Curry Lentil Soup
Updated February 22, 2024
Quick Summary
Curry Lentil Soup- this easy, one pot, curry lentil soup is creamy, comforting, nourishing, and most importantly DELICIOUS! The perfect meal for a cold day or any day!
Do you cook with lentils? I love them. If you haven't tried them, don't be intimidated. They are easy to cook, affordable, and a great source of protein, fiber, iron, and folate.
My Lentil Salad and Lentil Soup are two of my all-time favorite recipes. Today, I am sharing a Curry Lentil Soup recipe, that is basically a hug in a bowl. The soup is hearty, warming, creamy, and SO good! You will want to lick your bowl!
This recipe is inspired by Ottolenghi, I spotted it in his cookbook, which is gorgeous btw, but I made a few changes and I am hooked. I have already made it a few times this month. It is a new favorite!
The soup is easy to make and made with mostly pantry ingredients. You only need ONE pot, it's basically the perfect weeknight meal. Pro tip, try to save some leftovers for lunch because this soup gets even better as it sits. It is a great make-ahead, meal prep recipe!
Table of Contents
Soup Ingredients
The ingredients are basic, but the flavors are not! Everything comes together in one pot and the end results are incredible!
- Oil– you can use olive oil or coconut oil, whatever you have on hand!
- Veggies– onion, red pepper, and carrot!
- Garlic– you can finely chop it or use a garlic press.
- Ginger– make sure you use fresh ginger, the flavor is SO good! Pro tip-keep ginger in the freezer! You can easily peel it with a spoon and grate with a microplane.
- Curry powder– use yellow curry powder, you can find it in the spice aisle.
- Crushed red pepper flakes– for a little heat. You can add more if you want it spicy!
- Red lentils– Use red lentils, they cook faster and are slightly sweeter. You don't have to pre-soak the lentils, but before cooking, rinse lentils in cold water, pick over to remove any debris, then drain.
- Vegetable broth– cooking the lentils in broth adds flavor.
- Tomatoes– use fire roasted tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Coconut milk– you can use regular or lite canned coconut milk. Obviously, regular will be richer in flavor, but I think the lite works too. Make sure you shake the can well before adding it to the soup.
- Cilantro– so fresh!
How to Make Curry Lentil Soup
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and red bell pepper and cook until tender.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute and stir in the red lentils.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the lentils are soft, but not mushy.
- That's it! SO easy!
Serving Suggestions
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, a drizzle of coconut milk, and a squeeze of lime juice. The squeeze of fresh citrus is a nice finishing touch and really balances out the flavors.
I highly recommend serving the soup with buttery naan bread, pita bread, or crusty bread. The bread soaks up all of those flavorful juices. YUM!
If you want to serve a salad on the side, my kale salad, butter lettuce salad, and easy green salad are good opitons!
How to Store & Freeze
Storing: Place leftover, cooled soup in an air-tight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Freezing: To freeze, place the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Soup Recipes
- Lentil Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Chickpea Soup
- White Bean Soup
Find all of our SOUP RECIPES HERE!
Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2- inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed, drained, and picked over
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 13.5- ounce can coconut milk, shaken well
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- Garnish: extra cilantro, drizzle of coconut milk, lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and red bell pepper and cook until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute and stir in the red lentils.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the lentils are soft, but not mushy. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, a drizzle of coconut milk, and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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