Table of Contents
  1. The ingredients in this curry lentil soup
  2. Watch how to make this curry lentil soup
  3. Creamy Curry Lentil Soup Recipe

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During the winter months, we all crave comfort food. Oftentimes, we feel that comfort food needs to be a guilty pleasure that’s heavy and overly filling. Enter this creamy curry lentil soup! It’s both in one: a meal in a bowl and a healthy soup, all at the same time.

I never try to place a guilt trip on food, but sometimes it’s important to make sure we have a balance. In this soup, there’s not much need for sacrifice! The red lentils in this soup cook into a creamy base complete with chunks of perfectly cooked sweet potatoes and swiss chard. The extra creamy note comes from coconut milk that also works to add a hint of sweetness.

This soup is all you need for comfort and nourishment! I think that is the ultimate comfort of all!

Two hands holding white bowl filled with orange colored creamy curry lentil soup with spoon scooping up piece of sweet potato with rest of soup in kettle sitting on white countertop below

The ingredients in this curry lentil soup

  • Onion and celery are the base flavors to start building the soup. The celery is sliced into slightly bigger pieces so it keeps some of its texture.
  • Swiss chard in this soup needs to be used in two ways. First, the leafy greens are removed from the stems. The stems are then chopped and added with the celery to soften. Second, the greens are added at the end to retain their green flavor and provide some vegetable-like texture.
  • Curry powder is the star flavor of this soup. I use yellow curry powder, but any curry powder will work!
  • Red lentils are the absolute best part of this soup. Lentils pack a lot of protein and nutrition, but also provide that necessary comfort level with their starchy texture. As they cook, the lentils become creamy, helping to thicken the soup.
  • Diced tomatoes are a great way to increase the number of vegetables in the soup along with the flavor. Canned diced tomatoes are always in season and have terrific flavor.
  • Sweet potatoes provide the heartiness to make this soup a true meal. I always use white Japanese potatoes. They’re denser and drier, similar to an American potato, but with the nutrition that comes from a sweet potato.
  • Coconut milk gives a great flavor and adds the smooth, creaminess the soup needs. For the best flavor, use full fat coconut milk.
Top down view of orange colored creamy curry lentil soup with chunks of sweet potato and Swiss chard

This soup really is a winner. It has become my go-to soup recipe all winter long. What’s best is that the recipe is easy and comes together quickly. But with this flavor, it will taste like it took all day to make.

This makes the best leftovers and can also be “dressed up” for company. Serve with toasted coconut, cilantro leaves, or anything else that excites you!

More soup recipes

Watch how to make this curry lentil soup

YouTube video
Top down view of metal kettle filled with orange colored lentil soup with ladle sitting in middle of soup all on white countertop

Creamy Curry Lentil Soup

4.38 from 59 votes
This creamy curry lentil soup made from red lentils, coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and Swiss chard is the creamy soup you need this winter! With lots of flavor and tons of heartiness, this soup can be considered a full meal all in itself!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard greens and stems separated, with stems diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp yellow curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 14.5-oz can coconut milk

Instructions
 

  • In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion, celery, Swiss chard stems, and salt. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, 6 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
    2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 bunch Swiss chard, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp yellow curry powder, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • Pour in the red lentils, tomatoes with juice, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the lentils are par-cooked, 20 minutes.
    1 cup red lentils, 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, 4 cups water
  • Add the sweet potatoes and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.
    1 lb sweet potatoes
  • Add in the coconut milk and chopped Swiss chard greens. Stir until the coconut milk is dissolved and the greens are wilted, 5 minutes. Serve with toasted coconut and fresh cilantro.
    1 14.5-oz can coconut milk

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 305kcal
Course Soup
Cuisine Indian
Difficulty Intermediate
Method Cooking

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Kaleb

Kaleb Wyse is a New York Times bestselling author behind the popular Wyse Guide website. Living on his fourth-generation Iowa farm, he loves sharing recipes and gardening tips that come from traditions that feel comfortably familiar. His down-to-earth style makes sustainable living and farm life feel like home!

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4.38 from 59 votes (45 ratings without comment)

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27 Comments

  1. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have two questions: How would this recipe be if we used a no salt added can of diced tomatoes?

