Made with warming spices and simple pantry staples, this Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup is the perfect fix it and forget it recipe to make on cold days.
This red lentil soup is richly seasoned, cozy, and somewhere between a soup and a curry, thanks to seasonings like garam masala, coriander, and cumin.
It's adapted from my Instant Pot Lentil Sweet Potato Curry, but it's leans more soup and less thick curry if eaten the day of cooking, though I do like to serve it over rice.
As with all good Crockpot recipes, this recipe requires under 15 minutes of active time and is ready in either 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat.
Recipe highlights
- I make this red lentil soup in a 4.5 quart slow cooker and it yields 4-5 servings. It's great on its own or served over rice.
- The soup is ready in 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Seasoned with garam masala, ginger, and coconut milk for a rich, full-bodied flavor.
- Can be made on the stovetop instead, or check out my Red Lentil Stew which features similar cozy flavors.
Ingredients
- Red lentils: Red/orange lentils are what we're using for this soup. If you only have split lentils, they'll work, but they will be much mushier as they cook more quickly and just have a softer texture.
- Sweet potato: One medium sweet potato or ½ pound. Peel the sweet potato if you want the sweet potato to dissolve into the soup, otherwise keep the skin on (this is what I do.)
- Carrots: For extra nutrition! I grate the carrots on the large holes on a box grater, but you can also use matchstick carrots or just chop the carrots. I prefer grated carrots because they soften more than chopped carrots.
- Coconut milk: I prefer full-fat coconut milk because it has the best texture, but you can use lite coconut milk for a lower fat option.
FAQ
Sure! Start by sautéing the onion, carrots, and salt until golden. Then add in the tomato paste, garlic, and ginger, and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Toast the spices for 30 seconds, then add everything else. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
I originally tested this recipe with brown lentils and like them but they take longer to cook than red lentils. I found that they take about 5 hours on high heat or 9 hours on low heat.
Storage notes
The lentils continue to absorb liquid and break down as they cool, so expect a bit of a different texture after reheating the soup. You can see this difference between photos in this post. The first photo on the page is the soup the next day (thickened up and much more like a curry) and the image below shows it at the end of cooking.
Leftover soup is best within 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, let it cool and then transfer to a freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of the container empty to allow for expansion. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More cozy soups
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Recipe
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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion
- 1 large sweet potato ½ pound
- 2 large carrots
- 1 inch ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small serrano pepper optional; adds spice
- olive oil as needed
- 1 cup dry red lentils see note #1
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable broth I use a mix of vegetable base bouillon and water
- 1 small lime
Instructions
- Ingredient prep: Dice the onion. Cut the sweet potato into roughly ½-inch cubes. I don't peel the sweet potato as it keeps it from dissolving into the soup, but you can if you prefer. Grate the carrot on the largest holes of a box grater to make matchstick strips.Use a Microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater to grate the ginger and garlic into a paste. They can be minced instead, if needed.Dice the optional serrano pepper.
- Add a drizzle of oil to 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Add the diced onion, cubed sweet potato, matchstick carrots, grated ginger, grated garlic, and diced serrano.
- Stir in the dry red lentils, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the tomato paste, coconut milk, and vegetable broth. Stir well. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- The soup is ready when the lentils and sweet potato are tender. Stir in the juice from a lime before serving.
Notes
- Lentils: Also labeled orange lentils. This is different from split red or orange lentils, which cook much or quickly and are much softer after cooking.
- Note that the lentils continue to break down as they cool and leftover soup is much thicker. The soup can be thinned with a splash of vegetable broth or served over rice.
- To make on the stovetop: Start by sautéing the onion, carrots, and salt in a drizzle of oil over medium heat until golden, about 8 minutes. Then add in the tomato paste, garlic, ginger, and serrano, and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Toast the spices for 30 seconds, then add everything else (broth, coconut milk, lentils, and sweet potato). Bring it up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
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