Carrot Lentil Soup is the hearty, healthy classic that you know to keep you warm and cozy, with a secret spicy twist to make it even cozier! Red lentils are fiber-rich and protein-packed, and when cooked down with naturally sweet carrots, transform into a rich, ultra comforting bowl. Shall we?
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What is Carrot Lentil Soup?
Carrot Lentil Soup is a hearty soup made of red lentils that are cooked with carrots and aromatic vegetables in flavorful liquid or broth for until they break down into a thick, velvety soup.
This version of Carrot Lentil Soup is "spicy" in both senses of the word: flavor and heat. Ginger and turmeric give the soup a warm, earthy spice undertone, and gochugaru or hot chile powder adds a kick of heat.
Is Carrot Lentil Soup Healthy?
Depending on your health needs and dietary considerations, Carrot Lentil Soup is healthy! To be honest, I can't really think of a case in which the Carrot Lentil Soup would not be healthy, unless maybe spice causes heartburn or the high fiber content causes other gastric issue for you.
Let's break down some of the nutritional highlights, starting with the most underrated nutrition hero, carrots. Carrots are a non-starchy vegetable that not only add subtle, natural sweetness to a dish, but they are especially good for the body in the fall and winter months when colorful vegetables seem to be in shorter supply. Carrots provides a number of nutritional benefits like:
- beta carotene which converts into vitamin A in the body
- additional antioxidants, primarily in the form of carotenoids and anthocyanins
- both soluble and insoluble fiber, which contributes to good gut health, decreases cholesterol, and lowers blood sugar
Red lentils are rich in fiber and packed with protein. One serving of red lentils, about ¼ cup dried, or ½ cup cooked, offers:
- a whopping 15 grams fiber
- 13 grams of protein
- shoutout to providing 90% DV of folate!
(trusted source: USDA)
Dietary Considerations of Carrot Lentil Soup
As published, this recipe for Carrot Lentil Soup is:
- 100% plant-based, suitable for vegans if you don't use the optional yogurt topping
- vegetarian
- dairy-free if you don't use the optional yogurt garnish, or use a plant-based yogurt
- gluten-free/wheat-free
- grain-free
- refined sugar-free
- anti-inflammatory
Ingredients You Need for Carrot Lentil Soup
There are a little more than a few ingredients in this list, but the actual prep and cooking is pretty minimal. Here's what you need:
Refrigerator/fresh ingredients:
- Carrots, 1 pound peeled and chopped
- Onion, 1
- Garlic, 5 cloves
- Ginger, 1 2-inch piece
- Vegetable or mushroom stock, 4-6 cups
Pantry/dry ingredients:
- Avocado oil, 2 tablespoons
- Red lentils, 2 cups
- Gochugaru, 1 tablespoon
- Tamari, 1 tablespoon
- Turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground
- Sea salt, 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground
Optional garnishes
- yogurt
- chili oil
- sliced green onions
What Kind of Lentils are Best for Soup?
tl;dr. For this velvety, pureed soup, we are using red lentils—specifically this organic brand—because they break down when cooked, are easiest to find at most grocery stores, cook very quickly, and are affordable.
Lentils are edible seeds in the legume family which also includes beans and peas. There are quite a few different types and they all vary in appearance, as well as in nutrition profile. These are the most common lentils, and they are all good for soup, depending on what you want as the final texture:
- Red lentils range in color from dark yellow to reddish-orange, but are actually brown or green lentils that have been hulled and split into halves, which means they cook much faster than other lentils—20 minutes vs 35-40 minutes—and break down when completely cooked through. Because they break down, red lentils are best for curries, dals, and thick, puree-type soups like this recipe!
- Brown lentils, which range in brown hues from grayish to green, have an earthy flavor and retain their shape when cooked, which makes them ideal for dishes like salad and soups in which you want the lentils to stay firm. Brown lentils are easiest to find in grocery stores and are generally the most affordable. This super-power Mushroom Lentil Salad uses brown lentils.
- Green lentils are green, though they sometimes veer slightly into a light brown hue. They have a slightly more earthy, nutty, sometimes peppery flavor. Like brown lentils, green lentils stay firm when cooked, though they do require slightly longer prep and cooking time. Green lentils are good in salads and dishes where lentils are the primary ingredient like soup.
