A super simple coconut curry lentil soup that comes together in under an hour.
What’s the best recipe for coconut curry lentil soup?
This one is certainly a front runner. For starters, it’s incredibly simple. The nourishing ingredients might even already be in your pantry. This soup is filling without being heavy, and it satisfies a lot of specific diets. But the top reason why I love this soup is that it’s so delicious.
I like to make it on Sundays as part of a meal prep and then enjoy a bowl here and there throughout the week.
The story of this soup
I’m not sure where the recipe for this coconut curry lentil soup came from. We’ve been making it since I was in high school, when we’d get huge bags of split red lentils and cans of coconut milk from our local Asian grocer.
The only written copy of the recipe that I have is jotted down on notebook paper in my best friend’s handwriting. We called my mom from college to ask her for the recipe. By that point, it was like a taste of home. Warm bowls of soup brought us right back to the dinner table at my parents’ house.
We’ve made this lentil soup so many times over the years, stirring the pot as the soft fragrance of curry and coconut wafted through the air.
Coming home from college, my Mom would cook up this same comforting pot of soup.
Now I prepare it for myself. Those of us who love this recipe often send each other a photo when we make it, just to say “I’m thinking of you.” Full circle.
Every spoonful of this soup delivers a sweet, spicy, savory, and refreshing kick of flavor.
It’s lovely served alongside a simply-dressed salad with lots of fresh vegetables. I hope you’ll try it.
Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1" fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp curry powder (we use a mixture of yellow curry powder and garam masala)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 1/2 cups red lentils
- ~8 cups filtered water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp hot sauce or harissa or sambal
- 1 14-oz can full-fat coconut milk
- Minced cilantro, to garnish
- Optional: a drizzle of honey
Instructions
Chop all of the veggies and set aside.
Heat a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil.
Once warm, add the fresh ginger and allow it to sizzle for 30 seconds, until aromatic.
Add in the chopped onions and carrots and sauté until they just begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, measure out the lentils and rinse them in a fine-mesh strainer. Set aside to drain.
Add all of the spices to the vegetables, and sauté for one minute longer, but do not let them burn.
Pour in the lentils and water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a little something spicy of your choice.
Simmer the lentils and vegetables until the lentils are tender and cooked through.
Ladle the soup into a high-speed blender, or use an immersion blender, to blend the soup until creamy.
Pour the soup back into the pot and add the can of coconut milk. Stir to combine and taste for salt and pepper. At this point, you may want to add a drizzle of honey (~1 tsp) if it's not sweet enough for your taste.
To serve, garnish with minced cilantro. It's also lovely with sliced scallions and a drizzle of coconut oil.
