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Curry Lentil Soup

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This vegan curry lentil soup is loaded with your favorite pantry staples including classic curry spices, garbanzo beans, coconut milk and split red lentils. It has all the feels of comfort food so your family will never guess it’s completely loaded with healthy, wholesome ingredients!

Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

You’ll Love This

  • It’s delicious AND good for you! This vegan curry lentil soup gives you the best of both worlds in terms of being the ultimate comfort food and also being loaded with healthy, whole ingredients like garbanzo beans, red lentils, and coconut milk!
  • It can be thrown together quickly with pantry staples you likely already have on hand! We are talking 20 minutes from start to finish and just a handful of canned pantry items along with some classic curry inspired spices. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
  • It’s the perfect “make-ahead” meal since the flavors just get better with time! It reheats beautifully (as most soups do) making it a meal prep lover’s dream! You can throw together a big batch of this on Sunday night and dinner is done for the week!
Close up shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Instructions

Saute onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Large white pot filled with onions and olive oil

Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 

Large white pot filled with sauteed onions garlic and spices

Deglaze the pan with a splash of broth, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan.

Large white pot filled with sauteed onions garlic and spices

Add chickpeas and lentils.  

Large white pot filled with chickpeas and split red lentils

Add coconut milk.

Large white pot filled with chickpeas red lentils and coconut milk

Stir in the rest of the vegetable broth.

Large white pot filled curried lentil soup

Turn up heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium to medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender. 

Large white pot filled curried lentil soup

Stir in fresh squeezed lime juice, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Lentils

  • Lentils are part of the legume family. A legume is a plant with an edible seed (think beans or peas).
  • Lentils come dried or canned. They come in a few different varieties including red/yellow, green, brown and black.
  • Lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber which makes them a filling (and very healthy) addition to any meal. This informative article has some more great info about lentils if you want to dig a little deeper!

Is it Vegan?

  • Yes! This curried lentil soup is made without any animal products. The creaminess comes from the coconut milk and the cooking liquid we use in this recipe is vegetable broth.
  • While I don’t follow a vegan diet, I do try to incorporate as many vegetables into my meals as possible so you’ll find a lot of vegan and vegetarian recipes here on Midwest Foodie.
Overhead shot of a bowl of curry lentil soup garnished with coconut milk and cilantro

Simple Soups

This post was originally published in January of 2019. It was updated in March of 2020 to include step-by-step instructions, process shots and helpful hints for making the best vegan curry lentil soup!

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Vegan Curry Lentil Soup

★★★★★

4.8 from 18 reviews

This vegan curry lentil soup is loaded with your favorite pantry staples – classic curry spices, garbanzo beans, and split red lentils. It has all the feels of comfort food so your family will never guess it’s completely loaded with healthy, wholesome ingredients!

  • Author: Kylie Lato
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Indian
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. 
  2. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. 
  3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of broth, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. 
  4. Add chickpeas, lentils, coconut milk and remianing broth. Stir to combine.   
  5. Turn up heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium to medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked through. 
  6. Stir in fresh squeezed lime juice, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Keywords: lentil soup, curry soup, vegan lentil soup, vegan curry soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Kylie Lato

      Yes!! You can use any lentils for this recipe! Just simmer them for the recommended cooking time on your package of lentils. Test them a few times throughout the cooking process, and pull the soup off the heat when the lentils are cooked through! Great question, Bricky!

      Reply

  4. Danon

    This was a great recipe – it was quick, simple and easily adaptable into items that may be found in your pantry. Substitutions were easily made and the result allowed for enhancements based on preference.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Christine

    This soup was so easy to put together and really delicious! I was only missing cilantro which I will try next, but regardless of the missing ingredient it’s a keeper!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Christine! Cilantro does at a pop of fresh flavor, but it’s not totally necessary. Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  6. Victoria

    This is very good! My spouse, who does not have exotic taste buds, liked it very much. Thank you!

    ★★★★

    Reply

  8. Erika

    Such an easy recipe for a soup that is really complex flavor-wise. It’s also great for week nights as it’s really quick to put together. I love that it’s vegan too! Super healthy 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. Casey

    This was so quick and easy, not to mention delicious! Don’t skimp on the lime and cilantro as they really elevate the flavor profiles of the dish! We enjoyed with warmed pita bread and even though it’s a soup, I think we will also try it over rice in the future. This meal came together in a half hour and is packed with protein and flavor. Add this to your rotation now!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Rice would be GREAT with this soup – and I totally agree about the lime and cilantro; they really make the dish! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Casey. Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂

      Reply

  10. Molly Kogan

    Perfectly written! I couldn’t believe I didn’t have to adjust any flavors and the final product was flavorful. I couldn’t find split lentils so I used whole ones. All that changed was the cook time but because the recipe said to simmer until lentils were soft I didn’t have to deviate from the recipe at all. Super clear and easy to follow. My boyfriend already wants me to make a second batch because it was so delicious. Thank you for making my first experience cooking lentils a joy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yayyyyyy! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe – and that you were able to adjust the cooking time to fit your lentil choice and it still turned out great! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Molly. I really appreciate it! 🙂

      Reply

  12. Tanya

    This is so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I agree with another comment I read, that making sure to use the lime and cilantro because it pulls it all together. I tried it before and after. Both are good though. Enjoy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  13. Andrea

    This was a very tasty recipe and so easy to make! I will definitely be making it again! YUM!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Great question, April! I have not made it in an instant pot, but I see no reason why you can’t! If you are using split red lentils, I would imagine this would only take a few minutes on the manual setting under high pressure. They cook pretty quickly. You could still saute the onion and garlic just like the original recipe calls for. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it. Thanks!

      Reply

    • Sara

      I made mine in the IP. Followed all the directions using sauté mode up to step 5. Switched to pressure cook, 5 minutes on High. I was going to quick release but got distracted so it had a few extra minutes to depressurize. Continued directions. Was very good! Lentils melted into the soup, chickpeas were still a bit firm, but I think that’s what’s supposed to happen. Might have gone down a cup of broth, but it looks like it will thicken up still. Definitely have enough for lunch for a few days.

      ★★★★

      Reply

  15. Emily

    Super quick and easy! The smell is amazing and the soup is simply delicious. I’ll be making this recipe again and again. I added asparagus just because I love asparagus and it was yummy! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  16. Ali

    Delicious and super easy to make. Had all the ingredients needed. Use GREEN lentils instead of split red ….took 20 minutes to cook. We like spicier food, so Only change was the addition of some red chili pepper flakes. (Next time I may use 1/2 chili oil-1/2 olive oil to spice up the onions) Great meal for a rainy Sunday afternoon !!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I’m glad that you were able to switch things up a bit and use what you had on hand and adjust it to fit your spice level, Ali! Thank you so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it! 🙂

      Reply

  17. Emily

    I love coconut curry soups and this is just what I was looking for. I adjusted some of the spices for my own personal preference and I think it tastes better than the soup at my local vegan restaurant. Thanks for the recipe! I’ve made it several times already and it’s a family favorite.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Emily! I am glad that you were able to customize it to suit your taste. Thank you for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I don’t see why not! I’ve not worked with canned lentils much but I would think they’d work just fine in this recipe. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Manisha! I recommend bringing the soup to a simmer and then cooking until the lentils are cooked through which doesn’t take long with split red lentils. If you use other lentils, it may take longer!

      Reply

  21. Elka

    Amazing! So easy, so delicious! I used low-sodium broth and found canned chick peas with only 10 mg sodium…came out great! Thanks!

    Reply

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