Hooray for easy soups! This Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup is the type of recipe that saves the day—very few ingredients, fast, and really delicious. Oh yeah, and did I mention how incredibly inexpensive it is?? Seriously, just pennies per bowl. It’s also freezer-friendly, super healthy, just happens to be vegan-friendly, and you can have fun customizing the toppings. It basically checks all my boxes! Bookmark this recipe for later because I promise it will become part of your regular rotation.
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Have Fun with the Toppings
I just LOVE any meal where I can add toppings and this soup is the perfect blank slate. Not that it’s not awesome on its own, it’s just that the flavors in this lentil and pumpkin soup are versatile and can handle being paired with all sorts of add-ins. So here are some ideas: go creamy with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (as I do in my classic pumpkin soup recipe), spice it up with a few red pepper flakes or sriracha, toss in some crunchy pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or croutons, or sprinkle on a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Or hey, DO THEM ALL. I won’t judge.
Can I Substitute the Pumpkin?
If you don’t have canned pumpkin, you can use about a cup and a half of mashed sweet potato or butternut squash in its place. Just make sure they’re really soft and well-mashed so there is no stringiness in the final soup. Oh, and speaking of that, you can take an immersion blender to the finished soup for a super silky finish if you’d like. Me? I prefer to have a little texture from the lentils.
Can I Use Brown or Green Lentils for Pumpkin Soup?
While you can use a different type of lentil, it will definitely change the outcome of the soup. Red or yellow lentils are best for this soup because of their mild flavor and the fact that they break down quickly when cooked, giving the soup a nice thick consistency (like split pea soup). A brown or green lentil will give the soup a much earthier flavor and have a chunkier texture.
What Kind of Curry Powder Do You Use?
I’m not very picky about curry powder and haven’t come across one yet that I don’t like. I do prefer to use mild curry powder for this soup, that way I can adjust the heat by adding my own cayenne pepper if I want. One brand that I’ve enjoyed is Sharwood’s mild curry powder. Or you can try making your own curry powder using this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com.
Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
Servings 6 1.33 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.31)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder ($0.30)
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée ($1.05)
- 1 cup dry red lentils ($0.67)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the curry powder and continue to sauté for about a minute more.
- Next, add the pumpkin purée, lentils, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and bring the soup up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Finally, taste the soup and add salt to taste (about ½ tsp). Serve hot with bread for dipping!
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love savory pumpkin recipes? You should also try our Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup, Chipotle Pumpkin Pasta, or Easy Pumpkin Soup.
How to Make Curried Red Lentil and Pumpkin Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion, mince two cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger (I use a small-holed cheese grater). Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add one tablespoon curry powder to the sautéed vegetables and continue to sauté for one minute more.
Next add 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1 15oz. can of pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling), and 6 cups vegetable broth. Stir to combine the ingredients.
Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the lentils should be broken down and tender, resulting in a thickened soup.
Give the soup a taste and then add salt. Salt is what is really going to make the flavors pot, so don’t skip it! The amount of salt you’ll need will ultimately depend on the salt content of the broth you used, but I added about a ½ teaspoon of salt.
Just made this for the first time, and it’s delicious. Exceptionally mild on the finished curry flavor, so I might try adding another tablespoon next time I make it.
Definitely does need at least a bit of salt. I was making it with homemade stock so I could share it with a friend who has to restrict sodium, and I tasted it both plain, and with a couple good grinds of sea salt, and that indeed makes quite the difference in tasting the spices. If I used salt-free commercial stock, or my homemade again, I’d probably add at least a teaspoon with the curry powder.
Can I substitute green lentils? I don’t have red lentils on hand and would like to make it this weekend.
Technically you can. We like using red here because they break down into the soup and help thicken it. Green lentils are more likely to keep their shape and stay whole, but if you’re okay with that difference and the slight flavor difference, then go for it!
Healthy, cheap and easy. I make at least once a week.
While I was making this soup today , I have been craving it all week, I was a bit dismayed when I barely had 1/2 cup of red lentils but I went ahead.
I wanted it to be the same texture so at the end I took a chance and added 1/3 cup of whole wheat couscous.
It was a success. The red lentils would be my first choice but a couscous sub keeps the original flavor and texture.
I forgot to say it was Israeli couscous.
I am having it again today and will freeze the rest for another crave day.
The couscous did not get mushy in fact resemble red lentils.
Great recipe
My husband and I had this for lunch—simply delicious. I added a dollop of Greek yogurt, harissa, and a few cashews on top. I also added some leftover spaghetti squash. It’s just so good. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Yum! Curry is new to me – this is really good!
