This soup is our last recipe of 2019! We couldn’t think of a better final dish to share than a comforting, warm hug in the form of creamy soup in the midst of winter.
This 1-pot soup is a blend of red lentils, ginger, spices, carrots, and cauliflower, making it full of fiber and plant-based protein and big on flavor. Let us show you how it’s done!
This soup starts with sautéing onion, garlic, ginger, and carrot. Then add cauliflower, broth, and lentils.
For spices, we kept things simple with fresh ginger, curry powder, and a pinch of cayenne, which complements the sweetness of the carrots beautifully.
A touch of coconut milk before blending makes for the ultimate creamy texture. Swoon!
We hope you LOVE this soup! It’s:
- Creamy
- Comforting
- Nutrient-rich
- Quick & easy to make
- Versatile
- & Delicious
This would make the perfect weeknight soup when you need something nourishing on the table fast. It’s delicious on its own, but would also pair well with our Apple Pecan Arugula Salad, Garlic Herb Flatbread (or Naan), or our Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken.
Bonus: It reheats beautifully, making it ideal for leftovers, lunches, and freezer meals!
More Comforting Soups
- Simple Pumpkin Soup
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- 1-Pot Golden Curry Lentil Soup
- 1-Pot Easy Vegan Tom Yum
- Romesco Soup with Smashed Chickpeas
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Creamy Curried Cauliflower Lentil Soup (1 Pot!)
Creamy, 1-pot curried cauliflower soup with carrots, ginger, and red lentils! Subtly spiced, quick and easy to make, and perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp avocado oil (or sub water for oil-free)
- 1 medium white or yellow onion
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced (optional)
- 1 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (~4 cups as original recipe is written)
- 2-3 tsp curry powder
- 1 pinch cayenne (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or sub chicken broth if not vegan or vegetarian)
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 Tbsp coconut cream (or sub 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk as the recipe is written // adjust amount if altering serving size)
Instructions
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Heat a large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Once hot, add oil, onion, carrots, and celery (optional) and sauté for 4-5 minutes — stirring occasionally. Then add ginger and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes more or until fragrant.
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Add cauliflower, curry powder, cayenne (optional), broth, lentils, and salt. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils and cauliflower are tender.
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Add coconut cream and blend with an immersion blender until creamy and no bits remain (if it has trouble blending, you can optionally transfer to a blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth).
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Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more curry powder for spice, cayenne for heat, or salt for overall flavor. Continue cooking for a few more minutes over medium heat.
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Serve as is or with garnish of choice (we went with fresh cilantro and an additional swirl of coconut milk). Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with homemade vegetable broth and without optional ingredients.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 4 servings)
- Calories: 228
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 3.1g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.99g
- Monounsaturated fat: 3.33g
- Sodium: 823mg
- Potassium: 742mg
- Carbohydrates: 31.6g
- Fiber: 7.9g
- Sugar: 6.1g
- Protein: 10.6g
- Vitamin A: 7527IU
- Vitamin C: 42.79mg
- Calcium: 83.12mg
- Iron: 3.65mg
It’s not bad, but it’s missing something. I can’t quite figure out what. I could taste all of the ingredients well enough, so I don’t think it was the quantities of any of the ingredients, but it needed some contrast. I might try adding a splash of lemon juice next time. Also, as someone else mentioned, my soup was nowhere near the color of the soup in the recipe, which I imagine is both the result of bumping the saturation in the photograph, and also using a different curry. The curry powder available to me was yellow, so the soup as also yellow. Oh and lastly, I can’t understand how anyone could complete the prep in 10 mins. It took me about 25. Overall, not bad, but I’m not sure I’ll try it again.
Hi Jim, we used a broth with tomato paste in it, which resulted in a more red color. We wonder if maybe that made a difference in flavor as well. What brand of broth did you use?
Absolutely delicious. Thank you!!!!! :)
One of the best soup recipes I’ve ever made! I put extra garlic, ginger, and curry powder as I like my soups spicy, and also added some sambal oelek for heat. I used a full can of lite coconut milk and a little less veggie broth. I also cooked it in my slow cooker, on high heat, for about 4 hours, then blended it in my blender. Turned out spectacular! Thanks for the recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Claire! Thanks for sharing!
