Red Lentil Curry Soup

By Alexandra Caspero on March 7, 2024
A unique spiced red lentil soup
Serves 4

Red lentil curry soup! A creamy and flavorful combination of sweet potatoes, garlic, onion, red lentils, and coconut milk. A vegan must-make!

Oh, this red lentil curry soup. As in the one I’ve been eating almost non-stop for an entire two weeks. It’s the problem (but not-really-a-problem) of recipe development. Make it, tweak it, and eat it non-stop until you are finally convinced that you’ve found the winning combination. Then, make it again a few days later because you miss it and have to have it.

If you love curry and hearty vegetables, then you’ll love this lentil curry soup. It’s vegan, naturally gluten-free and delicious. With 14 g of protein and 9 g of fiber per serving, this soup is filling and healthy.

See below for more details and tips, or scroll down to the full recipe below.

Red Lentil Curry Soup! Vegan, Gluten-Free And So Delicious. You'Ve Gotta Make This Protein Packed Soup! | Www.delishknowledge.com

Red Lentil Curry Soup Ingredient Notes

  • White onion: I prefer cooked white onion in soup, but you can use yellow onion or sweet onion. I don’t typically like cooked red onion in soup and stews.
  • Curry powder: My favorite curry powder is from Penzey’s (the now curry) but any curry powder will work.
  • Sweet potato: I don’t recommend omitting the sweet potato as it makes up the bulk of this curry soup, but you can also substitute butternut squash.
  • Dry red lentils: The red lentils are a must in this recipe as they cook down while cooking and almost melt into the soup. Brown lentils or green lentils won’t work the same way.
  • Diced tomatoes with juice: Fire-roasted tomatoes will also work.
  • Light coconut milk: This really adds to the soup and gives extra flavor and richness. You can use regular coconut milk if you want a more full-bodied red lentil curry soup.
Bowl Of Soup With Red Lentils

How to Make Red Lentil Curry Soup

Cook the Vegetables

Sauce Pan With Onion And Garlic

In a large pot, cook the onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook, stirring often until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the Sweet Potatoes

Red Lentil Curry Soup With Lentils

Add sweet potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, salt and broth. Cover and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the lentils are mostly broken down.

Stir in the Coconut Milk

Cooked Red Lentil Soup

Stir in the coconut milk and simmer until heated through. Puree some of the soup, if you’d like, for a creamier texture. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro, and serve.

I think we’ve all had some version of the ubiquitous lentil soup. Well, this is not your momma’s lentil soup! It’s creamy and spicy with a hint of richness. It may be the best lentil soup I’ve ever made.

Bowl Of Red Lentil Curry Soup

Tips for Success

The cool thing about red lentils is that they almost dissolve into the soup completely, so you’re left with a chunky stew thickened by beans! Red lentils are the best for this, and I don’t recommend substituting in brown lentils or green lentils.

If you want a creamier texture, puree some of the soup with the coconut milk and then add it back in. You can do this either with a regular blender or an immersion blender.

As with most soups, the addition of lime juice really accentuates the flavor and cuts through the rich flavor. A little acid in soup is one of my secret cooking tips!

Finish this one with a generous stir-in of coconut milk and fresh cilantro. This is one lentil soup that can’t be missed.

Close Up View Of Bowl With Red Lentil Curry Soup

More Lentil Soup Recipes:

Red Lentil Curry Soup With Spoon

If you try this red lentil curry recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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Curried Lentil Soup With Two Bowls

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Curried Lentil Soup With Two Bowls

Red Lentil Curry Soup

  • Author: Alexandra Caspero
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: dinner, soup, healthy
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Red lentil curry soup! A creamy and flavorful combination of sweet potatoes, garlic, onion, red lentils, and coconut milk. A vegan must make!


  • Author: Alexandra Caspero
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: dinner, soup, healthy
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
  • Author: Alexandra Caspero
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: dinner, soup, healthy
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup white onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 2 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
  • 1 cup dry red lentils
  • 1 can (15 ounce) diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring often until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add sweet potatoes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the lentils, tomatoes, salt and broth. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and lentils are mostly broken down, about 25 minutes.
  3. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro, and serve. Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

For a creamier soup, puree some of the cooked lentils and sweet potatoes with the coconut milk. I do about 1 cup of cooked lentils with the canned coconut milk. Or, you can use an immersion blender. 

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This recipe was first posted in 2016, and updated in 2024.

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Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Chef, and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.

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    1. Valerie
      November 21, 2022 AT 7:04 pm

      My new favorite lentil soup with all of my favorite ingredients! Pacific Foods broths and stocks are also my favorite! We’re on the same wavelength. The soup is flavorful and hearty; just simply delish!

    2. Ali
      November 7, 2022 AT 10:17 am

      I love this soup! Better than a restaurant. This is so comforting and creamy. I didn’t have fresh ginger but ground ginger worked just fine. Great flavor in this soup. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for this recipe!






    3. Kristin
      April 1, 2022 AT 12:34 pm

      This recipe is SO GOOD! Might be my new favorite soup to make and so easy to do. Thank you!

      1. Alex
        April 3, 2022 AT 5:39 am

        Love hearing that, thanks Kristin!

    4. Lizzie
      November 21, 2021 AT 7:33 pm

      Delish- my favorite lentil soup!






    5. Connie
      June 18, 2020 AT 5:28 pm

      This is delicious! I followed the recipe as written, except I did not have enough cilantro!! That never would have happened before Covid!! It was a perfect dinner on the cool rainy day we had yesterday.






    6. Jessica
      October 21, 2018 AT 7:51 am

      Looks amazing! Can it be frozen? If so, how would you reheat?

      1. Jamie Carroll
        June 12, 2020 AT 9:03 pm

        This soup was exactly what I needed today. I’ve had an upset stomach from stress around the pandemic, unemployment and loss of friendships. Good, healthy food heals, and this soup did exactly that! I was very exact in following Alex’s recipe except I added 1 more garlic clove and .5 oz. less of canned diced tomatoes. I also bought Organic Coconut Milk with 0 Guar Gum and full fat.
        I never have a second bowl of soup, but did tonight!
        Thank you, Alex for a soul-satisfying meal.






      2. Alex
        October 24, 2018 AT 7:02 am

        Hi Jessica,

        Yes, you should be able to freeze and reheat this one- I do it all the time with soups. Just place in a freezer safe container, then either thaw and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

    7. Rebecca @ Strength & Sunshine
      January 26, 2016 AT 2:20 pm

      Red lentils are the best!!

    8. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious
      January 25, 2016 AT 6:28 pm

      This is totally my kind of soup! I only first cooked with red lentils a couple of weeks ago and didn’t realize how different the texture of them is from green lentils – they’re perfect for soup! Can’t wait to try this recipe.

    9. Suzanne Johannes
      January 24, 2016 AT 12:26 pm

      Yum! Made this for my lunches for the week. I left out the sweet potatoes and added a bag of frozen corn/green beans/carrots for more color. It was so good! Thank you for the recipe!

      1. DK
        January 25, 2016 AT 3:37 pm

        Glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!

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