Hey, thanks so much for this recipe! I used it as a template for my meal prep today – I can’t have fresh onion or fresh garlic, and I prefer thick stews to soups. My adjustments were to use a cup of lentils, a cup of quinoa, a 15oz can of pumpkin, 8 cups water, 12 ounce bag of frozen chopped spinach, and a can of coconut milk. I freehanded the spices to make up for the additional water and ingredients, however I upped the curry powder and added additional spices that I personally love – cardamom, coriander, garam masala, as well as a little cumin, cayenne, and chili flakes. It’s absolutely delicious! With my changes, i probably won’t be able to replicate it 100%, but that’s pretty much how I cook as it is, lol
(To all of you that might say I can’t review honestly it since I didn’t make it exactly as written: I can’t EAT it as written. But it looked so good that it inspired me to make something amazingly delicious that I CAN eat. That’s what food should do!!)
Thanks Beth & Monti!
Easy and delicious. I cut the recipe in half as I had half a can of pumpkin, worked out fine. Served over basmati rice.
A really easy weeknight meal soup to make.
This is perfect fall soup! We’ve made it several times & love it! We add a little lime for brightness.
I need help though – sometimes, ok, twice, my soups taste a little metallic. I’m using a Dutch Oven & wood or silicone spoons. The 1st time I decided it was the tomatoes but there’s no tomatoes in this soup. Can I fix it to remove the taste & why is this happening?
The only thing I can think of is that you’re cooking in aluminum or unseasoned cast iron. When acidic ingredients are cooked in “reactive” pans, like aluminum or unseasoned cast iron, trace amounts of the metal’s molecules loosen and leach into the food, giving it slightly metallic flavors. XOXO -Monti
Love this recipe! The first time I made it I increased the spices, and added coconut milk and lemon juice at the end, which I felt were great add-ons. The next time I make it I’m also going to try adding carrots, because I wanted some more variety of texture the first time.
I absolutely adore this recipe. It’s so delicious and even my 2 year old will eat it if she’s got homemade bread to dip in it. :)
I do want to make this for a potluck. Would I be able to saute the onion, garlic, and ginger – then curry powder – and add all of that plus the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and cook it for like 4-5 hours until we’re ready to eat lunch?
Hi Sarah! I don’t recommend cooking red lentils for 4 to 5 hours, even in a slow cooker. But you have the right idea. Try making all of it, and don’t bring it to a boil. Instead, leave it in your fridge until an hour or so before you want to plate it. Then add it to your slow cooker. XOXO -Monti
So simple and so very delicious.
I’ve been browsing vegan Whole Foods/Plant-based no oil added cookbooks and have been disappointed in the last three recipes I tried.
Needing a win, I decided to try this recipe and just omit the oil. I added grated turmeric root with the ginger root and 6 handfuls of baby kale at the very end, because it was in the fridge and needed to be used asap.
It was a huge hit! Delicious, filling, quick, inexpensive, and most importantly, something I’ll be making over and over again.
Lovely soup for a chilly Fall day.
Topped with a drizzle of Siracha, a sprinkle of cilantro, and roasted pepitas. Perfect and super easy.
Gosh, I basically live on this stuff as soon as the summer weather cools off. The recipe as written is a little bland for my taste, so I highly recommend using this as a base, and experimenting from there – more cumin and cayenne is always a nice addition, and a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar at the end to kick it up. Some coconut milk (esp coconut milk powder!) is always great as well. Lately I’ve purchased a jar of red curry paste, and just use a couple tbsp of that instead of curry powder. Frozen spinach? Some peas? Whatever you like best, you can hardly go wrong!
Inexpensive, healthy, and flavorful. I added my own flare with a squeeze of lemon, a cinnamon stick, a bay leaf, chili flakes, and a splash of plant-based milk. (I took inspiration from the Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup recipe.) I also only used 4 cups of broth instead of 6. It just preferred to use a round quart and to have it a bit thicker.
I diced sweet potatoes and simmered them in the broth until soft before adding the lentils ( I can’t get canned pumpkin where I live) and ended up using almost three tablespoons of curry powder to end up with the flavour intensity I wanted ( my curry powder is less than a month old, but is quite mild I guess). I finished the soup with a bit of coconut milk to increase the creaminess as well, on recommendation from other comments which really helped round out the mouthfeel and added some complexity to the flavour. Super-quick and easy with tasty results.