- Puy Lentils are a type of green lentil from Puy, France, so sometimes they are called French green lentils or Lentils du Puy. They are smaller than regular green lentils, darker in color with some marbling, and have a more pronounced flavor.
- Black lentils are small, and slightly more rounded than other lentils. They look like caviar, so black lentils are sometimes called Beluga lentils or caviar lentils. They're not as common as other lentils and usually cost a little more. They are sturdy, retain their shaped when cooked, and have a stronger flavor. Black lentils are good in salads, soups, and any dish where they are the star ingredient.
So you bought a big bag of lentils and now you gotta figure out what to do with it? Let me help you with that:
How Many Carrots in One Pound?
Because carrots come in so many different sizes and shapes like so many um, other things, it's better to "measure" carrots by actual ounces or even in cups, not by number of carrots.
According to the USDA, one medium carrot weighs about 2½ to 3 ounces, but what is this? The 1800s? Carrots in grocery stores have gotten bigger, and the average carrot based on my own experience weighs more like 3 to 4 ounces. So 1 pound of carrots, or 16 ounces is just about equivalent to:
- 4-5 whole carrots
- 5 packed cups of diced carrots
This recipe is a soup though, not precision baking, so it's ok to come close enough with the amount of carrots.
Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources
Vegetable or mushroom stock. Nothing will beat the flavor of a homemade vegetable or mushroom stock, but since there is quite a bit of spice and seasoning in the soup, the Ina special (store-bought) is fine. Just make sure get low-sodium like this organic brand so you can season the soup to your own taste.
Avocado Oil. I use this Avocado Oil as my every day neutral-flavored cooking oil. The oil comes in this spray bottle format, which makes even coating for roasting super easy.
Gochugaru: Gochugaru is a bright red Korean chili pepper powder made from a specific variety of Korean chili pepper. Heat levels range, but gochugaru is generally considered a medium spicy chili powder. Look for gochugaru that is made from Korean peppers that are sun-dried. You can find gochugaru in Korean grocery stores like H-Mart and other Asian grocery stores. I have also seen some independent, new-ish spice companies like this and this at Whole Foods. This organic brand and the one in the photo above, purchased at HMart, are currently what I have in my pantry.
Soy sauce or tamari: Tamari is Japanese-style soy sauce brewed without the use of wheat so it is gluten-free. If you are not sensitive to wheat, the two are essentially interchangeable, though tamari has a slightly high-toned tartness to it. I use this brand, which is organic.
Turmeric. Turmeric is an dark yellow to orange-colored root that has a warm, earthy, sometimes woodsy flavor. It's pretty intense so you only need a little bit. If fresh turmeric is available, grate about
Salt. Salt is an obvious and ubiquitous ingredient. I use this Kosher salt.
Onions, garlic, ginger, and all other herbs and produce. I get from the the regular grocery store.
How to Make Spicy Carrot Lentil Soup
Look, in general, soup of any kind is not a complicated dish to make. You just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot with liquid and as soon as a few minute to boiling, you can have a pretty decent pot of soup.
And this Carrot Lentil Soup is truly one of the easiest soups to make. Here is how you make Carrot Lentil Soup:
Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté chopped carrots, onions, garlic and ginger until everything is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add broth to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat.
If you haven't already done so, rinse red lentils a few times until the water runs clear and pick out any rogue bits.
Add red lentils, tamari, gochugaru, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Bring back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender and lentils are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot or in batches in a blender blender or food processor. Carefully blend, adding plain broth to the blender if needed to thin out texture. Pour blended soup back into pot and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more tamari, salt, or gochugaru as needed.
Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with yogurt, chili oil, and sliced green onions if using.
Pro-tip: If you prefer a soup with some texture, puree only half the soup, then add back to the pot with the carrot pieces and lentils.
How to Level Up Carrot Lentil Soup
The true beauty of Spicy Carrot Lentil Soup is that it's so simple, even garnished with the optional toppings. However, if you do want to level up a simple, cozy bowl of soup, here's what I've done in the past to rave reviews:
- Spice it up. In addition to the swirling Chili Crisp into each bowl, add a little fermented funk in the form of chopped kimchi!