Not as flavourful as I hoped, but the consistency and colour were nice. Next time I would double garlic and ginger.
Sorry to hear that, Isabelle! Was your curry powder fresh? Older spices tend to lose their potency.
So delicious and quick! (Added a Sweet potato because I had one and why not) I could eat this everyday!
This has been my go-to recipe all winter. I make it every week and the amount is perfect for two people with a few leftover meals. The first time I made it I didn’t puree it. It was good, but even better once I used my immersion blender: smooth, creamy and richly flavored. Instead of the coconut cream I use 1/2 can of full fat coconut milk. I made it for my bookclub last night and they all loved it.
Yay! We’re so glad you and your bookclub enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Another winning recipe! This tasted so good and was so easy to make.
Made this to combat the cold weather and it was amazing! Can’t wait to make it again.
So easy and delicious
I loved how easily this came together–and yes, it REALLY is a 1 pot meal! I did not chop or cut my veggies small as suggested as I knew the immersion blender would take care of this.
I will make it again…
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Keli!
I made this for dinner tonight. I followed the recipe almost exactly, (using red lentils of course), but the soup was very YELLOW, not red like the picture! The only ingredient I omitted was the cayenne, which was listed as optional. Is that what makes it red? The soup in the picture looks much more enticing that mine did.
Hi Lin, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as expected! The color can depend on the vegetable broth as well as the curry powder. We used a veggie broth that has tomato paste in it. Hope that helps!
Enjoyed this recipe very much. I finally took the plunge and got an immersion blender partially because I wanted to make this soup. No regrets! Will be making this again for friends’ Souperbowl party this weekend. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Thank you for sharing! Hope everyone enjoys it!
I am slowly going vegan and really trying to improve my cooking and this is one of the most delicious recipes I’ve tried so far! I love it! Definitely making it again next week, and it stores really well. I eat it with a ton of Moroccan spices, walnuts, basmati rice and some roasted carrots and spinach!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Sara!
Very good! Added 2 parsnips since I had some, and used brown lentils, also what I had. It made a lot! Used 6 cups of chicken broth because I had big head of cauliflower. Added more salt and pepper, plus turmeric, for my taste. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow!
I made this and accidentally put waaay too much ginger in it but it’s winter so I figured my immune system could only benefit from it and it was still delicious! Trying this again tonight for my week meal prep, creamy soup is the best winter meal and I’m always looking for new recipes :)
I always wonder how big a serving really is? Is it 1 cup or 2? this looks so delicious I don’t want to eat the whole thing!
1 serving is 1/4 of the total recipe. We would estimate about 2 cups.
Thanks so much!!!
Made it and it was delicious! Making another batch today! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kristen. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
5 out of 5 for sure! It’s a go to for me now and I always have a batch frozen and ready to go in my freezer! Thanks so much!
Kristen
Great idea! Thanks so much!
Delicious! I used the celery because I love it and I shook a few shakes of cayenne. It was not overwhelmingly hot, but left a nice burn on my lips. Bravo, great recipe! Oh, I did use chicken broth and added an extra cup, as it was rather thick. I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for sharing!!
Hi! I made the soup last night. The flavor is all there and delicious but the texture is a bit thick for me. Should I just add water to thin it out?
Thanks!
That will work! Or more broth to avoid diluting the flavors.
Wow, two winners in a row this weekend (sweet potato almond butter muffins). Followed recipe exactly because I wasn’t concerned about the color. I’m eating this right now over spaghetti squash and roasted veggies. Would also be good over rice.
Whoop! So glad to hear it, Beth!
Wonderful recipe I didn’t seen. I am very interest to make it like your directions. But I don’t like coconut oil, can I use mustard oil instead of coconut oil for the ultimate creamy texture ?
We haven’t tried that, but it might work. Let us know if you give it a try!
My husband made this and we loved it. It is a keeper. He doubled it so we froze some. We used low sodium / no sodium added vegetable broth and the coconut milk option. He doubled the ginger because we love it, and he also put spinach and a couple of broccoli crowns we had to use up. He blended half very smooth and the rest not as smooth so there were tiny chunks of the ginger. We also used some very hot smoked pepper powder we made this summer from our garden, it added a little kick if you like that. Yum! Thank MB!
