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Overhead shot of a bowl of golden cauliflower soup with lentils, lime, and cilantro on top

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Lentils

This Curried Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Lentils is silky smooth, perfectly spiced, filled with aromatics, and it's topped with pan-fried crispy black lentils for a little texture! A squeeze of lime and a handful of cilantro brighten up this cozy, healthy, plant-based soup!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side, Soup
Keyword coconut curried cauliflower soup, curried cauliflower, curried cauliflower and carrots, curried cauliflower soup, curried cauliflower with coconut milk, easy cauliflower soup, healthy cauliflower soup, vegan cauliflower soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the soup

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 can (15 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, plus extra for drizzling
  • juice of 1 lime
  • chopped cilantro for serving
  • lime wedges for serving

For the crispy lentils

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked black lentils
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the soup

  1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil. Once melted and hot, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds - 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the onion, carrot, cauliflower, curry powder, salt, and a couple turns of freshly cracked black pepper, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

  2. Add the vegetable broth, and increase heat to high. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Once soup has finished simmering, remove the lid. Let soup cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth. Be super careful when blending hot liquids and leave space in the blender for the soup and steam to expand! Pour soup back into the pot and stir in coconut milk, lime juice, and reamining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.

  3. To serve, top the soup with a scoop of crispy lentils, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Finish with a drizzle of coconut milk, and serve with lime wedges!

For the crispy lentils

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the lentils and press down with the back of a rubber spatula or wooden spoon into a flat, even layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes (don't stir!), then stir, press the lentils down again, and let the other side crisp up for another 3-4 minutes. At this point, they should be crispy, but you can repeat this process until they are crispy enough for your liking! Season to taste with salt and pepper.