This sweet potato lentil soup is a creamy, budget-friendly vegan dinner made with wholesome ingredients and aromatic spices. Perfect for meal prep and packed with plant-based protein and fiber!
Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients since they’re so inexpensive and versatile: I love recipes from lentil curry to lentil loaf to lentil sloppy joes. I’ve been making variations on my lentil soup for years, but this sweet potato version has become one of my favorites. It feels like a hug in a bowl and I can make a huge batch for under $10!
The flavor of this sweet potato lentil soup is so cozy and delicious, with a savory blend of spices and a hint of creaminess from coconut milk. It’s a healthy vegan soup that doesn’t taste “healthy”, if that makes sense. I recently served it to a crowd and everyone asked for the recipe!
Key ingredients in sweet potato lentil soup
This sweet potato lentil soup hits almost all my meal time wish list buckets: it’s healthy, plant-based yet delicious, easy to make, and even budget-friendly. You’ll need 45 minutes to make it, but it makes a huge pot so leftovers keep on giving! Here are the main ingredients you’ll need:
- Onion, celery and carrots: Called mirepoix, it’s a mix of aromatic vegetables often used to flavor soup.
- Sweet potatoes: The star! Use just two sweet potatoes for maximum flavor.
- Green or brown lentils: Make sure to use these varieties and not red lentils, which become more mushy in a soup.
- Cumin and curry powder: These spices bring big savory flavor without being extremely noticeable.
- Spinach: We love adding greens to soups for added nutrients; you can also use chopped kale or any other greens you have on hand.
- Full fat canned coconut milk: It adds just the right creaminess to the broth without imparting a strong coconut flavor.
What makes this healthy soup budget friendly
One standard soup ingredient is missing from the list: vegetable broth! Most vegan soup recipes call for vegetable broth, and this one would require two quarts, which can add up pricewise.
I’ve also have found that vegetable broth can impart odd flavor notes to a vegetable-based soup, so I’ve started using water instead of broth. Combine that with lentils, which are extremely inexpensive, and you’ve got a great budget-friendly meal idea!
Pro tips for the best results
Dice everything small: I cut my sweet potatoes and vegetables into small, uniform pieces. This ensures everything cooks evenly.
Don’t rush the sauté: Those first 5-6 minutes of sautéing the vegetables are crucial for building flavor.
Taste and adjust: The amount of salt needed can vary depending on your ingredients. I always taste the soup before serving and adjust the seasoning with a little salt or pepper. You’ll also find that if you taste a soup when it is very hot, it tastes less salty: so keep that in mind!
Perfect pairings to serve with this soup
I’m a big believer in the soup and salad (and bread!) approach to dinner. This lentil soup is hearty enough to be a main course, especially when you round out the meal with some salad recipes or bread:
- Fresh Salads: I love pairing this with peppery arugula salad or a crunchy Brussels sprout salad. A simple butter lettuce salad with my go-to balsamic vinaigrette or my favorite chopped salad are some other favorites.
- Bread for Dipping: You need something to soak up every last drop of that creamy broth! Focaccia bread is my first choice; crusty olive bread or easy no knead bread works well too.
- Cornbread: I also like adding cornbread muffins or skillet cornbread.
Storing leftovers and meal prep tips
This sweet potato lentil soup takes 45 minutes to make, but it makes a very large pot which is at least 8 servings. This makes it perfect for meal prep! Here are a few notes:
- The leftovers can become thick over time. Save the coconut milk and add a splash along with milk when reheating.
- Leftovers keep up to 5 days refrigerated. It’s perfect for eating throughout the week! If you get tired of the flavors, you can add new seasonings: we’ve added a little chili powder and ketch up to make it into a makeshift lentil chili.
Dietary notes
This sweet potato lentil soup recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Easy Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
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This sweet potato lentil soup is cozy and creamy: a delicious mix of aromatic vegetables with a hint of savory spices. It’s a healthy vegan soup that’s also budget friendly—great as a dinner idea with crusty bread or a simple make ahead lunch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 lb / 4 cups diced), peeled and small diced
- 10 cups water
- 1 pound (16 ounces) dried green or brown lentils
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin*
- ½ tablespoon curry powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups baby or chopped spinach, or kale (chopped and de-stemmed)*
- ¾ cup full fat canned coconut milk
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until tender.
- Add the sweet potatoes, water, lentils, cumin, curry powder, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils are tender (if not tender, keep cooking a few more minutes). Add the spinach and coconut milk and stir until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add additional salt to taste and fresh ground black pepper.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for meal prep. The soup lasts up to 1 week refrigerated and leftovers taste even better (you can also freeze them for up to 3 months). Leftovers may soak up extra broth, so you can add a splash of coconut milk and/or water and pinch of salt if the texture becomes too thick.
Notes
Save the remaining coconut milk for adding liquid to leftovers.
*You can use any type of greens in this soup, and add more to your liking.
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More healthy soup recipes
A few more of my favorite healthy soup recipes and vegan soup recipes:
- Try my fan-favorite wild rice soup
- Go for cabbage soup or kale white bean soup
- Try other recipes with lentils: lentil soup, curry lentil soup, or red lentil soup
