This easy curried vegan lentil soup with cauliflower is hearty, flavorful, and contains rich and aromatic spices! It’s the perfect family-friendly healthy meal to make for the holidays or any busy weeknight!
That warm bowl of comfort made by cooking vegetables and spices in a broth, until all the flavors are extracted and you’re left with a rich delicious soup. The key to a perfect soup is having the right combination of ingredients and spices so that the flavor profile is unbelievable.
I’ve created yet another awesome simple and easy vegan soup recipe! It’s hearty and flavorful, with rich and aromatic spices. My Vegan Curried Cauliflower Soup with Lentils, made in the Instant Pot (stove-top directions also included below).
For those of you who see the words “cauliflower” or “curried” and shy away, you especially need to try this recipe!
This is definitely not your typical Indian-style lentil soup. And even though I do use curry powder in the recipe, it’s doesn’t have that traditional taste because of all the other added ingredients.
I’ve tested this recipe several times to nail down the flavor profile I wanted, and it’s easily become one of my families favorites!
Why We Love Soup
Let’s talk about SOUP for a moment.
If it were up to my kids, they’d ask for some type of soup at least twice a week for dinner or school lunch. Of course, I like to mix it in with different types of cuisines and meals, but soups constantly make their way onto the dinner table in some form or another every week.
Here are a few reasons why we love soup so much:
Healthy
I’m all about making sure my family has a balanced meal.
So if a soup is being served as the main course, then you can guarantee it’s going to be healthy and hearty. Otherwise, I’d have a hungry family crawling around the kitchen an hour later.
There are so many easy and fun ways to add veggies and protein into soups. It’s the perfect way to ensure your family gets plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber, good fats, and protein in their diet all in one bowl.
This vegan lentil soup and my popular tortilla soup recipe are perfect examples of complete meals!
Simple To Make
I’m all about “throw most of it in a pot and let the natural flavors come out!” It’s all about finding that right balance of ingredients that makes a soup irresistible!
For the most part, my soup recipes consist of chopping a few veggies and one-pot. Saute a few ingredients at the beginning, then add in everything else, cook until tender, and then finishing up with some additional spices.
Cooking methods include stove-top, oven roasting, or a pressure cooker/instant pot.
Even prepping ingredients is pretty easy for most of my soups. If I’m planning on using my hand blender to puree or pulse, then large roughly chopped veggies are good enough. Otherwise, I love using this chopper for smaller sizes…it makes prepping ridiculously easy!
Easy To Eat
Both my kids finish dinner on time without me having to remind them to take bites. In fact, my son prides himself in finishing soup-dinners quickly!
Fun Sides
My family loves small sides with soups. You’d think that this would make soup dinners difficult to make since I have to make more than one thing, but I’m talking super easy fun sides like grilled cheese, tortilla chips, garlic bread, or even some nachos.
Since my soups are generally pretty filling and healthy, the sides are mainly to break up the meal and are fun to enjoy alongside the soup.
Perfect For Picky Eaters
Do you have picky eaters in your family that hate certain veggies? Or do you find it difficult to get in that protein?
Soups are a great vehicle to help your kids eat their veggies, especially when served with a side of garlic bread or some fun toppings.
If your kids don’t like to see big chunks of vegetables, then blending them into soup form is the way to go. Or if they don’t like the taste of a particular veggie, gradually introduce it along with other veggies they love in the form of a soup.
And don’t forget to blend in some beans or lentils for added protein.
Once they’re used to the flavors and love the soup, you can slowly start to bring back the actual veggie in other forms. Or reveal what veggies are in the soup they now love!
Soup Leftovers Are The Best
The flavor of soups are even better the next day, so they make for great leftovers. So double up the recipe so you have leftovers for quick and easy school or work lunch the following day!
Variety
Soups are so versatile!
They can be light with only 5-ingredients, a brothy variety, creamy and smooth, or chunky and hearty…
…bold, aromatic, and filled with spice, or more simple tastes…
…served as a main or enjoyed as an appetizer.
When it comes to soups, the options are endless and you can always find a soup that hits the spot!
Warming & Comforting
No matter what time of the year, a bowl of delicious soup always feels warming and comforting.