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
I made this and it’s delish.
Mine was also yellow but I was using a yellow Thai curry powder. Also I topped it with Chili Galic Sauce and it was perfect.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Chelsie. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Mine is green and I followed exactly. Thoughts?
What kind of lentils did you use?
Delicious, thank you!!
Delicious! I added more curry and left out the coconut cream (because I didn’t have any). Mine also came out yellowish (like another reviewer) so I added some tomato paste and it was perfect!
My 8 yr old and 6 yr old loved it too, seconds all around :)
So delicious!! I added half a sweet potato because I didn’t have a lot of cauliflower on hand and it turned out amazing! Definitely will be making again.
This soup was delicious and filling. However, I wish mine looked as pretty as yours.
This soup was so good! I added extra curry powder and extra coconut cream and the juice from one lemon. I didn’t have any broth so I just added some tomato paste to the water. I had leftover brown rice in the fridge and I threw that in, too. I only pureed half of the soup. It turned into a hearty meal!
Super easy and delicious! Especially nice on a cold winter night, with crusty bread. All ingredients are available at just about any grocery. I put a little too much cayenne in for most people, but I really love spice! Would make a wonderful 1st course of a nice dinner, too. It’s a little more unusual than a lot of the soup courses I’ve seen.
Again, delish! Try it!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
This soup is so yummy! I made it last night, pretty much as the recipe called for (with slightly more lentils). I was actually surprised how flavourful it was! (Cauliflower can sometimes end up really bland). I blended 90% of it in my Vitamix and left the other 10% chunky. Soooo thick and delicious! Ate it for lunch with a little leftover basmati rice. Perfect winter meal!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Samantha. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Forgot to rate!
Made this for dinner tonight with home made Sourdough bread and a green salad. Delicious. For us – I will probably add more curry next time and possibly more lentils. Thanks.
Thanks, Kathy!
When I started cooking I realise I did not have caril , I continued .
I missed garlic as well.
At the end I for got to put coco cream ,
But hell yeah still a good result .
It will get much better with all ingredients.
Thanks for this tasty !!
This was so delicious!! I only had green lentils on hand and they worked fine. I left the soup with some texture because I had some hungry kids who weren’t patient for me to purée the whole thing but it was still great! Such a filling warming soup! Highly recommend.
This was SO good! I was a little worried as I was cooking it because cauliflower can smell not great to me while cooking. I had nothing to worry about, it was FANTASTIC! I mostly followed the recipe except I had to add more broth to cover all my cauliflower. I also subed chipotle for the cayenne-something I always do, just my preference. Thank you so much for yet another delicious recipe!!!
I used brown lentils instead of red so the color was a little drab, but once I served this, people ate it right up and only had good things to say. I have to say, the flavor the first night of serving it did not pack a punch (in my opinion), but I let it sit in the fridge for 2 days, the flavor frew, and it was delicious. Super easy to make. I love that it was in one pot. I did not use coconut cream, but light coconut milk. I added sour cream to mine because the light coconut milk was not as creamy as I wanted it (this was the first night). I did not add anything to the soup when I had it for left overs.
Thanks for sharing, Lauren! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Wonderful for a winter’s evening! I had it with some toasted ciabatta and spread with almond butter and four fruit jam. I would guess that corn would be a nice addition, also. Thanks!
I accidentally used thai curry paste instead of curry powder, so it had a very thai taste. It was still good. I added more coconut cream than the recipe calls for, and I didn’t have celery. I cooked this in an instant pot for 3 minutes with quick release. I added coconut cream after I cooked it so that it would not burn.
I’m not sure why, but perhaps the lentils were not the right type, but my soup came out looking green/yellow – not the beautiful orange in your pictures. The lentils were organic red lentils. I cooked some separately and they turned yellow. Can you please offer advice? Thank you.
Hi Kim, we find that using a vegetable broth with tomato paste in it helps with the color. Hope that helps!
The soup was delicious! Five stars! Thank you so much for this recipe. We added some baked tofu at the end for extra protein. This is a great dish and will be one of our staples. I made naan bread as well and it went together nicely with the soup.
