Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup
This spiced carrot and red lentil soup combines in one pot and cooks in less than 30 minutes. A meat-free, dairy-free dish that both meat eaters and vegetarians enjoy, this spicy lentil soup is smooth, nutritious, and bursting with warm, savory flavors. Serve it as an appetizer or side dish, or enjoy it as a complete meal! 
Perfect for soup season, this carrot and red lentil soup is one of my favorite plant-based meals. I make it every fall and winter, and it never disappoints. Loaded with fresh veggies and lentils, it packs in lots of vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and plant-based nutrients to keep you full and satisfied. However, thanks to the warm spices and creamy broth, it’s so delicious picky eaters don’t even realize it’s healthy. Prepare a large big at once, and keep it on hand for easy meals! It’s a hearty soup that always leaves even the pickiest eaters asking for seconds!
Why You Will Love This Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
- With a few minutes of prep time and a cooking time of just over 20 minutes, this quick vegetarian meal is a one-pot soup that’s the definition of an easy recipe!
- The pantry staple ingredients combine in one pot, making cleanup a breeze.
- The warm seasonings and savory broth make for a tasty soup that satisfies your tastebuds and is a warm soup to enjoy on a cold day.
- It’s vegan but full of nutrients and protein to keep you full.
- Leftovers store and freeze well. So, you can make a large batch for meal prep, and enjoy this carrot lentil soup recipe for days.
- This soup is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan to satisfy a variety of dietary needs.
Ingredients You Need to Make This Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Veggies: Garlic cloves and yellow chopped onion form the base of the soup, adding a sweet flavor and a savory, pungent taste. Then, we include large carrots for a bright color, extra nutrients, and a subtly sweet taste. Don’t use baby carrots, or they won’t have the same flavor!
- Olive oil: This sautés the vegetables, enhancing their flavor and adding healthy fats to the soup. If preferred, avocado oil will also work.
- Seasonings: Turmeric, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt create the bold, spicy taste we look for in this recipe.
- Red lentils: These add lots of bulk, fiber, and plant-based protein to the soup. You can typically find them in the rice and beans aisle of your local grocery store. You can substitute for orange or yellow which are a similar type of lentils, but green lentils unfortunately will not work in this soup.
- Vegetable stock: This forms the base of the broth. Vegetable broth will also work, but it won’t be as rich. If you don’t need this recipe to be vegan, chicken stock or chicken broth will also work.
- Milk: I use unsweetened almond milk to create a creamier consistency while keeping this recipe dairy-free. However, you can use any plant-based or dairy milk you like best.
Can I Use a Different Lentil?
I find that this carrot and lentil soup is best with hearty red lentils! They’re the sweetest and nuttiest of the different lentil varieties, lending incredible flavor to the soup. They also cook fairly quickly, requiring about 30 minutes to become soft. That said, you can substitute brown lentils or yellow lentils if needed. Just make sure not to use green lentils! Yellow lentils are the most common variety and have a mild, earthy flavor and a similar cooking time to red lentils, meaning they work well in this dish. On the other hand, green lentils have a stronger, more peppery taste and take much longer to cook. They also remain harder than other varieties, meaning they don’t mix well in soups, instead working better in salads, side dishes, and main courses like lentil ragu.
How to Make This Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Sauté the garlic and diced onion in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove top for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the chopped carrots, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt, and continue to sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add in the lentils, vegetable stock, and milk, and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend it into a smooth consistency. Add more vegetable stock as desired to achieve your desired consistency.
- Garnish each bowl of lentil carrot soup with chopped parsley, fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, crispy chickpeas, or a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or a squeeze of lime juice and enjoy warm!
You can find the detailed full recipe in the recipe card below.
Can I Make This Lentil Soup Recipe without an Immersion Blender?
Absolutely! Follow the instructions as normal. Then, instead of using an immersion blender, let your vegan soup cool slightly, and transfer it to a high speed blender or food processor. Pulse until you achieve a smooth, creamy texture. Then, transfer your creamy carrot soup back to a large soup pot, or portion it into bowls. Add your garnishes of choice, and enjoy! It will have the same bold flavor and creamy consistency as the original recipe.
What Else Can I Add to This Spicy Lentil & Carrot Soup Recipe?
Feel free to include even more veggies like sweet potatoes or fresh tomatoes in this soup. Or you can stir baby spinach in at the very end of cooking. You can also adjust the flavor by adding herbs and spices like fresh parsley, black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, garam masala, ground cumin, or chili flakes. If you don’t need this recipe to be vegan or vegetarian, cooked shredded chicken or Italian sausage make for a great addition for extra protein, too!
Is This Lentil & Carrot Soup Spicy?
This creamy soup has a bold, savory taste with a fair amount of spice, but I wouldn’t say it’s overpowering. That said, you can easily adjust the ingredients to suit your flavor preferences! For instance, if you want even more heat, add more chili powder cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or a dash of hot sauce. Or, if you prefer a milder flavor, reduce the spices, or stir in more milk or plant-based cream.
What to Serve with Carrot and Lentil Soup
Made with vegetables, protein, and healthy fats, this spicy lentil soup is plenty hearty and filling enough to serve on its own. However, I love to add a side of crusty bread or naan to help scoop up every last drop. Then, if I’m feeding a hungry crowd, I often add a side salad such as my kale and Brussels sprouts salad or my green bean & roasted fennel salad for extra nutrients. Or, if you want to serve this carrot and spicy lentil soup as a side or appetizer, it’s great with protein-rich main courses like roasted butterflied leg of lamb or za’atar chicken.
What About Leftovers
This delicious spicy carrot and lentil soup will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. It tastes even better the next day! Be sure to bring it to room temperature before storing it. Then, when you’re ready to eat, reheat individual portions in 30-second increments in the microwave. Or, warm a larger batch in a pot over medium high heat on the stove. Add more vegetable stock as needed to loosen the soup back up, and it will taste as good as new.
Can I Freeze Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup?
Yes! You can freeze this easy lentil soup recipe for up to 1 month. To do so, let your carrot and red lentil soup cool completely. Then, transfer it to a freezer-safe sealed container. Or, you can pour individual portions into a soup cube tray, and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the cubes to a sealable bag or freezer-safe container. Reheat from frozen, or thaw your soup in the fridge overnight.
Here are a few more hearty soups that you might enjoy:
- 10-Minute Pastina Soup
- Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Roasted Carrot Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Paleo French Onion Soup
- Apple & Celery Root Soup
If you make this Carrot & Red Lentil Soup recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups chopped carrots 3 large carrots peeled, halved lengthwise and then cut into ½ inch sized cubes
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups almond milk or any milk of choice
Instructions
- Add olive oil on medium high heat to a pot, add in minced garlic and diced onion and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add in the chopped carrots and turmeric, chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt and saute for 4 minutes before adding in the lentils, vegetable stock and milk and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth consistency. If the soup is too sick add in more vegetable stock to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, pumpkin seeds or a dollop of yogurt.
Nutrition
Loved this soup! It was the perfect amount of spice and really filling. I will definitely make it again.
I’m a huge fan of Carmen Sturdy’s recipes, but this one wasn’t my favorite. It is not “spicy” at all. It’s actually quite bland and I didn’t care for the texture of the soup’s blended lentils. I really wanted to love it.
This was my first time making a lentil soup and I really loved it. Even my husband who likes his soups “meaty” enjoyed it.