Curried Vegan Lentil Soup with Cauliflower
Since soups are generally served as a main dish in my house, I try to make sure that that they are not only flavorful but also well balanced so that it’s filling and leaves my family satisfied, and this new curried vegan lentil soup is no exception.
Veggies. This vegan lentil soup contains 3 main veggies:
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Potatoes
Protein. For protein, I used whole green lentils because of their taste and ease of cooking. You can add more than the recipe calls for if you prefer.
Seasoning. I kept it very simple. It consists mainly of curry powder, a little paprika, a tiny amount of maple syrup for that hint of sweetness, and lite coconut milk for a creamy, yet not overwhelming finish.
How To Make Curried Cauliflower Soup – Stey by Step
I originally developed this recipe in my instant pot, but it can just as easily be made stove-top. Just see the recipe below for both options.
This curried vegan lentil soup is very easy to make in just 5 simple steps!
Step 1. Saute the onions and garlic in the instant pot.
Step 2. Add the diced carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower.
Step 3. Add vegetable broth, uncooked lentils, curry powder, paprika, and some salt. Combine and set the instant pot to pressure cook on HI.
Step 4. Once done, open and pulse the soup with a hand blender to desired consistency. I recommend keeping this vegan lentil soup thick and chunky instead of pureeing it completely. But make sure there are no large pieces of veggies remaining. If you prefer completely pureed, it’ll still taste just as great!
Step 5. Add the lite coconut milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, and season to taste with salt and fresh black pepper.
That’s it! Enjoy hot with a side of garlic bread or Naan and you have yourself a delicious one-pot meal for the entire family!
It’s the perfect set and forget instant pot soup recipe. And the veggies can be prepped ahead of time or even the night before.
So try your hand at making this easy Vegan Curried Cauliflower Soup with Lentils over the holidays. This flavorful warm and comforting bowl of soup is the easiest way to entertain, and makes for a healthy, mouthwatering family-friendly meal on any busy weeknight or weekend!
Looking For More Vegan Soup Recipes?
- Creamy Potato Leek Soup
- Best Tortilla Soup
- Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup
- Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup
- Curried Black Lentil Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower & Mushroom Soup
- Urad Dal Soup w/Onions & Garlic
If you like this recipe or post, be sure to leave a comment and use the rating field! You can also tag me on Instagram with any re-makes, @vegetariangastronomy so I don’t miss it, as I love sharing them on Re-Make Fridays! Or you can help me spread the word about my recipes on Pinterest and Facebook!
Vegan Curried Cauliflower Soup with Lentils
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp cooking oil , such as avocado oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1.5 cups white onion , chopped
- 3 cups cauliflower , chopped florets
- 1 cup carrots , chopped
- 2 cups yukon potatoes , peeled and chopped
- 2 teasp salt , divided
- 1/2 teasp paprika
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup green lentils , small uncooked
- 1 cup lite coconut milk
- 2 teasp lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- freshly ground black pepper , optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the cooking oil to the Instant Pot and heat on saute mode. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. (For stove-top directions, see notes below)
- Add the chopped carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes and combine.
- Add 1 teasp salt, the vegetable broth, uncooked green lentils, paprika, and curry powder. Mix to combine.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on manual, HI for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Using a hand blender, pulse the soup mixture until most of the large veggie pieces are chopped down. The end consistency should be thick and chunky, not completely pureed.
- Add the coconut milk, the remainder of the salt (to taste), lemon juice, and maple syrup.
- Cook/saute the soup for another few minutes. Taste and adjust salt and flavor (maple syrup, lemon juice). Add freshly ground black pepper and serve hot with a side of crackers, garlic bread, or toast!
NOTES
- 1.5 cup onions ~ 1 medium onion
- 1 cup carrots ~ 3 medium carrots
- 3 cups cauliflower florets ~ 1/2 large cauliflower
- 2 cups potatoes ~ 1 Yukon potato (feel free to use another type of potato such as red or russet)
Reshana
I adore soups in the fall and winter months. I remember once having cauliflower soup, it was creamy and delicious. I am sure this one is no exception and the curry flavor is a win in my book!
anjali
Yes!! I love this combo of veggies…cooked and pulsed with some curry powder and simple spices! You’ll love this recipe…definitely try it out!
