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When you’re in need of warming comfort food, but you also want healthy, this Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice is just the soup recipe to make. All made in just ONE pot (or in your instant pot), in less than an hour, and using good for us ingredients like sweet potatoes, red lentils, warming spices, and creamy coconut milk. It’s cozy, a little spicy, and filled with vegetables. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice and you’ll have the perfect healthy bowl of sweet potato soup for lunch or dinner.
When I get stuck creatively, I try to look at flavors and foods just slightly out of my comfort zone. I tend to fall back on cozy foods…pastas, creamy soups, and pretty much anything roasted. Those are my go-to’s and very much in my comfort zone.
This is why, when I get in a recipe rut, I love to step outside my box, and explore flavors I don’t use as often as I should.
Enter this soup.
Lately all I want to cook is the comfort foods I know and love. Which is totally fine, since I whole heartedly believe that you should make what’s inspiring you. With our cold, snowy weather I’m embracing all the comfort foods…after all, I think it’s what I’m best at!
That said, I was ready for a flavor switch up, and decided to explore some Indian inspired recipes.
Instead of googling anything, I text my soon to be sister (because my older brother is gettin’ married this summer!). Lyndsie is one of the more well-rounded eaters I know, and great for recipe ideas. She quickly responded with mulligatawny soup. At first I thought she spelled something wrong. But after some googling I discovered that mulligatawny soup is an East Indian curry soup. It’s traditionally made with veggies, sometimes lentils, sometimes apples, and coconut milk.
Honestly, I saw a ton of different versions online, so I’m not sure what’s really traditional. The point here is that I drew the inspiration for this soup from mulligatawny soup. This is not a mulligatawny soup, but it’s similar…ish, and 100% delicious.
When I set out to make this soup, I knew it needed to include three things: sweet potatoes, lentils, and rice.
I LOVE a rice based soup (have you made my favorite tortilla soup…or my wild rice soup?!). Since I haven’t made one in a bit, I knew using rice for this soup was key. I wanted lentils for protein, and sweet potatoes for, well, just because I love them…and they’re in season!
So those were my three must have ingredients. From here I built up the rest of the soup and it quickly came together.
You’ll start by cooking up some onions, garlic, and lots of ginger. These are major flavor boosters, so don’t skip them. Then toss in your sweet potatoes, yellow curry powder, and a pinch of cayenne for some heat. You could easily add some carrots and celery for extra veggies.
Add broth and red lentils, then simmer until the lentils are extra soft, which only takes about 15 minutes or so. You can also do this all in your instant pot (which I included directions for). But I honestly think it’s just as quick and easy to do this on the stove top.
Once the lentils are soft, stir in the full-fat coconut milk and some spinach, and simmer to warm through. And like that, the soup is done! I don’t like to add the rice directly to the soup. Instead I add the rice to bowls and then pour the soup over. This way the rice doesn’t soak up all the soup’s broth while it sits.
This soup is SO flavorful, SO full of color, and filled with good for us ingredients. Yet it feels totally comforting with the sweet potatoes, creamy coconut milk, and rice. I love serving it with my homemade naan (obviously). It’s our favorite over here.
Best part, well aside from all the deliciousness, this requires only one pot and is ready in less than 45 minutes. Perfect.
If you make this coconut sweet potato lentil soup please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How to Video:
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1813 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- 3/4 cup dried red lentils
- kosher salt
- 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
- fresh Naan, for serving
Instructions
Stove-Top
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the ginger, garlic, and sweet potatoes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne and cook another minute. 2. Add the broth and lentils. Season generously with salt. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the sweet potatoes tender. 3. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach, cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. 4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and ladle the soup overtop. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with Naan on the side. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. Set Instant pot to sauté. Add the olive oil and onion and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the ginger, garlic, and sweet potatoes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne and cook another minute. 2. Add the broth and lentils. Season generously with salt. Cover, select the manual setting, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the quick release function and release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Stir in the coconut milk and spinach, and cook 5 minutes. Turn the instant pot off. Stir in the cilantro.4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and ladle the soup overtop. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with Naan on the side. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 11, 2018
I made this soup for dinner last night and am enjoying it for lunch today. Very delicious! The lentils took much longer than 20 minutes to soften on the stove top, not sure if that would have been expedited if I had an instant pot. Will try hydrating the lentils beforehand next time, because there will definitely be a next time! Thanks for the recipe, Tieghan!
