This spicy lentil soup is my favourite vegan comfort food! It's such a healthy and hearty winter dish made with red lentils, curry powder and coconut milk.
The perfect comfort food for that between Christmas and New Year haze 🙌
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I am obsessed with this soup. I actually find it crazy that it's taken me so long to add a lentil soup to the blog as it's one of my favourite easy and healthy things to make over the colder months.
There's nothing better than adding a little spice to a soup like this. When it's cold and you need something to warm you up then adding plenty of chilli is just the thing although of course you can lower the spicy levels to your taste if you prefer.
Lentils are also full of goodness and it's super easy to multiply this recipe so this is a dream recipe to make over the Christmas break if you've got family staying or friends popping in and need something quick to serve.
Why we love this recipe...
It's vegan and gluten and dairy free which makes it perfect for pretty much everyone!
This soup is also super easy to make which mostly involves dumping everything in a pot and letting it simmer for 20 minutes.
You can easily add extra veggies to this soup to make it even healthier. I sometimes like to stir through a few handfuls of spinach or kale through it just before serving.
It's made with mostly store cupboard ingredients which means you can keep everything stocked up ready to make this soup whenever you fancy it.
Ingredients
This section is here to provide further tips and ideas for alternative ingredients. The full recipe and instructions are included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
Aromatics: This is the key to getting the soup full to bursting with flavour. We start off with onion, garlic and ginger which is fried until soft and then curry powder and chilli flakes are added to get that lovely spicy background flavour.
Red Lentils: These are great to use in this soup because they cook so quickly and add a great heartiness.
Liquids: I used a tin of chopped tomatoes and one of coconut milk.
To serve: I sprinkled chopped coriander over the soup and added a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a wedge of lime for serving.
How to make it
Fry the aromatics: Heat the oil and add the onion, cook until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and chilli flakes and cook until fragrant.
Add the liquids: First add the lentils then pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk and water and season well.
Simmer: Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the lentils are soft.
FAQ
How to spice up bland soup?
By starting your soup off with the combination of onion, garlic and ginger you get a really flavourful base to add all of your other ingredients to. Then comes the spices - for this soup we use curry powder and chilli flakes for bags of flavour and a nice kick of spice.
Do lentils need to be soaked first?
The great thing about red lentils is that they don't need to be soaked before cooking! This makes this soup into a quick weeknight meal that comes together in well under an hour.
Does this soup taste better the next day?
What I love about cooking recipes with plenty of spices is that those flavours develop over time so while the leftovers sit in the fridge they become even more flavourful and delicious.
Is this recipe good for you?
This recipe is so good for you! Lentils are a great source of protein and also a slow release carbohydrate which will keep you full for longer.
What to do with leftovers
This soup keeps well in the fridge packed up into containers for up to 5 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
Try these other soup recipes!
- Mushroom Miso Soup with Soba Noodles
- Coconut Noodle Soup with Mushrooms & Edamame
- Veggie Pesto Pasta Soup with Kale
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup with White Beans
- Spicy Soup with Beans & Rice
- Leftover Turkey Soup with Noodles
- Creamy Coconut Kabocha Squash Soup
Recipe
Spicy Lentil Soup with Coconut
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon Ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Chilli Flakes
- 150 g Red Lentils
- 1 400g tin Chopped Tomatoes
- Big Bunch Coriander stems and most leaves chopped with some left for serving
- 1 400g tin Coconut Milk
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Lime for serving
- Greek Yoghurt for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a big soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and chilli flakes and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add the lentils to the pot and stir to coat in the spices them pour in the tomatoes, chopped coriander, 500ml of water, coconut milk (keeping back a couple of tablespoons for serving if desired) and plenty of salt and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Serve drizzled with the leftover coconut milk, coriander leaves, Greek yoghurt and lime wedges.
Notes
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Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says
This is the best comfort food! I love enjoying spicy food, I love lentils, especially in soups. So this is definitely my next must-try.
Sara Welch says
Love soup season for recipes just like this one! Looking forward to warming up with this for dinner tonight!
Jenn says
I can't wait to dig in to a bowlful of this! I am a lentil lover, and this soup is just what I need on a cold day!
Andrea Metlika says
I like lentil soup but this one, I love! All the spices in this are so perfectly delicious.