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Home » Recipes » Soups

Thai Rice Soup (Khao Tom)

Written by: Rachel. Published: Feb 10, 2025· This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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The Thai Rice Soup known as Khao Tom is a comforting dish made with jasmine rice in a flavorful broth. Topped with seasoned pork, fried garlic, white pepper, and fresh herbs, it's a delicious choice for a Thai breakfast or when you need something easy on the stomach.

A bowl of Thai rice soup (Khao Tom) topped with minced pork, cilantro, green onions, and fried garlic

I love how comforting and approachable Khao Tom is. At its core, this Thai rice soup consists of cooked jasmine rice immersed in a savory Thai broth. But with the addition of toppings like seasoned ground pork, fresh herbs, white pepper, and crispy fried garlic, it transforms into a deeply flavorful and nourishing meal.

Khao Tom shares some similarities with Jok (Thai congee), as both are comforting Thai rice dishes often enjoyed for breakfast. However, while Jok is slow-cooked until the rice breaks down into a creamy, porridge-like consistency, Khao Tom is made by adding individual grains of cooked jasmine rice to a clear broth.

Whether you're hungry for breakfast, feeling under the weather, or just craving a bowl of something warm and restorative, Khao Tom is a delicious choice.

Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love Thai Rice Soup
  • What does Khao Tom mean in Thai?
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Thai Rice Soup
  • Variations
  • Thai Rice Soup FAQs
  • More Thai Breakfast Recipes
  • Recipe

Why You'll Love Thai Rice Soup

A bowl of Thai Rice Soup (Khao Tom) with seasoned pork, herbs, and fried garlic on top.
  • Comforting & Nourishing: This warm, brothy rice soup is light, easy to digest, and perfect for breakfast or a soothing meal any time of day. The flavorful broth helps with hydration, the rice offers energy, and the pork adds a satisfying boost of protein.
  • Quick & Easy to Make: If you're like many Thai home cooks and have jasmine rice, a Thai-style broth, and fried garlic already made, this rice soup comes together in a matter of minutes.
  • Customizable & Versatile: Although it's often made as presented here, there are many different options for the base flavor and toppings so you can customize this soup how you like.
  • Mild Yet Flavorful: While the base of jasmine rice and broth are both fairly mild, the toppings add so much depth of flavor and aroma to the dish overall.

What does Khao Tom mean in Thai?

Khao is the Thai word for rice. Tom means "to boil" and is often used in reference of soups (think Tom Yum Goong or Tom Kha Gai). Therefore, Khao Tom (ข้าวต้ม) means "boiled rice" or "rice soup" in English. For more Thai culinary words, see this handy infographic that explains how to interpret a Thai menu.

Ingredients

Ingredients to make Thai rice soup AKA Khao Tom.
  • Jasmine Rice: This recipe uses cooked jasmine rice, whether freshly made or leftover, as it will warm up nicely in the hot broth.
  • Thai Pork Broth: A homemade pork broth infused with Thai aromatics provides the best flavor, but a store-bought version works in a pinch.
  • Minced Pork: Pork is a common choice in Thailand, but you can use whatever protein you prefer.
  • Cilantro Root, Garlic, and White Pepper: This trio of Thai aromatics is pounded into a paste and mixed into the minced pork for extra depth of flavor. If you don't have cilantro roots, replace them with double the amount of cilantro stems.
  • Fish Sauce and Thin Soy Sauce: These essential Thai seasoning sauces enhance both the pork and the soup with savory umami.
  • Fried Garlic and Garlic Oil: Fried garlic is best when homemade, but you can also find it at Asian markets for convenience.
  • Cilantro, Green Onion, and Chinese Celery: These fresh greens that add a bright, herby finish to the soup.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Thai Rice Soup

A bowl of clear Thai stock with cilantro roots and garlic next to it.

Step 1: Make a Thai-style pork broth by combining pork bones with Thai aromatics and allowing to simmer for roughly 2 hours. Season and strain for use in this soup.

A pan of ground pork cooking, seasoned with cilantro roots, garlic, and white pepper.

Step 2: Pound the cilantro roots, garlic, and white pepper into a paste. Mix paste and seasoning sauces into the ground pork, then cook until the pork is done.

A bowl of clear broth surrounded by ingredients to make Khao Tom.

Step 3: To a bowl of clear Thai broth, add the cooked jasmine rice and cooked seasoned ground pork.

A bowl of Khao Tom surrounded by toppings of fried garlic, fresh herbs, and white pepper.