Loved this soup with and without coconut milk. I didn’t purée all of the soup, I like to have chunks of veggies in my soup.
Made this soup for dinner tonight and my husband and I LOVED it!! I’m a novice cook, so I appreciated that the recipe was simple and easy to follow! I enjoyed the process! Can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow for lunch!! Yum!!
I have golden lentils on had. Would these work in place of red lentils?
Looking forward to making this as I do with all of your recipes!
We haven’t tried it, but it should work! Let us know if you give it a try!
Really delicious- we left a little chunky and loved added warmth from the cayenne. Everyone in the family enjoyed the flavor. Definitely making again!
Great weeknight recipe. I used frozen cauliflower and the instant pot for a quick dinner. Threw in some spinach at the end. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Very yummy! I added an extra teaspoon of ginger and doubled the coconut cream. I served it with cilantro, a swirl of coconut milk, toasted pumpkin seeds and all my guests loved it.
Made this on a whim tonight since I had all ingredients on hand (that never happens). So good! Will make again for sure. Next time I’ll garnish with creamed coconut and the cilantro
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jordan. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Different but more important DELICIOUS!!!!!
Thanks, Mary!
This was yummy! I made it with almost twice the lentils, found it a little bland and ended up doubling the ginger, curry powder, salt, and coconut milk and adding a hit of Sriracha. It’s not a dinner party soup, it’s a winter sick day soup–warm, nourishing, and humble. I served it with cilantro and pepitas to dress it up a little. I would make this again for the right mood.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Rachel!
MMmm? Delicious and I too doubled the spices and salt. I also doubled the recipe to put away s batch.
Delicious, yes. Red, no.
Wow so delicious! But looking for advice…how do you make it super smooth and creamy with an immersion blender? Mine tasted amazing but the consistency was more like applesauce than what I see in these gorgeous photos. Should I have added more broth or coconut milk?
Hi Kristina, yes, adding more liquid will help! If too much liquid evaporates in the cooking process, that can contribute to the discrepancy.
This looks delicious! Do you have any tips/adjustments for making this in an Instant pot?
Hi Carolyn, we haven’t tried this one in the Instant Pot and aren’t sure. Perhaps more liquid? Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Really easy to make and really tasty.
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Lara!
I made this with Umbrian lentils instead of red lentils and used lite coconut milk —it was so delicious –thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. Will make it all winter long!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Joni! Thanks so much for sharing!
Was Absolutely Delicious! Added 2 cups of red lentils just b/c I had them, otherwise, just as written, husband LOVED it too! Thank you!!
Yay! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Cyd! xo
So yummy and perfect for a cold night! I threw in some cashews for crunch just before serving. Heated up really well the next day for lunch. Thank you
Love the cashew addition. We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious! Used some squash and turmeric and a whole can of coconut milk. Easy Peasy and fun. Also added kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass..Thank you kindly for all your inspirations….I follow you in the culinary world….
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Maha!
This was so easy and so delicious! i used a can of full fat milk and added more spices. You can add or subtract, it’s a forgiving recipe. Thank you – we love it!
Yay! Thanks, Sandra!
Just made this and love it! This soup is so tasty and full of healthy ingredients. I would highly recommend eating this during cold and flu season. The only real change I made was increasing the amount of spices by a little and adding black pepper as well as a little Sriracha. We like the heat. :)
Wonderful! Thanks, Cassie!
Hi Dana,
When you say “coconut cream” do you mean the solids only from canned coconut milk?
Yes! Or you can buy coconut cream separately.
The most delicious & creamy soup. Can’t wait to make it again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Emmy! xo
I am on a salt-restricted diet so used low salt veggie broth and just a pinch of salt. The soup is good and felt comforting on a cold Chicago New Years Eve but it needs more to replace the salt. I’m no cook but wondered if turmeric might make it more flavorful? What else? I will make again for sure.
Hi Briana, it can be a little difficult to replicate the place of salt. But maybe more curry powder?
Thank you, enjoyed this soup very much. I made as per the recipe and it was very satisfying. Will make again.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Naomi. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
I made this tonight. I left out the celery and used extra carrots. I also added some cinnamon and garnished it with fresh parsley. The flavor is subtle but the soup was so comforting and warm. Great recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Cathe! We’re glad you enjoyed it!