- Green Machine. If you want to amp the health factor, add baby spinach! You don't even have to cook it. Stir whole baby spinach leaves into the soup at the end and the leaves will wilt from the heat.
- Complete Protein. Lentils are almost a complete protein, in that they do contain all nine essential amino acids, but two of them, cysteine and methionine, at much lower levels. If you're going the meat-less route with the soup, add a spoonful of cooked rice with the soup to make up for the amino acids cysteine and methionine to make Carrot Lentil Soup a complete protein source!
Tools and Equipment
As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make Carrot Lentil Soup. You can simply use a knife and cutting board to mince the garlic and chop the vegetables. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make Carrot Lentil Soup even easier than it already is.
Stock Pot: I use a very large stock pot by this cookware company. It has a heavy bottom and easy-to-hold handles. Any large pot that fits the ingredients will do. A large Dutch oven is great for this.
Slow Cooker: I have this 6-quart programmable slow cooker. If you are going to use a slow-cooker, I highly recommend getting/using a slow-cooker that has a timer or auto-shut-off so you can truly "set it, and forget it," which is kind of the point of a slow-cooker, imho.
Vegetable Peeler. Current favorite all-purpose vegetable peeler to use for the carrots.
Chef's Knife. This is my workhorse chef's knife, slightly more pricey than others, but definitely worth it. I have had it for more than 10 years and use it every day.
Immersion Blender. Great for pureed soups with a little more texture.
Food Processor. I have been using an older model of this mini food processor for 15, maybe 20, years.
Blender. You don't need a high-power blender, but this one works well for soup because of it's large pitcher.
Stainless steel tongs
What Else to Serve with Spicy Carrot Lentil Soup
I am an executive member of the "Soup is a Meal" club, so I generally would serve the soup perfect as-is, with nothing more than the suggested chili crisp and sliced scallions garnishes. However, if Carrot Lentil Soup is a starter at your table, here are a few additional dishes that work particularly well with Carrot Lentil Soup:
- Cabbage Apple Salad with Miso Mustard dressing
- Roasted broccoli, or steamed if you want to keep all your cooking on the stovetop
- Stay on all-green theme with Crispy Shredded Brussels Sprouts
- Baked Salmon as a main protein, and just leave the shredded ham garnish off the soup
Advance Prep, Leftovers, and Storage
Make a huge pot of Spicy Carrot Soup in advance then store and/or freeze in single serving containers to thaw and eat all through soup season.
How Long Can You Keep Spicy Carrot Soup in the Refrigerator? You can store leftover Spicy Carrot Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop.
How Long Can You Freeze Spicy Carrot Soup? You can freeze Spicy Carrot Soup in an airtight container or plastic zipper bags for two months. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop with a splash or two of water or broth so the frozen soup doesn't burn before thawing out.
FAQ
No, you do not have to soak red lentils before cooking like you have to do for dried beans. Red lentils will cook until soft and broken down in 20-30 minutes, depending on the lentils/brands.
Yes! Spicy Carrot Soup can support health, specifically because it is both fiber- and protein-rich. One cup of cooked red lentils has 16 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein.
Best Vegetable-Forward Soups for Cozy Season
- Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
- Vegetarian French Onion Soup
- Kale White Bean Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
Spicy Carrot Lentil Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped about 5 medium carrots
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 4-6 cups rich vegetable stock
- 2 cups red lentils thoroughly rinsed
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru or other spicy hot pepper powder like crushed red pepper, chile flakes, or cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
Optional Garnishes
- thick yogurt
- chili oil
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté chopped carrots, onions, garlic and ginger until everything is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
- Add broth to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat.
- Add red lentils, tamari, gochugaru, turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Bring back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender and lentils are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot or in batches in a blender blender or food processor. Carefully blend, adding plain broth to the blender if needed to thin out texture. Pour blended soup back into pot and stir to combine.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with yogurt, chili oil, and sliced green onions if using.
Notes
Food for Afterthoughts
My entire family is back from vacationing.
They had only been gone for five days, but still, I couldn’t believe how excited I was to see them return. I drove to the airport early, hung out in the arrival terminal for almost 20 minutes before I realized I was supposed to be waiting at the International terminal. I walked over to Tom Bradley, and still waited a good 45 minutes for all of them to get through Customs. When I finally saw them slowly make their way up the ramp from the underground walkway, it felt like we hadn’t seen each other in weeks.
