This easy and delicious creamy Red Lentil Cauliflower Soup made with curry is flavourful, nutritious and a perfect recipe for warming you up on a cold day.
This Red Lentil Cauliflower Soup is inspired by Indian cuisine and is full of good for you ingredients. This healthy cauliflower soup is hearty, gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian or even vegan.
The soup is packed with flavour. The combination of spices such as curry, cumin and coriander is delicious and what better way to savour them than in a warming soup on a cold day. This soup is also perfect for satisfying cravings for something curry-ish.
If you're not fond of curry but love lentil soups, give this easy and quick to make Lebanese Red Lentil Soup a try, it's a delicious budget-friendly meal.
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How to Make it
This Lentil Cauliflower Soup recipe is is easy to make and full of nutritious ingredients. All of the aromatics in this recipe will fill your kitchen with an aroma so enticing that you will not be able to wait for dinner.
Below is an overview of the ingredients and steps to making a pot of this hearty soup. Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the quantities and full directions to making this delicious recipe.
Ingredients Overview
- Olive oil and butter
- Red lentils
- Onion, garlic cloves, jalapeño and fresh ginger
- Curry powder, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, salt and black pepper
- Chicken or vegetable stock
- Can of diced tomatoes
- Cauliflower
- Fresh lemon or lime juice
- Fresh cilantro
Steps Overview
- The first step in making this soup is to prepare all of your ingredients so that everything is ready to go.
- In a large pot, sauté the aromatics over medium heat and then add in the spices, cook for a couple of minutes, then add the can of tomatoes, the broth, rinsed lentils and the cauliflower florets to the soup pot.
- Bring it all to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer the soup for approximately 25 minutes.
- When the cauliflower and lentils are well cooked, add two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Check the soup for seasoning, and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- If puréeing the soup, carefully transfer it in batches (I like using a large ladle) to a blender and purée until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to purée the soup right in the pot. Garnish the soup with fresh cilantro leaves.
Possible Variations
- Though I used chicken broth in this recipe, you could easily use vegetable broth instead to make this a vegetarian or vegan soup.
- I used hot curry powder because I like spicy food, but if you prefer something with less heat use a milder curry.
- Reduce the broth by one cup and add about one and a half cups of creamy coconut milk for a creamier soup.
- Purée about ⅓ of the soup and combine it with the remainder of the soup.
- If you really enjoy the flavour of cilantro you can add some to the pot of soup just before you purée it in the blender, it's so delicious!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this soup with warm crusty bread. You could also serve this soup with a dollop of yogurt or crème fraiche. And if you're looking to serve this cauliflower lentil soup as part of a larger meal you can serve it with these Indian style Yogurt Marinated Chicken Breasts.
Storage Instructions
Store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze the soup, store it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 to 4 months.
Thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat the soup over medium-low heat. If you like, you could re-blend the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender for a silky smooth lentil and cauliflower soup.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. The easiest way to make a soup thicker is to start by using less liquid (broth or water) in the recipe.
2. If you want to make it thicker after having prepared it, you can purée all or part the soup if you haven't already done so.
3. You could also add more cooked lentils, rice or potatoes. Simply cook them separately and add to the pot of soup. If desired, you can blend the soup with an immersion blender (stick blender) or in a blender.
4. You can also add a bit of cream or yogurt to make it creamier.
Yes. This red lentil soup recipe is healthy. Red lentils are very nutritious and contain a high amount of fibre and protein and are low in fat and calories.
No. Since lentils are high in net carbs they are not part of a strict keto diet.
If you love curried lentil soups, be sure to check out this recipe for Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup.
More Delicious Soups to Try
- Cauliflower, Kale and Leek Soup
- Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Healthy Asparagus Soup
Red Lentil Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup red lentils picked over and rinsed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves medium garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tsp. fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp. curry powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 398 ml can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups cauliflower florets chopped
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro washed and chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil and melt the butter together in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook stirring a few times until they begin to get translucent, add the minced garlic, jalapeno and grated ginger, and cook stirring until softened, about a couple of minutes.
- Add the cumin, coriander, curry, turmeric and salt and cook stirring until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the canned diced tomatoes and their juices, the chicken (or vegetable) broth, the lentils and the chopped cauliflower florets.
- Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and simmer the soup for about 25 minutes, stirring often so that the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
- When the cauliflower and lentils are well cooked, add the 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and the freshly ground pepper.
- Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour the soup back into the saucepan and if desired you can adjust the consistency of the soup with more broth or water. Garnish the soup with the chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze the soup, store it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw soup overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat soup over medium-low heat.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 9, 2014. The post has been updated with new text and images.
LB says
This recipe is great, fresh and delicious! I didn’t have a jalapeños so I added 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes.
Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Amanda says
This soup looks delicious!!!
sweetandsavourypursuits says
Thanks Amanda!