  2. 5 stars
    I thought this was SO good. I used unsweetened coconut milk. Don’t know if that was obvious to everyone else, but I wasn’t sure, and I’m glad that’s what I went with. This soup was so creamy and hearty, and I loved how the chard added almost a tangy(?) element. I expected it to be good, but this exceeded my expectations. The only thing I would do differently than the instructions is add the sweet potatoes at the same time as the lentils, because they definitely were not done after 20 minutes. They took about double that time. Adding this one to the recipe book!

  3. 5 stars
    Probably one of the most delicious soups I’ve had. It was incredibly easy to make and the house smells heavenly.

  4. 5 stars
    Yummy! Deep, warm flavors; satisfying aroma; a silky creaminess, and nutritious. This is a hearty, healthy meal in a bowl and will be a regular on my dinner menu. The second night we served this over jasmine rice – delish! Thanks, Kaleb!

  5. Thank you, Kaleb for your delicious, wholesome and healthy recipe.
    This soup was so satisfying. I added some canned jalapeños since I like spicy food but It was a prefect recipe.
    Love your attitude and enthusiasm for life!!
    Keep sharing and continue your good work.

  6. This looks amazing and can’t wait to make it. My question is, can you freeze the soup for later? PS, I love your website and youtube channel.

  7. 5 stars
    This was Delish! I added spinach instead of kale because I had it in the house and that worked fine.
    I used an immersion blender for the leftovers and loved that consistency as well. Thanks, Kaleb, this will be a staple for me!

  8. Hi Kaleb,
    Delicious recipe- followed to the recipe. The only thought I had while eating this was I felt it was missing fresh ginger for that little spicy element. Definitely making this again!
    PS you’ve also inspired me to be more organized when cooking!

  9. I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious, rich flavors. I used spinach in place of Swiss chard, worked fine and used Ro-Tel Tomatoes to
    Increase the spice. This is going to be filed with my favorite recipes, thank you, Kaleb! 😀

  10. 5 stars
    This is delicious. If you want to amp up the flavor even more here is how I have modified:

    -add ginger (fresh or dried)
    – use fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular
    – use stock instead of water

    I also subbed spinach for Swiss chard since I had a pack in my freezer.

  11. 5 stars
    This soup is amazing! I left out the chili flakes because I’m a wimp with heat, but the combination of flavors in this soup are fantastic. Thank you for introducing me to Japanese sweet potatoes—they are wonderful. Definitely a recipe I will make again and again!

  12. 5 stars
    The flavors of this soup are just amazing. I used baby Kale instead of the Swiss Chard as that’s what I had on hand – YUMMMMM

  13. Kaleb, Does this soup freeze well?
    Thanks for your recipes and taking us with you in your daily life! Enjoy you so much. Take care!

    1. Pat, I would use sour cream instead of coconut milk as I always have it in my fridge. Maybe use 1/2 the volume. Or even substitute whole milk
      T’will be less creamy, though !

  14. 4 stars
    This was fantastic. I was skeptical and didn’t think my family would like the curry so I only used one teaspoon. Next time I will add two. I also was out of fresh garlic, so I use garlic powder which worked.

  15. I LOVE this soup! It is a great meal that was delightfully light but filling. The recipe called for just the right amount of each ingredient —- they all worked together to create a bright and flavorful soup!
    P.S. I couldn’t find Swiss chard at my local HyVee store so just substituted with spinach- an equally fine replacement!

  16. 5 stars
    Delicious soup, easy to cook, my husband and I enjoyed this soup so much…..thanks for the recipe and the video!!!

  17. One of my go to favorite recipes for soup! To switch it up a little bit I’m wondering if I might make this in a slow cooker? Any thoughts? Do you have other slow cooker recipes? (I have been given one for Christmas :))

  18. 5 stars
    This is such a comforting and delicious soup! The flavours are absolutely on point. The only thing I changed was to use veggie broth instead of just water. Thanks so much for the recipe, this is now my favourite ❤️

  19. 5 stars
    Wow, this is amazing. It has all the spices and flavors we love.
    Very easy to make.
    Will be starred as a favorite soup.
    Thank you Kaleb