So, so good – and so easy! I added a dollop of yogurt, a few chopped herbs, squeeze of lemon juice, and drizzle of olive oil on top of each bowl of soup, and served with toasted pitas brushed with more olive oil and sprinkled with za’atar. What a dinner!
Tried this tonight … added quite a bit (ex. spinach to pack in some more veggies, coconut milk as others have suggested, etc) because I have a pathological inability to actually follow a recipe, nothing personal (love your blog!) … but YUM! One of most satisfying and non-boring soups I’ve had in a while. Also, if anyone hasn’t tried this with smoked paprika yet, they need to!
I didn’t have broth so I just used water and extra salt, curry, and ginger. Mine came out with a thin broth. I did a double batch, which called for 2 cups of lentils. I think I should’ve put the entire bag of lentils in or used 10 cups water instead of 12. Next time I would use a chicken bone broth instead.
For my leftovers I added Greek yogurt, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Hopefully it will mix well in the fridge and be more satisfying.
Why rate this recipe with only three stars when you didn’t even follow it correctly??
Delicious! We used the immersion blender at the end and it was smooth and yummy!
Super easy, minimal ingredients, very delicious. I don’t feel like mixing together a yellow curry powder and the only thing they had at my corner store was a yellow curry paste, which ended up working well. Only change from recipe. Will definitely go into rotation.
such an incredible soup! amazing fall flavors. highly recommend pureed with sour cream, red chili flakes, and pepitas as she recommends. this is a recipe i’ll be excited to cook when guests come over!
Can’t believe how easy and delicious this was! Will be returning to it often this winter, thank you!
Yum! Based on comments, I doubled the curry, added a bit of cumin, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. I also subbed 1/4 of the broth with full fat coconut milk. So good!
Served over jasmine rice since I didn’t have basmati on hand. I’ll be adding to the rotation, but will probably use 1 1/2-2 cups of lentils next time.
This, for me, is a quintessential Budget Bytes recipe: super inexpensive, super easy, pantry ingredients, and delicious. That it’s also super healthy is a delightful bonus. Thanks for another winner Beth!
Does this freeze well?
Yes :)
I doubled the spices added some garam masala and a couple Indian chiles and served over basmati rice and it really hit the spot on my craving for Indian food. Thanks!
Delicious! Subbed coconut milk for 2 cups of the broth and added at the end. Wonderful with naan!
Would split red lentils work for this?
Yes. :)
Super delicious! I added a can of chickpeas to boost the protein content. Definately going in my rotation.
Sooo good, so comforting. This was a hit at the office. All ages went for seconds. I roasted a butternut squash the night before while making dinner, and subbed it for the pumpkin Added all the ingredients together, included a little cinnamon and a squeeze of lime (because I had a bagful). Threw it in the crockpot. I was a lunchtime hero!
I made this tonight. It was delicious. My husband wanted no part of it thinking it would be sweet. I pressured him into a least trying it.
Surprise! He did like it! The only thing I will do next time is use more curry powder and put in a touch of cumin.
Warily, I made this. Was worried it might taste sweet. As with every Budget Bytes recipe I have tried, it was easy and delicious. My husband loved it. Not a fan of ginger, so I left it out. Like that it is vegan.
Pumpkin & Red Lentil soup: made it tonight and love it. Was bummed that I had no sour cream! Amazing. I knew it would be good but it’s one of those that keep you warm inside so it will be great when the snow flies. Sticks to your ribs AND ITS HEALTHY!!
I made this last night. The rest of the family are NOT pumpkin fans but everyone liked it and it was all gone with no leftovers, like I expected. One child even put it over rice instead of eating it as soup. Solid win for pumpkins.
Absolutely delicious! Quick. Easy, and super flavourful.
I swapped butternut squash for the pumpkin.
SO EASY AND DELICOUS!! Added a bit more lentils for a thicker soup and topped with a dollop of greek yogurt and cilantro. Will definitely be making this more during the fall for quick and easy work from home lunches or dinner
This soup is so good. My husband declared it a “keeper.” Easy to make and perfect for chilly evenings.
I like that it’s quick and filling but couldn’t really taste the pumpkin. It needs something else, I think – roasted squash instead of pumpkin puree maybe? It smelled wonderful while it was cooking but I was pretty underwhelmed with the final flavor
This is one of my favorite soups ever! I have loved it for years from when you originally posted it! I have also used the soup base without lentils as a vegetarian curry by adding green beans and serving with rice. Its so delicious you can drink it!
