This cozy coconut curry lentil soup features tender sweet potatoes, soft lentils, and wilted kale in an incredibly flavorful creamy coconut curry broth. – so easy to prepare and completely vegan!
We’ve officially hit that season where soup is it’s own food group and basically an everyday occurrence.
What better way to take advantage of that fact than to load our soup bowls up with some coconut curry lentil soup??
When I first dreamed up the recipe for this soup about a month back, I had no idea the end result would be as unbelievably good as this turned out.
This soup is INSANELY flavorful, perfectly cozy, plus vegan to boot! All kinds of wins here today in soup land.
My absolute favorite kind of soup is one that’s creamy + chunky with lots of texture goodness so the coconut broth combined with all the sweet potatoes, lentils, and kale definitely delivers here.
This Coconut Curry Lentil Soup features…
- A rich, creamy coconut milk curry soup base
- Soft, chewy lentils (providing tons of protein!)
- Tender sweet potato cubes
- Wilted fresh kale
Making the Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Building the Soup
Begin building the aromatics of the soup by sautéing onion, fresh ginger, garlic, and curry paste until just fragrant.
Now we’re going to add nearly all of the remaining soup ingredients which will be sweet potato cubes, dry green lentils, 2 cans coconut milk, and vegetable broth.
Season the soup well with salt and pepper to taste and bring it to a simmer. Now, reduce heat and let soup simmer 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes and lentils are tender (test them both by tasting)
Last but not least, toss plenty of fresh torn kale leaves into hot soup and let simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until the kale is wilted.
Tips and Tricks for Soup
- Use a jarred curry paste, rather than curry powder. Curry paste is a much more concentrated flavor that helps bring out a much stronger curry flavor.
- Don’t skimp on the fresh ginger + garlic. These two ingredients are also key to flavoring the broth.
- Use vegetable broth to keep soup vegan. If you’re not vegan/vegetarian, feel free to use chicken broth!
- Add kale only during last 5-10 minutes of cooking. This helps the kale maintain it’s vibrant green and not overcook.
- Serve soup with a squeeze of fresh lime and fresh cilantro. It adds one last little kick of flavor!
Make Ahead Options
- Prepare soup through step 2 then transfer to a slow cooker. Cook soup on high 2-3 hours or on low 5-6 hours. Add kale during last 20 minutes of cooking.
- Cool soup completely then seal and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw completely then reheat over medium heat on the stove.
It’s creamy, it’s vibrant, it’s exploding with flavorful ginger + curry flavor, and it’s just about the best soup I think I’ve had in a long time.
It’s also an absolute BREEZE to make! I’m talking 45 minutes and only 10 ingredients kind of easy.
Leftovers store and reheat like a charm, but good luck hanging onto leftovers for very long.
I feel like we can’t forget about the fact that it’s also only 251 calories per LARGE bowl and completely vegan. Seriously, magic soup in the house.
Have another bowl on me, y’all.
More cozy soup favorites to fill your soup pot with next!
Sweet Potato Kale Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste
- 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 lb) peeled, and cut into 1-in cubes
- 1-1/2 cups dried green lentils
- 2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth if non-vegetarian)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups packed kale, torn into 1-in pieces
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmery. Add onion and saute 3-4 minutes until just softened and lightly browned.
- Add garlic, ginger, and curry paste to pot and saute 2-3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Add sweet potatoes, lentils, coconut milk, and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring soup to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer uncovered 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender. Add kale to pot and let simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until kale is wilted.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot with fresh cilantro and lime wedges squeezed over top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Lola says
Hello, I don’t have curry paste on hand. Can I use curry powder instead? How much would I use? Thank you, soup looks delish!!
Sarah says
Yes you can! I would recommend 2 teaspoons curry powder to start, but feel free to add more if you want a stronger curry flavor!
Lisa Quan says
Hi, can I substitute one can of coconut milk for something a little lighter? Maybe skim milk or almond milk?
Sarah says
Yes! Skim milk would work fine. The soup may be a little less thick, but it will still be delicious!
Martina says
Hi,
this is a big portion for one person, can I freeze this soup?
Sarah says
Yes, we’ve had success freezing this soup for up to one month!