This Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup is packed with protein thanks to the addition of red lentils! It's a healthy recipe with warming spices that's easy to make in your Instant Pot, Crockpot, or on the stove top (instructions are included for all three!).
Let's hear it for soup season
In our house, we have soup on repeat during the cooler months of the year. Soup is always open to having sidekicks around, and is an excellent way to cram a lot of vegetables in while still feeling warm and satisfied. Also, most soups freeze and reheat like a boss, so it's perfect for your meal prep.
Some weeks, I make this easy, veggie-loaded Lentil Soup Recipe. Other weeks, it's this nourishing Chickpea Noodle Soup. We're always up for a soup adventure!
This Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup is one of my current favorites. It's got big flavor, and not only is it packed with veggies, but the addition of red lentils brings a bunch of plant-based protein to the table.
I've tested this recipe three ways (stovetop, Instant Pot, and slow cooker), so you can make your soup any which way your heart desires. Let's get into it.
Let's make carrot ginger soup together!
Instant Pot Technique
Making this Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup in the Instant Pot couldn't be easier. You just dump in all of the ingredients and set it to manual/high pressure for 12 minutes. Once it's done, let it vent naturally for 10 minutes and then quick-release the rest of the way.
Slow cooker technique
This is another dump-and-cook technique! Chuck all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Set it and forget it!
Stovetop technique
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot on your stovetop, and start by cooking the aromatics—your onions, garlic, and ginger. Add the spices, carrots, lentils, and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer until the lentils and carrots are tender—this will take about 20 minutes.
Now, blend!
No matter which way you made your soup, the final step is to blend it. I use an immersion blender for this step, because I am lazy and don't want to wash up my blender. If you *do* use a regular stand-up blender, please be careful when blending hot liquids
Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup with Red Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 lb carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed well
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
INSTANT POT
- Place onions, garlic, ginger, spices, lentils, carrots, water, and vegetable broth into your Instant Pot.1 large yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 lb carrots, 1 cup red lentils, ½ teaspoon salt, 4 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and use the manual setting on high pressure set for 12 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle is finished, allow the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, flip the vent to quick release for the remainder. Tip! I like to do the quick release under my stove fan if possible. Otherwise, place a kitchen towel over the top to control the steam.
SLOW COOKER
- In slow cooker, combine lentils, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper; pour in water and broth.1 large yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 lb carrots, 1 cup red lentils, ½ teaspoon salt, 4 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Cover and cook on low until vegetables and lentils are tender, 6 to 8 hours.
STOVE TOP
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add onions and sauté until they are translucent.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes more.2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Add carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.1 lb carrots
- Add the water, vegetable broth, and red lentils. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender and the lentils are well cooked - about 20 minutes.1 cup red lentils, 4 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth
TO FINISH
- Using immersion blender, or in stand blender in batches, purée soup until smooth.
- Serve hot topped with greens if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only!
- Pro tip: Since this is a blended soup, save yourself time and don't go all perfect with your chopping.
- Pro tip: Use an immersion blender to purée the soup to save time and dishes.
- Pro tip: If you are using an immersion blender, be sure to finely grate your ginger rather than chopping it.
- Pro tip: Keep your ginger in the freezer! It keeps forever and grates like a dream.
- Note! Due to the red lentils, you can expect this Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup to thicken considerably as it cools. You may want to add a little water to thin it out when re-heating.
Karen says
I made the pot version and just blended a portion. I wanted chunks of veggies. I also made a goat milk yogurt dill drizzle which elevated with further. I added in some red curry to substitute for the lack of tomatos at the moment of cooking. Wow...so hearty and beautiful. Perfect for a rainy or snowy day.
Katie Trant says
Love the idea of leaving this soup a bit chunky. I'll have to try that next time!
Kathryn Boyd says
Super watery and lacks flavour. I went back twice to ensure I hadn’t done anything wrong but sadly it just isn’t good.
Katie Trant says
Bummed that this didn't work for you, Kathryn! The last time I made it the leftovers were so thick I had to add water to thin it out.
Amanda Karlsson says
This was very good!!
