The BEST Shrimp Soup Recipe (Just 5 Minutes Of Prep Work Needed)

This flavorful shrimp soup is the best seafood soup recipe you'll ever make. The broth is absolutely jam-packed with umami goodness from the rich spices and red curry paste that's infused into the broth. And the soup itself is filled with spinach, basmati rice, bell peppers, and tender, perfectly cooked shrimp. The best part though is that you can make this soup in under 30 minutes, and the entire recipe is just passive cooking!

The Best Shrimp Soup

Honestly, this shrimp soup recipe might just be the best soup ever. I mean, it's filled with so much flavor, and it's so easy to make. What more could you ask for?!

This shrimp soup turns a regular broth into a wonderfully seasoned base that is complimented with the perfect combination of veggies, shrimp, and rice to give it some more substance and texture. Seriously, After you take one slurp/bite, you won't be able to get enough of it! Atleast we can't at our house.

Plus, as I mentioned, it's beyond easy to make. The recipe really boils down to sautéing the veggies and spices, adding the chicken broth, and then simmering the shrimp. And all of that cooking happens in just one pot - you barely have to lift a finger!

Also, since you really don't have to do much to make it, you can put together an equally delicious side dish to go with the soup. I love making this garlic bread to dip in the soup, but some more great recipes to pair with it are this Kani salad and these Chinese green beans. With that said, the soup is definitely hearty enough to just be a complete meal all by itself.

Ingredients

This shrimp soup recipe is made with all really simple ingredients, and I bet you already have most - if not all - of them on hand already!

Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make it:

• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ onion, sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ½ pound fresh shrimp, cleaned
• 4 cups spinach
• 1 cup basmati rice for serving

Pretty simple stuff, right?!

By the way, you can use many of these same ingredients to make this seafood rice recipe. And if you have extra shrimp, you can use it to make this beer battered shrimp!

Ingredient Substitutions and Suggestions

Now, while I recommend making this shrimp soup exactly as it's written, I do have some suggestions for making substitutions if you're in a pinch.

Replace The Chicken Broth

If you don't have chicken broth - or chicken stock - you can definitely use shrimp stock or any other seafood broth in its place. Also, just so you know, vegetable broth will work as well, but just keep in mind that using either shrimp stock or vegetable broth will slightly change the flavor of the soup.

By the way, you can even make your own shrimp stock if you're feeling ambitious. Use the shrimp shells from the shrimp in this recipe and add 5 cups of water. Boil the shrimp shells in the water for about 30 minutes, then strain and discard the shrimp shells. Your homemade shrimp stock is ready!

Add Tomatoes

For a different flavor, try adding a tablespoon of tomato paste or canned tomatoes to the broth to make it more of a Mexican shrimp soup. Whisk in the tomato paste to make a creamy, tomatoey soup - similar to my seafood soup.

Use Frozen Shrimp

You can replace the fresh shrimp in the recipe with frozen shrimp. Just let the frozen shrimp thaw before starting this recipe. Once the shrimp are thawed, they're ready to cook!

Make Thai Shrimp Soup

If you want to turn this spicy shrimp soup into a Thai shrimp soup, it's really easy to do that. Just replace 1 cup of chicken broth with a 12-ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk.

The coconut milk will make the broth of this shrimp soup a little sweet, and it adds a delicious creaminess as well. My wife loves when I add this twist to the soup. In fact, she loves it so much we hardly ever make it without the coconut milk anymore.

Also, if you do make this a Thai shrimp soup - and use the coconut milk - I highly recommend garnishing it with some freshly chopped green onions or cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice to boost the flavor in it even more.

Swap the Oil

If you don't have sesame oil, you can switch it out for olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Olive oil is the best substitution for sesame oil so try to go that route if possible.

How to Make Shrimp Soup

As I mentioned earlier, this shrimp soup is so easy to make. In fact, it may be one of the easiest homemade soups ever! All you have to do is add the ingredients to a soup pot - at different times of course - and then just wait patiently while the soup cooks.

Anyway, let's stop talking about how easy it is to make this tasty soup and get cooking!

Step 1: Saute The Veggies

First, before you do anything else, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the basmati rice according to the package instructions.

Then, while that's cooking, take out a large deep pot and put it over medium heat, and add the sesame oil to it along with the sliced onions, red bell peppers, garlic, and ginger. Give everything a little stir to coat them in the oil, and then let it all cook for about 10 minutes.

Also, while everything is cooking, you'll want to make sure you give the ingredients a stir every once in a while so they cook evenly.

Step 2: Add the Broth and Shrimp

Once the 10 minutes are up, you'll want to add the curry paste to the pot and mix it with the veggies. Then, you can add the chicken broth and give everything another mix.

Now cook this broth mixture for 10 more minutes, and then add the shrimp to the pot and cook everything for a few minutes - until the shrimp turn pink and are fully cooked.

Step 3: Finish The Soup

To complete this delicious seafood soup, you'll want to add the spinach to the pot and cook it for a couple of minutes - just until the baby spinach starts to wilt.

Then, you can dish out some cooked basmati rice in bowls and pour the soup on top. Finish each bowl off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and garnish 'em with some mint and cilantro leaves. Finally, serve the soup warm, and enjoy!

How to Store Shrimp Soup

This recipe for shrimp soup makes about 4 large servings of soup, so there is a chance you will have some leftovers. If you do, you can transfer the leftover soup to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

Now, if you want to keep the soup for longer, you can freeze it for about 3 months. To freeze the soup, first, let it cool completely at room temperature. Then, transfer the soup to an airtight container - or freezer-safe bag - with the extra air squeezed out of it.

How to Reheat Shrimp Soup

Once you're ready to enjoy this soup again, you'll definitely want to reheat it.

So, to do that, you can put the soup back in a pot and warm it over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so until the soup reaches your desired temperature.

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make shrimp soup from scratch in just a few simple steps!

I know I'm biased, but I really think this is one of the best shrimp soup recipes - and even seafood soup recipes - you'll ever have. I mean, the soup is just jam-packed with flavor, and it's so, so easy to make.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this shrimp soup as much as I/we do.

If you make it, leave a comment below and let us know how it went!

More Soup Recipes

If you loved this shrimp soup recipe, we have some more easy soup recipes on the blog you can try out next! 

Here are a few reader favorites:

• Crack chicken noodle soup
• Carrabbas sausage and lentil soup
• Ground beef vegetable soup
• 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
• Fideo Soup
  

Oh, and for even more unbelievably delicious recipes, be sure to follow us on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. We post new ones on them every single day!

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