This one-pot vegan curry lentil soup is easy to prepare and perfect for a quick dinner on a chilly evening. It’s packed with a mix of economical and wholesome ingredients and is super delicious! Serve it as is in a bowl or over rice to get even more meals for just pennies more!
Lentils are so versatile! They’re great in salads, pasta and wraps but my favourite way to use lentils is in any kind of vegan lentil soup!
One of the most popular recipes on the blog is this simple and smoky Spanish-style vegan lentil stew and it’s what inspired me to come up with another simple yet flavourful vegan soup recipe made with easy-to-find and cheap ingredients.
Enter this one-pot vegan curry lentil soup!
How to make vegan curry lentil soup
It’s real easy, just get a pot and the ingredients in the photo!
Start by frying off some onion, garlic and ginger. Add about a tablespoon of curry powder and cayenne pepper, if necessary.
Each brand and type of curry powder is different so that’s why I say “about” a tablespoon of curry powder. You can adjust the quantity depending on the flavour profile and strength of your particular curry powder.
The only brand of curry powder closest supermarket sells is not spicy in the least. That’s why I added some cayenne pepper to my vegan curry lentil soup as well. I put this as optional in the recipe as it depends on how spicy or not spicy your curry powder is.
Give the curry powder a minute in the pot with the onions to allow the flavours to come out then add in your veggies, lentils and vegetable stock.
I used potatoes and carrots because they’re cheap and delicious but this recipe lends itself well to a variety of vegetables so go ahead and feel free to use your favourite veggies. It would be great with any other root veggies, peas, cauliflower, tomato, anything really!
What I love most about lentils is that they’re extremely cheap when you buy them dry, especially if you buy from the bulk food bins, and unlike dried beans they do not need to be presoaked.
Just give them a rinse and throw the dried lentils right into the pot. They cook from dried in only about 30 minutes!
To simplify this curried lentil soup recipe I threw the veggies and lentils into the pot together (as opposed to adding the veggies later). Don’t worry, the veggies don’t overcook and you can leave the pot on the stove and relax a little bit while the soup cooks!
After about 30 minutes the lentils should be tender. Add in the frozen spinach and coconut milk and give it another couple of minutes to heat through.
As I mentioned in my vegan roasted cauliflower soup recipe, I prefer adding the coconut milk at the end like this because it can split and do weird things when you simmer it for a long time. Adding it at the end ensures that your soup will be uber creamy!
Now you can taste and season. Always wait to add salt to lentils and beans until the end of cooking or else they will get tough. Now it’s ready to serve!
Serve this vegan curry lentil soup just as it is, with naan or crusty bread, or with rice to extend the servings to feed more.
Wanna see how easy it is to make this Vegan Curry Lentil Soup? Watch the video and share it on Facebook!:
Vegan Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil - $0.16
- 1 medium onion diced - $0.15
- 2 cloves of garlic finely diced - $0.16
- 2 tablespoons finely diced ginger - $0.24
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (adjust depending on how strong your curry powder is) - $0.15
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if your curry powder is not spicy) - $0.03
- 2 medium carrots peeled and small diced - $0.21
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and small diced - $0.38
- ¾ cup (170 grams) dried brown lentils rinsed - $0.37
- 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable stock - $1.35
- 4.5 oz (125 grams) frozen chopped spinach - $0.63
- 1 (13.5 oz / 400 ml) can coconut milk - $2.05
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste - $0.03
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until soft and transparent then add the ginger and garlic and fry another 30 seconds to a minute, or until soft.
- Add the curry powder and cayenne, if using, and fry, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds to release the aromas.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, lentils and vegetable stock. Raise the heat to bring it to the boil then cover and reduce the heat to minimum.
- Allow to simmer, covered, very gently until the lentils are tender – about 30 minutes. Check on it from time to time to ensure the lentils are submerged. Add more stock or water to keep them submerged if necessary.
- Once tender add the frozen spinach, coconut milk and salt. Raise the heat to medium and allow to cook for another couple of minutes until hot.
- Serve!
Notes
Emma says
So tasty! Perfect for a cold autumn / winter day!
Elle says
Can't wait to try this recipe!
If I use fresh spinach instead of frozen, should I do anything differently?
Melissa says
The only thing is that you'll need quite a bit more fresh spinach as it wilts so much. Other than that, add it at the end just like with the frozen.
Sherry says
This soup is awesome! I added one tablespoon of brown sugar and a squeeze of lime at the end to add some sweetness and acidity.
Helen says
I tried out this soup and it was great, posted it on IG and had tons of request for the recipe, I sent them your recipe. Some of them even tried making it too!
Thanks for sharing, will make again!
Carla says
Made it tonight it was awesome!
Karen Brown says
Absolutely delicious and so filling.
Elizabeth S Moore says
Recipe says it serves five, but it was so good that, the first time I made it, I found myself having thirds! Whoops... guess it only serves 1 or 2 when you eat like that! LOL
Made it as part of our modified diet during the Daniel Fast with our church, but will be adding it to our regular meals, as well, since it was a hit with my 8yo 😀
Stacy says
Not even close to a vegan but this is the best soup I have ever tasted. Second time making this soup and I have to double the recipe. Definitely a keeper.
Monica says
Thank you for the delicious recipe. I also added 1 bay and 2 kaffir leaves, 1 tsp tumeric. Everyone enjoyed it.
Jamie Chesney says
Made it two nights in a row cause we devoured it the first night. I served it over rice. Best soup I ever made. Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Ann English says
Delicious!
Maureen says
This was really tasty and comforting with all the rain we've had lately. I used French lentils as that's what I had on hand and added some cumin and turmeric too. Just a big bowl of yum!
Dani says
Can anyone recommend a flavorful brand of curry powder? Or even a paste? I enjoy spice but not TOO much or my family won't eat it. Thanks for any ideas you can offer!
Diana says
Hi Dani, I bought the best curry seasoning I have ever tasted at The Main Ingredient in Lutz, FL. I bought it at their shop in Tampa but I think they sell it online too. I bought the one called “Madras Curry” and it has just the tiniest undertone of heat. We don’t like spicy at all so this was perfect!
Diana says
Hands down the BEST soup I have ever made! This is the second time I made it and this time I doubled the recipe because last time we ate it all in one sitting. Excellent!
Nicole says
I don’t have a can of coconut milk. Can I use almond milk instead?
Naimah says
Have made this multiple times. Sometimes I use an immersion blender to make a smoother consistency. It's a regular staple in my house now.
Rebecca says
So good, really hits the spot now that fall is here. I added about a Tbsp mango pickle to the pot that needed to be used up, and used pre-cooked beans instead of lentils (just added closer to the end alongside the frozen spinach etc) simply cuz I digest them better than lentils ahaha no shade to the original version. Will definitely be remaking this again soon, such a cozy meal.
Paolo says
This is amazing! She mole and easy. I love your photography as well!
Megan Burns says
Looks and smells incredible! Cant wait to try it! How large are the servings? 1 cup, 1.5 cups?
Linda J. Jackson says
This recipe is very good and tasty, I made it using fresh kale instead of spinach and it was heartier, I also mashed some of the potatoes at the end to make it thicker.
Gwen says
Question: If I don’t have fresh ginger on hand, will ground ginger do?
Melissa says
Sure
Stacy says
This soup is amazing! This will be on 2 week rotation. My daughter who despises vegetables said it was her new favorite soup. Totally best soup ever.
Pet says
My class made this at school today (we omitted the cayenne pepper) and as we used some Vegeta we didn't need any salt. It's absolutely delicious! Perfect for our winter festival tomorrow. Thank you!
Brenda says
Delicious. Thank you!