This delicious Creamy Vegan Lentil Soup has delicious subtle flavors of ginger, turmeric and lemon for a bright, but warming flavor and it’s easy to make, oil-free and plant-based! Instant pot directions included!
CREAMY VEGAN LENTIL SOUP
This is the perfect vegan lentil soup for the cold weather, or just anytime you want a comforting, warm soup that will completely satisfy you. I normally eat this easy vegan lentil soup, but it’s tomato-based, so I’m really loving this creamy, warming, but bright lentil soup with no tomatoes now.
With a creamy base, subtle notes of ginger and lemon, and a gorgeous color from turmeric, this creamy vegan lentil soup is not only gorgeous, it is absolutely delicious and high in plant-based protein!
It also happens to be completely healthy, nutritious, oil-free and packed with warming spices and vegetables.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Raw cashews or sunflower seeds
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, turmeric
- Low-sodium veggie broth: Use a flavorful one here, it is important to the overall soup flavor. I like the Pacific and the Imagine brands the best.
- Fresh spinach
- Lemon
- Maple syrup: Just a tiny amount of syrup enhances the overall flavor, it does not make it sweet.
- Green lentils
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY VEGAN LENTIL SOUP
Step 1: Cook the onion until tender. Add the carrots and garlic and cook 5 more minutes.
Step 2: Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the broth, syrup and lentils. Cook, partially covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes until lentils are tender to your liking.
Step 4: Add the cashew cream, spinach and lemon juice and cook another 5 minutes until thickened.
This soup is bright, yet warming and so comforting at the same time. I hope you love it.
MORE VEGAN SOUP RECIPES
- Low-fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup
- Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque
- Classic Vegan Noodle Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
- Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup
- Hearty Veggie Potato Stew
Creamy Vegan Lentil Soup (With Turmeric and Lemon)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw cashews (see step 1 how to make and NOTES for nut-free)
- 4 1/2 cups quality flavorful low-sodium veggie broth (I love the Pacific and Imagine brands)
- 1 cup (160g) finely diced yellow onion
- 5 large cloves (15g) minced garlic
- 1 heaping cup (150g) 1/4 inch sliced carrots
- SPICES: 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 cups (280g) rinsed uncooked green lentils
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave
- 2 tablespoons (30g) fresh lemon juice
- 4 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Have all your ingredients measured and ready to go since the soup comes together pretty quickly. Make the cashew cream first or sunflower cream first. See NOTES below. If you have a Vitamix, no need to soak them. If you don't, I would soak them in a bowl of water overnight to soften or boil them for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well and then proceed. Blend the cashews (or sunflower seeds) with 1 cup (240g) water until completely smooth.
- Add only 1/2 cup of the broth to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring a bit, until soft.
- Add the carrots and garlic and cook another 3-5 minutes until the carrots are mostly tender, but not fully. Add small amounts of broth as needed to prevent sticking.
- Add all of the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, turmeric, salt and the black pepper. Stir in the veggies for about 30 seconds.
- Add the rinsed lentils, the remaining broth (4 cups) and the maple syrup. Stir well and bring to a boil on high. Once boiling, cover partially just allowing a small amount of steam to escape, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender to your liking.
- Add the cashew cream, spinach and lemon juice and stir through. Cook another 5 minutes until it thickens a bit and the spinach is wilted.
- Taste the soup. Add any more salt or pepper if needed. This can really vary depending on the broth used. Mine needed another good pinch. The lemon should be noticeable but not overpowering. The lemon flavor does settle down after awhile of sitting. If you'd like more, add more to serving bowls. I like to add extra freshly ground black pepper on top for serving.
Notes
- NUT-FREE: If you are allergic to cashews, then I would suggest subbing with a scant 1/2 cup of raw unsalted sunflower seeds plus 1 cup water. Since these are more bitter and less creamy, you may need an extra teaspoon of syrup. I would wait to taste the soup after it is done and decide then.
- SWEETENER: If preferred, you can sub the maple syrup with agave or a smooth date syrup.
- Add the onion and 1/2 cup broth to the IP and press the saute button and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the spices, but NOT the salt. So you will only be adding the garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, ginger and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds in the onion mixture.
- Add 4 1/2 cups more broth, the carrots, syrup and lentils. Stir well. Seal the pot and press the "Pressure Cook" button on high pressure for 6 or 7 minutes. 6 gives the lentils more of a bite and 7 makes them extra soft to wear they melt in your mouth, so choose your preference. I tested both times. Note that it will take about 10 minutes for the IP to come to pressure before the 7 minutes starts counting down, so keep an eye on it.