Delicious! I added double the curry powder and added ~1/4tsp cayenne powder for some heat. Delicious topped with fresh cilantro. Yum!
Excellent. I may add more lentils next time to make it thicker. Had to cook the lentils longer due to high altitude. Added fresh black pepper at the end.
This is one of my favorite soups! Creamy and savory and comes together quickly. We are plant based and love your recipes; simple ingredients and delicious food!
not bad, but it was basically slightly worse dal. the pumpkin added nothing. just make dal lol
Shockingly delicious relative to how easy it was to throw together!
Easy, cheap, fast and delicious. Made it over my lunch hour on one of my working from home days. Used 4 cup veg broth and a can of coconut milk. Yummy!
Just the thing for a chilly evening. I used brown lentils since that’s what I had. Also didn’t have broth so I used water and added extra diced onion, some diced carrots, and a diced red bell pepper plus extra spices and salt. This was quick to put together and more hearty than expected. Definitely making this soup again.
Love this soup! It’s easy and quick to prepare, is super tasty, and has budget-friendly, healthy ingredients. Just made this again today and was reminded why it’s become part of my regular rotation :)
hits the spot on a chilly fall day
Have you ever subbed out some of the broth for coconut milk?
I’ve made similar soups with pumpkin or lentils and coconut milk and it’s always delish! I haven’t done it with this exact one, but I’ve made enough similar soups that I can confidently say it would be great. :)
I’ve made this about 10 times now. Recipe is easy, cheap and delicious! Thanks!!
Great recipe! I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth and added some red chili flakes for added heat. Incredibly warming for a rainy day lunch! Excited to eat the leftovers.
I can never get enough pumpkin. Pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin muffins and yes, pumpkin soup. My daughter mentioned this one to me last night. I searched for the recipe and I found it and made it. The flavour is spectacular!
This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. I stock up on canned pumpkin to last me until next Thanksgiving. A 28 ounce can is now $2.47.
Did I mention my love of pumpkin?
I thought the recipe called for black pepper so I put in a healthy amount of that. It came to kind of dominate the dish and I loved it. The texture of the soup is pretty great as well as are the other flavors. This isn’t one of my favorites, but this is a great soup to dip bread in. Had to go to a whole bunch of places to find pumpkin puree though. Major hassle, probably not gonna make again
Whoops, mixed this up with a different soup recipe on this site. Literally don’t remember this soup other than that it tasted good and a little pumpkiny. And how annoying it was to find the pumpkin puree, but I said that already
Easy Inexpensive, Filling Adaptable
I have been doubling the recipe, using whatever broth, topping with whatever herb I have. I also add to the double batch some mashed up canned carrots (drained). Seems I like a mild curry so I subtract a bit of curry and add a bit of tumeric and of cumin.
I eat off of these double batch for days, sometimes with a baked potato or some basic salad mix to which I can add whatever fruits or veggiesI have on hand.
Makes my life so much easier.
OMG.
I never leave reviews but…
I made this exactly, but I threw in a can of salmon at the last minute.
This was incredible.
You are a food genius.
I’ve been calling this Covid soup. I stocked up on lentils and pumpkin when lockdown started and it’s what I make when I haven’t made it to the grocery store recently. My whole family loves it!
Hi, could you put this through the food processor to get a more smooth consistency?
Yes but in small batches.
I added a bit of cinnamon, a couple of tablespoons of full fat coconut milk, blended it with an immersion blender, poured it over brown basmati rice, and then sprinkled roasted pumpkin seeds on top for a main course.
This recipe was so easy and insanely delicious. The pumpkin gives it a nice thick consistency that is perfect for naan without a long cook time. Leftovers are even better the next day. This will absolutely go into my meal rotation.
Just wanna say this is one of my favorite soups of all time! Extremely simple and delicious. It’s been a staple of mine for a few years now.
A word of advice in case you’re tempted to use canned pumpkin pie filling in a pinch like I just did: it does not work :( The added spices and sugar mess up the flavor, and it’s way too thin to give the soup any substance. Stick with plain canned pumpkin!
How would you adjust the recipe to use brown lentils? By the time I got to the store all of the red lentils were gone!
Personally, I’d only use the red or yellow lentils for this recipe. They have a less earthy flavor than the green and brown lentils, too, so they blend better with the flavors. But you can certainly try it as it’s what you’ve got!
Making this tomorrow. Yellow lentils werecwhat we found.
Dumb question: can you make this with just water? I didn’t replenish my stock pre-quarantine, but I have the rest of the ingredients.
