It's soup day here on WGC and this Curry Lentil Soup is going to go right up there with your other favs like Chicken Tortilla Soup, Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili, and Potato Leek Soup I can guarantee it! No questions asked!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
You didn't think I'd let the first few days of October go by without a soup did you? I think not!! Just disregard the fact that it is literally 80+ degrees in LA today... it's fall on the calendar and we're going with it.
Soups are an essential part of the next few months. And we are solid when it comes to soups here on WGC over in the soup section - but one that kept popping up was a lentil soup! Random, I know, but apparently everyone loves it. I'll be honest, I was hesitant at first because I was somewhat skeptical of lentils as a kid - but mix it with coconut milk and curry and a TON of garlic and ginger and I could eat this lentil soup every day.
This Curry Lentil Soup is the perfect soup no matter who you're feeding. It's naturally vegan, incredibly filling and packed with flavor from the curry and the coconut milk. All in all... it's perfection. And, if this soup is on your rotation and want to try something similar, try the curry coconut noodle soup, which is also delicious.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Curry Powder red, yellow or green curry powders all work
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Lentils you can use any color lentils you have on hand
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes
- Cilantro feel free to sub for chives or basil
- Salt and Pepper
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk
- Limes
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Curry Lentil Soup
Step 1: Heat the oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the lentils and cook for about 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Add tomatoes, cilantro, 2½ cups water and season with salt and pepper. Set aside a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and add remaining coconut milk to dutch oven.
Step 5: Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft but not mushy, 20-25 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
How to Store Curry Lentil Soup
You can store this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When time to eat, warm it in the microwave or on stovetop in a saucepan till its warmed through.
How to Freeze Curry Lentil Soup
You can freeze this soup for about 3 months in airtight container. It would be much easier if you pre-portioned before freezing. This way you can just thaw as much as you need overnight and just warm it through in a microwave or stovetop when its time to eat.
Tips & Tricks
You can use any color lentils you have on hand for this lentil soup recipe! And some goes for curry powder... red, yellow and green all work in this recipe interchangeably! The rest is pretty self explanatory. If you're anti-cilantro then use some chives or basil on top! Just promise me that you won't forget to garnish with the lime juice. That fresh pop of flavor really makes this lentil soup sing!
FAQs
Why is my lentil soup not thick?
It's usually because too much liquid was added or the lentil soup did not simmer long enough for the lentils to absorb all of the cooking liquid.
Can I use any lentils?
Yes, you can use any type of lentils you have on hand. Just keep in mind that cooking time may vary depending on the type of lentils.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 ½ inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup lentils
- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 13.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the lentils and cook for about 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, cilantro, 2½ cups water and season with salt and pepper. Set aside a few tablespoons of the coconut milk and add remaining coconut milk to dutch oven.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft but not mushy, 20-25 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- To serve, divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with reserved coconut milk and top with plenty of cilantro. Serve with lots of lime wedges.
How much lentils are we supposed to use?
it's in the ingredients!! 3/4 cup of dry lentils! any color will work
Will this freeze?
yessss!!
I cannot explain how much I love this recipe! It has become a weekly staple in my house. It is healthy, cheap and super simple to throw together. Plus the leftovers make a great breakfast to throw a fried egg on top of!
What kind of lentils work best?
I use the red lentils!
Soooo good. Simple recipe but for some reason comes together perfectly. This never disappoints my family or guests.
I made this yesterday with homemade chicken broth instead of water, and used the carrots, onions and celery from the stock since they were already cooked. I did add shredded chicken in my husbands bowl and wilted spinach to the entire dish and it was truly delicious. It did take quite a bit longer for my lentils to become tender but it wasn’t a big deal. I’m still recovering from radiation treatment for oral cancer so my tastebuds are operating at less than 100 percent but I could still tell it was a winner and then my husband blurted out how good it was after his first spoonful. He’s not a foodie at all, so that is high praise Gaby. I’m a pretty good cook but I’ve never really cooked with much curry powder, coconut milk or ginger but I’m definitely putting this in a regular rotation now. Thanks Gaby!
Could I sub ground ginger for fresh? All I have right now!
the powdered kind?
yes..the powdered kind 🙂
This looks great, but I am not able to have a lot of tomato based dishes due to acid reflux. Any ideas on what I could sub in to keep the cooked tomatoes to a minimum?
Does this recipe freeze well?
sure does!
This soup is so delicious! Definitely going into the rotation. Our whole family loved it, even the three year old!
This was delicious and I can't wait to make again; leftovers were great!
Stupid cooking question here...when you get to step 4, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Do you up the heat to bring to a boil, or do you keep it at the medium heat letting it rise to a boil?
you want to increase the heat so it boils, and then reduce the heat so it just lightly bubbles to simmer
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! Next time I will cook the lentils a little longer and maybe serve with some fresh bread! So tasty! Cannot wait for leftovers tomorrow
Made a slight adjustment... Used chicken stock instead of water & added rotisserie chicken. Amazing!!
Canned or dried lentils?
dried
This is a WINNER! I have an aversion to cilantro so I added a dash of dried coriander. I will make this recipe again, and again, and again. Thank you!