Tom Yum Paste substitute

Best substitute

Nam prik pao, Thai roasted chili jam

1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon, plus fresh aromatics in the pot

Best for tom yum goong and tom yum noodle soup

Close match

You genuinely do not need the jar. Simmer 2 smashed lemongrass stalks, 5 slices of galangal or ginger and 4 torn kaffir lime leaves in your broth for 10 minutes, then season off the heat with fish sauce, lime juice and a teaspoon or two of chili paste per 4 cups of liquid, and you have tom yum. If you want a single jar instead, nam prik pao (Thai roasted chili jam) is by far the closest, and red curry paste works at about 2 teaspoons per 4 cups plus a lot of extra lime.

Other tom yum paste substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Fresh aromatics with fish sauce, lime and chili
Different texture
For 4 cups of broth, replacing about 2 tablespoons of paste: 2 lemongrass stalks, 5 slices galangal, 4 kaffir lime leaves, 3 crushed Thai chilies, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon palm sugar
The original recipe, built from scratch, which is what the paste is imitating.
What changes
Best for
the best-tasting version, controlling heat and salt exactly, anyone who can get lemongrass and lime leaves
Cleaner, brighter and much less oily than the jarred version, and most people prefer it once they try it. The one thing it does not have is the roasted, faintly sweet depth that comes from the fried chili paste in the jar, so stir in a teaspoon of chili paste or a spoonful of chili crisp oil at the end if you want that. Simmer the aromatics for 10 minutes, then add the lime juice off the heat.
3Tom kha paste or laksa paste
Different taste
1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon, plus extra lime and chili
Other Southeast Asian pastes that share the lemongrass and galangal base.
What changes
Best for
when the Asian aisle has one paste and it is not tom yum, noodle soups, coconut versions of the soup
Tom kha paste is the closer of the two: same aromatic backbone, but milder and built for a coconut milk soup, so it is rounder and less sour. Push it back with double lime and a teaspoon of chili paste. Laksa paste is heavier on coriander seed, dried shrimp and often candlenut, so the soup comes out thicker and nuttier and reads Malaysian rather than Thai.
4Red curry paste with extra lime and sugar
Taste and texture differ
Use about two thirds as much as the tom yum paste, plus double the lime juice
The paste most people already have, pushed toward hot and sour.
What changes
Best for
tom yum style noodle bowls, coconut versions of the soup, when the Thai section of your supermarket is one shelf
Red curry paste has the lemongrass and galangal but is built for a rich coconut curry, not a clear sour soup, so the result tastes deeper, more cumin-and-coriander, and much less sour. It will also make the broth cloudy. Doubling the lime and adding a teaspoon of tamarind gets it recognisably close; it is a tom yum style soup rather than tom yum.
5Sambal oelek or chili garlic paste with tamarind
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon tamarind paste and half a teaspoon sugar for every tablespoon of tom yum paste
A plain chili paste supplying heat, with tamarind for the sour side.
What changes
Best for
when heat and sourness are what is missing, well-stocked Western pantries, quick weeknight soup
This gives you the heat and the sour but tastes raw and one-dimensional, because there is no roasted note and no aromatic base at all. With this route the fresh lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves are not optional, they are the whole dish. Fry the chili paste in a teaspoon of oil for 30 seconds first, which takes the raw edge off it.
6Sriracha with fish sauce and lime
Taste and texture differ
For 1 tablespoon paste use 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 teaspoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon lime juice
The last resort, using bottled hot sauce for the chili element.
What changes
Best for
absolutely nothing else in the house, a quick sour spicy broth, instant noodle upgrades
The weakest option here and worth being honest about. Sriracha is sweet, garlicky and vinegar-sharp, so the soup tastes tangy and sweet rather than roasted and citrus-sour, and it will tint the broth pink-orange. Ginger, a strip of lime zest and plenty of cilantro do more to rescue it than more sriracha will.

What is Tom Yum Paste?

Tom Yum Paste is a jarred shortcut for Thai hot and sour soup, a red-brown oily blend of roasted chili paste, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, shallot, tamarind and usually shrimp paste or dried shrimp, which carries the soup's heat, roasted sweetness, salt and sour backbone in a single spoonful.

Cooking tips

Bruise the aromatics and do not expect anyone to eat them. Smash the lemongrass with the flat of a knife and cut it into 5 cm lengths, slice the galangal into coins, and tear the lime leaves in half. They perfume the broth and then get pushed to the side of the bowl.
Add the lime juice off the heat, right at the end. Boiled lime juice turns dull and slightly bitter, and that is the single most common reason a homemade tom yum tastes flat despite having everything in it.
Season in order and taste as you go: fish sauce for salt, lime for sour, a small pinch of palm sugar to round it off, chili paste for heat and roasted depth. Tom yum should hit sour first and salty second, with heat behind both.
Ginger is a workable stand-in for galangal here, but it is hotter and less piney and resinous, so use about two thirds as much and add a wide strip of lime zest to make up the aromatic difference.
Almost all jarred tom yum pastes contain shrimp paste or dried shrimp. For a vegan version, build the soup from fresh aromatics with soy sauce or a little light miso for the salt and umami, a vegan chili paste for heat, and mushrooms simmered in the broth for depth.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use red curry paste instead of tom yum paste?

Yes, with adjustments. Use about two thirds as much, double the lime juice, and add a teaspoon of tamarind paste if you have it. Red paste shares the lemongrass and galangal base but is built for coconut curry, so the soup comes out deeper, cloudier and much less sour. It is a good soup that is not quite tom yum.

Can I just leave the tom yum paste out?

You can leave the jar out, but you cannot leave out what it does, or you have plain broth. The good news is that the paste is only a shortcut. Lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves simmered in the broth, then fish sauce, lime juice and chili off the heat, is the actual original recipe and tastes better than the jar.

What is the difference between tom yum and tom kha?

Tom yum is a clear, hot and sour broth driven by lime juice, chili and fish sauce. Tom kha is made with coconut milk, is milder and creamier, and leans harder on galangal, which is what kha means. Tom kha paste works in a tom yum with extra lime and chili, and tom yum paste works in a tom kha if you add coconut milk.

Is tom yum paste the same as nam prik pao?

Related but not identical. Nam prik pao is roasted chili jam: dried chilies, shallots and garlic fried in oil with tamarind and palm sugar. Tom yum paste is usually nam prik pao with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and shrimp paste added, so it is the more complete product. Nam prik pao plus fresh aromatics gets you there.

Do I really need galangal, or will ginger do?

Ginger will do, and plenty of home cooks use it. Galangal is sharper, more piney and almost medicinal, while ginger is hotter and sweeter, so the soup loses a distinctive note. Use about two thirds as much ginger as the galangal called for, and add a strip of lime zest. Frozen sliced galangal is widely sold at Asian groceries and keeps for months.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Tom Yum Paste substitute

Other tom yum paste substitutes

2Fresh aromatics with fish sauce, lime and chili

3Tom kha paste or laksa paste

4Red curry paste with extra lime and sugar

5Sambal oelek or chili garlic paste with tamarind

6Sriracha with fish sauce and lime