- When the 7 minutes is up, the IP will beep several times (mine beeps 10 times). Now leave the pot to naturally release for just 10 minutes. Unplug the IP. Do a quick release to release any remaining pressure by pressing the venting button. The float valve will drop down once all the pressure is released. Remove the lid carefully.
- Now stir in the salt (1 1/4 teaspoons), the cashew cream (see step 1 above in the regular directions how to make this), lemon juice and spinach for a couple of minutes until the spinach is wilted. Taste and add any more salt/pepper/lemon if desired.
Nutrition
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I am going to make this tonight. It looks delicious. I saw your post on Instagram and came straight to your blog. You look radiant in the Instagram post. I have some sprouted lentils that supposedly cook quickly, so I hope my lentils don’t turn to mush because I plan to follow the cooking times on the recipe. It’s funny I was literally looking through your cookbook to pick something for dinner. I grabbed my phone opened Instagram and saw your post and my dinner plans were set.
So sweet, thank you Christina! I can’t wait to hear after you make it. Just check the lentils a few minutes early.
Sounds delicious. Would you know Pressure Cooker Instructions? Thanks.
Hi Nancy! I’m updating the recipe today with an IP version. I tested it last night. It required some adjustments as making it as is, produced WAY too thick of a texture. Wasn’t soup, haha. It’ll be up later today!
How do you make cashew cream
Listed under step 1
Do you think this would work with rinsed canned lentils?
Hi Lori! The ingredient ratios and liquid are written based on using dried lentils, since they take awhile to cook. So you can always try it, but I’m not entirely sure how to tell you how much liquid to change or exactly how to adjust, but you’d need 2 cans of lentils and maybe 2-3 cups broth. These are just guesses. It’d be easier to just use the dry, I don’t want to steer you wrong without being sure, but that’s my guess.
The moment you realize you poured in green split peas and not lentils. (OMG) There is no turning back now. It sounded good as written but I need to pay attention.
Made this for dinner tonight as soon as I saw that I had all the ingredients! DELICIOUS! Only substitution I made was frozen chopped spinach for fresh baby spinach (I realized too late to run to store that one of the kids have finished our baby spinach!) I also had to simmer my lentils for a while longer but that was no big deal; I may have turned the burner too low. Super creamy and yummy and the lemon “lifts” it all up.
I am so perfectly full right now! Thanks for a great dinner!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this Christina! Thank you so much for making it! Yeah it could easily just be raising the heat a tad or sometimes lentils can take longer sometimes. ❤️
This was such a simple, but very tasty recipe. I was thrilled to have all the ingredients on hand. It tastes great, and I am looking forward to eating it alongside some Japanese sweet potatoes for my work lunch this week. Thanks Brandi!
OMG, I now have a green lentil soup that I love! I always preferred red lentil, but this soup is amazing! So delicious! Thank you Brandi!
Yay, that’s amazing Dawn!
Do you think it would work if I substituted white beans for the cashews? I would like to cut the calorie count a little.
You can try half and half of cashews and half beans, but I really wouldn’t do all beans. Beans do not produce the same thickening or creaminess that the cashews do. And this makes a large amount, so if you do just 1/4 cup, that will be a small amount of fat for each serving.
I only had red lentils on hand, so mine was a bit mushier than your pictures. But, it didn’t matter–the flavors were amazing, and it had the consistency of a thick chowder with the mushy lentils. We had lots of fresh rosemary, so I sprinkled some on top and served it with some homemade pumpkin bread. So good!
I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the soup!! Oh Yes, red lentils cook really fast and turn mushy quickly. Try it next time with the green lentils, much better texture!
Made this soup last night. Had all the ingredients on hand. Came together easily. So delicious!! Husband gave two thumbs up and this will be added to the supper rotation for sure. Thank you!!
Yay, so glad you and hubby loved it, thank you Amber!
By mistake I misread another recipe that called for 1 cup raw brown lentils and I cooked a 12 oz. pkg so I now have a lot of cooked lentils left over. I figured 2 cups cooked lentils equal about 1 cup raw. Can I use them in this recipe and just use a little less liquid and shorten the cooking time.
The ingredient ratios and liquid are written based on using dried lentils, since they take awhile to cook. So you can always try it, but I’m not entirely sure how to tell you how much liquid to change or exactly how to adjust, but you’d need about 3 cups cooked lentils and and maybe 2-3 cups broth. These are just guesses. Let me know if you try it! You can always add more liquid if needed.
Dang girl. You’ve done it again. This was AMAZING!!!! One of my faves, for sure. My family and I don’t really care for ginger and turmeric flavors but here they totally worked for us. Neither flavor stood out but was still subtly there and just contributed to the overall deliciousness. I used kale instead of spinach. Excited for leftovers today!
