Curry Lentil Soup with Potatoes & Greens
Vegan Curry Lentil Soup – Hearty lentil soup with curry, potatoes and greens is warm, glowing and delicious! Perfect for lunch, dinner or make ahead meal idea!
Soup season is finally underway, and this nourishing and hearty Lentil Curry Soup with potatoes, carrots, and greens is a great way to get started!
Why We Love This Recipe!
- It’s an easy one-pot meal that’s ready in about an hour from start to finish.
- It can be made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
- It’s full of plant-based protein and healthy fiber for a well-balanced vegan soup.
- The leftovers are even better as the flavors have time to meld together overnight, making it great for meal prep!
Altogether, this soup is full of flavor with an optional hint of spiciness and is simply a lovely soup for everyone to enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients needed to make this flavorful soup, plus substitution ideas for your perfect curry lentil soup.
- Lentils – These are the main protein source in this curry soup. You can use either brown or green lentils in the recipe. If using green lentils, you’ll need to add a few minutes of cooking time, as noted in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes. Use waxy potatoes such as red, white, or Yukon gold, as they hold their shape nicely when simmered.
- Mirepoix. The usual mix of onion, carrot, and celery makes a great flavor base and adds color and texture.
- Garlic. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, substitute with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Tomatoes. Use canned for convenience or fresh if roma tomatoes are in season.
- Tomato Paste. For even more curry flavor, substitute the tomato paste with red curry paste.
- Greens: Use whatever greens you like—spinach, rainbow chard, beet greens, or kale. This time around, I used a packaged baby kale and spinach mix, but I’ve also used julienned full-grown kale with great results.
- Spices & Herbs: The spice blend is a mix of curry, cumin, and a couple of bay leaves. If you like a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes. For serving, cilantro adds a nice finishing touch and added flavor.
How To Make Curry Lentil Soup
With just a few simple adjustments, curry lentil soup can be made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.
The stovetop and Instant Pot both take about the same amount of time, about 40 min. The slow cooker will take the longest, letting you set it and go about your day.
Here’s a quick look at your options:
- Stovetop: Using a large pot, you’ll simply saute the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the spices and tomato paste and stir until fragrant. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the greens, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, add in the greens and enjoy!
- Instant Pot: Add the ingredients, except the greens, to your pressure cooker bowl. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the release valve to the SEALED position. Press the MANUAL button and set the timer to 15 minutes. Once finished, set the valve to quick release or let it release pressure on its own (it takes about 20 minutes). Remove the lid and stir in the greens.
- Slow Cooker: The set it and forget it method. Simply add the ingredients, except the greens, to the crock pot bowl. Cover with lid and set on HIGH for 3 – 4 hours or LOW for 6 – 8 hours. Add greens, let them wilt, and enjoy!
How To Store + Reheat
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This soup is freezer-friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer-safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Let thaw before reheating. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags or containers.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternately, reheat in the microwave using 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until warm. It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon for brightness.
- Add fresh chopped cilantro for added freshness.
- Pair with homemade vegan naan for dipping and swiping.
More Easy Soup Recipes!
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- 30 Minute Chana Masala
- Curry Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Soup
- Vegan Potato Leek Soup
- Hearty Lentil & Mushroom Ragu + Pasta
If you try this curry lentil soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintCURRY LENTIL SOUP
A hearty curry lentil soup brimming with carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and greens to keep you warm and nourished when the chilly weather sets in! Includes stovetop, Slow Cooker and Instant Pot methods.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Soup, Entree
- Method: Stovetop, Simmer
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water or 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste or red curry paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 – 2 tablespoons curry powder, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with juice or 2 – 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups lentils (brown or green – see notes)
- 3 medium potatoes, diced 1/2 inch cubes
- mineral salt & pepper, to taste
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth (or combo)
- 1 bunch or 2 large handfuls of greens (I used baby kale & spinach)
- lemon wedges, to serve
- chopped cilantro, to serve
Instructions
Stovetop:
- In large stock pot, heat water/olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onions, saute for 5 minutes. Add the curry/tomato paste and garlic, stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the curry, cumin and red pepper, mix to combine and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, potatoes, then water/broth (in this order the tomatoes and potatoes won’t splash), bay leaves, salt and pepper, bring to boil over medium high heat. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 – 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the greens five minutes before the soup is done. Add additional water as needed, maybe up to 1 cup. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt & pepper.
