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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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. ;)
I don’t have any fresh ginger. How much ground ginger would it use in place of it?
I’m not sure, unfortunately. Fresh ginger tastes quite different than dried ginger, so there isn’t a straight conversion rate. I’d need to test the recipe using ground ginger to see what would taste appropriate.
Amazing! Thank you for this super easy and delicious recipe
Tastes like baby food. No flavour whatsoever. I was skeptical when I read the recipe – the lack of spices and all – but I thought I’d give it a go. Ended up adding a ton of spices after blending it and realising it tasted like water. Even if you’re on a budget, some household spices can go a long way, even doubling the garlic and ginger would help (which is something I wish I knew prior to adding the water and lentils. Do yourself a favour and improvise with some serious spice additions, or better yet: try a different recipe. Bland AF.
I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve made this recipe several times for multiple people and have been complemented on the flavor and texture. Recipe was made as per the above directions – a real crowd pleaser
I just made this recipe to take to work every day for lunch – it is outstanding!!! I ate a bowl tonight (I meant to just have a taste, but I couldn’t stop eating it!) I will have to make a second batch mid -eek as I’m sure to run out of it before friday gets here. Thank you so much for sharing
I’ve made this lentil soup many times, only tonight I was out of turmeric, so I used my homemade curry powder, which includes turmeric. The color wasn’t as pretty as the bright yellow, but it was even tastier from the curry powder!
Could this be cooked in a crock pot?
I’m not sure, I’d need to test it out.
This was my first attempt at a vegan meal, and my first time eating lentils. Best meal I’ve ever tasted!!! We used the Jasmine rice as well. Thanks!!!
One of the best lentil soups I’ve tried!!! Very easy and it is filling.
How would you cook in the IP? Please.
I haven’t tried this in the IP, unfortunately.
I can’t wait to make this today. Can you please tell me how long the shelf life is in the fridge?
Mine doesn’t last more than a few days in the frig – because it’s eaten up. So I only know that it lasts at least that long. I would guess up to a week – if you can keep it from being eaten that long :-)
Wow, was this tasteeee !! I’m very interested in learning the calorie and nutritional content, though . Is that information available ? Thank you !
Per serving 522 cal, 66g of carbs, 23g of fat and 16g of protein
Woah. I am not a fan of lentils and this knocked my socks off! I did add roasted vegetable stock instead of water, and adjusted the salt I added (and maybe added a lot more red pepper), but this is incredible. I made it ahead for dinner (have a late class), and I liked it so much that I may have had a tiny bit for lunch today as well. I’m sure the leftovers will be even better! Thanks for making me a lentil believer!
This is called Daal (or Dal); It is NOT “golden coconut lentil soup”. It is a traditional Indian staple recipe dating back centuries and is still made daily in most Indian households. Please call it what it is and don’t perpetuate taking credit for something part of someone else’s culture.
Oh good grief, take it easy there, v. There’s enough real conflict in the world. Must we fight over the name and provenance of a humble soup?
You must not understand how SEO works, particularly with food blogs and recipes. You pick generalized watch words so that someone who might be searching for “lentil soup” or “coconut soup” will be directed by google to blogs/recipes like this.
And seriously, cool it with the self-righteousness. That’s totally unnecessary. She’s not trying to appropriate or anything here or mislead anyone.
I think it’s way more offensive to call a dish by its traditional name when I may not be using traditional ingredients or processes. There are dishes I make that mix the traditional flavors I grew up with but maybe use modern ingredients or a pressure cooker instead of a stove top. I wouldn’t purport that the dishes I make are traditional – even though I am a person who grew up with those traditions. I like what I like. I eat what I eat. I am assuming the owner of this recipe has a similar mentality. To that end, the title of this recipe is merely descriptive (golden because it’s yellow, has coconut and lentil and is watery like a soup). I don’t see how this would, in any way, claim ownership of, allegiance to, or take credit away from one culture or another. Disclaimer: I am a person of color who speaks for no one but myself.
Actually, Daal is a term used for lentils as well as a indian recipes using a stew of red lentils, usually regardless of what other ingredients are used. A whole plethora of cultures other than ours (assuming you are also indian, like I am) use lentils.
This is only called Daal if you’re of a culture who calls it Daal.
It is perfectly acceptable to call this Golden Coconut Lentil Soup.
V, if you are not Indian, please do not speak for us.
Lentils have always been used in a plethora of soups and stews to thicken and add flavour. my Welsh granny bless her soul used lentils in everything. I love dahl and I love combinations of flavours as this one offers. Take a chill pill mr v
I loved this soup! I am a working woman who gets home late and I needed to whip something up quick for my hubbie and me. This took no time at all, super easy, cheap and delicious!!! We both loved this. I didn’t use the rice or cilantro, just the toasted coconut chips.
This was SO good! I made a couple changes based off the comments and suggestions- I diced up two carrots and a sweet potato, and instead of 4 cups of water, I used 4 cups of broth for extra flavor. My husband brought home a ton of cooked shrimp and crawfish from a crawfish boil he went to, so I chopped them and added them at the end to heat them up but not turn them into rubber. Seriously- this was an amazingly simple and delicious recipe.