Have you ever gotten flavor overload? Like if you eat too much and the next day all you want to eat is something really simple? Okay, maybe that’s just me or because I work with food every day, but yesterday I just wanted something that tasted, well, for lack of a better word, clean. I hate using the word clean when talking about food because it’s such a buzzword, but that’s truly how this Golden Coconut Lentil Soup tastes. It’s light, bright, clean, and simple. And that’s exactly what I needed yesterday.
Light and Fresh Flavors
I’ve made lentils with coconut milk several times, but this time I thinned it out to a soup to keep it light and made sure that spicy ginger took center stage. Turmeric gives this soup an incredibly vibrant color and an earthy flavor base, while rich coconut milk holds the flavors together and gives the soup body (watery soup = no bueno). I chose not to use any bouillon or broth for this soup because I wanted to keep the flavors clean and fresh, but if you want something with a little more depth you could certainly substitute some of the water for vegetable or chicken broth (I feel like chicken broth would blend better with the flavors, but vegetable broth can be used to keep it vegetarian).
How to Serve Golden Coconut Lentil Soup
I piled a few fun toppings into this soup to make it a bit more of a meal, but they’re completely optional. A simple piece of naan bread would also be great. I found some large unsweetened coconut flakes in the bulk bins at Whole Foods and toasted them up in a skillet to add color and texture. I also added a small scoop of jasmine rice to each bowl to give my mouth a little more something to chew on. Plus, lentils are rice are like peanut butter and jelly, you gotta have one with the other. :)
Golden Coconut Lentil Soup
Servings 4 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil) ($0.13)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 inch fresh ginger (about 1 Tbsp grated) ($0.13)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground turmeric ($0.15)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 2-3 carrots ($0.33)
- 1/2 lb. red or yellow lentils (about 1 cup) ($1.35)
- 4 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($0.99)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt (or to taste) ($0.05)
TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)
- 1/3 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes ($0.16)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.10)
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.38)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate or mince the ginger (I use a small-holed cheese grater). Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent. While the onions, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel and slice the carrots.
- Add the turmeric and red pepper to the pot and sauté for a minute more. Add the carrots to the pot, sauté for a minute more, then add the lentils and water. Place a lid on the pot, bring it up to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Toast the coconut flakes while the soup simmers. Add the coconut flakes to a dry skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Stir continuously as the flakes heat until they are about 50% golden brown (1-3 minutes). Remove the flakes from the hot skillet immediately to stop the toasting process.
- After 20 minutes the lentils should be soft and broken down. Stir the coconut milk into the soup. Use an immersion blender or carefully blend the warm soup in small batches until about half of the soup is puréed (or all of it if you want it completely smooth). Once blended, begin adding salt, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the soup is properly seasoned. I used 1.5 tsp or 1/2 Tbsp of salt. Also adjust the red pepper flakes, if desired.
- To serve the soup, ladle about 1.5 cups into a bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked rice, some fresh cilantro leaves, and a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes.
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Nutrition
This soup makes me feel soooo good inside!
How to Make Golden Coconut Lentil Soup – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion, mincing two cloves of garlic, and grating or mincing about 1 inch of fresh ginger (about 1 Tbsp). Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large pot with 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent. Add 1/2 Tbsp turmeric and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté for about one minute more.
While the onions are sautéing, peel and slice 2-3 carrots. Add them to the pot and sauté for a minute more, then add 1/2 lb. red or yellow lentils (about 1 cup).
Then add 4 cups water. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes (photo is before simmering).
While the soup is simmering, toast the coconut flakes. Place about 1/3 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes in a dry skillet. Stir and cook over medium-low heat until they’re about 50% toasted. This happens quickly, so make sure you’re stirring constantly. Remove them from the skillet as soon as they’re done so that they don’t continue to brown.
After 20 minutes the lentils should be soft and broken down. The soup will still taste extremely bland at this point because no salt has been added.
Add one 13.5oz. can of full fat coconut milk – not the stuff that you find in the dairy cooler that is used as a dairy milk substitute. That is too thin.