You can, but the soup will likely be less flavorful. That broth provides a lot of the depth of flavor in the soup. It’s worth a shot, but if you do definitely make sure to add salt at the end to make up for the missing salt from the broth. :)
Next time I will add cumin and tumeric. I expect that to bring up my already very good rating.
What an amazing and quick recipe. I actually had all he ingredients on hand. The only thing I did differently was I added coconut milk in the end. It was awesome! I used 5 cups of broth instead of 6 and added about a cup of coconut milk . I also sauteed the onions, ginger, and garlic in coconut oil instead of olive oil since I was adding coconut milk.
Made this again tonight. So easy, and so good! I’ve increased the lentils a bit, for a thicker, more filling soup.
Good with naan, and much better flavor the next day. It was a little bland for me as written so I added coriander and turmeric but still felt it was missing…something. It would probably be excellent with a swirl of coconut flavored greek yogurt (a favorite of mine with daal) but I didn’thave any on hand. But the recipe was healthy and cheap and used my pantry staples so checked my boxes of what I needed.
Has anyone tried adding coconut milk? Seems like that would go well with the curry and pumpkin flavors.
Liana, I did. I used 5 cups of broth instead of 6 and added cup of coconut milk at the end. I also sauteed the onions, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil instead of olive oil. It came out really good.
yessssssssss love this. it’s definitely getting added to my rotation of soups!! I think a bit of cinnamon would be a good addition, too, though I didn’t try it this time (stuck to the original). Very quick and easy, and lots of room to play around with added veggies or spices!
Happy to hear it Sonia!
This was tasty, warming, and seasonal! The fresh ginger gives it that little something extra. I have tried it both with homemade curry powder, and also with half Tbsp each ground cumin and ground coriander instead of curry powder and it was good both ways. Actually I might like the cumin and coriander best, but this is the sort of thing that lets you play around with flavors easily!
Thanks Alexis!
This soup is so good! So quick and easy to prepare! Thank you!
Thank you Jennie!
this is a great, simple cheap recipe. However as made it lacked acid as a contrast. Finishing the soup with the juice of one lemon really elevated this.
That’s what I was just saying! I had a half of a lemon in the fridge and squeezed it right in!
Instead of premade broth, I used stock cubes to control the amount of salt. It was amazing! Thank you :)
I love this recipe! I double it and add
a cup of heritage lentils and a 1/2 cup of quinoa. It ends up becoming a bit more like a stew but it’s still delicious.
I’ve made this quite a few times and my husband loves it and so do I! So easy to make and delicious 👍👌🏼
I have made this soup three times because it is perfect. I used roasted butternut squash each time and it is the perfect fall soup. DELICIOUS. And SO easy! I give it three heart eyes emojis. 10/10 would make again.
Excellent recipe!! I doubled the garlic and ginger, and sautéed the curry powder with the onions. I’ve always read it brings out the flavor more… who knows. served topped with red pepper flakes and Greek yogurt!! I know what I’ll be eating all fall and winter.
My calorie count for the ENTIRE dish is 700, or broken down into 6 servings about 120 calories per bowl. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
This recipe is a great start, but it is bland as it is and needs quite the lift. I would add some cayenne and cumin in addition to the curry powder and maybe even a touch of ground coriander. I served mine with some cilantro and yogurt on top. That said the recipe is VERY easy to make and you can whip up in no time at all!
I love this website! This soup was absolutely delicious. I did have a few tweaks because I do not cook with onions or garlic…very sad, I know, but I am allergic. To make up for the fact that almost all recipes include onion, I cook with other spices. I used paprika and added a bay leaf in this recipe and cooked with Veggie broth. It turned out amazing. I added rice for a little bulk and served it with a spring mix salad and vinaigrette dressing. YUM!
Have you tried Hing/Asafetida? It’s a great replacement for onion & garlic and has an amazing flavor.
I have made this soup 5 times now. My family really enjoyed it immensely! My 5 year old ask for it often. With its amazing flavors and quick cooking time this is a go to for me all fall and winter.
This was fantastic, I added lite coconut milk and a potato. Came out delicious.
I am sorry to say that this was very bland, and I was disappointed. I couldn’t figure out what was missing. So we chose not to eat it.
Maybe your curry powder was old and lost flavor. I’m eating this right now and there’s no way it could be called bland. Did you salt it appropriately?
You may be right. I am not sure how old the curry is. And I don’t add salt and used low salt broth, so that may be it. I still think I was just desiring a sweeter taste like a butternut squash soup, so it didn’t work for me.
