Coconut Red Lentil Peanut Soup
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Coconut red lentil peanut soup is a hearty, meat-free, West African-inspired soup recipe. The coconut milk and lentils make it thick and creamy, and the peanut butter gives it the best flavor. Bonus: it’s easy to make and incredibly delicious.
This peanut soup is creamy, dreamy comfort in a bowl. I’ve been making this recipe for years, and I still love it just as much as the first time. It starts with a simple base of tomatoes, lentils, and all-natural peanut butter—which might sound a little unexpected, but when they come together, it’s pure magic. The flavors meld into something rich, savory, and deeply satisfying.
Coconut milk adds extra richness, and once the peanut butter melts into the tomato-coconut broth, the soup turns luxuriously creamy. You can taste the peanut flavor, but it never overwhelms. While many peanut soup recipes include chicken, I genuinely prefer this vegetarian (and vegan!) version—it’s hearty enough to stand on its own and makes a perfect Meatless Monday meal. Bonus: it reheats beautifully, so if you’re feeding a crowd, I highly recommend doubling the recipe. You’ll be thrilled to have leftovers.
Another cozy lentil soup you might enjoy is my coconut ginger lentil soup.
Store, reheat, and freeze
Store: Once cooled, transfer leftovers to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Reheat: I prefer to reheat soup on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or stock. A microwave also works well.
Freeze: This soup freezes very well. Make extra and freeze a bag for a night when you don’t feel like cooking. You’ll be happy you did! I love these big reusable Stasher freezer bags for freezing soup.
Coconut Red Lentil Peanut Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (minced)
- 2 medium bell peppers (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (diced)
- 2 inch piece ginger (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cinnamon and smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon EACH: cumin and turmeric
- A pinch of cayenne (optional)
- 1 medium sweet potato (diced (about 2 cups))
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups stock vegetable stock
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- 15-ounce can coconut milk
- ½ cup chopped kale (packed)
- Sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, carrots, ginger, and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, and, if using, the cayenne and let the spices cook for 1 minute.2 teaspoons coconut oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 medium bell peppers, 2 medium carrots, 2 inch piece ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cinnamon and smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon EACH: cumin and turmeric, A pinch of cayenne
- Add the sweet potato, tomatoes, and the stock and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the pot simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are almost soft.1 medium sweet potato, 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, 4 cups stock vegetable stock
- Stir in the red lentil and peanut butter and let the soup cook until the lentils are soft, about 10 minutes.1 cup dried red lentils, ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- Blend half the soup using a blender or hand-held immersion blender. If using a blender, add the blended soup back to the pot. Stir in the coconut milk and kale and let the kale wilt. Season to taste with sea salt.15-ounce can coconut milk, ½ cup chopped kale
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Nutrition
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Just delicious and easy. I substituted spinach for kale because I had it on hand. I will definitely be making this soup again!
Oh ya spinach is a great substitution!
I had a bag of red lentils gifted to me and had no idea what to do with them. Happy I came across your recipe cause now I know. It was really tasty!
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
You have the following in the recipe, “½ teaspoon eachEACH” what spiced are supposed to have 1/2 tsp each of?
Thank you
Sherri
Hi Sherri! I apologize for that mistake. It’s supposed to read, “½ teaspoon EACH: turmeric and cumin.” The recipe has been updated now.
Love this soup and so does everyone that tastes it. I can’t even tell u how many times I’ve made this. Sometimes I add some broken up cauliflower… goes well . Thank you
Really enjoyed this! I was worried it might be too salty, even with salt- reduced stock, but it was just fine. Very simple to put together, and it was a massive win!
This soup is simply incredible. Just make it, you won’t regret it. Total crowd pleaser and SO MUCH FLAVOUR.
Very good.
Oh, and I also want to mention that my husband ate his in a sourdough bread bowl from Panera and he thought it was awesome!
I don’t often take time to comment on a recipe unless it is just phenomenal, and this one is in every single way! My whole family enjoyed it, especially my husband and I! The kids did eat their entire bowl, and I’m very excited for my body to use all this clean energy I just put in! Thanks so much for the fabulous recipe! We will make again soon! Yum!!
This was so amazing. Kids loved it. Served it over brown rice with cucumber on the side. Highly recommend
The recipe looked good and did not disappoint. I added a bit more peanut butter and a bit more of the spices, but overall left the recipe unchanged. This one is a keeper 🙂
A hit with all my picky eaters! Really delicious, and I can’t wait to taste it tomorrow. Easy enough for a weeknight, and with ingredients I usually have on-hand. I did omit the kale.
This was SO delicious. I made a couple of tweaks (spinach for the kale which we’re not so fond of). The soup has a lovely texture – thick and creamy – and the flavour, although quite sweet, is very savory and absolultely delicious.
Thank you for the comment, Marg! So happy that you liked the recipe!