The strange thing is, I don’t see my family that often to begin with. My parents live in Orange County, and my sister, who used to live down the street from me, is now also in her new house in The OC with her husband and baby. My other sister and her husband live only ten minutes away, but with completely different lives, it takes a real concerted effort to see one another.
There is something strange about how the heart and mind’s memory work. Even though I don’t see them on a day-to-day basis when they’re here, knowing that they were hundreds of miles away, I could feel their absence.
But I’m quite sure that I wasn’t completely conscious of it at the time. It was only when I started driving toward the airport to pick them up that I realized that the previous five days, I had felt slightly “off.” I couldn’t explain why I was having trouble focusing on tasks, or remembering everything on my To-do List. It was the same sort of head-in-a-haze existence that follows shortly after a breakup. I wasn’t depressed, but I was definitely dazed. Maybe a little confused, too.
I know that I felt unbalanced because I ate like I was lonely and depressed, which is either drowning my sorrows in inordinate amounts of junk food in the form of ice cream, doughnuts, and the like, or forcing myself to eat for the sake of sustenance because I have no appetite. The first day my family was gone, I made gazpacho and forced myself to eat it. Soup always makes me feel better; even if the soup is cold. I ate the gazpacho for two days because after that, I had neither the energy nor the creativity to cook much else.
However, Carrot Lentil Soup came up somewhat out of necessity, but moreso out of a need for comfort. It was necessary to do something with a surfeit of carrots in my crisper. I don’t know why farmers even bother selling carrots in one or two pound pre-packed bags. Do people really eat that many carrots within a few days? Unfortunately, I am seduced by unit cost, and the bag of carrots is always cheaper per pound than buying individual carrots. I know that it doesn’t end up costing any less if I eventually have to throw out half a bag of dried-up carrots that have withered and shriveled to the size of #2 pencils, but I can’t help it. I think all Koreans are the same way.
Once before, I tried to make a soup out of leftover carrots, but it was a semi-disaster. I started by sweating onions and whatnot in the bottom of the pan, then added thinly sliced carrots to get them started on cooking before adding stock. What a mistake. The soup tasted fine in the end, but it had turned into a miserable muddied orange color that was so horribly ugly I sent tearful IMs to a chef-ish friend. What is wrong with my soup? Why is my soup the color of clay? What had I done wrong?
I dumped the soup, took note of the advice for next time, and made cauliflower soup instead.
This time, I took the advice that chef-ish friend and added a splash of acid in the form of orange juice to preserve the color and accentuate the taste of the carrots. Now, if I had one of these babies, the soup would have been a breeze, but I am more than happy with my Cuisinart blender, which did a marvelous job of transforming the vegetables broth into a bright, golden carroty orange colored puree. Thankfully, it didn’t taste too much like oranges. I don’t love orange-flavored foods. Unless it’s an orange.
The soup was a momentary comforting sigh.
MyLastBite says
Great story Sarah. Makes my family look less CRAZY.
: )
Sherry says
This was delish! I adapted slightly by adding 2/3 tsp of Ras el Hanout spice blend and increasing the ham stock by 1/2 quart. I also increased the simmer time by 45 minutes to allow the spices to cook down.
Sarah J. Gim says
MyLastBite: No, I think our families are dialed up to just about the same level of crazy ;)
Yutjangsah says
Don't the Delicious Clan watch k-dramas? BOM is always a plot device that comes into play. K dramas teach us so many things. U obv know lesson to take all the booty ucan grab in a deevorce if tht ham bone is any indication. Hehee. High five bad seed.
Gastronomer says
You are not alone! During the holidays, my family eats stuffing from a box, scalloped potatoes from a box, and bottled salad dressing. It pains me so! At least they threw you a friggin' bone.
Sarah J. Gim says
Yutjangsah: I am indeed, the Bad Seed. I refuse to sprout at all. I am like, stuck in my teenage years. I'm move back home and lock myself in my old room.
Gastronomer: At least they're scalloped potatoes. Have you ever seen the black magic that is "instant" mashed potatoes in a tub?!
babamoto says
Bad seed? Ahahaha.
