As an Amazon Associate and Walmart Creator, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
This lentil potato soup recipe by my friend Renee (a personal chef!) is always a hit with everyone who tries it. It has over 100 5-star reviews because who doesn’t love a hearty, nutritious, flavor-packed meal that comes together in just 35 minutes. Renee also developed my red lentil stew, which is just as easy and packed with veggies.
Why You’ll Love this Potato Lentil Soup Recipe!
This soup couldn’t be much easier or heartier! It’s made with dry red lentils (see my complete guide to lentils) and simple pantry staples, which are wonderfully budget-friendly. I often make a double batch and freeze some for later. That way I have easy meals to grab for lunch or quick dinners. Plus, it’s super customizable if you want to switch things up. For a brothy soup that skips the blender, try my hearty cabbage bean soup.
This delicious and healing soup is filled with anti-inflammatory turmeric, fiber, protein-rich lentils, and potassium-packed potatoes. Not sure if this is the flavor combo you want? Check out my vegan split pea soup or coconut curry soup instead. Or for another hearty potato soup, try this dairy-free broccoli potato soup.
Ingredients for Lentil Potato Soup
You likely already have the ingredients for this lentil potato soup! If not, check out my easy grocery list.
Substitutions and Variations
Sometimes you want to change things up. Here are some tried and true swaps you can make when preparing potato lentil soup.
- Lentils: For a creamier soup stick with the red lentils or you can swap with yellow lentils which have a similar texture and mild flavor. While you can also make this soup with any lentils including, green, brown and even black, these other varieties of lentils may require a longer cooking time and will turn your soup a different color.
- Cumin: If you don’t have whole cumin seeds, you can substitute with ground cumin but use two teaspoons of ground instead of one tablespoon of seeds.
- Coconut milk: Adding coconut milk is completely optional but it adds a nice sweeter flavor, mellows out the spices and adds more creaminess to the soup. You can also use other plant-based milks but they will not be as thick and creamy as the canned coconut milk. Just be sure to use a plant milk with a mild flavor.
- Want it spicy? Add in some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or some sliced chilies.
How To Make Potato and Lentil Soup
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. When heated, add the cumin seeds and toast them for about 1 to 2 minutes. While heating, keep a close eye on them and don’t let the cumin seeds burn.
Step 2: Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Then cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
Step 3: Add the potatoes and red lentils and stir to coat them with spices and oil. Next, add the broth to a pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 4: Cover with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and lentils are very soft and mash-able. After that, add salt, black pepper, and turmeric to taste. Then stir in coconut milk, if using. For a creamier soup, blend the soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender working in batches until you reach desired consistency.
TOP TIP: Blending vegan lentil potato soup is completely optional! You get great flavor when it’s served as a chunky soup or when blended. If you swap out the lentils and use green or brown, this soup will work much better served up chunky.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- For a creamy potato lentil soup, add the optional can of coconut milk.
- Puree the soup by pulsing the immersion blender or regular blender to leave the soup with a bit of texture.
- Adjust the seasoning to your own taste.
- Serve it up with some freshly made jalapeno cornbread or vegan focaccia bread.
FAQs for Lentil Potato Soup
You don’t need to soak lentils for soup or other recipes. They cook rather quickly so this step is not necessary.
Any lentils work for soup, but in this recipe, the texture and mild flavor of red and yellow lentils work best. Personally, I enjoy brown and green lentils in chunky soups and red or yellow lentils in creamy soups. Here’s a great guide to lentils you can check out to learn more!
How to Store Lentil Soup
- Make ahead: Red lentil potato soup is perfect for meal prep. After cooking the soup, transfer it to containers to fit the desired number of servings and allow the soup to cool completely. Then cover and store in the fridge or freezer.
- Storage: Store in the fridge for up to five days and in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat: Allow the frozen soup to thaw out in the fridge overnight. Transfer the amount you wish to serve and heat on the stove for 5-8 minutes over medium heat until heated through. You can also microwave smaller amounts of the soup until hot. If the soup seems a bit thick add more vegetable broth, coconut milk, or water to thin it out a bit.
More Yummy Ways to Enjoy Lentils
Vegan Dinners
Root Vegetable Lentil Stew
Vegan Dinners
Vegan Lentil Meatballs
Vegan Lunches
Vegan Lentil Chickpea Salad
Vegan Appetizers
Easy Yellow Lentil Hummus
If you tried this Lentil Potato Soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Lentil Potato Soup
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon of medium-high heat oil
- 1 Tablespoon of cumin seed whole
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1- inch of ginger chopped
- 2 cups of yukon or russet potatoes unpeeled and cubed
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon of salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 cup of canned coconut milk for added creaminess (optional)
- Pinch cayenne pepper if desired
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds. Heat about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let cumin seeds burn.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook over medium-low heat with the lid on for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
- Add potatoes and red lentils and stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover pot and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and lentils are very soft and mashable.
