Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup

A thick and creamy vegan legume based soup generously infused with ground coriander spice. This low fat gluten free soup has a 5 minute prep time and comes together quickly with minimal effort. It's perfect for meal prep lunches and freezer meals. Full of flavor, it also makes a great appetizer.

While winter is still at it's peak, many of you are probably seeking some comfort food. I love comfort food because it keeps my tummy full and mood content.

However, soup is a sad reminder of how cold the weather is outside. Therefore, in a sense I feel this notion is a catch 22.

Well regardless of how I or yourself may feel, winter is here. Unless you live in a hot and sunny environment.

If you are feeling the need for comfort food recipes, be sure to check out my Jamaican Stew Beef and Dairy Free Mac and Cheese.

Lentils, particularly red ones because they disintegrate rather quickly, work well in pureed soup. They have a slightly nutty flavor to them and have a slightly spicy aroma.

On the other hand, carrots are thick when pureed with a slightly sweet taste. These two main ingredients work so well together.

The taste of the soup

One of the core reasons why this duo works so incredibly well together is flavour and texture. Adding a teaspoon of ground coriander to the mix equates to food heaven.

Just the warmth alone will tantalise your taste buds.

Ultimately, I would describe this recipe as subtly sweet with warmth and a protein powerhouse to boot. Who said you need meat to load up on protein, eh?

Ingredients you need

• Red lentils: Red lentils cook really quickly and there is no need to soak them unlike green lentils. They are a great source of protein for this vegan soup.
• Carrots: Chunky carrots work best of this recipe and 3 should do the job!!
• Coriander: Ground coriander adds a wonderful nutty flavor to this soup and I like to serve the soup with some coriander leaves for freshness.
• Onion: Yellow onions are best to use because they are sweeter in taste.
• Vegetable stock: To keep this soup vegan I used my very own homemade vegetable stock, but you can use chicken if that's what you have. You can use a low sodium vegetable stock to reduce the amount of sodium in the recipe.
• Almond milk: I use almond milk as it has a quite neutral taste add makes the soup wonderfully creamy. Oat milk would also work well and if you don't need to make this soup vegan, you can use half and half.
• Chili, salt and pepper: To taste
• Coconut oil: Use for sauteing. You can use a vegetable or olive oil as well.

The steps (stove top method)

• Add the olive oil to a large saucepan on medium heat and proceed to saute the onion until translucent.
• Add the lentils, carrots, vegetable stock and almond milk to the large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil

• Reduce the heat to low-medium, stir and season with salt, pepper, ground coriander and chilli flakes
• .Stir once more time before covering the saucepan with the lid then simmer for 20 minutes. During that time the carrots and legume will start to break down and soften.
• Remove the pan from the stove.

• If using a high speed blender, carefully and very slowly pour the ingredients into the blender. Be mindful of any hot splash back. Work in batches if required and puree into a smooth consistency.
• For an immersion blender, you can puree everything by hand in the same cooking pan.

Instant pot version

• Switch your instant pot on and select the "saute" button for "5 minutes" and wait for it to display "hot".
• Add the olive oil and onion then proceed to saute until soft and translucent.
• Quickly add the carrots and red lentils broth and continue to cook for another minute.
• Pour in the almond milk, vegetable broth/stock along with ground coriander, chilli flakes, black pepper and pink salt then press the "cancel" button.

• Place the lid on and flick the knob to "sealling" then set to pressure cook on high and adjust +/- to 10 minutes.
• Once the cooking time is over do a quick release (flick the knob to venting).
• Grab your immersion stick or use a blender to puree your soup.
• Do a taste test and adjust for additional black pepper and pink salt (if required).

Frequently asked questions

Can you make this soup ahead of time?

Soups are a great food if you are looking to batch cook or meal prep. Let the soup cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container, it will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The soup will also freeze in the same way for up to 3 months. Leftover soup can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Notes and tips

• Suitable for vegans and gluten free lifestyles.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, freeze for up to 3 months in freezer friendly containers.
• Cook the soup in a heavy bottom pan. It will hep to distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots which can burn the soup.
• You can use an immersion blender or stand blender to blend the soup. If you use a stand blender, blend it in batches and be careful as it will be very hot.
• Blend the soup to your taste. When I made this soup, I pureed everything into a smooth consistency but you can pulse - stop and start if you like yours chunky.
• Before serving the soup, season it to your taste. Due to the generous use of stock, I didn't measure the amount salt and pepper I used, I added what I needed accordingly to my preference so please feel free to do the same.

Other vegan soup recipes you may like

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Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup

A thick and creamy vegan legume based soup generously infused with ground coriander spice. This low fat gluten free soup has a 5 minute prep time and comes together quickly with minimal effort. It's perfect for meal prep lunches and freezer meals. Full of flavor, it also makes a great appetizer.

4.91 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetiser

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ A medium onion chopped
• ▢ 1 cup of red lentils (135g) rinsed
• ▢ 3-4 medium sized carrots sliced and peeled (3 cups worth, heaping)
• ▢ ½ cup almond milk (120ml)
• ▢ 4 ½ cups vegetable stock (1 litre)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander (2g)
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon of chilli flakes (0.25g)
• ▢ salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add the olive oil to a large saucepan on medium heat and proceed to saute the onion until translucent.
• Add the lentils, carrots, vegetable stock and almond milk to the large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
• Reduce the heat to low-medium, stir and season with salt, pepper, ground coriander and chilli.
• Stir once more time before covering the saucepan with the lid then simmer for 20 minutes. During that time the carrots and legume will start to break down and soften.
• Remove the pan from the stove.
• If using a high speed blender, carefully and very slowly pour the ingredients into the blender. Be mindful of any hot splash back. Work in batches if required and puree into a smooth consistency.
• For an immersion blender, you can puree everything by hand in the same cooking pan.
• Serve accordingly

Instant Pot Version

• Switch your instant pot on and select the "saute" button for "5 minutes" and wait for it to display "hot".
• Add the olive oil and onion then proceed to saute until soft and translucent.
• Quickly add the carrots and red lentils broth and continue to cook for another minute.
• Pour in the almond milk, vegetable broth/stock along with ground coriander, chilli flakes, black pepper and pink salt then press the "cancel" button.
• Place the lid on and flick the knob to "sealling" then set to pressure cook on high and adjust +/- to 10 minutes.
• Once the cooking time is over do a quick release (flick the knob to venting).
• Grab your immersion stick or use a blender to puree your soup.
• Do a taste test and adjust for additional black pepper and pink salt (if required).

Notes

• Suitable for vegans and gluten free lifestyles.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, freeze for up to 3 months in freezer friendly containers.
• Cook the soup in a heavy bottom pan. It will hep to distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots which can burn the soup.
• You can use an immersion blender or stand blender to blend the soup. If you use a stand blender, blend it in batches and be careful as it will be very hot.
• Blend the soup to your taste. When I made this soup, I pureed everything into a smooth consistency but you can pulse - stop and start if you like yours chunky.
• Before serving the soup, season it to your taste. Due to the generous use of stock, I didn't measure the amount salt and pepper I used, I added what I needed accordingly to my preference so please feel free to do the same.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7675IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg

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