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 Pastina Soup, Tomato Pastina Soup, Vegetarian Lentil Soup, Minestrone Soup, or Black Bean Soup recipes as more easy toddler meals.)
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.
Would this be okay for a baby given that it is seasoned with salt? I figure the answer is yes, but I have heard so much about not giving any salt to babies, that I’ve become hesitant about seasoning food, even when the food doesn’t end up being a high-sodium food.
It’s important to remember to take any of this in the context of all of the foods that a baby is eating, so if they have a portion of soup with a little salt in a week, that would be fine. You can also leave the salt out and salt your own food. More on sodium here https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/babies-and-salt/
Absolutely delicious!!
Do we have to use light coconut canned milk like you suggested in the recipie or can we use regular canned coconut milk? The same question for your Chana daal recipie. Thanks In advance!
Regular canned coconut milk works the same so either is fine. Enjoy!
Really impressed – this was really good – I used 1 large sweet potato and 4 med-large carrots and cut the coconut milk to half can – really loved the flavor and my toddler is eating it which is great! – thank you!
Such a delicious and quick meal for fall! The whole family loved this soup. I swapped sweet potatoes for butternut squash because it’s what we had in hand – easy and yummy sub. Thanks Amy for another crowd pleasing dish!
I’m so glad to hear that!!
What are your thoughts on a different lentil? Color might be odd, but any other reason not to use green lentils?
The main difference (besides color) is that brown and green lentils take a lot longer to cook and often have a stronger flavor. So you can certainly try it but you may need more liquid so they can cook until they’re soft.
Love this simple recipe! It was straightforward and delicious – thanks!
At the first step of cooking, sweet potatoes and carrots aren’t burnt?!
They shouldn’t be. Perhaps the heat was too high?
Also – is this one of those small or standard cans of coconut milk?
Oh sorry, I will clarify that. It’s a 14.5-ounce can
Do the sweet potatoes need to be boiled beforehand?
No they don’t
This looks delicious! Any idea how to adjust for an instant pot?
I did it today (good timing since I had planned to make it anyway!). I sauteed the veggies in the oil for 10 minutes on medium, then pressure cooked on HIGH for 10 minutes and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. I think it would probably be fine if you did an instant release too.
do i have to use stock?
You could use water but you may need to add more salt to compensate for flavor.
Hello,
Is this fine to make for a 6 month old?
Texture-wise it would be, though I probably would make sure they’re tolerating other simple foods well before you offer it
Unsweetened coconut milk? What’s the name of your podcast?
Yes, unsweetened coconut milk in a can and our podcast is called Comfort Food!
Just made this soup for my little one and it is delicious! It comes together very quickly and the flavors are different for a little one, but not too strong. Love your podcast and just starting to explore your recipes, so far loving them too! Thank you!
I’m so glad and thank you for listening to the podcast!