- Add salt, black pepper, and turmeric to taste. Stir in coconut milk, if using.
- The soup will be chunky at this point. Eat as is, or use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. You can also use a regular blender working in batches until you reach desired consistency.
Notes
- For a creamier soup, add the can of coconut milk.
- Puree the soup by pulsing the immersion blender or regular blender to leave the soup with a bit of texture.
- Adjust the seasoning to your own taste.
![Completed Garlic Ginger Soup [With Noodles] in a bowl.](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Garlic-Ginger-Soup-15-378x378.jpg)
I love this recipe so much! I could eat it every day. I use ground cumin and ginger to make it easier on myself. I like to garnish it with a dollop of plain yogurt. So good!
So glad you enjoyed this soup! It’s a yummy one!
Simple to make so flavourfully delicious! Thanks:)
So glad you enjoyed the soup! There’s nothing like a simple soup to whip up 🙂
Absolutely delicious. We had this for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it. The layers of taste from the warming ginger through to the earthy turmeric were fantastic. The chunky, spicy potatoes added to a great texture. Highly recommended. Thank you for the post.
So glad you enjoyed this soup! It’s such a yummy and filling soup!
Yum!
So glad you enjoyed this soup!
Yummy! Thank you for a delicious recipe! Hubby approved. Though kids would not try. Next time I will try cumin powder instead so that there are no visible specks for the kids to nitpick over.
A few things that may be worth adding to the instructions for clarity 1) the cumin seeds in step 1 should be cooked on medium-low to avoid burning and 2) lentils should be rinsed and fingers used to inspect for tiny rocks (does happen!) and lastly 3) if not eaten right away the lentils will absorb more of the liquid. I ended up needing to add an additional 3 cups of broth the following day to get the consistency back.
Such great feedback, thank you! So glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Hopefully the kiddos enjoy it as well next time 🙂
I’ve never used coconut milk before in anything. Isn’t it sweet? What brand do you recommend/use?
Thanks!
It adds a nice sweet and creamy touch to the mix! There are so many brands out there but Thai Kitchen is a good one that I like 🙂
Do you think I could use water instead of oil for the cumin seeds? Could I substitute ground cumin? Any thoughts on how much? I try not to cook with oil.
Yes you can omit or substitute the oil.
I made it with ground cumin and used half the amount. it was delicious.
Loved this soup so much I wanted to dunk myself into a vat of it and eat my way out! The ingredients are simple and accessible but yet it’s packed with a lot of flavor. Used the coconut milk and pureed only about 1/2 of it with immersion blender to leave some of the potatoes chunky. Used a little extra cayenne, too.
Love the chunky version! So glad you enjoyed it!
So glad you enjoyed this soup! It’s a delicious one!
Packed with protein and so comforting love it !
Gotta love the extra addition of lentils to bring some plant protein to this soup!
Cannot go wrong with potatoes and leeks, so good and comforting!
Agreed! So yummy and nutritious too!
Rich and fantastically good! You can’t go wrong with this lentil and potato stew. Yum!
Agreed! So filling and delicious all in one!
This lentil soup is just what I needed! So cozy, filling and delicious!
You can always count on lentils to fill you up!
The perfect recipe for cold days!
Yess! It’ll definitely warm you up nicely!
can I use my instant pot rather than my Dutch oven? 😬
yes, you can definitely make this soup in the IP, enjoy!
Tasty lentil soup. I love how you added turmeric and tips to make it creamier.
The turmeric addition is my absolute favorite! So good!
love how healthy this lentil potato soup is! so incredibly filing too!
I love the taste of turmeric! This soup is absolutely delicious. My new fall favorite
Yesss! Such a nice added spice to this soup!
I am a big fan of turmeric! So healthy, and it’s a fabulous spice that intensifies the flavor!
Same! Love the health benefits of it too! So good!
This lentil turmeric soup is really simple to make and comforting. I love the coconut milk and ginger in this recipe, it’s so moorish.
Gotta love the simple dishes!
Lentil soup is my absolute favourite and I love the spicy twist in this recipe!
I’ve been trying to incorporate lentils into my diet too and this soup makes it so easy! Love that spice!