What is the calorie bed carb count ?
How many calories per bowl ? What is the carb content ? My husband has to watch his carbs . What about salt and sweetness ?
You can import recipes to MyFitnessPal and it will break down the nutritional information for you.
I cooked it in the instant pot on high pressure for 10 min, natural release. I used brown lentils, so I just zipped my stick blender to smooth it out and out was tasty! I’ve also made it on the stovetop and in the crockpot!
Thank you ! Just got an instant pot and I will try this!
This turned out pretty tasty! I used a sweet curry powder, next time I want to try using one that is more spicy. I paired with asiago artisan bread.
I just want to say I tried this recipe today, I was a little aprehensive at first because I hate veggies (pumpkin included) and I had never tried lentils. I loved this recipe!! It’s easily going to become a regular, as it’s so easy to make and the ingredients are cheap. I live in Portugal and I don’t think we can buy canned pureed pumpkin here so I just bought 600 grams of pumpkin (used half as I only cooked half of the recipe) I boiled it then discarded the water and pureed the pumpkin myself.
This really turned out well. I’m lazy so I used frozen onions, jarred garlic, and all I had was powdered ginger. Still – I’m on my third bowl of it today it’s just so good (with white rice and peas, because this is just so much like a regular curry to me).
I think it was maybe a tad bit on the salty side, so next time I’m going to use half no salt added veggie broth and half Better Than Bouillon (I typically do this anyway). I think doing that and adding a little Sriracha on the top would make this perfect to my taste buds.
Also, if anyone else is trying to stick to oil free vegan, you can “water sauté” the onions and garlic in most of these recipes and they all turn out just as good to me. I’ve done it both ways and I honestly cannot tell the difference at all.
Thank you for pointing out the water-saute method. I knew about it from a friend who is vegan and oil-free, and I only tried it when I was broke and out of oil. It totally works!
I made this and froze it in two quart freezer bags. Took it out and put in crock pot and was amazed at how good it was!. Next day took out the other freezer bag and having it again! EXCELLENT SOUP and easy to make and freeze!
This was great! Super simple, tasty, and easy to supplement with additional veggies that need to be used up. Totally adding to the rotation. :)
Hi Beth, this soup looks really good. Is there a reason you use canned pumpkin instead of regular fresh pumpkin?
Because it’s just a lot more convenient for me and fresh pumpkin isn’t always available. :)
I added a bit too much water, so mine version is much thinner than shown in the image above. The flavor is great and I’ll definitely make it again, but with less water.
Great soup :)
So flavorful & so good! I opted to blend for a creamy texture & it was perfect! Served with some toasted pita bread…
I know I’m late to the game, but this was SO easy, fast, and delicious I feel the need to speak up! I’ve been making Budget Bytes recipes for years and this is definitely among my favorites so far. I omitted the onion (they don’t sit well with me) and used sour cream and cilantro as a topper – so good!
This is great! I diced some carrots that I had in the fridge to use them up and added them in with the onions. Thanks for all of the amazing recipes!
Mmm, mmm, good! Topped with crushed red pepper and gorgonzola. Flavorful and delicious.
I’m trying to eat less meat and you are helping me finding new ways to incorporate other forms of protein. This soup is so delicious!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!:-):-)
Oh well, can I say? YOU DID IT AGAIN!! This soup is so comforting! Easy, quick, nutritious, flavorful and cheap…a match made in heaven…Happy New Year to you!!!:-):-):-)
This soup is one of my favorite recipes ever. So easy, fast, and delicious. And cheap. And healthy. Love~
I’ll try it with pumpkin sometime soon, but it’s also fabulous with leftover mashed sweet potatoes! Insanely easy, perfect heat level (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry powder), and comes together in a snap!
Wow! I just made this and it is really delicious! So easy to make, too. Thanks so much for this recipe. I’m going to freeze it for my lunches for this week. So creamy and tasty, I can’t wait!
This recipe really is a lifesaver! I am in love, and it makes perfect re-heated lunches for the week. I added about 2 cups of kale to the recipe and added 2 tablespoons of quinoa before boiling, and it was super hearty.
ah great idea to add kale, thanks for suggesting that!
Excellent, flavourful and healthy! Goes great with garlic naan. I think I will add another 1/4 cup of lentils next time to thicken it up a bit. Thank you!
