This Creamy Carrot and Lentil Soup is so luxurious that you’ll be craving it all year long! It’s easy to make with budget-friendly ingredients but is packed with plant-based protein and features layers of warm and comforting flavors.
Treat yourself to this hearty soup, as well as my Potato Leek Soup, Minestrone Soup, Italian Chickpea Soup, and Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup to make this soup season the best one yet!
This spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup is very comforting and made with classic fall ingredients, like carrots and cinnamon, but has a few twists and turns that will have you craving it year-round!
Why I love this recipe
- Budget-friendly – When you make soup with red lentils and carrots, you get to treat yourself to a tasty and healthy meal without spending an arm and a leg.
- Creamy – It has bisque levels of creaminess without needing any coconut milk or cashew cream. Though I like to swirl some plain yogurt (or coconut milk) on top.
- Easy – It’s so easy to make in 1 pot!
How to make carrot and lentil soup
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and carrots. Cook until soft.
Next, sprinkle the cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric over the veggie mix. Stir to coat.
Upgrade the flavor: Substitute 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger and/or turmeric to jazz up the flavors.
Stir the lentils, tomato paste, and broth into the pot. Bring it up to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Continue simmering until the lentils have softened and the soup has thickened.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it’s very smooth. Or leave some texture; it’s up to you!
Don’t have an immersion blender? Carefully blend the soup in batches in a high-speed blender instead.
Season the lentil and carrot soup with salt and add a splash of water or broth to thin the consistency as desired. Spoon into bowls and top with a swirl of plain vegan yogurt, chopped parsley, or cilantro. Serve with crusty bread or focaccia on the side and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
I don’t recommend making this with another type of lentil, like green or brown lentils, because they’ll change the dish entirely. Red lentils are a much better fit! Just like in red lentil dahl, they practically melt into the soup once cooked and blend very easily.
You can use green or brown lentils if you don’t puree the soup.
No, red lentils do not need to be soaked before cooking. However, I do recommend sifting through the dry lentils first. Pick out and discard any small pebbles or specks of dirt.
You don’t have to! If you want it to have texture, don’t bother blending the soup or only blend half of the batch. Feel free to use green or brown lentils if you don’t plan on pureeing the soup but adjust the cooking times as necessary (these lentils take longer to cook than red lentils).
Transfer the cooled red lentil soup to an airtight container. It’ll stay fresh in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Creamy Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 4 large carrots peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cups red lentils
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- Optional: plain yogurt or coconut milk for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cinnamon, ginger and turmeric and stir into the vegetables for 30 seconds.
- Add the red lentils, tomato paste and broth. Stir everything together well.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils have softened and the soup has thickened.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until smooth. Alternatively, transfer in batches to a high speed blender and blend until very smooth.
- Add salt to taste, and thin out with a little water or broth if desired.
- Serve in bowls with a swirl of plain yogurt (I used Forager cashew yogurt) or coconut milk, chopped parsley or cilantro and perhaps a side of fresh bread for dipping.
Notes
- The soup will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, and also freezes well.
- You can substitute green or brown lentils if you don’t wish to puree the soup.
- As it cools, it will thicken. Simply add some water and reheat until it thins out.
Nutrition
I’m on a very tight budget right now in these inflationary times. I had a bag of carrots in the fridge and searched up this recipe. It is a very simple tasting, orange-colored, nutritious soup. It really curbs my hunger. I have a bush of fresh parsley growing on my porch. That plus the yogurt and bread made this a complete meal!
Hi Tina. I love the visual of your beautifully colored soup, and green parsley from your porch. It sounds perfect! I’m so glad you loved the soup! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I followed this recipe to a T and it was absolutely delicious. Even better because I already had all the ingredients on hand! Will definitely be making this often!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the soup, Tegan! Thanks for your wonderful review! Wishing you happy cooking!
It was very easy and super budget friendly. Leaves you feeling very satisfied unlike many blended soups. I did find it a bit bland. I ended up doubling the spices. I also drizzled some chimichurri on top and was surprised at the spontaneous “mouth-party” that occurred.
Will definitely make this again!
Hi Bree. I appreciate you sharing your cooking experience with the soup! I’m glad you were able to season it to your liking! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!
This is a winner, also added in sweet potatoes as had some needing using up. Not used cinnamon in soup before and with the ginger gives it a real autumnal warmth.
I’m so glad you liked it, Clive! Thanks for your wonderful review 🙂
Loved it! I used Bouillon, and a little less water/liquid.
Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback, Daniel! I’m glad you loved the soup!
This is by far the yummiest vegan red lentil soup I have ever tasted. I also added 1/4 tsp of cumin. Wonderful (and truly simple) recipe — just super!
Thanks so much for your wonderful review! I’m thrilled you loved the soup 🙂
I was so back and forth on if I wanted to make this and since it seemed like such an easy recipe anyway I decided to for it.
Of course once the veggies were prepped I realized that I only had 1/2 the amount of lentils so I just halved the amount of stock and only puréed 1/2 the soup for texture.
It was the bomb! So warm and comforting! Thanks for another great, easy meal.
I’m so glad to hear it turned out delicious and that you loved it! Thank you for sharing your amazing review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
Do you think this would work in a slow cooker?
I’m sure it would, although I haven’t tested it in the slow cooker. Try dumping everything in the crockpot, then cooking it on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Blend until smooth when it’s done cooking. I hope this helps!
So easy to make, and everyone loved it.
Just made it for lunch and it’s delicious! Topped with some roasted pumpkin seeds for a little crunch. Thank you for another great recipe!