An easy 40-minute soup, this lentil sweet potato soup is a great weeknight dinner. It’s a cosy cold weather soup made with sweet potato (or carrots, or pumpkin, or all three – see below), coconut milk, tomatoes, red lentils, and a warming mix of spices.
I like to make a big batch of this soup and freeze leftovers in jars for whenever I don’t have time or just don’t feel like cooking. It freezes really well and I almost always have a jar or two sitting in the freezer. It’s smooth and velvety, even with my old stick blender, and you really wouldn’t know that there are lentils in it.
We usually serve this with brown rice or a slice of sourdough. About the toppings – it’s nice to add a little colour and texture to break up the creaminess. I often serve it with rye croutons, or sunflower seeds and parsley, but this iteration is my favourite.
For some more great red lentil recipes, try this carrot, red lentil, and spinach soup, vegan lentil bolognese, or easy red lentil dip with roasted sweet potatoes.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Sweet potato: I often use a mix of sweet potato and carrot or pumpkin, depending on what’s on hand. Carrots can take a little bit longer to cook so keep that in mind.
- Spices: change these up to suit what you like, or use a pre-blended curry spice of some kind instead if you’d like.
- Vegetable broth: if seasoned sufficiently, you can use water in place of broth, which, if store-bought, is mostly just salt anyway.
- Tomatoes: I’m sure you could substitute an equal amount of fresh tomatoes, but I haven’t tried it.
Recipe Notes
Soaked lentils are ideal to add here as they cook faster and can be easier to digest. I soak a big batch in advance, then portion off to freeze to add to recipes like this.
Don’t worry if the coconut milk splits a little when it’s brought to a boil. When you blend the soup, it will become creamy and smooth again.
An immersion blender is truly one of the best kitchen tools you can have, especially if you often make blended soups or things like homemade tomato sauce. We use ours for smoothies, soap making, cooking, and more.
How to Store
Storage: refrigerate in a sealed container for up to three days.
Freezing: when I write that I freeze leftovers in jars, I’m referring to canning jars, which can withstand temperature changes well. Use something marked as freezer safe, and freeze the soup for up to three months, thawing in the refrigerator before reheating.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Season to taste: with any soup, it’s key to taste before serving and season as needed. Not only salt, but also for a sweet soup like this, you may need a splash of acid through a squeeze of lemon or a touch more vinegar.
- Use whole tomatoes: if you’re blending the dish in any case, whole tomatoes are usually better quality than diced or crushed canned tomatoes.
- Cool before blending: to use a standing blender rather than immersion, the soup should be cooled first unless your blender specifically states that it can be used for hot ingredients.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Cabbage Lentil Soup
Spicy Pinto Bean Soup
Roasted Parsnip Soup
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
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Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 medium sweet potatoes 600 grams, chopped into 3cm chunks*
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 thumb ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 400 grams canned tomatoes
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 500 ml vegetable broth or water
- 200 grams red lentils
Optional toppings:
- Pomegranate arils
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hemp hearts
- Radish very thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat with the coconut oil.1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Add the onion and cook for two minutes, until it starts to soften and brown slightly.1 small yellow onion
- Add the sweet potato and cook for another 5 minutes or until slightly softened.2 medium sweet potatoes
- Stir in the garlic and spices, cook for an additional minute, then pour in the apple cider vinegar, stir, and add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and water (or vegetable stock).3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb ginger, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Cayenne pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 400 grams canned tomatoes, 400 ml coconut milk, 500 ml vegetable broth
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
- Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils and sweet potato are soft.200 grams red lentils
- Blend with an immersion blender until very smooth.
- Taste and season as needed, then top with your desired toppings and serve hot.Pomegranate arils, Pumpkin seeds, Radish, Hemp hearts
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to three days and freeze well.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Anne Marie says
I never heard soaking to lentils could help with digesting them! Its a very useful tips! (Thanks you so much!) for how long do you recommend soaking them? And is it the same with the other kind of lentils?
Im so grateful to have discover you 🙂
Alexandra Daum says
Hello! I usually soak overnight in cool water, in the fridge if it’s summer and my house is too warm. Then rinse really well and use as you usually would. I soak all lentils before using – there’s a reference guide in my cookbook that might be helpful, but I don’t have a copy on hand (I’m not at home) so I can’t check it right now, sorry!