I made it exactly as written, and it was very good. My family’s personal preference would be to leave the soup slightly chunky.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight – delicious!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kristie. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
I have everything but the coconut cream or milk. Do you have any suggestions for replacing that? Cashew cheeze or almond milk?
Another non-dairy milk should work! Or it would probably even still be delicious without it. Let us know how it goes!
I made it and used a few cashews in the soup which blended well. OMG it was delicious!
xoxo!
This is amazing! I just made it and served it to friends. The flavor is out of this world. Everyone had seconds. I followed the recipe but used three carrots to get a nice orange colored soup. It was more of a brownish orange, but it didn’t matter because the soup was so delicious. Thank you for posting this as your last recipe of 2019!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jen. We are so glad everyone enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
This was great even though I only had 2c of veg broth and had to sub water for the rest! I omitted the cayenne so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the tiny human, and just added sriracha to mine for a bit of bite. Another easy and excellent recipe for grown ups that’s also 4-year old approved! Thanks!
Whoop! So glad you enjoyed it, Michelle! Thanks for sharing! xo
Another yummy and nutritious meal.
Yay! Thanks for sharing! xo
Made this tonight! So easy and delicious!
Thank you
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jennifer. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
I made this last night and it was the perfect soup to wrap up the year! Super easy and so comforting. I love how forgiving your recipes are; I’m terrible at exact measurements but they always turn out great anyways! Happy New Year to you and yours ❤️ Like many others I was thrilled to see you expand your recipes to include some meat and eggs this year. Can’t wait to see what next year brings :)
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Maura! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe and our others! Happy New Year xo
Was really excited when I saw this as had all the ingredients and sounds right up my street. Wasn’t my favourite. Colour was cream/beige and not the vibrant orange in the picture. Usually love all your recipes though! Will have a try with the next vegan one you post.
Hi Lindsay, sorry to hear this wasn’t what you were hoping for! The carrots provide it with a vibrant orange color- perhaps yours were more muted? Better luck with the next one!
I just made this for dinner tonight. I didn’t have the exact ingredients on hand so I used olive oil, organic Imagine Brand low sodium No-Chicken Broth (only 140 mg sodium per cup), light coconut milk, and red pepper flakes. Then topped it with roasted pepitas and cilantro. It was very flavorful. Loved it & looking forward to left overs tomorrow. So easy to make!
Sounds lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Ann!
sooo tasty!! i added a little cinnamon and sugar to mine because i love the sweetness of some curry dishes, and it was super good.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Heather. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
5 stars!!!
Yummy, comforting, and cleansing after holiday food deviations ( love you chocolate, but you don’t make me feel good)! I added 1/2 cup more celery and carrots. Didn’t have cilantro, but topped with a little homemade pesto. Thanks for your great 1-pot recipes and clear explanations!
Thanks so much for your thoughtful review, Betsy! We are so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner tonight since I had all the ingredients on hand. I didn’t change a thing and it was great! Another amazing quick and delicious recipe. Thanks so much, Dana!!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Liz! Thanks for sharing!
What kind of pot are you using that you can use an immersion blender in without wrecking the surface? I’m on the hunt!
Hi Tracey, we used this Dutch oven. The blade of the immersion blender doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan so we didn’t have any issues.
Made this today exactly as written – it was a perfect rainy Sunday post-Christmas meal. Absolutely delicious! Topped with cilantro and plain Greek yogurt. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alexa! Those additions sound lovely. Thanks so much for sharing!
823 mg of sodium is really high for a single meal. How can you make this lower in sodium?
Hi Al, feel free to use a low sodium vegetable broth and reduce sea salt, if desired.
I need this in my belly!!
Looks amazing.
Let us know how it goes! =)
I just love your recipes! I’ve made so many of them. I have your blog bookmarked in my keepers. I don’t know how helpful this posting is…I just wanted to give you a shout out for being such an inspiration to my cooking. I intend to make this soup first thing! I love lentils.
Keep the creativity flowing!
Thank you so much!
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words, Tricia! We are so grateful for your support! xo