Bringing you a cozy, hug-in-a-bowl recipe for day 4 of #AKPumpkinWeek. This incredible pumpkin curried lentil soup recipe has everything you could want in a soup. It’s hearty, filled with warm flavors and delicious with your favorite crackers or a side of garlic naan (yum).
Soup season is probably my favorite time of year and this is truly the perfect recipe to kick it off! You’ll love how easy it is to make with a few pantry staples and spices. Lunch & dinner is served.
Ingredients in vegan pumpkin lentil soup
This nourishing vegan curried pumpkin lentil soup is full of nutrients and cozy flavors that you’ll love all season long. Plus, it packs some veggies and is easy to make! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive oil: you’ll need a bit of olive oil to cook down the onion, garlic and carrot.
- White onion & carrot: for a little veggie boost and texture in this lentil soup.
- Garlic: gotta have that savory garlic flavor.
- Ginger: freshly grated ginger adds a wonderful flavor.
- Curry powder: you’ll want to use a yellow curry powder to add the perfect amount of curry flavor.
- Cayenne: if you like a little heat (like I do) feel free to add a bit of cayenne pepper.
- Water or vegetarian broth: to help thin the soup and cook the lentils.
- Lentils: you can use green or brown lentils in this recipe. Just be sure to sort and rinse them.
- Coconut milk: the broth of the lentil soup is made with light coconut milk to give it a subtle sweetness. So good!
- Pumpkin puree: gotta have that pumpkin flavor in the pumpkin lentil soup! Feel free to use canned pumpkin puree or make your own with this tutorial.
- Salt & pepper: to bring out all of the flavors in the soup.
- To garnish: I like to top my bowl with extra fresh diced cilantro, greek yogurt, Salsa (it’s so good!), pita or naan bread for dipping.
How to make vegan pumpkin lentil soup
- Add olive oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in onion, carrot and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Bring heat to medium low and add in ginger, curry powder and cayenne, stir together for 30 seconds.
- Next stir in water/broth, coconut milk, lentils and pumpkin puree. If you’d like, you can reserve 2 tablespoons of coconut milk for drizzling on top once the soup is done. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium low for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft and tender. The soup should thicken up. (If it gets too thick for your liking, then feel free to add an extra ½ cup-1 cup water or broth.) Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve soup immediately and drizzle in a circle with leftover coconut milk. Garnish with cilantro, yogurt and salsa if you’d like. I love to serve mine with naan or pita bread for dipping.
How to store pumpkin lentil soup
Store this creamy pumpkin lentil soup recipe in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop!
How to freeze & reheat pumpkin lentil soup
To freeze: let the soup completely cool and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container (or multiple containers for meal prep purposes). Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: first let the soup thaw in the refrigerator, then heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More pumpkin recipes to try
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chicken Soup
Vegetarian Spinach Pumpkin Lasagna
Nourishing Yellow Chickpea Pumpkin Curry with Coconut Brown Rice
Slow Cooker Black Bean Quinoa Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Mini Paleo Pumpkin Pies with Gingerbread Cookie Crust
I hope you love this delicious vegan curried pumpkin lentil soup recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Vegan Curried Pumpkin Lentil Soup
Vegan pumpkin lentil soup made with creamy coconut milk, delicious spices and plenty of pumpkin flavor. This easy pumpkin lentil curry soup is packed with nourishing ingredients and plenty of protein for a wonderful lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon mild yellow curry powder
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne (only if you like a little heat)
- 3 cups water or vegetarian broth
- 1 cup green or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk (reserve 2 tablespoons for drizzling on top of soup)
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- To garnish:
- Extra fresh diced cilantro
- Greek yogurt
- Salsa (it’s so good!)
- Pita or naan bread for dipping
Instructions
-
Add olive oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in onion, carrot and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Bring heat to medium low and add in ginger, curry powder and cayenne, stir together for 30 seconds.
-
Next stir in water/broth, coconut milk, lentils and pumpkin puree. If you’d like, you can reserve 2 tablespoons of coconut milk for drizzling on top once the soup is done. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
-
Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium low for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft and tender. The soup should thicken up. (If it gets too thick for your liking, then feel free to add an extra ½ cup-1 cup water or broth.) Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding additional salt and pepper if needed.
-
Serve soup immediately and drizzle in a circle with leftover coconut milk. Garnish with cilantro, yogurt and salsa if you’d like. I love to serve mine with naan or pita bread for dipping. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
To freeze: let the soup completely cool and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container (or multiple containers for meal prep purposes). Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: first let the soup thaw in the refrigerator, then heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
63 comments
This is so easy to make and delicious! Feels perfect for fall. Love your recipes.
Absolutely! So happy to hear that 🙂
Can I also use fresh pumpkin? 🙂 looks delish!
Of course! Enjoy 🙂
Looks delicious and like something else I was going to make. I was wondering how you think red lentils would be in this? Thank you,
I haven’t tried it, sometimes red lentils become too tender and end up becoming paste like.
Awesome, no fuss recipe that is packed with flavor. I threw in some kale I had in hand for a little extra but otherwise followed the recipe and it came out great.