Gayatri
What are green lentils in Hindi? Whole Mung dal?
anjali
No, small green lentils are not whole mung dal. If you use whole mung dal in this recipe, you’ll get a completely different taste and texture. If you search the word ‘green lentil’ you’ll find what they look like. They are brown-greenish and look like the shape of masoor dal. If you look at the post, there’s an image of the ingredients that has the green lentils in there. they are super easy to cook. I’ve always found them at the store as ‘green lentils’ or ‘small green lentils’.
Brittany
There weren’t enough comments on this recipe so I had to.
This is a phenomenal soup. I mean, amazing. I always cook with the same spices, just different ratios. But i never use my curry because I just haven’t figured out how to work in it’s unique flavor. I’ve also never cooked with coconut milk before.
I had a baby a year ago and haven’t been able to cook as much as I used to when I just had 1 kid. My youngest likes to be right on my hip or cry until she sees what I’m cooking. I preprepped the veggies and made it over the stovetop vs instant pot– even though I found this recipe to try using my instant pot.. whatever. Hahs.
This dish was so good that my eyes watered up with tears. After months of eating boring food, this dish was exactly what I needed to reinspired me in the kitchen.
It was like a dish I would expect to receive at a restaurant. Thank you.
anjali
I’m totally blushing…it’s feedback like yours that motivates and inspires me to keep developing recipes and keep doing what I do. Thank you so much! So so glad you loved the recipe…it’s not easy getting everything done with little kids, so easy family favorite meals are the key. Great to know that you enjoyed the stovetop version as well! If you haven’t tried your instant pot, do it…this recipe will be much more hands off with it once you add everything in, especially with little ones on your hip 🙂 I love hearing that it inspired you in the kitchen. If you ever need other easy favorite recipes, please let me know! Email me…happy to figure out what your family enjoys and point you to a few other recipes. Thank you for the great review!
Rosario
This soup is amazing!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. I made it last week and today again. All my family loves it, including my picky eaters. It is a great way to sneek in veggies that they don’t like. I live in Florida where is still very hot but I don’t really care because this soup is the best!!!!
anjali
Yes! Isn’t it? It’s a staple in our house! I’m so glad you all loved it…especially the picky eaters! And yes…when you have soup in the heat, you know you’re addicted. Thank you so much! Try my curried black eyed peas pr vegan tortilla soup!
Manisha
Absolutely delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly and my picky eaters had 3 bowls each!! This will definitely go into rotation. Thank you for the simple yet wonderful recipe!
anjali
Oh that’s so great to hear!! 3 bowls + picky eaters = win! Love this…thank you for the review! I’ll work on a few more of these types of recipes!
Abbie Wraige
Hello! So this looks absolutely delicious and I’m considering making it for my Christmas dinner starter. One question….trying to prep in advance as much as posdible, is this freezable? And if so, how would you re-heat? Thanks so much. Abbie
anjali
Hi! Yes…you will love this soup as s starter! It’s warm, comforting, and delicious! You can easily make this soup in advance. I haven’t frozen it before, but there’s no reason you can’t. To re-heat, I’d take it out of the freezer the day before, then heat it up slowly stove-top until everything is defrosted. You MAY need to give it a quick whirl with your hand blender to get the consistency back, especially with the coconut milk in there. But otherwise should be perfect! Let me know how it turns out!
Elizabeth May
A very nice soup! But as a recipe editor I must quibble with the terms you use. In the intro you mention that the carrots are “diced,” and later, in the ingredients list, you refer to the carrots, cauliflower and potatoes as “chopped.” Your photos reveal that these ingredients are NOT chopped. The carrots are sliced, the potatoes appear to be cubed and the cauliflower I guess you could say is “very coarsely chopped” or broken into small florets. If you were to cut these ingredients into a standard chop, the pieces would be too small. (My cauliflower completely disintegrated, which I thought was a shame.) Maybe for this recipe size does not matter? In any case, I think you should use terms in the way standard recipes use them, so as to avoid confusion and a potentially bad outcome.
anjali
Hi Elizabeth! Noted…thanks for the comment. Yes I can see how that’s confusing so I’ll go back and make sure it’s consistent. And I don’t think I was careful because as I mentioned in the post, you really can just chop or dice or cut into larger pieces, etc. For this recipe size does not really matter, as long as it’s not too large such that it’s undercooked. Since you are pulsing it with a hand blender anyway at the end, the soup can either be thick and chunky or completely smooth (preference). So really size doesn’t matter too much and you will not have a bad outcome because of it. But I will go back and fix the notes.