Step 4: Top the rice soup with white pepper powder, fried garlic, cilantro, green onion, and Chinese celery. Enjoy!

Variations

Although pork is a common choice for topping Khao Tom, this Thai rice soup can be made with any protein. Chicken, shrimp, and fish are all good options. You could also make this soup without any meat. If you'd like to make a vegan version, you'd also want to substitute the pork broth with a vegetable broth, and the fish sauce with Thai thin soy sauce.

Some versions of Khao Tom are served with a soft boiled egg and thinly sliced ginger, similar to Jok. Others are served with chilis in vinegar or Chinese pickled cabbage to add a sour note. You can easily adapt Khao Tom to suit your personal tastes with your choice of protein, toppings, and seasonings.

Thai Rice Soup FAQs

What's the difference between Rice Soup and Rice Porridge?

Thai Rice Soup is known as Khao Tom. It is composed of individual grains of cooked jasmine rice in a flavorful broth. Khao Tom is often topped with seasoned pork, fresh herbs, and fried garlic. Thai Rice Porridge is known as Jok. It is made with broken jasmine rice that's simmered until it has an oatmeal-like consistency. Jok is often topped with pork meatballs, soft boiled egg, and thinly sliced ginger.

What is the meaning of Khao Tom?

In Thai, "khao" translates to rice, while "tom" means "to boil" and is commonly associated with soups. As a result, Khao Tom (ข้าวต้ม) directly translates to "boiled rice" or "rice soup" in English.

What does Tom mean in Thai food?

Tom (ต้ม, pronounced "tome") is a Thai word that means to boil. It is specifically used to refer to soups, including Tom Kha Gai and Tom Yum Goong.

A bowl of Thai rice soup, Khao Tom, topped with ground pork, fried garlic, and fresh herbs.

More Thai Breakfast Recipes

In Thailand, Khao Tom is a popular breakfast dish (though it can also be enjoyed throughout the day). Likewise, here are some other Thai dishes that, while not specifically labeled as breakfast foods, make for a delicious morning meal.

  • Two bowls of Jok, Thai congee, topped with pork meatballs and soft boiled egg.
    Jok (Thai Rice Porridge)
  • Kai Jeow
    Thai Omelette | Kai Jeow | ไข่เจียว
  • Moo Ping
    Moo Ping (Thai Grilled Pork Skewers)
  • Coconut Custard Dessert | Khanom Krok | ขนมครก

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Recipe

A bowl of Thai rice soup (Khao Tom) topped with minced pork, cilantro, green onions, and fried garlic

Thai Rice Soup (Khao Tom)

Supremely nourishing and comforting, this Thai Rice Soup makes for a delicious Thai breakfast or mild meal anytime.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Thai
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 332kcal
Author: Rachel

Equipment

  • mortar and pestle
  • large pot

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Thai pork broth
  • 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
  • 1 cup ground pork
  • 2 cilantro roots
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • ¼ cup green onions
  • ¼ cup Chinese celery
  • 2 Tablespoons fried garlic

Instructions

  • Prepare the Pork Broth: If you already have a Thai pork broth made, simply heat it up on the stove. Otherwise, follow this recipe to make your own homemade Thai pork broth.1
  • Prepare the Pork: Pound the cilantro roots2, garlic, and white pepper together in a mortar and pestle until it forms a fine paste. Add the ground pork and fish sauce and mix together. Spoon a little bit of garlic oil into a pan and cook the pork over medium heat until it is done.
  • Make the Rice Soup: To each bowl, add 1 cup of warm pork broth, ¾ cup of cooked jasmine rice, and ¼ cup of cooked pork.3 Taste and adjust the seasonings based on how salty your original broth is. Add thin soy sauce and/or fish sauce if additional salt is needed.
  • Add the Toppings: Top your bowl of Khao Tom with your choice of cilantro, green onions, Chinese celery, fried garlic, and white pepper powder. Enjoy!

Notes

  1.  If you don't have time to make homemade broth, feel free to use store-bought broth.  It will certainly work in a pinch, although the flavors of western chicken broths are somewhat different than a Thai style broth.
  2. If you don't have cilantro roots, you can substitute cilantro stems.  Use approximately double the amount of stems as their flavor is not as strong as the root.
  3. These amounts can vary depending on the consistency of soup you prefer.  If you like a more brothy soup, decrease the amount of rice, and vice versa.  

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1262mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 1 vote

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Rachel

    February 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm

    5 stars
    I love how easy and quick this soup is to put together, and it's just so comforting.. Perfect on these cold winter days.

    Reply

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