khao or Kao means rice. And soi means “cut.” So khao soi means cut rice or rice noodles dish. But the Northern Thai Khao soi is made with egg noodles, so instead of egg noodles, I went with wheat noodles here. Also, I used a green-curry paste instead of red. So I am not calling mine as authentic khao soi but one variation of khao soi. (There are several variations, folks. :-) )

Store-bought Thai curry paste

While I love to make spice pastes and powders from scratch, sometimes I resort to store-bought ones. And for this noodle soup, that’s what I did. I used vegan store-bought Thai green curry paste, and it makes your life super easy. You don’t need to worry about the exotic ingredients like galangal or kaffir lime etc. The curry pastes make it all easy. (PS – this is not a sponsored post) If you are curious to make your curry pastes, then check out my Thai yellow curry, green curry, and red curry posts for the recipes. I have used authentic Thai ingredients to make the curry pastes. Now, if you are looking for an accessible version with substitutes, then do check out the Thai watermelon rind curry post.

Noodles Used

I tested this recipe with regular wheat noodles that we use for the Hakka noodles and also with Japanese dried udon noodles. For this particular recipe, I went with dried udon noodles. (Made it a Thai/Japanese fusion recipe) Traditionally this recipe calls for rice noodles, but I went with what I had in hand. The same goes for the curry paste also. As mentioned before, I used green curry paste, but you can very well use red curry paste. This recipe is very forgiving (make sure to check the Instant Pot cooking time), and you can customize it according to your needs. Check the recipe notes for all the ingredient substitutes and variations.

My vegan version of khao soi

I used a lot of vegetables in the soup. The noodles I used makes it a non-gluten-free dish, but you can use rice noodles instead. Also, udon noodles are usually vegan, but some brands might have different ingredients. So make sure you check the ingredients. As the recipe goes, you first saute the onions and garlic and then cook the curry paste for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat. Then add all the veggies and water and the noodles. Let the Instant Pot do its magic, and then stir in the coconut milk and basil. Let it simmer and done. Sounds easy, right?

Watch me make vegetarian khao soi

Serving details

I highly recommend serving this soup immediately. As the noodles soak more, it becomes thick and slightly mushy. In that case, cook the soup without noodles and add cooked noodles before serving. You can add fried tofu or tempeh for added protein. Call it khao soi or Thai Coconut Curry Vegetable Noodle Soup, or simply vegetable noodle soup, this noodle soup is a crowd-pleaser recipe for sure. Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this coconut curry noodle soup in the Instant Pot.

How to make Thai Coconut Curry Vegetable Noodle Soup in Instant Pot

Set Instant Pot in the saute mode and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, and green onion. Saute for two to three minutes.

Now add the Thai green curry paste and water. Mix well and make sure you scrape the bottom. Let it cook for 30 seconds, and then add the salt and sugar and mix well. Next, add the chopped vegetables and mix well. Now turn off the Instant Pot.

Add the remaining 2.75 cups of water and the dried udon noodles. Make sure you immerse the noodles well inside the water.

Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 3-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, quickly release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure, and this how the noodle soup will look.

And mix the noodles gently. Set the Instant Pot in saute mode again.

Now add 1 cup of coconut milk, the basil leaves, and the scallion’s green part. Simmer it for two minutes, and that’s it. While simmering, you can check for the seasoning, and if required, you can add more curry paste, the remaining ½ tbsp measure. I did add it. And if you feel the curry is spicy, add brown sugar and salt as needed. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes | Ingredient Substitutes | Variations

Cook for three mts at high-pressure mode and release the pressure quickly or 2 minutes and do 10 minute NPR. Do not go beyond that as noodles will become mush. Also, serve it right away. Instead of green curry paste, you can use red curry paste. Also, I went with dried udon noodles. But I have tried this recipe with regular wheat noodles as well, and that’s what I shared on my IG. The same timing works well for that. You can use rice noodles, but I haven’t tested the recipe with rice noodles, though. I am sure the thick brown rice noodles should work with the same timing, but I need to test the thin rice noodles. Adjust the curry paste, salt, and sugar as per your taste. For this noodle, you can use up to 500 grams of vegetables. The vegetables need to have a bite, so this timing works perfectly. Instead of plain water, you can add vegetable broth for enhanced flavor.

Browse other vegetarian noodle recipes

PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this Instant Pot khao soi, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it asap. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas!