Easy Thai Red Curry Potato Lentil Soup
This Thai-style red curry potato lentil soup is the ultimate comforting dinner on a cold day. It combines the flavors and textures of Thai red curry and red lentil dhal and comes together in just one pot!
This soup is one of our favorite easy weeknight dinners alongside my One-Pot Vegan Miso Ramen recipe. Even non-vegans will love this healthy vegan dinner!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
White potatoes for creaminess. Alternatively, you can use sweet potato or pumpkin.
Thai red curry paste. All curry pastes vary in spice level so you’ll need adjust accordingly. My curry paste wasn’t relatively mild (the first ingredient was lemongrass) so I was able to use 3 tablespoons of the paste. However, if the first ingredient of your curry paste is chili and you don’t enjoy spicy foods, use only 1 tablespoon. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, make sure you get a curry paste that has no fish sauce (or gluten, if you’re gluten-free)!
Vegetable broth/stock, either homemade or store-bought. Sometimes, I make my own using vegetable scraps similar to the method used by The Kitchn.
Fresh coriander (optional). I’m usually not a fan of coriander however, the coriander adds depth of flavor to this soup. Your soup will still be great without coriander.
This soup is made in ONE POT!
This red curry lentil soup is easy to make and requires only one pot. That means less washing for us, yay!
I’ve made the soup in regular saucepans, Dutch ovens, slow cookers and pressure cookers! Regardless of what you use, the first few steps are the same.
First, saute your onion in a little oil over high heat until fragrant. This usually takes 1-3 minutes.
Then add your garlic and Thai red curry paste and saute until fragrant. Sauteeing the curry paste FIRST brings out its flavor! Curry pastes are much much more bland when you add them to a soup without sauteeing it.
Next, add your potatoes and carrots and saute them a little. This will sear the vegetables and bring out their flavor!
Then add your lentils, vegetable stock and half of your coriander leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer! Occasionally, I recommend stirring your Thai lentil curry soup to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom.
If you need the soup to cook in less time, use medium heat and stir the soup frequently.
The soup is ready when your veggies are tender. To test this, poke 1-2 of your potato and carrot pieces to make sure they’re soft.
Tips for using an Instant Pot, slow cooker or pressure cooker
If you’re using a special appliance, all of the steps are the same except you only need to use 500-750 mL of vegetable broth. The heavy and pressurized lid prevents the broth from evaporating so we need less than normal.
Set your appliance to the medium-pressure setting and let it cook.
Customizing your soup
– For a spicier soup, add some red pepper flakes.
– For a sweeter soup, feel free to add some sugar (or sweetener of taste) at the end.
– If the soup is too spicy for you, add some pre-cooked vegetables or frozen vegetables. You can also dilute it with coconut cream or milk or add a little sweetener.
The consistency of your soup will depend on the heat of your stovetop and the vegetables you use. To make the soup thinner, simply add more vegetable broth or water. To make the soup thicker, cook the soup until more of the liquid has evaporated. You can also blend some of the soup with a stick blender to make it creamier (like dhal).
How to serve the red curry lentil soup
The soup is wonderful by itself. However, you can also serve the soup with:
- Crusty bread (my partner’s preference)
- Loads of greens (my preference)
- Jasmine rice, if you want more of a curry than soup
Freezing the soup
This soup is great for meal prep and can be frozen. The carrots and potatoes change a little in texture and lose some of their creaminess, but the soup is still delicious.
It’s best to let the soup defrost in the fridge on the day of serving. However, you can still reheat it in its frozen state (just add a little water to the pot). To reheat the soup, add it to a saucepan and cook it on medium-high heat until it’s heated through.
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Thai Red Curry Potato Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 x (~150g) medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil, or water as needed
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste, or to taste (note 1)
- 5 x (~750g) medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 5 x (~350g) medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup (190g) red lentils, washed and rinsed
- 4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth (stock), or vegan-friendly broth of choice
- 1 cup coriander leaves, loosely packed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes and lime juice, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over high heat, saute the onion and oil until fragrant.
- Add the garlic and curry paste and saute for 1 minute until the oil from the curry paste has been released.
- Add the carrots and potatoes and saute for 5 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Add the lentils, vegetable broth and half the coriander. Boil for a few minutes then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. The soup is ready when the potatoes and carrots are tender (insert a knife into a piece to test its texture). If you'd like a thicker soup, cook it for longer. If you'd like a runnier soup, add more vegetable broth.
- If desired, blend half of the soup with a stick blender or stand blender. The soup will be very hot so be careful! Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Divide the soup into serving bowls. Top with additional coriander and season with red pepper flakes and lime juice if desired. Serve with or without crusty bread.
