This carrot lentil soup might just be the most underrated meal you can make on a weeknight! It’s cheap, it’s quick, and it uses up that bag of carrots you have in the fridge. Packed with cosy spices and blended until thick and creamy, this one is a permanent fixture in my dinner rotation.
A vegetable based soup is one of my go-to budget friendly recipes. It’s a great way to use simple, everyday ingredients and turn them into something cosy and comforting. Not to mention, it’s a great way to get in extra nutrients without trying too hard.
In this soup, I’ve combined carrots (which are a common vegetable to be in the fridge as they are sold in large quantities at a relatively low price), with red lentils which are a pantry staple with a long shelf life. The lentils add an earthy flavour that balances the sweetness of the carrots, and they also provide some essential protein and fibre, meaning you’re not going to be hungry an hour after dinner.
Round it out with a slice of fresh no knead bread and you have a simple and delicious meal perfect for any day of the week.
Recipe Inspiration
I was watching a finance creator on TikTok share her tips for saving money on groceries and she mentioned making use of the ingredients in her fridge when meal planning. The specific example was if she had a bag of carrots, she would be eating carrot soup.
At that point in time, I did in fact have a bag of carrots in my fridge with no plans on how to use them. So I decided to experiment with a carrot soup recipe, with the idea that this could be a simple and tasty budget meal for those times the fridge is looking a bit sad.
The recipe is an adaptation of my sweet potato turmeric soup recipe, which is also a great pantry staple recipe for when you have a sweet potato but not much else.
Key Ingredients
This carrot lentil soup recipe is designed to be made with very minimal ingredients that you might already have in your pantry or fridge. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe and all substitutions are listed below where relevant.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Carrots – you’ll need about 4-5 carrots, depending on their size. Make sure to cut them into similar sized chunks for even cooking.
- Red lentils – these break down as the soup cooks and blend beautifully to create a thick and creamy texture. They also give this soup a good dose of protein and fibre.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger – this is the flavour base of the soup and what’s going to make it really delicious despite not containing many ingredients. You can use fresh garlic and ginger or jarred for convenience.
- Spices – I like to use a combination of curry powder, smoked paprika, turmeric and cumin to give an earthy balance to the sweetness of the carrots.
- Water – you can use vegetable or chicken stock instead if you have it, but honestly the flavour using just water is enough so it’s not necessary.
- Coconut milk – optional, but it gives the soup a smooth and creamy finish. A little oat milk works too if that’s all you have.
👉Tip! Keeping a well stocked spice rack of versatile spices means you can always make really flavourful food with minimal ingredients. It might take a while to build your collection, but it’s going to give you so many more options for delicious everyday cooking.
You’ll Also Love: Dairy Free Pumpkin Soup
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and ginger and keep cooking, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and translucent.
Step 2: Stir in the curry powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, and cumin. Cook for a minute or so until the spices are fragrant and coating the onion mixture. Tip in the carrots and toss to coat them well in the spiced onion mixture.
Step 3: Pour in the lentils and water, stirring well and scraping up any spices stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the carrots are completely soft.
Step 5: Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool for about 10 minutes. Blend until smooth and creamy using a stick blender or in batches in a stand blender. If it’s too thick, add a splash of extra water to loosen it.
Step 6: Return the blended soup to the saucepan over low heat. Stir through the coconut milk, if using, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Once hot, ladle into bowls and serve.
👉Tip! If using a jug blender, don’t fill it more than halfway and hold the lid down firmly with a folded tea towel as hot liquid expands quickly and can cause the lid to blow off. If you have one, a stick blender in the pot is an easier (and less messy) option.
Serving Suggestion: I love this carrot lentil soup with a side of my favourite overnight no knead bread either fresh or toasted, but I also have had it with my easy vegan garlic bread and that is also incredibly delicious!
Storage Instructions
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. If you’re planning to freeze a big batch, it’s worth leaving out the coconut milk and stirring it through fresh when reheating as it’ll taste better that way.
To reheat, do so in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of water to get the desired consistency as it will thicken when stored.
Recipe FAQs
This soup is mildly spiced and family-friendly as written. For heat, add a pinch of chilli flakes or a finely chopped fresh chilli with the garlic and ginger.
Red lentils are ideal for this recipe as they break down as they cook, giving the soup its thick and creamy texture. Green or brown lentils won’t break down in the same way and will give you a chunkier, more textured soup. If that’s all you have, it’ll still taste great, just be aware the consistency will be different.
Nope! Red lentils don’t need soaking. Just give them a quick rinse under cold water before adding them to the pot and you’re good to go.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More vegetable soup recipes:
Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Dairy Free Baked Potato Soup
Easy Spiced Carrot Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 large or 2 small brown onions finely diced
- 3–4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated, OR 2 teaspoons jarred minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 500 grams (17.6oz) carrots approximately 4–5, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed
- 4½ cups water
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add the garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the spices and cook until fragrant, then add the carrots. Toss to coat the carrots in the spice and onion mixture.
- Add the lentils and pour in the water. Stir well, scraping up any spices stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
- Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly for about 10 minutes.
- Blend until smooth and creamy using a blender (in batches if necessary) or a stick blender. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra water to help it blend.
- Return the blended soup to the saucepan over low heat. Stir through the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once hot, ladle into bowls and serve as is or alongside toasted bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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