I do not like Pumpkin but I had a can of it that I wanted to get rid of. This soup was delicious and did not taste like pumpkin at all!! It had a delicious creamy texture. I am buying more canned pumpkin so I can make it again!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS
I did not have enough Curry Powder for the whole recipe, and had to use Garam Marsala- worked out great.
Will make again
Finally used the last hoarded can of pumpkin to make this today (can only find plain pumpkin at the drive-to store). My curry is perfectly spicy…I love this!
My husband is also lentil-phobic. I attribute this to equating lentils to a particular British poverty a la Neil from the Young Ones…haha. I LOVE lentils.
I have naan in the freezer to serve tomorrow and suspect this soup will get even better! Yum!
This soup is delicious! I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups of water and it was still plenty flavorful.
Thank you!
I bought red lentils when this was first posted and just made this soup for the first time yesterday – in fact, last night’s dinner was made entirely of budgetbytes recipes. This soup, naan, and greek marinated chicken. All around A+ from my husband, so I will be making all the items again. We had 6 servings of leftover soup and 4-5 leftover pieces of naan. All of it was so good.
My fiance and i made this using regular white lentils and it came out great! He likes to use this soup for his lunch at work!
Where did you buy the lentils that they cost so much?! At any Indian grocery store they are basically a few cents per cup :) They are my workhorse protein!
Unfortunately the only kind I could find them this time around (the red variety, anyway) were organic. :( Brown lentils are everywhere, but red can be a bit more hard to find around here.
Not sure if this has been asked already, but would this work in the slow cooker?
This one probably would, yes. It cooks pretty quickly already, so I’m not sure what the minimum you’d need to do with the slow cooker, but you probably can’t over do it, especially on low. So, if you need to cook it while you’re at work, 8 hrs on low would probably be fine.
Thanks!
I made this for my lentil-phobic omnivore boyfriend and he had four bowls. I used about two tbsp curry powder instead of just the one and a dash of cayenne for more spice.
I tried this today and it was tremendously good!!! The pumpkin added a delicious sweet note and a thick richness to the soup. It was filling and hearty and totally delicious. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes!
Oops forgot to give this the 5 stars it deserves!
I cannot stop making this recipe, it’s so easy (and cheap!) and the flavor is wonderful. It works great reheated for lunch the next day too.
For add-ons I do a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of sriracha, a shake of red pepper flakes, and some chopped cilantro for garnish (I’d absolutely do pepitas too if I had them).
I never comment on recipes but I use your website all the time and felt like I ought to show my appreciation!
This is absolutely delicious! Thanks!
Yes! I just checked my pantry and I have ALL the ingredients needed! I know what’s on the menu later this week (butternut and veggies are already roasting in the oven for a soup right now).
I just have to say, thank you so much for this site. It’s wonderful, and it’s really helping us stay well fed and nourished on a stricter food budget!
I made this and it was really good! inexpensive and really fast to put together too! My husband added some left over meetballs to make it more filling for him but I liked it as is
My only problem with this soup is that I can’t stop making it!
I have a bag of yellow lentils I need to use up, so I think I’ll try this over the weekend using those. I do love traditional lentil soup, pumpkin soup, and curry…. so this sounds like a winner to me!
I wasn’t sure I’d like this, as most curries are way too hot for me. I used the Mild Sharwood’s blend that you pictured here, and it was perfect. Thanks for posting the brand you used, it helped.
I didn’t have any pumpkin so I made this with frozen cooked butternut squash. Can confirm, squash is amazing as a substitution for this recipe!
Serve it over a baked russet potato – I’m not kidding. Try it, life will never be the same.
Hoping to make this and save for Fridays during Lent… do you think it will freeze well? Thanks for all your great recipes!
Yep, this one should be great to freeze. :)
Just scored some red lentils so the first thing I did when I got home was make this soup. Very good and it does lend itself well to a variety of garnishes. I just tried a little sample and used sour cream, toasted pepitas, and a little drizzle of Huy Fong chili garlic sauce (Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam).
Curry powder used was Penzey’s “Maharajah” which is mild. I also pureed the soup with an immersion blender. A pinch of sea salt brought it all together.
Good job, Beth!
This was incredible!!! Easily made 6 servings for my husband and I and we LOVED IT. I love the short ingredient list! I shop at Aldis and they don’t carry lentils normally, but it just so happened they had them as a special buy this week-how perfect is that?? This recipe is a keeper!
This was delicious. I forgot the ginger until about halfway through, so I added a bit then & added a fresh diced jalapeno at the beginning to up the spice factor since I knew my curry powder was mild. It was DELICIOUS. I served with a big piece of baguette & a side salad. Next time I may try adding some sausage or chorizo to bulk it up.
