With plant-based protein and Vitamin C-rich veggies, this brightly flavored Red Lentil Soup—with sweet potato, ginger, and coconut— is a perfect fast family dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
This golden soup is one of my very favorites to make and share with my family. It’s super comforting but also light and not too rich—which is such a nice combination in the colder months. This is also a soup I always make to share when we have a baby in the house since it’s loaded with good-for-them ingredients and has a nice flavor to introduce to little ones.
This kid-friendly soup also cooks fairly quickly after you get the chopping done, which makes it a good one for making when you don’t have a ton of time in the kitchen. It’s also a great freezer meal or a meal to use in a Meal Train for a family with a new baby or illness.
(You may also like my Tomato Pastina Soup, Vegetarian Lentil Soup, Minestrone Soup, or Black Bean Soup recipes.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
For this red lentil soup, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- Sweet potatoes: These add a lot of flavor and creaminess once cooked and blended. You can use fresh sweet potatoes and plan to peel and chop them, or use frozen diced sweet potatoes to save a step.
- Carrots: Paired with the sweet potatoes, the carrots add flavor and loads of Vitamin A to the soup. You can peel and chop fresh carrots or use shredded carrots from the store to save a step.
- Onion: Adding onion to the mix of veggies adds a nice layer to the flavor. You can add garlic, too, if you’d like.
- Red lentils: You’ll want to use red lentils in this recipe, not brown or green. Red ones cook faster, and therefore need less liquid for cooking, and they break down and blend into the soup so nicely.
- Turmeric: Look for ground turmeric in the spice aisle. It adds flavor to this soup.
- Ginger (fresh or dried): You can grate fresh (or frozen fresh) ginger on a microplane or use dried ground ginger here.
- Broth: To make this soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth. Otherwise chicken broth works, too.
- Coconut milk: We add a little coconut milk (the kind in a can) at the end for maximum creaminess. You can use heavy cream if you prefer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process of making this red lentil soup recipe. Scroll down to the bottom for the full information.
Step 1. Dice the vegetables as needed.
Step 2. Add vegetables to a pot with the oil and saute.
Step 3. Stir in the salt, turmeric, ginger, stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover.
Step 4. Cook until the lentils are soft and starting to break down.
Step 5. Stir in the coconut milk, which adds richness and creaminess.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they can be added right to the pot and they cook quickly.
You can use butternut squash in place of the sweet potato if you’d like.
Red lentils cook more quickly and need less liquid than brown lentils or green lentils, so I recommend them here. They also have a more mellow flavor that works nicely with the taste of the rest of the flavors.
How to Store
Simply let the red lentil soup cool slightly and store it in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. The texture will thicken as it stores and is cold, but will go back to soup consistency when you warm it up.
Best Tips for Success
- Puree with an immersion blender, or let cool slightly and puree in a regular blender.
- Omit the turmeric if you don’t have it.
- Swirl in plain Greek yogurt or regular yogurt if desired or top with garnishes like some fresh cilantro or lime juice.
- Serve in a small cup, bowl, or reusable pouch for little kids.
- Try as a sauce for rice or pasta, or with crackers or toast as a dipper if the kids aren’t big fans of soup.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you make this recipe so please comment below!
Easy Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger)
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken (or vegetable stock)
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 14.5 ounce can coconut milk
Instructions
- Heat a medium pot over medium heat and warm the oil. Add the sweet potatoes and carrots and stir. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, turmeric, ginger, stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are soft and starting to break down.
- Stir in the coconut milk and puree smooth. (You can also serve this chunky!) Serve warm.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Puree with an immersion blender, or let cool slightly and puree in a regular blender.
- Omit the turmeric if you don’t have it.
- Swirl in plain yogurt if desired.
- Serve in a small cup, bowl, or reusable pouch for little kids.
- Try as a sauce for rice or pasta, or with crackers or toast as a dipper if the kids aren’t big fans of soup.
Nutrition
This post was first published January 2020.
Could you make this with regular potatoes instead of sweet potato?
Sure, the flavor will just be a little different. Enjoy!
I’m excited to try this! Would onion and garlic be a weird addition to this? I’m still learning to like lentils 🙃
Totally a great addition!
Does it have to be coconut milk? Can it be regular milk?
I prefer coconut milk or heavy cream. It’s better if it’s thick and creamy.
This is delicious! The flavors are so well balanced and it’s a perfect cozy winter soup. It reminds me of split pea soup, but better. I can’t wait to make it again.
How many cups is a serving size?
About a cup
Made this from your Dinnertime SOS book. Easy to make, delicious and LOVED by my toddler – thank you!
This is what I did:
I used 1/2 a red onion
1 can of chickpeas
Subbed butternut squash for sweet potatoes because it is what we had.
I used 2 cubes of “not chicken” boulion
I didnt have coconut milk so I used coconut shreds and a tiny bit of whipping cream or yogurt as a topping.
I used the curry up fizzy bomb spicing.
1 capsule of ginger powder.
Dash of tumeric latte which had cardemom and black pepper
Sautéed with the instant pot then put it on soup mode
Used immersion blender
“it’s delicious” -husband, october 2023
Toddler tried to get it out of the instantpot, was really excited, served it with chedder popcorn and applesauce