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.
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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 made this in the Instant Pot tonight! I sauteed everything in the pot first and then cooked at high pressure for 1 minute with a natural pressure release. I did double the amount of garlic and turmeric, and used chicken better than bouillon as well. Very tasty! I’ll definitely be doubling this next time for extra leftovers to freeze.
Delicious! This was very easy to make, and it is really delicious.
How could this be made in an Instant Pot?
Made it, but held back about 1/3 cup of the thick part of the coconut milk. Pureed the whole thing. Used red lentils. Beautiful! I imagined it would be thinner. Glad it wasn’t. I made a similar recipe using carrots and canned pumpkin. In comparison, the lentils almost give this soup a meatiness. Will make again!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is delicious exactly the way it is !! We did not substitute, add or omit anything. It is perfect the way it is. Every ingredient marries beautifully, so I would recommend following the recipe. The toasted coconut is sweet, adds a nice texture, and balances out the red pepper flakes The cilantro adds freshness, and color. My teens loved it too! (I used Coconut Oil and Red Lentils)
Great soup! My husband and teenage son both liked it, so that’s a win for me. Used chicken broth instead of water. I gradually added just enough red pepper flakes to give it the slightest kick. Didn’t have coconut on hand so served with some golden raisins. I was happy with the flavor and texture – thick and hearty with a mild but pleasant flavor. Will definitely fix again!
Wow! This dish is so yummy. I’m on what’s called the Daniel Fast so I’m very limited in what I can eat. I added a diced red pepper and spinach to the recipe, just to add more veggies/health content.
Adding red pepper and spinach sounds good! When did you add them? During the cooking prior to blending, or at the end for texture?
This soup was very good. I was so excited to try it and it was worth it. We both loved the soup. So simple and light. I think when I hear up lunch tomorrow, I’m going to add a squeeze of lime and possibly fish sauce to it.
Made this tonight and I added chicken, used green lentils (which is simply what I had on hand), and I didn’t puree it and it was perfectly hearty and delicious! Dipped some naan into it and everyone loved it! Will absolutely be making this again. I made so much I froze a gallon-size ziplock bag of the rest for a rainy day!
We made this tonight and it was delicious! Accidentally bought green lentils instead of green or yellow and besides the funky color it was still very tasty!
I was craving the antithesis of holiday food, and decided to try this recipe for lunches for the week.
Ho. ly. Crap. This is amazing. I used chicken broth instead of water, and didn’t bother blending it because I like thick soups. It’s just..so, so good. I feel like this is exactly the soup you need to mix up if you or someone you love is coming down with a cold, with the earthy turmeric and savory flavors, the brightness of the cilantro, and the satisfying bite of the rice. I used some naan I had on hand to sop up every bit of it out of the bowl.
Thank you, Beth!!
Thank you for this recipe! It was so good! I added 1/2 T curry powder to it, which I first sautéed in a little coconut oil, and then whisked in the coconut milk along with 1/2 T of agave syrup to blend. I then added that to the soup.
This was delicious! I didn’t have quite a cup of yellow lentils left so my soup wasn’t as thick as it appears in these photos. I added the rice but skipped the toasted coconut flakes as I didn’t have any on hand. I did add some fresh lemon juice. This soup was so lovely and bright! Great recipe.
I’ve had trouble cooking yellow lentils. They seem to never soften. I’ve even doubled the cooking time.
Do you have any advice or tips to soften them?
Hmm, that’s really strange. Yellow lentils usually cook the fastest of lentil varieties and break down the fastest as well. Perhaps they’re a different type of yellow lentil that I’ve never heard of.
Note that the picture shows what are also known as “Red Lentils” — the yellow lentils I buy from my local Indian shop (yellow dhal) are bigger and don’t get soft.
I think you could also substitute brown lentils if desired.
I loved the soup but in the middle of making the soup the web site went down. I am glad I read the recipe before I started.