Easy to make and delicious to eat, curried lentil soup is packed with green lentils, spinach and warm Indian spices. With just over 30 minutes cooking time, this soup is the perfect warming meatless meal for cold days.

Looking for a healthy, flavourful meatless soup to round out your winter rotation?? I've got you covered!
This curried lentil soup is my new favourite plant based soup. It's easy to make, packed with lentils and spinach and perfectly spiced for cold winter weather.
Why you're going to love this soup
- Meatless - I like to make this soup with chicken stock because it doesn't cloud up the bright golden colour, but it's just as good with veggie stock and perfect for meatless meals.
- Easy to make - there are just 3 simple steps to this soup! Simply saute the veggies, add the stock and lentils and other seasonings, and lastly stir in the spinach.
- Flexibility - I used spinach here, but you could stir in any other green veggie of your choosing and this soup will still taste great!
- Pantry recipe - other than the fresh spinach, you most likely already have all the ingredients on hand - and if not, they are easy to stock.
- Full of flavour - from the sweet creaminess of the coconut milk to the garam masala spice blend to the earthiness of the lentils and spinach this soup packs a lot of flavour with minimal effort.
The ingredients
There are just a few easy to find fresh and dried ingredients to this curried lentil soup. Most of them are likely already in your pantry too!
- Avocado oil - a nice neutral oil for sauteeing the veggies and aromatics. This can be substituted for any other cooking oil.
- Onion - yellow cooking onion is what I used, but you can use any onion you've got on hand.
- Celery - adds flavour to the broth. I always keep celery on hand for winter dishes.
- Garlic - always use fresh garlic. It's so easy to crush your own, and it tastes miles better than the stuff in the jar.
- Ginger - adds a nice warm peppery flavour to the soup. Fresh ginger is inexpensive and lasts a long time in the fridge so I often keep it on hand for Asian dishes.
- Dried green lentils - the star of the soup! Buying dried lentils in bulk is very economical compacted to buying cans and they don't take long to cook.
- Broth - either veggie or chicken broth will work here. Chicken broth is lighter and will allow the golden colour of the turmeric to shine through giving this soup a nice bright colour.
- Coconut milk - for creaminess and sweetness.
- Garam masala - the spice mix that brings all the flavour to this soup! Make sure you are buying a quality brand for the maximum depth of flavour. I buy mine at my local Asian specialty market.
- Turmeric - brings a beautiful bright colour to this curried lentil soup and adds some anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Baby spinach - make sure to really pack those cups in as spinach wilts down to nothing as it cooks. You can substitute this for kale, swiss chard, bok choy, or any other green vegetables if you like.
How to make it
Start by heating a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the avocado oil and let it heat up then add the celery, onion, garlic and ginger. Season with sea salt and pepper then let the veggies saute until they have softened.
Add the dried green lentils to the pot along with the broth.
Pour in the coconut milk and add the garam masala and turmeric and give the soup a good stir.
Bring the pot to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
When the lentils have cooked, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the spinach until the leaves have just wilted.
Now your soup is ready to eat! For maximum enjoyment grill up some naan bread to serve on the side.
More vegetarian lentil recipes!
Love lentils? Check out some of our other delicious vegetarian lentil recipes!
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Currried Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 onion - diced
- 2 ribs celery - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed
- 1 inch fresh ginger - minced
- 1 cup dried green lentils
- 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 Tablespoon turmeric
- 4 packed cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot to medium heat and add the avocado oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the onions, celery, garlic and ginger then season with sea salt and pepper.
- Let the veggies saute for 5 minutes or so - until the onion and celery are translucent and you can smell the ginger and garlic.
- Add the lentils, stock, coconut milk, garam masala and turmeric to the pot. Bring the contents to a brief boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes or unitl the lentils are tender.
- Remove the lid, turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach until the leaves have just wilted.
- Serve with grilled naan bread.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Erika says
This is such a great soup for the cold weather. Love the flavors too!!
Dannii says
We love using lentils for healthy and budget friendly meals. This soup looks delicious.
Courtney says
We do as well! Thank you!
Michelle says
This soup looks delicious! I love finding new ways to add more lentils into our weekly rotation, can't wait to try this.
Courtney says
I hope you enjoy it!
Angela says
Such great flavor here! My first time cooking with garam masala. Thanks for the great recipe!
Courtney says
You're very welcome!
Emily Flint says
This version of lentil soup sounds so good. I love the combination of flavors and spices.
Courtney says
Thank you!
Dorothy says
This is such a delicious soup! What a pleasant surprise to find a recipe that uses the full can of coconut milk & fresh spinach (my favorite veggie). I used grape seed oil. After the veggie & spices were translucent, I added the turmeric to cook for a minute (this spice can taste raw if not cooked) then added the garam masala. I found no need to add salt or pepper since I make my garam masala with black pepper & the broth/bouillon contains salt. Will be checking your website for more delicious recipes.
Courtney says
Thank you for your kind review Dorothy! I'm so glad you loved the soup, and I look forward to seeing you around 🙂