Adri says
Be thankful you aren't the ONLY child. At least you have siblings to take the marriage/children pressure off of you... I on the other hand have to defend on a bi-weekly basis to my grandmother, aunts, nosy neighbors, why I don't WANT children, nor need a spouse to make me happy.
And let's not even start to talk about my family and food...
Sarah J. Gim says
Baba: you laugh at "bad seed" as if that were a joke.
Adri: You poor thing! But really, no I want to hear about your family and food. Please. Tell. It helps when we do this group therapy...
Ino says
Do you have to be Asian to wash white rice?! :P
Next time I make my lentil soup, I might use some ham stock for the base. It looks (appropriately) delicious.
Sioux says
My parent's didn't institute BOM either.
My middle sister was married to and divorced from her boyfriend of 10 years (before nuptials) by the time my youngest sister produced "the granddaughter". What a great diversion she proved to be!
I have 2 hambones in my freezer ---I think I know where they're going!
Sarah J. Gim says
Ino: You only have to be Asian on the inside. Which I am not. But still.
Sioux: Now that's the kind of freezer stock I like to hear about: ham bones. Almost as good as a bottle of vodka.
Incidentally, "ham bone" makes me think of that song..."ham bone, ham bone..."
Anyone? Hello? No?
Preed says
First off, I have to say I love lentils so the title of your blog caught my eye, however when I saw the picture I couldnt figure out what the heck those oblong things were...Now, let's talk about perspective...
It wasnt until the end of your blog and me closely analyzing the picture yet again that I realized it was a close-up of the lentils on the spoon! Ahhhh! For some reason I thought the picture was of a large serving bowl full of roasted shallots (which I made for dinner) or cloves of garlic. Doah!
Your recipe looks tasty, but for those that arent familiar with lentils you may want to include the type/color used. Can you imagine the end product if red lentils were used as opposed to green?!
Happy cooking/nuking :)
Smokeydoke says
Not to one up you... but I DID find my Prince Charming (literally, straight off the pages of Cinderella) and my parents hate and PC is banned from the house and screamed at in the drwy when he picks me up.
Gawd.... @#$#%^#^$.
My only saving grace is PC is still with me, which must mean I'm cool... I think.
Anyways, cool recipe, sorry I'm talking about my love life, this isn't Yelp.
Sarah J. Gim says
Preed: I actually don't know very much about lentils, as they are fairly new to my repertoire. I only have some familiarity bc I've eaten them at Indian restaurants. The only ones I ever see at the market, though, have been the little dark green ones!
Smokeydoke: You are always encouraged to share about your love life here. Like I said, online group therapy ;)
Courtney says
I totally sympathize with you! My family Thanksgiving dinner was a mix of pre-cooked & half-cooked foods in wasteful plastic containers, heated through and put on the table. My mom won't even eat mashed potatoes unless she has the Jimmy Dean pre-packaged, frozen kind! I had to throw a friend Thanksgiving dinner party just so I could eat home-made dishes. I even cooked for my parents on Christmas morning, a whole breakfast from scratch, to make sure they remembered what real food tastes like!
But they're a different generation, you know...sometimes I think their palate actually makes them WANT preservatives and mushy microwave texture!
Lori says
Oh man- that sucks. I am so with you.
Not that you have to , because certainly there are times I wish I wasn't, I got married at 38 years old. After a six month courtship. You never know. But a single existence is certainly wonderful too.
Sarah J. Gim says
Courtney: It IS a different generation! I am not sure when it started though because I do recall eating canned meats (spam, dinty moore beef stew, Vienna sausges, Hormel corned beef hash) when I was little, so not sure when that part escaped me and I turned into a food freak.
Of course, I love plastic scary processed junk food...
Lori: You inspire me! I think I would like to get married, mostly because I want to have a little Mini-licious or two, likely adopting, but think it'll be more fun (easier?) to do it with a partner :)
Bill Fogle says
This was a great blog entry and recipe. I'm making it tonight. I already had done the ham stock.
John says
Sarah...just finished your blurb on "what to do with a ham bone"...I truly enjoyed your style of writing...it was very entertaining...you should consider doing it professionally...maybe it was just b/c I have this damn ham bone that I am not sure what to do with!!....Season's Greetings...will revisit regularly...John