Christine says
Delicious, well balanced flavours .
Laura says
Awesome, looking forward to trying it out this weekend as I only just invested in an InstantPot, quick question though, what is a serving size? Is it 1 cup? Asking for a friend watching her Weight Watcher points:-) Thanks
Katie Trant says
I'm not sure to be honest as I haven't measured it out. But I use quite big soup bowls, so I'd say 1/6th of the recipe would be more like 1.5-2 cups.
Laura says
Awesome thanks, made the soup, uber delish, making another batch to freeze it's that good!
Diane Dupres says
I loved this recipe. I did it on the slow cooker. As I cannot eat onions or garlic I substituted with Asafoetida and celery - just as yummy. Will definitely be making this again : )
alice k mynett says
I may have reviewed this a couple of years ago, but here I am again. This soup is amazing - real stick-to-your-ribs soul food. With the corona virus around, I feel like this soup fortifies by body and immune system, as well as feeding my soul. Awhile ago, I grated a quantity of fresh ginger and froze it in 1 tbsp globs on wax paper. That saved time and bloody fingertips now. Thanks, Katie. All the best to you and your family.
Sadie says
Hi there - I'm planning to make this in my slow cooker. Can I use canned red lentils? Should I adjust the cook time? Thanks!
Katie Trant says
Hi Sadie, I've never made this using canned lentils so am not sure how it would turn out. I imagine you'd need to reduce the liquid (since cooking the dried lentils soaks up quite a bit of water) and reduce the cooking time. Exactly how much, though, I do not know.
Lisa says
Just made this using my soup maker that I got for Christmas. Tastes amazing! And only took 30 mins from adding the ingredients to the soup maker to finish with perfectly blended soup. I will definitely be making this again. So healthy.
Katie Trant says
Wow, I just had to look up what a soup maker is! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, and I learned something new 🙂
Mary says
I've made the carrot ginger soup before, but wanted to add more protein, so the lentils were a perfect addition. I roasted all the veg in the oven with the spices (except ginger) rather than sauteeing...mainly because that doesn't require me to be at the stove 😁 This is a great freezer soup and will be in my regular rotation of quick to heat up freezer soups.
Katie Trant says
Hey Mary! So glad to hear you enjoyed this one as much as we do 🙂
Patricia Jaroslawski says
I just made this in my instant pot and it is delicious!!! Thanks for a fabulous recipe.
Anne Iverson says
I made this on the stove top and used my immersion blender. This is so delicious!! Once the prep is done, it is really easy. The taste improves the next day. I added extra ginger (LOVE fresh ginger). Thank you for a delicious healthy soup!!
Katie Trant says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this soup, Anne!
Marissa says
Is it ok to use chicken stock
Katie Trant says
You can use whatever kind of stock you like. I use vegetable broth to keep it vegan, but if that's not important to you then by all means use chicken stock.
Lucy says
The soup is potentially good but the overriding flavor of boiled onions ruined it. The flavor would have been immensely better if the onion had been sauted first. The boiled onion flavor was so pervasive I was unable to mask it with other ingredients and spices. I know that the point of the recipe was to not have to do any precooking. In that regard the recipe is easy. However, the outcome was, I'm sorry, quite awful.
Katie Trant says
Hey Lucy! Thanks for the feedback - I'm bummed this soup didn't work for you. I'm curious as to how you cooked it. Instant Pot? Slow cooker? Stove top? I do specify to cook the onions and other aromatics when cooking on the stovetop for exactly this reason. If you're cooking in the Instant Pot or slow cooker the pressure and / or long cooking time should take care of the onions.
Tiffany says
Question: there are lemons all throughout the pictures. Any lemon in the recipe?
Katie Trant says
Sometimes I serve my soup with a squeeze of lemon, but mostly they're in the photos to add a bit of colour and contrast.
Amy says
Do you add a squeeze of lemon at the end? Not sure if the lemons were just for aesthetic effect!
Planning on making this recipe tonight!
Katie Trant says
Whoops, I should probably clarify that! It's just served with a squeeze of lemon 🙂
Rebecca says
Very good, made as is in my slow cooker, love how simple it is! Would definitely make again.
