An aromatic, nourishing lentil soup that is perfect for a light dinner!
This lentil soup, a family favorite, is creamy and loaded with colorful veggies like celery, carrots, onions and mushrooms and perfectly cooked brown lentils. Warm curry spices and garlic add the perfect kick for the cool weather and mint and coconut milk stir in unexpected but welcome flavor. There is so much healthfulness in this soup and you can make a meal of it with a hunk of crusty bread. The soup is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free, and you can make it without added oils.
With the weather so persistently cold I've been making plenty of light soups and stews for dinner. One recipe I cook over and over is this aromatic and delicious lentil soup.
It's easy to make, loaded with good-for-you veggies and lentils, and it tastes seriously amazing. As it simmers on the stove, it sends a divine aroma wafting around the house, bringing everyone running to the dinner table.
This is a one-pot dish and it takes very little effort to make, so it's also easy on the cook. Because brown lentils cook so quickly you don't have to pre-cook them. And if you have vegetable stock to add deep, rich, slow-cooked flavor you can rest assured you will have a winner! Make and serve yourself a bowl today. Then come back and tell me if this isn't the best lentil soup you've ever made!
Why you'll love this lentil soup recipe
- It's amazingly delicious. This soup, albeit simple to make, is packed with complex flavors, including tons of umami from the tomato paste and mushrooms. The perfectly cooked lentils and the veggies add layers of texture, and coconut milk adds wonderful creaminess.
- It's so healthy. The lentils and veggies are great for you, of course, and the spices are particularly nourishing in winter because they help warm up the body and drive away the sniffles. There are just 156 calories and 8 grams each of protein and fiber in one serving!
- It's everyone friendly. There are no nuts, soy and gluten in this recipe and it's vegan, of course. If you have kids who will eat mushrooms they will love this soup, but if they don't, you can always fish out the mushrooms for them. Or skip them altogether. To make the recipe free of added oils, skip the oil and saute the veggies in ¼ cup vegetable stock.
- It's easy to make. The recipe is made in one pot and this is a one-pot meal on its own, which makes things really easy on the cook. I usually serve this for a light dinner by itself or with a hunk of crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil. Coconut oil is fine too, or use any vegetable oil.
- Vegetables: 1 medium onion, 2 stalks celery, 1 medium carrot or 8 oz cremini or button mushrooms.
- Spices: 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 2 heaping teaspoon curry powder (you can add more per your taste).
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups vegetable stock or vegetable broth (or water, but stock is preferable. You can use water in combination with a tablespoon of vegetable bouillon)
- Herbs: 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dry mint and 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (or parsley).
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
How to make the best lentil soup
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions start to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and continue sauteing for a couple of minutes.
- Stir tomato paste into the roasted veggies and continue sauteing for a couple more minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms and let them cook a couple of minutes.
- Add apple cider vinegar to the pot to deglaze the fond that has developed at the bottom of the pot and scrape those tasty bits up.
- Stir in the paprika and ground cumin.
- Add the lentils to the pot followed by the vegetable stock. Mix well.
- Stir in the mint. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Don't overcook the lentils to the point where they will disintegrate--you want them whole so they make for a nice presentation.
- Stir the coconut milk and curry powder and immediately turn off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Storage and freezing tips
- The soup tastes great the next day and you can store it in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze the soup in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost and reheat. Keep in mind that the coconut milk can get a curdled appearance after freezing, but it will taste just fine. If you plan to freeze the soup for later right after making it, don't add the coconut milk -- add it instead when you reheat before serving.
Related recipes
Lentil Soup
This lentil soup, a family favorite, is creamy and loaded with colorful veggies like celery, carrots, onions and mushrooms and perfectly cooked brown lentils. Warm curry spices and garlic add the perfect kick for the cool weather and mint and coconut milk stir in unexpected but welcome flavor. There is so much healthfulness in this soup and you can make a meal of it with a hunk of crusty bread. The soup is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free.