Awesome Shelly! So happy you loved this! Yes, exactly, you described it just as I did, subtle notes of flavor, so none is overpowering but blend harmoniously, so I’m glad you said that! Thank you for making it!
I made this in my IP tonight. 6 min w 10 min release. I’m also not eating nuts this month so I just added some warmed soy milk after it cooked and it was perfect! Great dish.
Thanks, I made it per recipe and would like to try it in the IP
I’m updating the recipe today with an IP version. I tested it last night. It required some adjustments as making it as is, produced WAY too thick of a texture. Wasn’t soup, haha. It’ll be up later today!
Yay, thank you Estee!
I just made this lentil soup tonight and OMG I would have to say it’s one of the best lentil soups I’ve ever had. The turmeric and ginger threw me off at the beginning, but as I was adding the last few ingredients WOW it was yummmmmmy! My meat eating husband loved it and even had seconds. I even brought some over to my friend’s house so she could try it. Brandi’s recipes never disappoint. Thank you Brandi for sharing your gift to the world.
This was delicious! I didn’t tweak the recipe at all which is unusual but I find all of her recipes so consistently good that there is no need. The flavors are really well balanced, hearty and creamy but not too heavy. It will be my go to lentil soup recipe.
Very nice blend of flavors. Boiling the cashews really worked well to blend. I tried soaking only in the past and ended up with grainy “cream”. The boiling really worked. I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I’d like to try in it the instapot.
I made this last night- it was delicious! Will make again thank you
Made this last night. As ALWAYS, it was wonderful. It was so comforting and had a familiar taste to it, like it was an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. Having it for lunch at work today.
This is freaking FANTASTIC! Perfect lunch with all the veggies, the cashews, and the lentils. Also, so incredibly flavorful. I will be making this weekly. I sent the recipe to my parents too, who loved it and could not believe how creamy it was! We love your recipes so much!
Made this last night for my family– it was delicious and filling! A perfect comfort food for a stormy winter night. Will definitely make again.
Absolutely delicious! wonderful flavor. I did make it in my Insta pot sauteed onions and garlic first added spices for about 30 sec then lentils carrots and broth. cooked 8 min which may have been a bit to long, also did a natural release. Stirred in cashew cream and greens Creamy and dreamy!!! Thank You so much for all your amazing recipes
this was absolutely amazing and so easy to make. Another homerun. Thank you
Yayyy!
This is amazing! Adding the cashew cream made this incredible. Wonderful comfort food! I enjoyed this so that I hid the leftovers in the fridge so I could selfishly have it for lunch the 2 days after. A home run with this one. Thanks Brandi!
That is amazing to hear Janet, thanks so much!
Creamy vegan lentil soup is another winner! I prepared this dish for lunch today for my husband and I. It’s amazing how flavorful and delicious this dish is, considering the very few ingredients. I thought the recipe was quick and easy to follow as well. We will definitely be adding this to our “repeat”dishes. Love how the cashew cream and lemon flavors come together nicely. I don’t consider myself a cook, as I have pretty little experience in the kitchen. However, following The Vegan 8 recipes, makes me feel like I should open a restaurant. Just kidding Brandi 🙂 Dang these are delicious!!! Thank you for your continued commitment to sharing you’re healthy and flavorful recipes.
Woohoo, that is awesome, thank you Paula!
I made it this week for the family and we all loved it. Next time I’m going to double it so I can have lunch leftovers for a few days. Definitely going into my regular recipe rotation.
SO wonderful to hear this, thank you Monique!
I made this soup tonight and it is absolutely delicious!! I will make this often. Thanks for creating and sharing this recipe.
Yay, really glad to hear that Kathy!
Will you be providing instant pot directions as mentioned on instagram?
Hi Cindy! Yes, sorry about that. Refresh your browser, it’s there listed under NOTES on the recipe card. ❤️
So good and easy. Thank you. Loved it and love your cookbook.
Thank you so much Cindy!
I just made it today with no deviations and absolutely loved it! A great recipe and will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing. Just curious – do you know if this freezes well?
SO very happy to hear that Kimberly, yay! To be honest, since it’s brand new, I haven’t frozen it yet, I’ve eaten it all within 2 days, haha so I’m really not sure! I would think so, though, yes.
I made this last week and HOLY COW!!! soooo good 😍 I never reheat any stews or soups to eat for leftovers but I couldn’t stop eating this!!! making it again this week
That is awesome Bailey!!
This was beyond delicious! I used sprouted lentils and I did the nut-free version with sunflower seeds. This is a winner!
So glad you loved it and with the sunflower seed version, wonderful Melissa!
Brandi
As always your recipes never disappoint. This was Excellent! Thank you so much!