It’s soup day here on WGC and this Curry Lentil Soup is going to go right up there with your other favs… I can guarantee it! No questions asked!
You didn’t think I’d let the first week of fall go by without a soup did you? I think not!! Just disregard the fact that it is literally 90 degrees in LA today… it’s fall on the calendar and we’re going with it. A few weeks ago I asked for your favorite soups on my IG stories and OMG soup is a hot topic… literally.
I got every answer under the sun. Most of which we already have 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 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.
You can use any color lentils you have on hand! 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 dish sing!
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 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup lentils
- 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 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.
Can you recommend a substitute for the cilantro ?
Chives or Basil!
Can you use light coconut milk?
absolutely
Very good! I had split peas in the house so I subbed those for lentils and still worked great. It’s abit spicy and I love it. Thanks for another great recipe Gaby! Can’t wait for the new book <3
Hi Gaby!
Thanks for this beautiful soup recipe. Will definitely give this a try. Yummy!
Please specify/recommend which type of lentil.
Thanks in advance!
Hey Marie – it says in the copy of the post that any lentil works!! Dealers choice
Love, love , love all things lentil!!! This soup will be on rotation this winter!
If I wanted to use broth instead of coconut milk, what should I use?
so no coconut milk? am I understanding that right?
Just confirming, it’s twelve and a half inch piece of ginger – you do say a heap of ginger and garlic but just thought I should check
2 and a 1/2 inch!
Hey Gabay! Is there a certain curry powder brand you use? They’re all so different, I think
Gaby**
I tested this with the one from whole foods – Frontier co-op brand!
Sooo good and so easy! I used 1 T curry powder and 1 T garam masala. Fire roasted crushed tomatoes were all I had on hand. This came together very quickly and it’s extremely satisfying and flavorful. I can’t get enough!
Silly question.. Do you cover and simmer?
Delicious! I blended some of the soup up to thicken 🙂
Will be making this again!
Do we have to use a Dutch oven? What’s a good substitute? I have a big pot and cast iron skillet.
any larger pot would work!
Very tasty soup. Love the curry and coconut milk.
SO good! Adult and toddler approved. We had it over roasted spaghetti squash the 2nd day to stretch it out a bit further.
This was very easy to make and didn’t dirty up a lot of dishes. I doubled the recipe and easily served 8 ladies at my book club with some leftovers. The flavor was great, though I definitely had garlic breath 🙂 I would make it again.
So delicious! I served this for our family dinner tonight so I doubled it. When I make it again, I won’t double the red pepper flakes – it was pretty spicy. Sour cream and a fresh squeeze of lime juice helped!
Hi, Gaby Wow! Looks delicious! Love lentil last time I made Moroccan Spicy Lentil soup. Very tasty love big pan
Bless your heart for this bomb ass recipe! Love it!
Ok I am loving this soup!!! Made it yesterday morning before work…it is that easy and fast! Ate it for lunch 2x and loved every bite. Thank you!
So hearty and delicious! Incredibly easy to put together and inexpensive to make ALOT. Great for leftovers or to freeze. I left out the cilantro and I did add a little more coconut milk and curry powder but thats just a personal preference.
This was delicious! I’m eating it as I type. I added a bit more ginger and curry because i used a 28oz can of tomatoes (all I could find in Toronto) and I can’t get enough.
Could you make this in an Instantpot? Looks delish!
I’m sure you could!! I don’t see why not!
do we add the lentils dry?
yes!
Super simple to make and so tasty! Don’t leave out the lime as it really enhances it!
Sooooo delish and had a ton of flavor! I put rotisserie chicken in mine and had garlic naan bread to dip in it.
This was easy and delicious! A great weeknight meal. I used an blender to blend the veggies prior to adding the lentils to make it smoother (it’s a texture thing). It was filling and nutritious! Would definitely make it again.
Made this recipe and loved it!! It is the best lentils I have ever made.
Another great one to add to my winter menu! My 12 year old son loved this recipe, and wasn’t happy that I finished off the leftovers! This recipe is simple and will defiantly make it again.
Love love loved this!! It was so easy to throw together early in the afternoon and then heat up at dinner time along side some naan. So good! Thanks Gaby!
Hi! Could you do this in a slow cooker? Any recommendations for that?
Thanks!
I haven’t but I’m sure you could!
Hi Gaby,
what other milk can i use instead of coconut, maybe soy or rice ?
soy or rice milk would absolutely work
So yummy! I had to cook the lentils a little longer than the recipe suggests. We loved this recipe!
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!
Canned or dried lentils?
dried
Made a slight adjustment… Used chicken stock instead of water & added rotisserie chicken. Amazing!!
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
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
This soup is so delicious! Definitely going into the rotation. Our whole family loved it, even the three year old!
Does this recipe freeze well?
sure does!
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?
Could I sub ground ginger for fresh? All I have right now!
the powdered kind?
yes..the powdered kind 🙂
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!
Soooo good. Simple recipe but for some reason comes together perfectly. This never disappoints my family or guests.
What kind of lentils work best?
I use the red lentils!
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!
Will this freeze?
yessss!!
How much lentils are we supposed to use?
it’s in the ingredients!! 3/4 cup of dry lentils! any color will work
Just love any new delicious ways to use lentils!!
I bought green lentils but saw you used red lentils
Does it change the taste or have you ever made it with green lentils? I want it perfect like yours
green is great!
Hi Gaby, I hope you are well,! Since I don’t have crushed tomatoes, could I used diced? Stephanie
yes absolutely
Made last night, an all around crowd pleaser! Just the right amount of kick, and love the coconut/ginger flavor. I only had a large can of tomatoes and ended up pouring the whole thing in and used a little less water. Can’t wait to heat some up for lunch!!! Thank you, Gaby!
This is AMAZING! I don’t normally love lentil soup but coconut milk is the best idea