Absolutely! Love that idea 🙂
I saw this recipe and knew I had to make it!!
I followed recipe exactly as suggested and it turned out perfectly! It was the most amazing fall meal; it was wonderfully satiating and comforting with its blend of warmth and spice.
Can’t wait to add this to our fall list of “pumpkin favorites”!!
Amazing! So happy you loved it!
Look forward to making this fir Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.
Dried or canned lentils?
Dried! 🙂
We enjoyed this soup immensely on a cold, rainy night. I followed the recipe as written. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Comfort in a bowl.
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! My fiance and I both loved it. I added nutritional yeast to the broth (I literally add it to every soup I make, its powdered gold haha) and upped the curry powder and ginger a bit for stronger flavor, and added extra pumpkin since I had a bit left over after making your pumpkin bread 🙂 excited to have leftovers for work!
Perfect! This one’s great for adapting to your taste preferences 🙂 Glad you both enjoyed!
Just wanted to follow up to say I just made this soup again with similar rifs to the first time I made it and its just as phenomenal! I love that its so easy to throw together and tastes delicious, plus it doubles as lunch for a few days 🙂
Just made this and it was so delicious and filling! I made a few subs and it still tasted great- oat milk for coconut milk, dried ginger for fresh, and omitted the carrot since I didn’t have one.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This was excellent! Thick and luscious – no moderations made at all. Would highly recommend for a hearty weeknight meal (did i mention it was so easy!?).
Absolutely! Perfect for fall (and meal prepping!)
This soup is so good!
Omitted the cayenne pepper. Used full fat coconut milk, chicken broth, 2 carrots instead of just one. We are meat people, so I added 8oz. of italian ground sausage right in.
Will definitely add this to our favorites list!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
Do you think this could be made in a slow cooker?
Definitely! Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until lentils are tender or on low for 6-8 hours!
Was delicious! Subbed chickpeas and added rice. So good.
Delicious!
Glad you liked it!
This was so delicious! So flavorful and creamy. My husband isn’t a huge fan of lentils and was bragging to his coworkers about this soup!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Yummy and easy recipe! I love lentils and this is the perfect way to add some fall spirit, flavor, and heartiness to them. Another amazing recipe. Thank you!
Absolutely. Perfect dinner for fall!
This was delicious, so tasty and warming! I added a can of chickpeas at the end but otherwise kept the recipe exactly as is. Can’t wait to make it again!
Super easy and delicious I added cauliflower since I had one in the fridge and topped it with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Delicious, and family approved! Will make again this fall for sure
Amazing! Love that 🙂
I made half the recipe since that’s what I had on hand and it turned out delicious! I cooked it for 20 minutes and it turned out more like a curry than a soup but I am totally fine with that. Also made my apartment small ahhhhmmazing!
Perfect! So cozy and delicious 🙂
I love this soup! It’s delicious, easy, and VEGAN! Also, the pumpkin taste isn’t overwhelming at all – it just adds a slight sweetness. Soo good!
Absolutely! Such a great dinner 🙂
Ok this soup is a-freakin-MAZING. It’s got that creamy comfort of pumpkin and coconut milk with a tiny kick of heat from the cayenne. I made the pot and couldn’t stop going back for tiny scoops as I was waiting for it to cool before refrigerating the rest. YUM!!!
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Delicious! This dish was easy to make and so tasty! Perfect dinner on a cold fall night!
Absolutely! Perfect lunch or dinner 🙂
SO yummy and SO easy to make! I serve it with Trader Joe’s naan and a side salad. This makes an appearance weekly!
Love those sides! So delicious 🙂
I used canned pureed butternut squash instead of pumpkin cuz it was what I had and it was delicious! I served it with brown rice. Was super easy to make too, will definitely make this again!
Perfect! Great idea 🙂 glad you enjoyed!
Wondering if I can use other types of winter squash for this soup? I have a carnival squash which is a little less sweet thank pumpkin but similar texture…?
That should be fine!
I have made this soup several times over the past few months. It’s super simple and delicious. A perfect cold weather meal. Definitely a keeper!
So great for winter! Glad you love it 🙂
I loved this soup! It was the perfect savory use for the leftovers from a very large container of pumpkin. Reheated wonderfully!
Delicious! Have made this twice. It freezes well too.
So happy to hear that!
Absolutely delicious! The perfect lunch.
So glad you enjoyed!
So good and super simple to make! Perfect for a light meal or easy snack
Pumpkin never tasted yummy until I found your pumpkin lentil recipe. Sop, many thanks.
Yay!! Glad to hear you’re enjoying it in this soup 🙂
LET ME TELL YOU my roomie and I made this every. damn. week. from August of 2020 through April of 2021, I am telling you the truth. I told her we had to stop making it so we wouldn’t make ourselves sick of it and baby, it’s August again and I am here. for it. This will be resuming it’s weekly rotation at our place. We are obsessed with it. We eat it with pita bread, we eat it over rice, we eat it plain… it’s the easiest thing ever, cheap, and so delicious. You gotta make it!
OMG that is amazing, I’m so impressed haha! So happy you guys are obsessed. Thanks for spreading the love!