Green Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

This easy Coconut Curry Lentil Soup is…

• Ready in under 1 hour. This curry lentil soup is a quick, weeknight recipe that packs loads of bold, warming flavors into a 35-minute cooking time.
• Made with easy ingredients. Even if you don't cook curry recipes often, the beauty of this soup is that you don't need any special ingredients or spices. A package of store-bought green curry paste does the trick.
• Loaded with vegetables. I combine soupy lentils with cauliflower, eggplant, sweet potatoes, and fresh greens. You can easily adapt this curry lentil soup to any veggies you have in the crisper drawer.

Ingredients You'll Need

Curries are amazing because the vegetables can be swapped in and out based on what you have on hand. I'll share what I used in this recipe, along with notes and possible substitutions. I've also included easy variations further in the post. For now, here's what we used to make this tasty coconut curry lentil soup:

• Onion and garlic – Sautéed onions and fresh garlic are so darn delicious. I recommend a cooking onion, like a yellow onion or a shallot. If you're on the FODMAP diet, you can just leave these two ingredients out.
• Sweet Potato – This is controversial in my house, but I absolutely adore sweet potato in my curries. I think they add a really nice texture, and I love the sweetness they bring.
• Cauliflower – Cauliflower works super well in this soup. You can use frozen cauliflower if you have that on hand as well!
• Eggplant: eggplant is another thing that I see in a lot of Thai curries and I just love it. I think it's beautiful and I love how it absorbs all the flavors. If you're not an eggplant fan, you can swap it with another veggie!
• Green Curry Paste – The easiest way to get that green curry flavor (or red curry for that matter) is to use a store-bought paste. I like this one from Thai Kitchen, but you could also make your own!
• Fresh turmeric – I'm always picking up fresh turmeric whenever I find it at Whole Foods. If it's not available where you are, you can substitute ground turmeric. Turmeric is great for flavor as well as its anti-inflammatory properties.
• Fresh ginger – Ginger and curry are a match made in heaven, and the flavor that fresh ginger brings is just delicious. Like the turmeric, ground ginger will also work if needed.
• Green Lentils – We're using green lentils in this recipe because they cook relatively quickly, but you could also use brown if that's what you have on hand.
• Coconut milk – My liquid of choice for curry because it's rich and flavorful, and also plant-based. To make this coconut curry lentil soup a little lighter, I opted for one can of full-fat coconut milk and one can of lite coconut milk.
• Greens – If you've made any of my other soups before, you know I love adding greens at the end! For this recipe, you can use any greens you want, including spinach, kale, chard, collards, etc.

How to Make Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Soup is one of my favorite meals to make because it's so easy. These are the steps:

• Sauté the vegetables. We start by sautéeing the onion and garlic until they're soft and fragrant. Then, add the rest of your veggies to the pot and cook until they're tender.
• Next, add the spices. Stir in your spices, curry paste, and lentils. Let that cook for a minute to release the flavors.
• Make it soup. Lastly, stir in the liquid ingredients. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 30 – 40 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. The last step is to stir in the greens and cook them down until they're wilted. Serve your soup with a dollop of coconut yogurt, hot peppers, and cilantro. Such a yummy combo!

Do I Need to Cook Lentils Before Adding Them to Soup?

You do not need to cook your lentils before adding them to your soup, as they'll be cooking in the broth. You'll just need to be sure that you have plenty of liquid for them to cook in, or your soup will be too thick. In general, you'll want a 2:1 ratio of liquid to lentils (so 2 cups water/broth to 1 cup lentils).

Frequently Asked Questions

Try These Variation Ideas

These are some easy variations and swaps that you can make in this coconut curry soup recipe.

• More vegetables. Use any combination of veggies you want. Bell peppers, regular potatoes, broccoli, snap peas, sweet corn, and so many other options work well here. Just make sure to use the same proportions (so a total of 6 cups) for the whole soup.
• Substitute the coconut milk. I personally think this is what makes this soup flavorful, but you can substitute it with almond or cashew milk if you have a problem with coconut.
• Skip the oil. Feel free to steam the vegetables in a little bit of water instead.
• Use ground spices. Replace the fresh spices with ground spices; use 2 teaspoons instead.
• Bring the heat. For a spicier curry soup, add in cayenne pepper, chili powder, or red chili flakes to taste. You could also add sliced chili peppers, like birdseye or jalapeño. Remove the seeds to have more control over the heat.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate. Keep your green curry lentil soup covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Reheat. Warm the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you notice that the broth has thickened, add a little extra coconut milk or water to thin it out a bit when serving.

I hope you love this soup as much as we do. I made it twice and I served it to my in-laws, who aren't plant-based eaters, and they all loved it!

More Lentil Recipes

• Instant Pot Lentil Chili
• Detox Turmeric Lentil Soup
• Butternut Squash & Lentil Patties
• Red Lentil Curry
• Slow Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
• Creamy Superfood Kale & Lentil Quinoa Salad