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 156kcal
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven (or any large pot with lid)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil is fine, or any vegetable oil. To keep this free of added oils use ¼ cup vegetable stock instead of oil.)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup brown lentils (or green lentils. Dried, not cooked)
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 teaspoon dry mint
- 2 heaping tsp curry powder
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (or fresh parsley, chopped)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions start to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and continue sauteing for a couple of minutes.
- Stir tomato paste into the roasted veggies and continue sauteing for a couple more minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms and let them cook a couple of minutes.
- Add apple cider vinegar to the pot to deglaze the fond that has developed at the bottom of the pot and scrape those tasty bits up.
- Stir in the paprika and ground cumin.
- Add the lentils to the pot followed by the vegetable stock. Mix well.
- Stir in the mint. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and let the soup simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Don't overcook the lentils to the point where they will disintegrate--you want them whole so they make for a nice presentation.
- Stir the coconut milk and curry powder and immediately turn off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Recipe notes
- Chop the carrots, celery and onions as finely as you can. You want the veggies to not be much larger than the cooked lentils for the best flavor. The only exception are the mushrooms, which should be sliced.
- The coconut milk makes this soup very creamy, and the whole lentils give it a very pretty look. However, if you wish, you can blend a couple of ladlefuls of the soup after it has cooked and add the purée back to the pot for additional creaminess. You can also use an immersion blender for this but be careful not to overblend.
- You can use green lentils or French lentils or beluga lentils in this soup, or you can even make it with red lentils, which would cook even faster.
- I don't add chili pepper (other than paprika, which is mild) because the curry powder has some heat. For a spicier soup stir in some red pepper flakes with the cumin and paprika.
- You can add other veggies to this soup to make it even more nutritious. Cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, cabbage and most leafies like kale, spinach and watercress would be great additions. You can also add longer-cooking veg like potatoes, sweet potatoes or eggplants, cut into small cubes.
- Increase or decrease the amount of curry powder depending on how much of the flavor you like in your soup. Some curry powders can be spicy, so make sure you factor that in, especially if you're serving it to kids.
- The soup tastes great the next day and you can store it in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze the soup in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost and reheat. Keep in mind that the coconut milk can get a curdled appearance after freezing, but it will taste the same. So if you plan to freeze the soup for later right after making it, don't add the coconut milk -- add it instead when you reheat before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1716IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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Peter D
I came across your site this morning and will make your version of lentil soup today. For several decades, I have had to closely monitor my sodium intake and have become quite adept at determining where the sodium lies in a recipe and either eliminating it or subbing for it. I will have no problem doing the same with this dish. I am, however, very curious as to why, in the nutrient section, it has the standard list of nutrients, but no mention of sodium. Might be an oversight.
Vaishali
Hi Peter, I don't include sodium info on most recipes because salt is a variable ingredient depending on your taste--except for baked goods where I usually include the sodium info.
P.baker
I am sure this soup is wonderful .. it looks so good but would be great if you had a restaurant with all the ingredients. This would be such an expensive soup having EIGHTEEN ingredients.
Vaishali
Hi, most of the ingredients are just veggies and pantry staples, including salt, cumin and apple cider vinegar. It's not at all expensive--a serving would likely cost pennies.
Geffen Grail
Best lentil soup ever! The richness of tomato paste and toasted herbs made it a rich and savory and far from ordinary. I added roasted chunks of kuri squash and cooked wild rice for a hearty stew effect. My lentils took 55 minutes in total to soften - about 20-minutes after turning off the heat as per the recipe. Overall, it came out perfect.
Vaishali
Sounds so delicious! So happy you tried the soup.
Alocasia
Would this work with almond or soy milk instead of coconut?
Vaishali
Yes, certainly. Any nondairy milk would work, including almond, soy, oat and cashew. I'd lean toward cashew or soy or oat milk as they are creamier.
Paul
Delicious thank you!
Vaishali
So happy to hear!