Canned coconut milk is thick and usually has a layer of semi-solid fat on top. One of the reasons I was SO excited to finally get a Trader Joe’s in New Orleans is because they have super inexpensive coconut milk that is actually really good quality. Yay!
After adding the coconut milk, use an immersion blender or carefully blend batches of the soup in a regular blender until about half of the soup is puréed. This will help thicken up the soup and make it more cohesive. If using a regular blender, be VERY careful. It’s always a good idea to drape a towel over the blender when blending hot or warm liquids to shield yourself from any possible explosions. This is also the time to finally season the soup with salt. Start adding salt, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the soup tastes properly salted to you. I used 1.5 tsp, or 1/2 Tbsp of salt total.
To serve the Golden Coconut Lentil Soup, place about 1.5 cups of the soup in a bowl and add a 1/2 cup cooked rice to the center. Sprinkle fresh cilantro and the toasted coconut flakes over top. I also added a few more red pepper flakes because I like it HOT. ;)
This looks so good.
Are you using canned lentils or dry lentils? If dry, do I need to soak them over night?
They are dried lentils in this recipe :)
Great thank you.
So no pre soaking?
I have never soaked my lentils for this recipe and it comes out great
Would green lentils greatly affect the taste? That’s all I have and trying not to leave my house..
Won’t affect the taste but the color may be a little off :)
I would like to make this but don’t have carrots, could I sub sweet potatoes?
You can give it a shot!
Do you think this could be done in an Instant pot? How would you adjust it?
Hi Tammy! We haven’t done it in an instant pot. But a previous reader noted, “I made this soup last night and it’s so good. I did it in an Instant Pot (followed the saute instructions and then pressure cooked the beans on high for 15 mins). I added some hot sauce for more flavor, and next time would probably also use chicken or veggie broth instead of water. Great recipe!”
A dear friend turned me on to this recipe when I was trying to find a good (vegge) alternative to Ham & Split Pea Soup. I swapped the lentils wich split peas in this recipe and it’s still great. Will definitely try with lebtils too. Thank you!
I made as the recipe stated but found it quite bland. I added a can of baked beans, a couple of tablespoons of sambal oelek, a teaspoon of thai red curry and roasted red pepper paste. It really perked up. It tasted like something from a Thai restaurant. The family raved about it.
Hi!! Just wondering if you Could you use ground ginger in place of the fresh? If so how much? I currently don’t have access to fresh ginger due to the Coronavirus.
Thanks in advance
We understand Kristin! I’d recommend about 1 teaspoon or 1 1/2 tsp to your taste
Fortunately I have a small stash of lentils. I needed a new lentil recipe. This hits a just right note. I used a bit of Better than Boullion vegetable flavor, a bit if curry powder and subbed parsley (what I have). Next time I will add cumin too.
Delicious recipe! I added fish sauce and Thai basil because it seemed like it would fit with the flavors, and we loved it! The toddler, who has been very selective lately, ate several bowls and kept asking for more!
I have made this several times and we top it with sliced bananas and siracha sauce, in addition to the coconut and cilantro. My husband is from Mexico and some people like sliced bananas or fried plantains on their lentil soup. It sounds weird at first, but it compliments the dish!
Finally got the chance to make this for dinner. It was delicious! I didn’t purée it because I like all the whole lentils. Next time I think I’ll do like a grain and rice mix to make it a little more hearty. Even my kids loved this dish. Definitely a keeper.
Just had this for dinner, my first time ever cooking with lentils, and it turned out great! My MIL cant stop raving about how much she loves it! The coconut and cilantro definitely make this dish
I love making this soup. Easy and delicious.
Has anyone tried making this without a blender? Does it drastically affect anything? Unfortunately I don’t have one :/
Hi! I just did it without blending and really liked it :) haven’t tried the blended version so that is my disclaimer
Excellent! Everybody loved it!!
This is a great recipe! Made this last night for my husband and his friend and we all loved it! And, for the credibility of this meatless dish, they are both Texans who love good steaks. This is my first time making a dish with puréed lentils and I have to say it was quite amazing! I used an immersion blender and it made it so smooth. I can see why this has 5 stars! We added a little more heat, which was good. Great recipe, highly recommend it. The cilantro and coconut make it!