Thank you for trying this Rachel! So happy to hear that it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
amazing. amazing. amazing =)I made this recipe at least 6 times. Everyone who eats it LOVESSSS it. My soup doesnt look like her picture its a slightly darker color, but i stick to the recipe exactly. It is so so delicious and an easy instant pot recipe. thanks!!!
Thank you so much Jyothi! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is amazing! I will be making it again and again! It has loads of flavor, even though I didn’t have enough curry powder and diluted it as I wanted a more brothy soup – still flavor loaded. Highly recommend this recipe.
Thank you so much Katherine! xTieghan
I made this delish soup tonight and my son told me that I could win a cooking show with that recipe. So funny!!! We loved this soup. Thanks from a chilly winter night in Ontario ❤️
Thank you Heather! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Love love love! This was so easy to throw together in my instapot and the most delicious comfort food for these cold Canadian winter months! Is it freezable?
Hi Natalie! Yes, you can easily freeze this. That works well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good!! It’s become a regular recipe for me, and a great way for me to get rid of any older vegetables. I had a problem with the red lentils coming out of their shells, so I started using split red lentils which makes the whole thing extra thick and creamy. I also started adding a splash of vinegar because it adds sweetness to Indian-inspired dishes. Such a good recipe!
Thank you so much Mado! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
It was delicious, I added mushrooms fried earlier. Substituted spinach with kale, such a wonderful recipe. Thank you
Thank you so much Nataly! xTieghan
My husband hates soup. THIS soup he LOVES. It is absolutely delicious. He, his daughter, and I are eating it right now and are just so happy. It’s fantastic.
Wow YES! That is so great to hear! Thank you Melissa! xTieghan
Delicious!! I added a bit of garam marsala and paprika, and put half as much cayenne (so kids would like it). Big hit! Thanks so much. Excited to try your other recipes!
Thank you Rachel! I hope you love all of the recipes you try! xTieghan
I enjoy so many of your recipes but this one is by far my favorite. After the holiday food hangover I was feeling I knew I needed something warm and comforting and also chalk full of nutrients. Thanks for posting this. It is one of my go-to recipes now.
Wow that is so amazing! Thank you so much Meagan! xTieghan
Hi!
I just made this wonderful soup for lunch today! Amazing flavor and texture. I live in Canada and, this was the perfect soup day… freezing rain, snow… not pretty! It was very heartwarming and delicious.
I would like to congratulate you on your beautiful new cookbook (which I bought). Keep up the great work!
Hoe you’re finding time during the holidays to rest and relax? Take care!!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Marie! Thank you so much for trying this! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Very delicious and healthy! The whole family enjoyed it!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Amy! xTieghan
I’m planning on making this fora vegan guest at my Christmas dinner. Can I make it the night before and if I cook in crockpot do I throw everything in to cook except the spinach? Merry Christmas!
HI! You can make the night before and rewarm. I would just add the spinach. It should be fine the next day! That will work great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had a Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Made this last night and it’s delicious! What a tasty and comforting bowl of healthiness. Even my husband who is one of those ‘soup’s not a meal’ types was very happy. My only changes were to add some ground turkey (for hubs), plus two tsp of sugar and a squeeze of lemon to make the flavors pop. Just perfect. Will be making again soon, thank you!!
Thank you so much Kris! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
This soup was delicious! Definitely a keeper. It had a lot of flavor, although I would suggest that if you don’t like food to be too spicy, you might want to go a little lighter on the cayenne (but we loved it). Easy as well.
Thank you Kim! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan