Curried Red Lentil Soup is an all-time family favourite! I have been making different versions of it for decades. It's jam-packed with both flavour and nutrients and is like a big, warm hug on a cold or rainy day.
My favourite thing about this recipe, besides the fact that it's delicious and healthy, is it's flexibility. Swap out any of the vegetables for whatever you like. Just make sure you have 5-6 cups in total, not including the spinach. Make it vegan by using vegetable stock or water instead of chicken stock. If water is used instead of stock bump up the garlic and curry powder to add extra flavour. Don't have any coconut milk? No problem, add cream or leave it out and add more stock or water. Switch up the spinach for any leafy greens you like.
If you love healthy vegetable soup recipes you may also like my Detox Soup as well as this Carrot and Lentil Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup.
Dicing vegetables
Level up your knife skills by learning how to dice like a pro. This method can be used for any similarly shaped vegetable including potatoes, squash, etc. First, cut the length in half or thirds so you have manageable pieces to work with. Slice off one side lengthwise to create a flat surface to stabilize. Place flat side down and continue slicing, lengthwise, into the thickness you want. Then stack 2-3 slices and cut lengthwise again into sticks. Slice those sticks across into little cubes. Easy peasy!
I like to cut the vegetables into small dice for this soup but if you aren't interested in taking the time you can make them chunkier. Note that you may have to adjust cooking times to accommodate the larger size.
Prepare all of your ingredients
It's important to gather and prep all your ingredients before getting started. It's so much easier, especially with one-pot meals like soup, to be able to add the next thing when needed instead of having to go quickly chop something or find that spice. Even worse, you realize you are missing a key ingredient when you are in the middle of things!...I speak from experience.
FAQ for curried red lentil soup
Do I need to soak or pre-cook red lentils? No, you don't. That's one of the things I love most about red lentils!
Do I need to rinse red lentils? Yes. Place them in a fine sieve and run under cold water until the water runs clear.
Are red lentils healthy? You bet! They are rich in iron, magnesium, B vitamins, and many others. They are an excellent plant-based protein and are also high in fibre. Not soaking allows them to hang onto more nutrients.
Is this soup Vegan or Vegetarian? This recipe is not but you can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock or water to make it Vegan/Vegetarian.
Can I freeze it? Absolutely! It freezes perfectly and can last up to 6 months or more if you have a chest freezer.
If the finished soup is too thick you can add extra stock or water. If you prefer a creamier texture puree part or all of the soup using a hand blender. Hand blenders are one of my favourite kitchen tools. Mine is as old as the hills but if (or should I say when!) I have to replace it I would go for this one CUISINART Hand Blender (affiliate link). There are many different and less expensive ones to chose from. This one has additional attachments which are handy.
This recipe makes about 3 liters or 12 cups. Plenty to enjoy for a few days or, put half of it in the freezer and have the convenience of just warming it up. You can increase or decrease the quantity by clicking on the serving size in the recipe.
If you like this recipe, have made it or have any questions please leave a comment and a rating in the section below. I'd love to hear from you!
More Soup Recipes
- Black Rice Salad With Roasted Vegetables
- Shaved Asparagus Salad With Creamy Parmesan Dressing
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
📖 Recipe
Curried Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lg white onion. approx. 2 cups diced small
- 1 lg celery stalk. approx. 1 cup diced small
- 1 jumbo carrot, approx. 1.5 cups diced small
- 1 sm sweet potato, approx 2 cups diced small
- 2-3 cloves garlic, approx. 1 tablespoon minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 ½ cups red lentils, rinsed
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups chicken stock, low sodium
- 1 400 ml can coconut milk
- 8 cups baby spinach leaves, or greens of your choice
- ½ cup packed cilantro or parsley leaves. chopped
- ½ lemon, juice of
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel, rinse, chop and measure out all your ingredients first.In a large pot heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Turn down the heat if they are browning before softening.
- Add the celery, carrot, sweet potato, lentils and garlic, stir to combine. Add curry powder and continue stirring for one minute.
- Stir in stock and coconut milk. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer. covered, for 15 minutes.
- Stir in spinach. It will seem like a lot but it wilts and reduces as it cooks. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and add lemon juice and cilantro or parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a bit more stock or water if it's too thick for your liking.
Jacquie Platten says
I agree that this soup is an all-time family favourite! Both my teenagers couldn’t get enough of it. I highly recommend you try it!
Andrea says
I love that so much! So happy everyone is enjoying it!
Gulnaar D says
Always a hit with everyone. Guaranteed sucess
Laura L. Avery says
This soup is a favorite in our house. Can't keep it in stock. Has anyone converted this to an Instant Pot recipe? I would love the tips.
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! If you Google instant pot red lentil soup you can find the timings to use with this recipe. Hope that helps!
Shannon says
Throughout the Fall/Winter, I made a batch of this soup every couple of weeks to have for lunches and it's always so delicious. I've made different variations of veggies and my favourite so far is cauliflour instead of sweet potato. The first time I made this recipe was the first time I'd ever cooked with lentils - so glad to have been introduced to them!
Andrea says
Oh I love that so much! Happy to hear you've been enjoying the soup. Thanks for commenting!
Aimee Pawsey says
This is so good and has become my main lunch this winter. Love all your recipes.
Allison says
Love this soup. Can eat it everyday for lunch or dinner. So satisfying and flavourful.
Kb says
This is one of those recipes that you just want to share with your friends. That's what I did! Delicious, healthy, and easy to make. You can't beat that.