Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
This vegan coconut curry lentil soup is rich, creamy, hearty, and full of rich winter flavors. It’s a quick and easy one-pot meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
It’s not exactly a secret that I’m a big fan of soup, especially once the weather starts to get cold. A big bowl of warm, hearty soup on a cold day is one of the most comforting things in the world. I’ve become a big fan of lentil soups, which are filling and so tasty. This coconut curry lentil soup has quickly become one of my favorites, in part because it takes only 40 minutes and one pot to make.
This vegan soup is rich and creamy, thanks to lots of coconut milk in the broth. But it’s also full of strong flavors like ginger, garlic, curry paste, and soy sauce. This soup is a weeknight staple in my kitchen during the colder months, and I’m excited for you to make it.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you’ll need to make coconut curry lentil soup. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the article to see the exact amounts.
- Sesame oil
- Grated ginger – This is an important ingredient, so be sure to use fresh ginger.
- Red curry paste
- Onion – Red onion is best for this recipe, but you can use a white or yellow onion if that’s all you have.
- Garlic
- Sea salt
- Black pepper – Fresh ground black pepper is best for this recipe.
- Sugar – You can use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
- Soy sauce – Liquid aminos or tamari are good substitutes for soy sauce.
- Red lentils
- Coconut milk – You can use full fat or low fat coconut milk.
- Vegetable broth
- Lime juice
- Sambal oelek or sriracha – This is an optional ingredient.
- Lime wedges – Lime wedges are an optional garnish.
- Purple cabbage – Purple cabbage is also an optional garnish.
How to Make Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
Here’s how to make this easy one pot soup.
- Cook the curry and ginger. Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat, then add the ginger and curry paste. Fry it in the oil while stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the aromatics. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, and cook until the onion is a little translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Season. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce to the pot, and stir to combine.
- Add the lentils. Put the lentils in the pot and stir.
- Add the liquid. Pour the broth and coconut milk into the pot, and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the lentils are cooked all the way through, while stirring occasionally. This should take about 20-30 minutes.
- Squeeze in the lime. Add the lime juice to the soup, stir to combine, and turn off the heat.
- Serve. Stir in the sambal oelek or sriracha, if you’re using it. Add any toppings, then serve and enjoy.
Tips for Success
Here are a few different tips for making this coconut curry lentil soup.
- Use a homemade broth. For the best results, use a homemade vegetable stock rather than a store bought one. My recipe for vegetable broth made with veggie scraps is a great stock for this soup.
- Cook the soup longer. One of the great things about this recipe is how quickly you can make it. You only need about 40 minutes! But if you have more time than that, you can extract even more flavor. This recipe calls for simmering the soup for 20-30 minutes, but if you simmer it longer than that, you’ll get even stronger flavors.
- Season at the end. When this recipe calls for seasoning the dish, go light on the salt. As you build the rest of the flavors, the sodium level can change. Different chicken stocks have different sodium levels, and the more you cook the soup the more intense the flavors will become. Taste the soup before serving, and then add more salt if it’s needed.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan coconut curry lentil soup goes with so many different things. Here are a few of my favorite foods to serve with it.
- Bread. Soup and bread is a timeless combination. You can serve this soup with anything from no knead dutch oven bread, to vegan cornbread, to garlic naan.
- Salad. I love the combination of soup and salad, as the fresh, bright salad balances the warm, hearty soup. I like to serve this soup with a vegan caesar salad or a kale salad with sesame tahini dressing.
- Rice. It’s hard to beat serving coconut curry lentil soup with good old fashioned rice. You can also try cauliflower rice.
How to Store and Reheat Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
This hearty vegan soup will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just make sure that you store it in an airtight container. To reheat the soup, heat it over medium heat on the stove until warm all the way through, about 5-6 minutes.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can definitely freeze this coconut curry lentil soup recipe. Just put the soup in an airtight container, and it will last in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or defrost in the microwave before reheating.
More Recipes With Lentils
Here are a few of my other favorite recipes that have lentils in them.
- Easy lentil soup
- One pot red lentil chili
- Vegan shepherd’s pie
- Vegan lentil stew
- Lentil balls with zesty rice
Enjoy friends! If you make this coconut curry lentil soup, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste, I use this vegan one
- ½ red onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar, brown or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, or liquid aminos/gluten free tamari/coconut aminos
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk, (383g) (full fat or lite)
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha, optional, for heat
- Top with lime & chopped purple cabbage, optional
Instructions
Vegan Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
- In a pan over medium high heat, heat the sesame oil. Add in the minced ginger and curry paste to fry it, stirring into the oil, for about 1 minute.
- Add in the chopped onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Place the sea salt, black pepper, coconut sugar, and soy sauce on top and stir everything together. Add in the lentils and stir again.
- Add in the coconut milk and the veggie broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer, allowing to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until your lentils are fully cooked through. Stir the soup occasionally. You can let it simmer even more if desired.
- Squeeze the lime over, stir, and then remove from heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Add in any of the optional add ins/toppings. Stir in the sambal oelek (or Sriracha) or scotch bonnet pepper sauce if using.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
AMAZING recipe! Thank you for posting!
You’re SO welcome Elizabeth!! SO happy you enjoyed!!
Hi Jessica! Thanks for another great recipe! I stumbled upon this and decided to make it the next day. I make lentil soup quite often but loved that this had a different flavor profile (no tomato or cumin) and it did not disappoint! Since it was spur of the moment i added some chopped baby kale at the end as I didn’t have red cabbage at home…Very delicious! I wished mine had the same vibrant color yours does in the photos but it was yumm nonetheless and adding the kale helped with that. Def a keeper and will make again. Thanks!
PS as other reviewers have mentioned, don’t skip the lime at the end! Def adds a flavor boost!
Hi Krisha,
Thank you so much for sharing—I’m so happy to hear that you gave this recipe a try and it didn’t disappoint!! Sounds like a great addition with the baby Kale. Depending on the ingredients, additions, or even the brands you used, it can have a slightly different colour but it sounds like it tasted great for you! I hope you’re able to enjoy this recipe many more times!
I made this soup last night, it was delicious. It’s one of my favorites. Thank you.
SO happy to hear this Madrone!! Thanks so much for sharing with me!! You’re so welcome!
We love this soup. It is easy to make.
I do add 2 fresh carrots and a rib of celery. I cook those with the onion. Then I put in the ginger, then the garlic. I also use chicken broth.
I do follow the rest of the recipe.