This Coconut Lentil Soup is creamy, warming, and ready in under 30 minutes - and you can make it either stove top or in your instant pot. It's packed with protein and the coziest flavors from coconut milk, ginger and garlic, and perfect for cozy weeknight dinners.
I Make This Soup Once a Week
I used to think lentil soup sounded quite boring, but then my friend served it to me and I became obsessed. So I had to start making it myself. This was back in September and as I write this we're almost in March - and I'm still making this soup every single week.
It's not just that it's so tasty and creamy and comforting - and just what you need when it's cold outside. It's also so quick and easy to make, and pretty hands off. Just a little bit of chopping to get started, and then it mostly manages itself.
It's so quick I can even manage it on busy weeknights when I get home from the barn late, and just crave this creamy goodness. It freezes perfectly as well, so I always keep a batch there for even busier days.
I've made this stove top and in the instant pot, and both ways are great. Just do what's easiest for you!
Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor
Why I Use Red Lentils
I love red lentils for soup because they cook really quick, and easily break down when cooked. This gives us a nice and creamy texture after blending.
You can use other lentils as well, but they take longer to cook. If you do, I recommend not blending it but instead enjoying it as a chunkier version.
Make It Vegan!
This soup is almost vegan - if you want to make it 100% vegan, just swap the honey for brown sugar, coconut sugar or white sugar.
How to Make It in 3 Simple Steps
1. Sauté
Start by sauteing onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.
2. Simmer
Add lentils, coconut milk, tomatoes, water and bouillon cubes, then mix and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes or more, until lentils are soft.
3. Blend & Taste Test
Blend, then taste test and season as needed with honey, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Expert Tips
Make it even easier! I've started using canned minced ginger and minced garlic because it makes cooking on busy nights so much easier. I find it gives basically the same result, just with less work.
Simmer longer if you can. A longer simmer deepens the flavor, just add a bit of extra water if it starts to become too thick.
Don't simmer too long if you don't plan to blend it. If you don't want to blend your soup, don't simmer longer than 15 minutes, as the lentils will start to break apart.
Stove top or Instant Pot? Since red lentils cook so quickly, it's actually just as fast to make this stove top as in the instant pot. So choose whatever is easiest for you!
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating stove top: Add to a saucepan with a splash of water and heat over medium heat, until heated throughout.
Reheating in microwave: Add a splash of water and reheat in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.
More Easy Weeknight Dinners
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta12 Minutes
- No-Boil Ravioli Casserole35 Minutes
- Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon22 Minutes
- 10-Minute Lemon Ricotta Pasta10 Minutes
More Quick & Easy Soup Recipes
- Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup25 Minutes
- Cream of Mushroom Soup30 Minutes
- 20-minute Almost Vegan Thai Ginger Coconut Soup20 Minutes
- Instant Pot Turkey Soup40 Minutes
Recipe
Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup
Print RateIngredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ tablespoon honey swap for brown sugar or coconut sugar to make it vegan
- ¼ teaspoon salt according to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper according to taste
To serve
- chili flakes optional
- fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
Stove Top Method
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté a few minutes until onion has softened.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 yellow onion
- Add lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and water and crumble in the bouillon cubes. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until lentils are soft - at least 15 minutes. If you plan to blend the soup, you can cook it even longer for more flavor. If you cook it longer and it starts to get too thick, just add a bit more water.1 cup dried red lentils, 1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes, 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut milk, 2 cups water, 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- Optional: Blend using an immersion blender.
- Taste test and season as desired with lime juice, honey, salt and pepper.1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice, ½ tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Serve topped with chili flakes and fresh cilantro.chili flakes, fresh cilantro
Instant Pot Method
- Start your instant pot in sauté mode and pour in the oil. Allow to heat up, then add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté a few minutes until onion has softened.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 yellow onion
- Add lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk and water and crumble in the bouillon cubes. Turn sauté mode off, then mix well and close the lid. Set to cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Make sure Keep Warm is turned off.Your instant pot will now start to build pressure which can take up to 10 minutes.1 cup dried red lentils, 1 can (14.5 oz) coconut milk, 2 cups water, 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- When the pressure cooking cycle is done, if you have the time, allow it to sit and release pressure naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release. Otherwise, release pressure manually using the quick release valve.
- Optional: Blend using an immersion blender.
- Taste test and season as desired with lime juice, honey, salt and pepper.1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice, ½ tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Serve topped with chili flakes and fresh cilantro.chili flakes, fresh cilantro
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Instant Pot* or other pressure cooker optional
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Notes
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing:Â Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing:Â Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheating stove top:Â Add to a saucepan with a splash of water and heat over medium heat, until heated throughout. Reheating in microwave:Â Add a splash of water and reheat in 1-minute increments, stirring between each segment.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! You can use a regular blender as well, but you need to be careful so you don't accidentally splatter soup all over your kitchen. Allow the soup to cool down slightly, then mix in batches, taking care not too fill the blender too much. If it's too full, pressure will build from the hot soup and this will blow the lid off. Trust me, I've done it.
You can also use a potato masher if you want it to still be slightly chunky. Or skip the blending part completely, it's still very good.
Comments
No Comments