An easy and quick Carrot and Lentil Soup recipe in which lentils and carrots cook together with aromatics like ginger, garlic, onions and healing and immune boosting spices like turmeric. Then the yummy, vegan, and gluten free concoction gets pureed into a luscious, silky smooth bowl of healthy goodness.
There is something very comforting about a bowl of soup and I bring you this seven star soup recipe today. Five stars for the depth of flavor of this recipe. Star number six for being a complete meal – protein rich lentils, nutritious veggies, along with healing and immune boosting spices. Add a slice of a crusty bread or a piece of buttery garlic naan and get ready to be transported into flavor heaven. The seventh star for this Carrot and Lentil Soup is for being a one pot recipe.
This recipe is
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Vegan
- Packed with plant based nutrients
- One pot
- Comforting
- A complete meal by itself
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Why you'll love this soup
- Plant based yet creamy - despite being vegan, this carrot and lentil soup is rich and cream. This is due to the combination of carrots and lentils.
- A soup for both hot and cold months - This soup is great for cold winter months but is also awesome for warm months when you don’t want to be in the kitchen for too long.
- One pot recipe with minimal clean up - I make this carrot and lentil soup in my Instant Pot or sometimes even in a Pressure Cooker to save time. But if you do not own one, don’t let that stop you, stove top instructions are added in the notes below.
Recipe ingredients
Carrots and lentils pack the punch in this soup. Aromatics and soup staples like celery, ginger, garlic, and onion take it the next level.
- Lentils - Use red lentils in this recipe. They are also known as football lentils and are easy to find and cook rather quickly. Lentils are versatile, easy to cook and can take up any flavor profile.
- Carrots - Use fresh and firm carrots that are bright orange in color. These carrots along with turmeric give the beautiful orange color to the soup and contribute to our overall healthy immune system.
- Turmeric - ahh that beautiful golden color and so many health benefits. You know I love turmeric and us it a lot specially in this turmeric cauliflower rice.
- Ginger - adds a nice warm spice to the soup and you have to use fresh ginger in this recipe. You need about a 1 inch piece. You can peel it either with a blunt end of a knife or with a spoon and then slice it.
Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.
How to make this recipe
This Lentil Carrot soup is a one pot recipe and comes together rather quickly. When cooking lentils and a hearty vegetable like carrot, pressure cooking is a great option that's why I'm using a 6 -qt Instant pot in this recipe. Pressure cooker and stove top instructions are also included below.
Step 1: Peel and wash the carrots, chop the tops and ends off and give a rough chop. Cut the tough end of the celery stalks and discard, roughly chop them. Peel the onion, ginger and garlic and roughly chop them as well (Image 1).
Step 2: Set the instant pot to saute mode and once hot, add oil, ginger, garlic, onion, and celery (Image 2). Cook for 1 minute.
Step 3: Add turmeric and cumin powder followed by lentils and chopped carrots. Stir until the lentils are lightly toasted, about a minute. Add salt and black pepper (Image 3).
Step 4: Add vegetable broth (or water) (Image 4).
Step 5: Close the Instant pot with the lid and press cancel to cancel the "Saute" mode. Set the mode to manual or pressure cook button and set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes (Image 5). Make sure the pressure valve is in sealing position.
Step 6: It will take 6-7 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and it will stay on for the set time of 5 minutes. After 5 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (Image 6) and then do a quick pressure release by turning the pressure valve to "venting".
Steps 7 and 8: Once all the steam has escaped, open the lid of the Instant Pot and blend the soup with a hand blender (Image 7) until nice and smooth (Image 8).
What if I don't have an instant pot?
No need to worry. You can make this soup in a pressure cooker or even in an open pot.
- Pressure Cooker: Saute all the ingredients on medium high heat as given in instant pot instructions. Add the broth and close the lid of the pressure cooker and lock it in place. Let the cooker come to full pressure and cook for 5 minutes and then turn the heat off. Set a timer to 5 minutes and release the pressure. Proceed to blending the soup and serve.
- Dutch Oven (or Sauce Pan): Use a heavy bottomed sauce pan with a lid and follow the sautéing instructions as above. After all the ingredients are in, bring to a boil on high heat and turn the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the lentils and carrots are done. Blend and serve.
Substitutions and Additions
- Spices - Turmeric and cumin add a great flavor but you can play with spices of your choice. Add some cayenne or chili pepper flakes to make it a bit more spicy. You can also finish the soup with some garam masala.
- Make it more creamy - add coconut milk or cream (that will make it non-vegan) to amp up that luscious finish of this soup.
- Toppings - Though any toppings in this soup are optional, I would recommend adding some fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Crunchy chickpeas or toasted pepitas work great as well.
- Serving - Serve this soup with a piece of crusty bread (focaccia works great as well) or toasted garlic naan.
STORAGE, FREEZING, AND REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS
If you have leftovers or if you make a double batch recipe (highly recommended), here's how you can store or freeze them:
- Storage - you can store the leftovers in a air tight container in the refrigerator for upto 5 days.
- Freezing - you can freeze leftovers for upto 3 months. You can either put them in a freezer proof container or in a freezer safe ziptop bag.
- Reheating - Reheat leftovers from the refrigerator in a microwave or in a small saucepan on medium high heat until heated through. From the freezer, let the soup thaw and then reheat in microwave or sauce pan.
Luckily, not in this Carrot and Lentil soup recipe. Because you want the lentils to be mushy so that when you blend the soup, they are nice and creamy.
Though I am not a health expert, but this gluten free, vegan soup is packed with protein from the lentils, vitamins from carrots and healing properties from all the aromatics and spices.
Absolutely! Butternut squash goes really well with carrots and would add more depth of flavor to this soup. You will have to adjust the pressure cooking time for butternut squash.
Related Soup Recipes
If you tried this Instant Pot Carrot and Lentil Soup or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below! I love hearing from you! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.
Love - Vaishali.
Instant pot Carrot and Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 inch piece of ginger about 1 tablespoon chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- ¼ cup orange lentils rinsed
- 3-4 big carrots roughly chopped about 1 pound (450 g)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 teaspoon Salt or more, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish, optional
- Lime juice for garnish, optional
Instructions
Instant pot method
- Turn your Instant Pot on Saute mode, once it displays hot, add oil, followed by garlic, onion, celery, and ginger
- Saute for a minute, add turmeric and cumin powder followed by lentils and chopped carrots. Stir until the lentils are lightly toasted, about a minute. Add salt and black pepper.
- Add vegetable broth or water. Close the pot with the lid, cancel the saute mode, and set the mode to manual or pressure cook button and set to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve is in sealing position.
- After 5 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and blend the ingredients to a smooth soup using hand blender. If you don't have an immersion blender, let the contents in the pot cool down a bit and then blend using your regular blender.
- Transfer soup to serving bowls, garnish with cilantro and lime juice (optional) and serve with bread or naan.
Kristine
Yum! Heartwarming easy soup recipe with carrots and lentils. Thank you-there are lots of cold nights coming up and this is a perfect comfort food!
Maya Richard
This recipe looks DELICIOUS!! I can’t wait to try it!!
Vaishali
Thanks, Maya. I hope you like it.
Robin
I tried the Instant Pot Carrot and Lentil Soup recipe, and it was a game-changer for my weeknight dinners! The flavors are so rich and comforting, it feels like a warm hug in a bowl.
FlusterBuster.com
Vaishali
Thank you so much, Robin. I'm glad you all liked it!