Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup
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.
Servings 4
Calories 419kcal
Equipment
- Instant Pot* or other pressure cooker optional
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Ingredients
- 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
Notes
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.Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 899mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 8mg