Instant Pot: Add the ingredients, except the greens and water/oil, to the bowl of your pressure cooker. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the release valve to the SEALED position. Press the MANUAL button and set the timer at 10 minutes. Once finished, set valve to quick release or let it release pressure on it’s own (takes about 20 minutes). Remove lid, stir in the greens. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Slow Cooker: Add the ingredients, except the greens and water/oil, to the bowl of your crock pot. Cover with lid. Set on HIGH for 3 – 4 hours or LOW for 6 – 8 hours. Add greens, let them wilt. Remove bay leaves and enjoy!
Serve with homemade vegan naan or artisan bread. Add a squeeze of lemon juice for a touch of brightness and chopped fresh cilantro for extra flavor!
Serves 6
Store: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. store covered. To keep longer, store in the freezer in freezer safe containers for 2 – 3 months.
Notes
Use any dark leafy greens you like….spinach, kale, swiss chard, broccoli raab greens, beet greens ect. Just be sure to julienne your greens if they are large leafy ones. If using full grown greens, add them about 10 minutes before soup is done as they take longer to wilt.
If using green lentils, they tend to take a little longer to cook, add another 5 – 10 minutes on the stovetop and 2 minutes in the Instant Pot.
Add a handful of raisins or currants for some sweetness at the end of cooking. Or, you may rather add some to the top of your individual servings. It’s highly recommended adding a light touch of sweetness with the curry flavor!
This was great, added a can of coconut milk 👌🏼
This soup is super amazing! I followed your recipe, using red curry paste, and this was such an easy meal to prepare. It is in the single digits tonight and this will be the perfect dinner for my husband and I. This makes a huge amount of food so I may invite my sis in law over to share. Thank you because this is so delicious! I was surprised at how flavorful this came out. I will totally put this into my rotation. I put everything together in my dutch oven while I cleaned up the house, and it was fantastic. I really think on a workday I could use the crockpot to make this amazing soup. Thanks again for sharing this recipe!
Amazing flavor and so easy to make!
Julie,
I would have rated this absolutely delicious😋recipe more than 5 stars but that’s not an option! LOL! I made it several times now and I even get request for it! Thank you again Julie.
Julie,
In the recipe instructions it says to add the “curry/tomato paste” and then the next step it reads “add curry”. I’m confused, can you help?
Sorry for any confusion, Brenda! You can use either tomato paste or curry paste, and later you will add curry powder. If using curry paste, you may want to use the lower amount of curry powder called for. I hope that helps and enjoy the soup!
Julie,
Thank you so much for the quick response! I did forget to tell you that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to cooking 😄and now I realize it was the red curry paste or tomato paste. Thank you so much! I’m making it today and I know it will be 5 star delicious, as all of your recipes are!!!
I loved this! I left out the carrots, and added green beans and cauliflower. I used red curry paste and 4 tsp curry powder. I used frozen kale.
My husband decided to go vegan about a month ago. A friend pointed me in the direction of your site and I’m loving all these recipes. Even though it’s 90 here, I made this soup for our lunches this week and it’s delicious. Thanks!
I made this for supper last night, but omitted the red pepper flakes (because I'm a wimp). It was great! Thanks for sharing such a tasty recipe :)
Thanks for this recipe. I've been eating this soup all week and it's delicious. I may cut back a bit on the crushed red pepper next time as it's a bit too spicy for my taste. One correction I wanted to point out. The broth is not listed in the steps. I added it when I put in the lentils and seemed like the most logical spot.
Susan
Glad your enjoying the soup! Thank you for letting me know about the missing broth in the instructions. I remember wanting to add in with my in a notes about splashing but never went back to do it. It's all fixed now. Cheers :)
It really is easy and so good! Hope you love it as much as I did :)