Jemma
This soup is delicious, healthy, and filling, but the best part is the recipe is foolproof. I have an 11 month old daughter and a terribly picky husband and they both loved this soup. Thank you for such a simple and amazing recipe! Will make over and over again:)
anjali
Yay your comment made my day! We love it too and it’s great because you can blend away for those picky eaters! Glad she loved it. And yes you can modify a few things and the soup will still turn out great! Thanks for the great review!
Claire
It was sooooo delicious! I made a few changes: I only used 1/2 of a small onion, and no garlic. I used red lentils because they are more “low fodmap” and anyway, we like them. I didn’t happen to have freshly squeezed lemons, so I used rice wine vinegar, which we like a lot anyway. And I only blended half of it. And it was absolutely wonderful! We loved it!!!
anjali
So glad you loved it! And nice to know even with those mods the flavor came through. But you can definitely customize this soup to what you prefer! Thank you for the great review!
Shannon R
I made this tonight and it was a hit! Soooo delicious and such a crowd pleaser! I recently went vegan for allergy/health reasons and my family wasn’t so sure they could get on board. After this they said their eyes have been opened and are willing to try anything else I make! There were no leftovers and clean bowls!
anjali
What an awesome review – love this!! It’s tough to find those dishes that the entire family loves and so that you don’t have to make more than one hting. I’m so glad they all loved this one! Try my black eyed peas curry in the IP next! And if you need any other recs, please don’t hesitate to email me!
Katherine
Made this soup twice now! It’s amazing!!! I ran out of brown lentils and my husband brought home French lentils- you think I could just use red lentils? I’m afraid the French will require more cooking time and give a slightly different taste? Thank you!!! BTW- we are in lent and I almost feel guilty eating this as we eat mostly vegan during this season!!
anjali
Sorry for the delayed response! The french lentils will be slightly different…red lentils will have similar cooking time. But in terms of taste, red lentils would probably be better. To be honest, I think either will work though as a substitution! It should still taste good…just make sure the lentils cook in the time given! And so glad you loved the recipe!
Marlene Baggett
This recipe looks amazing and I would love to make it today. Could you please tell me how long you cook it in the instant pot on high for? You just said until done. Thank you.
anjali
If you look at the recipe card at the bottom of the post, it has all the ingredient amounts and directions. In the directions, it states “Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on manual, HI for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.” Let me know if you have any other questions!
Olivia Rose Tighe
Really good recipe! I added curry paste instead of curry powder and cayenne pepper + lime juice instead of lemon juice for extra bold flavors. Will be making this one again in the future for sure.
anjali
Thanks for the great review and so glad you liked it!
Nicole
Hi there! I’m not a big fan of coconut, any chance I could substitute with something else, also dairy free? Thanks!
anjali
You could probably use cashew milk unsweetened. Or you can honestly make a thin cashew cream (blend cashews + water in a high speed blender, or soak cashews ahead of time if you don’t have a high speed blender). I think out of the two options, I’d make a thin cashew cream. It’ll taste great! It’s a bit thicker then the store bought cashew milks in containers. If you need more details on how to make cashew cream, let me know in the comments and I’ll respond! This soup is delicious so I hope you try it out!
Amanda
I haven’t tried this recipe yet- and there are soo many wonderful comments about it (too many to read 😋 and see if anyone has already asked this question) but I wonder how red lentils would hold up in this recipe as opposed to green, just becauee I have them on hand!
Thanks!
Anjali Lalani
Hi there! So sorry for the delayed response! Yes, red lentils would be totally fine. Slightly different flavor profile with the red lentils, but it still works great. I’ve used red lentils when I ran out of the green ones. Give it a go and let me know how it turned out!