Vegan Curried Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
This delicious vegan butternut squash lentil soup is easy to make in 40 minutes with just a few simple ingredients.
About the Recipe
This butternut squash and red lentil soup is sure to be your new favourite healthy recipe during the colder months.
Though preparing the butternut squash takes a few minutes, the rest of the recipe is very quick and easy to make.
The warm spices are delicious paired with the sweetness of the butternut squash and it’s a great way to get more veggies into your diet. You’ll love this easy recipe for a quick meal on a cold night.
This is a vegan soup, a good source of plant-based protein and is oil-free and gluten-free, so suitable for a variety of dietary needs.
For more recipes like this, this Butternut Squash Lentil Stew and Hearty Lentil Stew with Potatoes are both delicious.
If you have extra butternut squash, this Chipotle Butternut Squash Chili with Black Beans and Butternut Squash Curry with Chickpeas and Spinach are both wonderful too.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy and delicious soup:
- Butternut squash. You’ll need 3 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash.You can substitute sweet potato or do half and half for a variation. You could also try other winter squashes like acorn squash or kabocha squash (or try this Creamy Coconut Kabocha Squash Soup, yum!).
- Red lentils. You’ll need 1 cup of dry, uncooked red lentils. You can use green lentils but the soup will have a different color, texture (green lentils have a firm texture) and take longer to cook.
- Canned, diced tomatoes. You’ll need 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes. I’d recommend using fire roasted diced tomatoes if possible.
- Vegetable broth. Any kind of vegetable broth works. I use bouillon cubes just because they’re so convenient. I like GoBio or HarvestSun organic bouillon cubes. I like using bouillon cubes over carton broth just because it’s so easy to stock in your pantry without it going bad. That being said, any carton, fresh or homemade stock is wonderful too.
- Coconut milk. You’ll need 1 cup of coconut milk. I used light coconut but full-fat works too.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Variations and Additions
- A touch of cinnamon works well with the other spices. Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon with the other spices.
- For additional veggies, you can add up to 2 cups mixed from bell pepper, cauliflower or carrots.
- For some spice, add up to 1 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- To add greens, add up to 2 cups chopped Tuscan kale or baby spinach at the end and stir to mix.
- Use sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash for a variation, or try this Sweet Potato Lentil Soup.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Prepare the Squash and Veggies
To prepare the squash, cut the top and bottom off, remove the peel using a vegetable peeler, then cut in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds then cut into cubes.
You’ll need 3 cups of cubed and peeled squash, which is roughly one small squash or 1/2 a larger one, though there’s no need to be exact.
Step 2. Sauté the Veggies.
Once everything is chopped and ready to go, add the celery, onion and garlic to a large soup pot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes.
You can cook the vegetables in 1 tbsp of olive oil or use ab bit of water or broth to make the recipe oil-free.
Once they’re softened and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes, stir in the curry powder and cumin and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients, bring it all to a light simmer then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the squash and lentils are tender.
Step 4. Blend some of the soup.
Finally, for a thick and creamy soup, scoop about 2 cups of the soup out and into a bender.
Carefully puree until smooth then pour back into the pot with the unblended portion of the soup. Alternatively, you can pulse an immersion blender in the pot a few times.
Recipe FAQs
Both work well. Use full-fat coconut milk for a rich and creamy soup or light coconut milk to reduce the fat and calories in the soup.
Nope. That’s up to you. I like to blend some of it for a creamier, thicker soup. You can blend it in a blender or use an immersion blender in the pot.
Yes, though the soup will have a different texture as green and brown lentils are firmer when cooked, and of course, the soup will be darker in colour. You’ll need a slightly longer cooking time as well.
Yes. To make this recipe in a pressure cooker, add the onion, garlic and celery and use the Saute function to cook for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, seal the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure, carefully open and enjoy.
You can store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop or in individual portions in the microwave.
Yes. To freeze, let cool then transfer to an airtight container or heavy duty freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Delicious Soups
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop, Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This hearty red lentil butternut squash soup is nutritious, flavorful, easy to make and packed with veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 medium white onion, about 2 cups diced (300 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 rib celery, chopped, about 1/2 cup (85 g)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cup uncooked red lentils
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash (350 g)
- 1 cup light or full-fat coconut milk
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic and celery to a large pot or dutch oven with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth or 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes until softened and fragrant. If the pot dries out, add a few more splashes of broth.
- Add the curry powder and cumin, stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a light simmer over medium heat.
- Lightly simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until the butternut squash and lentils are tender.
- Carefully scoop out 2 cups of the soup and add to a blender. Puree until smooth the pour back into the pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper, if needed. To brighten the flavour, you can squeeze in a bit of lemon juice or lime juice.
- Enjoy right away or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 214
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 482 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 10 g
The only changes I made was using precut butternut squash from Costco and putting prepackaged cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s in instead of the red lentils (it was all I had). Since they were precooked I just threw them in in the last 10 minutes to heat them through. This recipe was so easy (especially with my changes) and SO flavorful! My husband raves about it! Will definitely share the recipe and make it again!
Love that! So glad you both enjoyed it. Thanks for your review!
So excited to try this tonight! Do you think this recipe would lend itself to being done in a slow cooker or instant pot? This’ll be my first time cooking with red lentils and butternut squash. I’m going to do it as instructed tonight, but if slow cooking doesn’t ruin the texture or flavor of the lentils/squash, I’d love to throw it into the Crockpot as we get closer to winter. Thank you for your thoughts!
For slow cooking, I probably wouldn’t do more than an couple hours on low or an hour on high. For Instant Pot, I would saute the veggies for a few minutes, then stir in the spices for another minute, then add everything else and do like 5 minutes with natural release of 5 minutes. I haven’t tried either so I can’t guarantee how it will turn out either way. Let me know if you try! I do have a slow cooker lentil chili and a number of Instant Pot recipes you can try too!
Deelish. Added some home-grown oven roasted chilies. I can’t stop eating it.
Fantastic! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. Sounds great with some roasted chilies added!!
I made this tonight and oh my goodness, absolutely amazing! Definitely prefer cumin and curry over the traditional fall spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. And I also prefer substance to my soups as opposed to an all purée consistency. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks so much, Ashley! I’m so glad you loved it. Thanks for adding your feedback.
Delicious!
I found it needed a bit more punch. So I added 1/2 bunch chopped coriander and a splash of fish sauce. And I roasted the pumpkin with carrot. I like a lot of flavour
5 star recipe. Yummy and would definitely make again. I used crushed tomato’s because I had them on hand.
This recipe is so delicious and has the perfect combination of flavours. I was hesitant to use 2 tsp of curry and the coconut milk wondering what the flavour combination would be like and if my husband would like it. I tend to like to swap things out but I thought no I’m just going to try it based on the other reviews.
Well, this soup is perfect. My husband and I both enjoyed it very much and I followed the ingredients just as written. Thankyou Deryn for sharing! This soup will definitely be added to our food rotation. 😋
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it, Martha! Thanks for giving it a try!
Had to make two substitutions As I am social distancing. I used acorn squash and didn’t have any celery so I added some celery salt. Love the recipe thank you very much
I loved this soup. I did oven roast the butternut squash first, a bit of olive oil and S/P and a sprinkle of curry. I held the squash out until the lentils were almost soft then added it.
I also blended the soup with an emersion blender. We loved it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know.