Carrot And Lentil Soup

This carrot and lentil soup recipe is one of my family’s favourite soups. Full of vegetables and protein-rich red lentils, it is easy to prepare, perfect for meal prep, and one I make on repeat for my 4 year old son – at his request!

There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of warming soup on a cold Winters day, and this red lentil and carrot soup is one of my family’s favourite Winter recipes. Carrots, vegetables and red lentils are cooked with ginger and curry powder until tender, then blended with coconut milk to make a thick and creamy soup. Like my carrot and coriander soup it is a budget friendly soup that is made with kitchen staple ingredients and can therefore be whipped up to fill hungry mouths when time is short.

Enjoy this soup on it’s own, with a slice of hot buttered toast or garlic bread, or serve with cheese scones or sausage rolls for a warming lunch or simple dinner.

Jump to:

• Ingredients Notes And Substitutions
• How To Make This Carrot Lentil Soup Recipe
• FAQ
• My Recipe Tips
• Storage
• Serving Ideas
• Variations
• More Comforting Winter Soup Recipes
• Carrot Lentil Soup

Ingredients Notes And Substitutions

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.

• Carrots – the star of the show! Budget friendly and popular with everyone. The weight suggested in the recipe card below is approx. 4 large carrots or 5 smaller carrots. You don’t have to be exact – this soup is pretty flexible!
• Onion – brown onion or yellow onion.
• Garlic – you can either use a fresh garlic clove or 1 teaspoon of store-bought minced garlic.
• Red Lentils – a cheap source of protein, red lentils don’t take long to cook and thicken the soup.
• Stock – chicken or vegetable stock works well. I also make this soup with just water if I don’t have stock. Use water if making this soup for baby led weaning to reduce sodium levels.
• Vegetables – this soup can be made with a variety of vegetables: celery, capsicum/pepper, zucchini/courgette, a couple of tablespoons of sweetcorn or 2-3 fresh tomatoes.
• Curry powder – I use a mild curry powder, which gives a background warmth to the soup rather than being hot and spicy.
• Coconut milk – this adds a rich, creamy taste to the soup. If you don’t want to use coconut milk just leave it out, adding 120ml / ½ c extra stock or water, and reduce the curry powder to ¼ teaspoon.

How To Make This Carrot Lentil Soup Recipe

1. In a medium to large saucepan, soften the onion over a gentle heat. then add the chopped vegetables and garlic and cook over a low-medium heat – this releases their sweet flavour.
2. When the vegetables have started to soften, stir in the curry powder and red lentils. Make sure to cook the curry powder for 30 seconds to release the flavour from the spices.

3. Add the stock/water and simmer gently.
4. When the lentils are tender and the vegetables are soft, add the coconut milk and gently heat. TIP: don’t boil as this can cause the coconut milk to split. Then blend until smooth with an immersion / stick blender.

FAQ

My Recipe Tips

• Use different vegetables – this soup is a great recipe for using up leftover vegetables that are sat in the fridge and reducing food waste. You can use mostly carrots, or add other vegetables.
• If you use different veggies to make the lentil soup, try to use red, yellow or orange vegetables. Adding green vegetables like peas or spinach makes the soup turns brown, which can put younger family members off.
• This soup is developed to appeal to kids and toddlers. To make a spicier soup add an extra ¼ teaspoon curry powder, a pinch of dried chilli flakes or 2 cm finely grated fresh ginger, added with the crushed garlic.
• This is a thick carrot red lentil soup – if you prefer a thinner soup, add a little more water/stock/coconut milk.
• For baby led weaning – this soup was one of my sons favourite baby led weaning soups! For a baby lentil soup – make the soup with water, omit the ginger and reduce the curry powder to ¼ teaspoon. Make sure to blend the soup until completely smooth and no lumps remain.

Storage

• Fridge: store the soup in an airtight container or tightly covered bowl in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: freeze for up to 3 months. This soup is ideal for batch cooking and freezing in individual portions. I love to make a big batch and freeze for later!
  • To freeze: Cool the soup completely then store in ziplock bags or containers. Defrost in the fridge overnight. I freeze the soup in individual portions in ziploc / freezer safe plastic bags, and lay them flat in the freezer for a quicker defrost time.
    

Serving Ideas

• Savoury scones
• Puff pastry pinwheels – ham pinwheels or vegan samosa pinwheels
• Sausage rolls or vegetarian sausage rolls
• Soft milk bread
• I love it with a simple Greek salad or this pear and walnut salad.
• Cheese croissants
• Sprinkle with a handful of crunchy croutons or Pangrattato (Italian breadcrumbs).

Variations

• Instead of the curry powder, you can use different spices: add ½ a teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander.
• Stir through ½ teaspoon of garam masala before serving.
• If you are a fan of pumpkin soup, swap all or some of the carrots for pumpkin or butternut squash.

More Comforting Winter Soup Recipes

These easy soups are all kid-approved!