Christie says
Do you need to soak the lentils or can you just add them dried? Thank you!
Katie Trant says
No soaking required! Just give them a good rinse and chuck them in 🙂
Maiara says
My husband and I usually make soup on Sunday nights, but we were looking to diversify things a bit. This recipe is really easy to follow, has simple ingredients but makes for such a tasty soup! We made it in the stove top and didn’t even need to put it in the blender after. Just the right amount of ginger also! It is definitely a keeper and made me want to try other recipes in the website.
Kim says
My 8 year old told me to put this on the keeper list!
Katie Trant says
Yes! High five to your 8 year old!
ChrIstine says
Yes, this is a keeper! What's not to like... carrots, lentils, thought I wouldn't love the ginger and it was magical. This one is getting printed 🙂
sara says
delicious, healthy and easy! my favorite combo 🙂
i added some crushed walnut pieces after serving for some texture . yummm will definitely make again. I love making soups in large portions so i can freeze and make a quick dinner another day! thank you
Anne Titcomb says
I have had my instant Pot for over a year. Kevin and Kirsten gave it to me for Christmas 2017. Your Mum and I had fun as your Dad and she came to Sunday night roast - my first attempt at anything Intant Pot. I think Mum decided to wait awhile to see what else I could make she even invited the Point Sisters to dinner while they watched me make chilli. Mum got hers a little later but she enjoys it for sure
Katie Trant says
Yes! I tried making beans in hers in the summer and was sold! So happy to have one of my own now.
Gail Hunt says
Well, your recipe got me trying our Instant Pot for the first time - we've had it for months and husband has used it, but I hadn't...
The soup is very tasty - I doubled the spices - love turmeric for my arthritis.
The only quibble I have is that the chopping took me twice the time you have suggested for prep. But, in your defence, you had a helper. I'm sure a three-year-old sous-chef can really cut down on your prep time 🙂
Thanks, Katie
Katie Trant says
Good to know re: the chopping time! Though I will say we chopped those carrots VERY haphazardly... big chunks, small chunks, you name it. So if you were doing any sort of precision cutting it would definitely take longer.
Gilda Anderson says
Hi, I only have sweet paprika and brown lentils, can I use them? Live in a rural area, too far to trek into town. 🙂
Katie Trant says
You can - it will change the texture and taste of the soup from what the recipe intended, but should still be nice and tasty.
Tara says
Thank you for not asking me to fry the onion! I like my slow cooker to do all the magic 🙂 This was delicious. I was so excited to have leftovers and have a feeling it will be in heavy rotation here this winter. . .
Katie Trant says
Don't you hate it when they ask you to fry the onion? I feel like it should never be allowed for a slow cooker recipe! Glad you like this soup as much as I do, Tara!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode says
It's become so cold in SF, this is perfect!
Katie Trant says
It's definitely a perfect cozy soup for those chilly days!
Gloria says
This soup is delicious and easy! Thank you so much Katie for keeping life healthy and real. At least your stovetop situation has been resolved. Best wishes on all your upcoming adventures!
Katie Trant says
Thanks Gloria! I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Stephanie says
This soup was so good tonight with some crusty French bread and a fly of dry red wine. Thank you for thinking delightful meal.
Katie Trant says
Glad you enjoyed it as much as I do! It's definitely one of my favourite recipes 🙂
alison says
i still feel guilty about that stovetop!
Katie Trant says
Don't! It's our own damn faults for doing it ourselves. We knew better!
Alissa says
I'm so sorry about your stove top ordeal! My husband and I aren't great with that kind of stuff easier, and it seems like every project ends up being a bigger ordeal than expected, so I totally feel your pain. Glad you at least found some inspiration to bust out the slow cooker though. I have a recipe for carrot soup with similar spices, but I think I'll try this one next time. I love the idea of adding some red lentils for texture and protein!
Katie Trant says
I don't know why we ever do these things, we totally know better! But the soup is well worth the scuffed hands, and is a total keeper!