Easy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup Recipe (Vegan)

Name: Easy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup Recipe (Vegan)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Pound Carrots, Peeled and Chopped (About 4-6 Carrots); 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped; 1 Cup Red Lentils; 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced; 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided; 4 to 6 Cups of Vegetable Broth (See Note 1); Salt and Black Pepper to Taste; Creamy Coconut Milk; Red Pepper Flakes; Fresh Thyme; Fresh Cilantro or Parsley; Fresh Lemon Juice

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This Carrot and Red Lentil Soup is a super easy recipe with only 7 ingredients! With roasted carrots and onions, this soup has a rich and earthy flavor like no other. Make it chunky and oven roasted or use an immersion blender for a smooth creamy carrot soup. Great for an easy meal prep for lunches!

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Hey Internet, our favorite season is about to return; soup season! You can't beat a good soup. They're extremely easy to make, they're an easy lunch to meal prep, and they're delightful on a chilly day.

We've started developing a bunch of new vegan soups (check out our Vegan Soup Recipes and Vegan Stew Recipes!) for this year and this one is our first new one. Sweet carrots and hearty red lentils are some of the cheapest ingredients out there. Combining them together with some onions and vegetable broth creates an earthy, creamy soup that's super filling.

We tried this recipe two ways; oven roasting the veggies and using a pot to sauté the onion and carrot. Both techniques are good in their own ways. Roasting the veggies develops the flavors more and you can much more safely use a high speed blender though honestly any blender should work fine. We feel that, while it's another dish, using a stand blender is less time consuming then having to move an immersion blender around.

Alternatively, the sauté method takes less time, meaning it only takes about 20-25 minutes to make this carrot lentil soup that way. It also is a one pot recipe that way! We think both versions are a great way to make this recipe, so we've included them below.

And if you want more amazing soups, we'll have more soon this season! For now you can try our Butter Bean Stew or our Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup. We also have this amazing Vegan Chicken and Dumplings Stew if you're looking for a great Meatless Monday recipe!

Why You'll Love This Lentil Carrot Soup

Easy to Make: The roasted version of this recipe is very hands off so it's a great option if you want to walk away and get other stuff done (just set a timer!). But the sauté version is not that much harder (they're both pretty easy though) and is less time consuming (it has a lower cooking time)! Plus most of the ingredients are pantry staples and are easy to find at most grocery stores.
Creamy and Flavorful: With delicious carrot, red lentils, and roasted onions, everything blended up turns into the creamiest soup and perfect for chilly days!
Simple Ingredients and Hidden Veggies: Though the soup is orange so you can't TOTALLY hide the carrots, this soup is deceptively nutritious and loaded with plant based protein, fiber, and micronutrients.
Easy Meal Prep: Store this in the fridge for 3-4 days or grab some freezer safe containers for easy freezer meals. This soup is PERFECT for meal prep and there are so many ways to customize it. You could even double or triple up the recipe to make a big batch.

Ingredients

Pick up the following ingredients for this amazing lentil carrot soup the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

1 Pound Carrots, Peeled and Chopped (About 4-6 Carrots)
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
1 Cup Red Lentils: You can use brown lentils or green lentils instead, but they do take much longer to cook. Split red lentils definitely cook pretty quickly.
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided: You'll want 1 tablespoon to cover the vegetables and the other to add to the pot you'll use for the soup.
4 to 6 Cups of Vegetable Broth: You have a lot of options for this. You could use store bought containers of veggie broth for a quick fix. What we like to use is Better than Bouillon paste and mix it in a large measuring cup. We used the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Paste for this recipe and it added even more flavor to this recipe! You could also use some homemade vegetable stock or store bought vegan chicken broth as well.
Salt and Black Pepper, to Taste

Optional Toppings

Creamy Coconut Milk: We like to use full fat canned coconut milk for next level flavor. This makes for a much creamier soup and the flavors go so well together! Lite coconut milk will give you a thinner consistency so you may want to use less broth if you plan on adding the reduced fat coconut milk. Alternatively you could make this soup creamy with our Sunflower Seed Cream which is a nut-free version of cashew cream, or just serve your soup with a dollop of vegan Greek yogurt or Vegan Sour Cream.
Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Cilantro or Parsley
Fresh Green Onion
Fresh Lemon Juice: Add it at the end to preserve the bright flavors!
Maple Syrup: Add a bit of sweet flavor to this recipe to balance everything. Start with a tiny bit, of course. Sometimes a little sweetness goes really well with the roasted vegetables.
Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes: Since they take around the same amount of time to cook as carrots, you could make this an even more filling soup with some potatoes or sweet potatoes (cut in similar sizes).
Extras: Try this recipe with extra protein from our Easy Crispy Tofu or Seitan Chicken. You could also throw in store bought vegan proteins, or something like tempeh! You could also serve this soup with a nice bread like our Vegan Garlic Bread or Vegan Focaccia! If you'd like to try this soup with some tomato-y flavor, try replacing 1-2 cups of broth with crushed tomatoes or tomato puree and/or sautéing a little tomato paste with your garlic. Or add some warm spices like coriander, turmeric, curry powder, cumin, etc.

How to Make Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

Roasting Method

Preheat your oven to 400 F (205 C). Add the chopped carrots and onion into a bowl and mix with a tablespoon oil. Add them to a tray with a little bit of parchment paper with enough extra paper on each side (just 2 inches or so) so you can lift it later. Add to oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until carrots and onions are roasted.
Blend: Carefully lift the roasted vegetables by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper. Add them to a high speed blender and then add your prepare broth. Blend until smooth.
Add to Pot: Add the remaining oil to a large pot and bring it to medium high heat. Then add the minced garlic and dried thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the liquid from the blender.
Simmer: Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the temperature to about medium-low to simmer the pot. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the lentils are fork tender. You can blend again if you'd like a more pureed soup.
Serve: Add to a bowl and place place additional salt, pepper, and any toppings you'd like.

Sauté Method

Heat Your Pot: Add a tablespoon of oil to the pot and then put it the carrots and onions in. You want to sauté onion and carrot together (especially because carrots tend to take awhile to cook. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned.
Add the Rest: Add the garlic and thyme and cook them for 30 seconds. Then add the lentils and the vegetable broth.
Simmer: Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the temperature to about medium-low to simmer the pot. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Blend: Using an immersion blender, carefully blend everything until smooth. Make sure to only start the blender when it is fully submerged to avoid splatter!
Serve: Add to a bowl and place place additional salt, pepper, and toppings.

Storage Instructions

Let the soup cool for in the pot for about 30 minutes. Add to airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To freeze, add the soup to a freezer-safe container and then add to your freezer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I uses a different type of lentil for this recipe?

Other lentil varieties, like yellow lentils and green lentils, behave differently and will have different cook times. It's best to stick with red lentils for this recipe. But if you really want to try that, just make sure you cook them long enough.

How can I make this a more complete meal?

Bread is a good way! You can use a crusty bread to dip into either version of this soup. Warm naan is also tasty to dunk in it. We also have a great Vegan Croutons recipe that you can try with it.

Why do I add the lemon juice at the end?

Lemon juice tends to lose some of it's potency when exposed to heat for a while. By putting it in at the end, you get to keep more of its brightness.

Can I immersion blender the roasted version of this recipe?

Sure! It's just an extra dish to clean.

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