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This Carrot and Lentil Soup is about to join the ranks among your favourite soup recipes! With its warm and slightly spicy flavours and its creamy texture, it is sure to please. This lentil and carrot soup is surprisingly easy to make and also gluten free and vegan.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
This red lentil and carrot soup is full of amazing flavours and perfect all year round! My favourite time to enjoy it is in those cooler months, but I wouldn’t turn it down for a healthy lunch in the spring or summer either!
Soups are one of my specialties here at Healthy Living James. You can find more than a dozen allergy-friendly soup recipes. Some of my favourites are my Parsnip Soup and my Potato Leek Soup.
Something I love about soup is that it is so versatile in a few different ways! It can be enjoyed as a light lunch, an appetizer or side, or even as the main course. And when it comes to the ingredients themselves, it is so easy to alter things to fit them perfectly to your taste.
This was inspired by my Carrot and Coriander Soup, and pairs well with this amazing Socca recipe. For another great red lentils recipe, try my Lentil Cottage Pie.
Ingredients to make Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – helps to fry up the ingredients.
- Shallots – build a great flavour in this carrot lentil soup.
- Medium Carrots – are the star of this meal.
- Garlic Cloves – are a go-to in most of my savoury meals.
- Dried Oregano – gives a great earthy taste.
- Smoked Paprika – is a great combination of sweet, spicy, and smoky.
- Ground Cumin – adds a bit of a spicy kick to this spiced carrot and lentil soup.
- Red Lentils – are a fantastic protein with a sweet and nutty flavour. If you have any spare try making my Coconut Dhal.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk – gives this lentil carrot soup its creamy texture. If you have a spare can lying in the cupboard then try making my Aubergine Curry.
- Vegetable Stock – is the base for this vegan carrot soup.
- Chilli Flakes – garnish this soup with a bit of a spicy kick.
- Toast – is great served alongside this red lentil soup. Try a slice of my Gluten Free Seeded Bread toasted up.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Olive Oil – any neutral oils will work well for this recipe.
- Shallots – Some good substitutes are leeks, onions, or scallions.
- Spices – While I like this spiced lentil and carrot soup with a bit of a kick, some other flavours that will also blend well are coriander, cayenne, or turmeric. A carrot ginger soup would also be divine. For more of a curried carrot soup, add some garam masala.
- Coconut Milk – can be replaced with cream, vegan sour cream, or yoghurt.
- Vegetable Stock – Vegetable broth or a bouillon cube would also work. If you aren’t vegan, you could use chicken stock or broth.
Variations
- Spicy – This carrot and red lentil soup already has a bit of a kick to it. For a really spicy carrot soup, increase the paprika, cumin, and chilli flakes. You could also chop up some fresh chillis and add them in.
- Deluxe – Add some more vegetables to step this soup up a notch. Try celery or parsnip, for example. Top with a dollop of vegan sour cream and some parsley.
- Kid friendly – If your kids prefer a sweeter soup, try cooking and mixing in some sweet potatoes, apples, and/or maple syrup.
For another carrot soup, try my Slow Cooker Coriander Soup with Carrot recipe.
How to make Carrot and Lentil Soup
Step 1: Firstly, dice the shallots, crush the garlic, and peel and dice the carrots.
Step 2: Heat a large pan on a medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced shallots, and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes.
Step 3: Add the diced carrots. Cook for a few minutes and then combine with the red lentils, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and ground cumin.
Step 4: After a couple of minutes, add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Combine and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the red lentils are cooked.
Step 5: Blend until smooth using a hand blender or high-speed blender.
Serve in bowls and garnish with some extra smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Serve with toast.
Hint: If using a blender, be sure there is an opening for the heat to escape.
Leftovers
After cooling, store leftover carrot red lentil soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
No! You should rinse them, but they do not need to soak, especially if you are using red split lentils. They already cook pretty quickly on their own.
It is incredibly good for you! Lentils and vegetables both have amazing health benefits on their own. My Carrot and Lentil soup does have full fat coconut milk, but even that has been proven to have some health benefits. You could easily cut back the coconut milk if you wanted to.
Absolutely! This is a great recipe to batch make and freeze in smaller portions. It will last 2-3 months in the freezer. To reheat, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Yes! Follow the steps for my Carrot and Lentil Soup up until adding the coconut cream. Move everything over to the slow cooker and then heat on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. At the end, stir in the coconut milk and allow to cook for another 20 minutes. Blend the ingredients together and enjoy!
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Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 150 g red lentils
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, 400 ml
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Chilli flakes, to garnish
- Toast, to serve
Instructions
- Begin by dicing the shallots, crushing the garlic and peeling and dicing the carrots.
- Heat a large pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil and diced shallots and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Next add the diced carrots and cook for a few minutes before combining with the red lentils, dried oregano, smoked paprika and ground cumin.
- After a couple of minutes add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Combine and simmer for 20 minutes until the red lentils are cooked.
- Blend until smooth using a hand blender or high-speed blender.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with some extra smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Serve with toast.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi James another great soup, carrot & lentil, will be trying the parsnip soup next & many more, I hope, keep sending the recipes, please.
Thanks so much Dorothy 🙂
Hi James, another great soup, I’ll be trying the parsnip next. ,& many more, keep coming with the recipes please, Dorothy
Delicious, will definitely make again.
Yay 🙂 just what I love to hear Wendy!
Delicious & nutritious carrot & coriander soup.
Most other recipes had potato in them which causes me arthritic pain
& I omitted the chilli for that reason too.
NB Another tip re no potato.
I cook butternut pumpkin with the skin on & so when blended with herbs
& vegetable or chicken stock it naturally becomes a thickened soup!
Thanks James for a great website with good options & easy to follow directions
for we elderly folk who are technically challenged!
Thanks Barbara 🙂
This was easy to make and super tasty! Thanks James
Thanks Gina 🙂