Definitely something I will repeat & DID NOT taste like pumpkin at all!
This recipe was so delicious! Beth thank you so much for this blog – I have made literally dozens of recipes and they have all been wonderful!
I reached for sweet potato puree thinking it was pumpkin puree, and I didn’t realize my mistake until I got to the cash register. After waiting in line for five minutes just before closing, I decided to roll with it. It turned out delicious! I used a hot curry powder and topped with Sriracha for a little extra kick.
This was delicious and ridiculously easy- definitely going into the regular rotation! I topped it with sriracha, goat cheese, and pepitas that I had on hand, which made it feel super fancy ;) Plus some naan on the side of course!
Looks good – have not seen pumpkin puree here – what should I use?
Mashed sweet potato would probably also be good.
Stumbled across this while deciding what to get at the store, and decided to make it on a whim. Promptly ate two bowls. Easy and absolutely delicious, like everything else I’ve tried from here!
I’m just tucking into a bowl of this right now! I loved how quick and easy it came together, perfect for busy or lazy days. I added a dollop of sambal – spicy and delicious! I’ll definitely have to try it with coconut milk at some point!
I just made this, with a few modifications (just our family preferences). It’s great! I added the curry powder in with the onions and garlic so it could it could bloom in the oil – it makes it more flavorful, and I added some cumin. I also swapped one cup of the broth for coconut milk. I’ll definitely make this again.
Looks great, I love curried lentil soup. Great topping ideas!
Enjoying this recipe as I type! Thank you!
This is such a simple, but flavor packed, soup. Do you think it would work in a crock pot?
Yep, I think this one would transition seamlessly to the slow cooker. You can probably just put everything in there and turn it on. I’m not sure how long it would take, maybe a couple hours on high?
This looks so good!! We love slurping up soups for quick dinners at our house!! I’ll definitely be making this!! :)
Very nice recipe and thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. I will soon try this and post the feedback soon.
So why is it, that just when I think I have my meal plan down for a few weeks, you come up with something and I think…wait! I gotta make that sometime soon! Lol! This looks delicious and it made the list for my upcoming meal plan. Thanks for sharing.
Holy smokes this was delicious! I’d never used pumpkin or curry before, but they went together so nicely in this recipe. I could easily eat two or three bowls of this stuff right now…
I am currently without a kitchen (renovations, yay!) – you think I could just dump it all into a slow cooker? I’d probably use sweet potato or butternut squash since I have those things on hand from my CSA. Thanks!
Yes, this one would probably work very well in a slow cooker. :)
Thanks! Should I decrease the liquid at all, you think?
Nah, I think it will work just fine the way it is. The lid is on for most of the cooking time in this recipe, so it should be really similar to how the slow cooker holds in moisture. :)
So would you recommend not using green or brown lentils then? I have some leftover from making your sloppy joes plus (which was delicious by the way!) and wanted to use what I had left of them…
Correct. Personally, I’d only use the red or yellow lentils for this recipe. They have a less earthy flavor than the green and brown lentils, too, so they blend better with the flavors.
This looks delicious and I happen to have all the ingredients! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks amazing! With Lent coming, I need to start planning meatless meals for Fridays. I might even add a little turmeric for the anti-inflammatory benefits!
Most commercial curry powder is usually at least half tumeric, although blends do vary
I’ve only had lentils in some African cuisines. This is a whole new spin on how to use them. I was scared to try them at first because they don”t look very tasty. When i finally did i enjoyed them very much. I’m sure I will have to head to the store for the ingredients. veganrestaurantsrecipes.com
I’m going to add a can of coconut milk to this! I bet leftovers will freeze great, too.
Did you sprinkle some smoked paprika on top of yours in the pic? Looks great!
Yep, that’s exactly what that is! :) I just needed some color/texture for the photo because the soup isn’t that stunning on it’s own (although the flavor is!). ;)
Oh I’m really excited to try this! I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand, so this recipe is great to keep in mind for those last few days before a grocery shopping trip where you feel like you’re running out of food options.
Thank you for sharing!
I love pantry staples recipes (and pumpkin)! This went right onto next week’s meal plan.
My local grocery store had Tamarind seasoned pumpkin seeds. They will be AWESOME on this!
Woah, that sounds good!
This looks delish! Would it be possible to use the slow cooker?
Yes, I think this one would work very well in a slow cooker. :)