Video
Notes
- Not all Thai red curry pastes are the same! My curry paste was very mild where the first ingredient was lemongrass and it was only 13% red chilli. This resulted in a mildly spicy soup. If you have a curry paste where the first ingredient is chilli and you don’t like spicy foods, only use 1-2 tablespoons.
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I stumbled across this recipe while looking to add meatless Mondays. I must say this recipe was delicious. I did make white rice to go with mine and followed the directions and it was good. I usually travel 44 minutes to an Indian restaurant every month or so, and this reminded me of a dish that they have there. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Hi Estelle! I’m so glad you loved this dish! And I’m so happy that it reminded you of a restaurant quality meal. Thanks soo much for your lovely feedback 🙂
Yummy recipe and so glad I saw your comment about adding coconut milk. It added a really nice flavor the recipe. Been making vegan soups for my dad and he loves this one.
Hi Jessica, I’m so glad that you and your dad enjoyed this soup with coconut milk!! Thanks so much for the lovely feedback 🙂
Such a simple but fulfilling soup — it was delicious! I added a bit of canned coconut milk for some extra richness. Highly recommend, if you’ve got some left over from another recipe. Thank you, Anthea!
Hi Maggie, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this soup and found it easy to make!! Thanks sooo much for your lovely feedback – I appreciate it a lot!
this was so good! the first bowl i paired with rice, which was yummy but i found it cut the flavor a lot. i definitely prefer it on its own. super quick and easy for a soup that tastes like it took a lot of time.
Hi Devon, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this soup! Thanks soo much for your kind review 🙂
Made this a couple times now, as it’s so easy, cheap, delicious, healthy, and satisfying!! An awesome fusion. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear!! So glad that you find it approachable, and enjoy all of the flavors :). Thanks so much for your feedback!
I’m making this recipe again since I loved it so much the first time. It’s a winner with lots of fiber and flavor. Thank you!
Hi Sheila, oh I’m so glad to hear – it’s a favorite of ours too!! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
No idea when you’ll get this message, but I’m trying this recipe today, with a couple of twists. I had already started to boil some tiny baby potatoes I had, so they went in, and I had a jar of pressure canned carrots that I added. It’s just starting the simmering stage, but I get a bit of a bitter taste in it right now. Hoping that dies down, but I was just wondering if that’s normal? Otherwise I might try to add something to it to smooth it out. I have some baby grape tomatoes that halved might be good, but I also have plain greek yog if I wanted some creaminess. I happen to be out of coconut milk, hence the reason I’m trying something different!
Hi Laurel, glad that you’re trying this soup! Oh, the bitter taste isn’t meant to be there. Could it be from the lentils, or the carrots? Many curry pastes (including the one I used) has sugar in it, so any other flavours could be balanced out by that. I find that the soup flavour does change over time. I made a lentil dhal the other day and balanced out the bitterness with a tiny amount of maple syrup, so I wonder if it could help with yours? Otherwise, plain yogurt could also balance it out. I hope that helps!
So, finished product was not bitter, but a little too thick. I smashed the potatoes a bit too much I think. So, just to get a hint of the coconut flavour I added a bit (maybe 1.5 – 2 tbsp) of solid coconut oil and it worked to enhance the flavour and thin it out just a tiny bit. I made this for my partner who was home with a cold, and it was a hit. A toasted brioche bun on the side and it was perfect, if VERY filling. I skipped the bun and was still full on a small bowl. This will go a long way. Thanks so much! Definitely will try this again.
I enjoyed, BUT 3 tbsp of red curry paste was much too spicy for us! Would make again, but start with half that, maybe less!
ABSOLUTELY DELISH! Definitely making it in my REPEAT for sure box, even weekly!
Maybe my brand of curry paste was saltier than yours. Next time, I’ll try starting with 2 T Thai curry paste and then add up to 3 T as the recipe calls for. Didn’t need additional salt!
I added loads of other veggies like mushrooms and celery, and everyone loved it in my home. Thanks for posting this recipe!!
I love your recipes! So glad a friend suggested I check out your recipes! I’m eager to try out more.
Hi! Aw that’s the best news and I’m so thrilled that it’s a keeper for you! Good idea about the curry paste – it’s always hard to know what different brands are like around the world! And ooooh I love your addition of other veggies and I’d love to do that next time. Thanks a million for your feedback 🙂
I made this as something soft to eat after having an implant put in. Needless to say, I put it in the blender, and it came out so beautifully!! 😍 I added a little coconut milk and honey, because I like the sweet curry, but this was a gorgeous recipe! Thank you!!
Hi April, oh that sounds so delicious and like a great comfort food! I hope the rest of your recovery went well and thanks for your feedback 🙂
Hi, could you serve this with rice, more like a curry? Thanks, it looks delicious
Yes you could definitely do that! I’d probably add a little less stock or cooking the soup until it’s very thick so it’s like a stew/curry. I personally prefer it to be very thick!