How Many Calories in Tom Kha Gai?

Also known as ต้มข่าไก่, Tom Ka Gai, Thai Coconut Chicken Soup, Galangal Chicken Soup.

Chicken and mushrooms simmered in coconut milk with galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and lime juice. The mild, creamy cousin of tom yum, and the one tourists order when they want less chili.

320kcal / 1 bowl

A 300g bowl of tom kha gai is about 320 calories. Published Thai figures run from 210 for a small cup to 420 for a rich restaurant bowl, and the whole gap is coconut milk. Around 100ml of coconut milk is 180 calories; the chicken is 130; everything else is under 20.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (300g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	320 kcal	107 kcal
Protein	18 g	6 g
Carbs	10 g	3 g
Fat	24 g	8 g

Where the calories come from

Coconut milk100g

180 kcal

Chicken80g

130 kcal

Mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass, lime60g

20 kcal

Fish sauce, sugar10g

10 kcal

The real talk

Tom kha is tom yum with coconut milk, and that one change turns a 100 calorie soup into a 320 calorie one. Every 100ml of coconut milk is about 180 calories, and a restaurant bowl can have 150ml. That is why the published numbers scatter so much: a 210 calorie version is made with a thin coconut broth, a 420 calorie one is made with thick coconut cream.

The good news is the rest of the bowl is cheap. 80g of chicken is 130 calories and 18g of protein. Straw mushrooms, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaf add maybe 20 calories combined. So the bowl is filling, high in protein for a soup, and the fat is the only thing to watch. At 24g of fat per bowl it is the fattiest soup on the Thai menu.

Treat it as a main, not a side. A bowl of tom kha with a small plate of rice (200 calories) is a 520 calorie meal, which is fine. Tom kha as a starter before green curry and pad thai is where the coconut stacks up and the meal quietly passes 1,200.

How the portions compare

210 kcal

Small cup (thin broth)

320 kcal

Standard bowl

450 kcal

Restaurant hot pot, per person

How to eat it lighter

Order it as tom kha, not tom kha nam khon (thick); a thinner broth uses light coconut milk and saves 80 to 100 calories.
Eat the chicken and mushrooms and leave half the broth; the broth holds most of the fat.
Make it the main with a small rice, instead of a starter before curry.
At home, use 60ml coconut milk topped up with chicken stock; the taste holds and the bowl drops to about 200 calories.

Common questions

Is tom kha gai healthy?

It is a high protein soup with 18g of protein a bowl, but 24g of fat from coconut milk. Fine as a main with rice, heavy as a starter. Tom yum at about 100 calories is the lighter choice if you just want soup.

Tom kha gai vs tom yum, which is lower in calories?

Tom yum by a wide margin. A clear tom yum gai is around 100 calories a bowl; tom kha gai is about 320 because of the coconut milk.

How many calories in tom kha gai with rice?

About 520 for a bowl plus a 150g plate of rice. That is a reasonable lunch with good protein.

Related foods

Tomyam

250 kcal per 1 bowl (tomyam campur, clear broth)

Tom Saap

270 kcal per 1 bowl

Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan)

500 kcal per 1 bowl curry with 1 plate rice

Sup Ayam

250 kcal per 1 bowl

Khao Tom

300 kcal per 1 bowl

Jok

250 kcal per 1 bowl with egg

See all Soups calories, ranked ›

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or food court serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New here? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice ›