Zero Oil Curried Carrot Ginger Soup with Lentils (Vegan & Creamy)

Zero Oil Curried Carrot Ginger Soup with Lentils is a warm, nourishing bowl packed with the goodness of carrots, ginger, and red lentils. This healthy carrot-ginger soup is naturally creamy, with no oil, butter, or dairy, making it a light yet satisfying option for everyday meals.

Curried Carrot Soup

Today, I am going to share a simple, yummy curried lentil and carrot soup with ginger.  What’s so special about this soup is that I’m not using any cream, butter, or oil. It’s completely oil-free, and the red lentils that we add naturally provide the creaminess.

The flavors of ginger, carrot, and curry powder go well, and it’s just that perfect soup that will heal your throat and soul. It’s my vegetarian version of “get-well-soon” soup. You can adjust the consistency and make it slightly thin like how I did here, and keep sipping all day.

I can keep talking about carrots’ health benefits, and one single post is not enough to explain about its anti-oxidant properties and the rich supply of antioxidant nutrients that was actually named for them: beta-carotene.  Carrots are very special to me because they were the first successful veggies I planted and harvested in my backyard when I started my gardening journey.

Ingredients required for carrot soup

This carrot ginger soup doesn’t call for any onion or garlic, and yes, read it right. I am just bringing the flavors of carrots and ginger with minimal spices.

Carrots and ginger – The two star ingredients. I have used red carrots, but you can use the regular orange ones as well. For 250 grams, I have used 5 grams of ginger. It might sound a lot, but we really like that flavor. You can reduce it to 3 grams.

Curry powder – For this recipe, I went with the curry powder from the local American grocery here. The blend is slightly different, and it contains fennel powder. You can replace the curry powder with a combination of cumin, coriander, red chili, garam masala, and fennel powders.

To garnish – I just included cilantro and crushed pumpkin seeds.

Veg broth/bouillon cube: You can use either one. I went with abouillon cube and diluted it in 3 cups of water.

Apart from these ingredients, you need salt, water, and pepper powder. Please check the recipe card for exact measurements and recipe note section for all the substitutes.

Dietary specifications

This soup is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, given that you use crushed seeds for garnishing.

Storing & Serving Suggestions

You can store this soup in the refrigerator, and it also freezes beautifully for later use. Serve it with homemade bread, a simple sandwich, or a light salad to make it a complete meal.

Variations

One of the best things about this lentil-carrot soup is how easy it is to customize to your preferences.

• For a silky smooth soup, blend thoroughly with an immersion blender until completely creamy, adding a little warm broth if needed to thin.
• If you prefer a slightly chunky texture, blend only part of the soup or pulse briefly so small carrot pieces remain.
• For extra richness, stir in ¼ to ½ cup light coconut milk after blending, which adds a subtle sweetness while keeping the soup dairy-free.

How to make carrot ginger soup

• Add the rinsed lentils, carrots, ginger, salt, curry powder, vegetable broth, and water to the Instant Pot inner pot. You can skip water and just add 3 cups of broth alone here. If using a stove-top pressure cooker, add all these ingredients to the pressure pan or cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

• Now close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 10 minutes at high-pressure manual mode and release the pressure naturally. When the pressure has been fully released, carefully open the lid.

• Let the veggies cool a bit. Remove the ginger piece, then puree the soup with a hand or immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree it in a mixer jar. Do it in batches.

• After pureeing, set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Check for the seasonings and, if required, add salt. If using black pepper, add it now and simmer.

• The soup will splash. So be cautious and turn off right away. And that’s it. No oil, no butter, carrot ginger soup is ready.

• Garnish it with cilantro and crushed nuts; I used crushed pumpkin seeds and served it warm.

Recipe Notes & VVK Tips

• Water amount: I wanted a thin soup, so I added 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water. But you can reduce the water measure to 2.5 to 3 cups if you want a slightly thick soup.
• Veg broth/bouillon cube – I crushed one veg bouillon cube into 3 cups of water and used it for the soup. You can also use veg broth or veg stock water. Two cups are sufficient; if you don’t have broth, plain water would work too. In that case, add ½ tsp extra salt and curry powder.
• Ginger – I pressure-cooked it with carrots, then removed it before pureeing, as it adds a slight bitterness. Alternatively, you can add ginger julienne when simmering the soup rather than pressure-cooking. I have tried both. If I have fresh, tender ginger, I add it when simmering the soup because I like that flavor, but if the ginger is not tender, I pressure-cook it with carrots and remove them before pureeing.
• As we are adding stock, be cautious with the salt, as the bouillon cube may already contain it.
• You can replace the curry powder with the home-blend I mentioned above. A quarter tsp of each (cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and fennel powder) would do for this measure.
• Lentils add natural creaminess, so always add them. If you want to skip, I recommend adding ⅓ to ½ cup of coconut milk.
• I didn’t add any turmeric powder, but a ¼ tsp would be a great addition.
• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simmer all ingredients in a covered pot for about 20–25 minutes until carrots and lentils are soft, then blend.

More cozy and comfortable vegetarian soups

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5 from 7 votes

Zero Oil Curried Carrot Ginger Soup with Lentils (Vegan & Creamy)

Creamy carrot ginger soup made with red lentils and zero oil. This vegan, gluten-free carrot soup is healthy, comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 64kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

• ▢ 250 grams carrots peeled and chopped into chunks
• ▢ 5 grams ginger peeld
• ▢ 2 tbsp red lentils
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp curry powder
• ▢ 3 cups vegetable broth I crushed 1 veg bouillon cube in 3 cups of water for a milder flavor
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ½ tsp ground pepper as needed
• ▢ 2 tsp cilantro
• ▢ 1 tsp chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds

Instructions

• Add the rinsed lentils, carrots, ginger, salt, curry powder, vegetable broth, and water to the Instant Pot inner pot. You can skip water and just add 3 cups of broth alone here. If using a stove-top pressure cooker, add all these ingredients to the pressure pan or cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  
• Now close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Pressure cook for 10 minutes at high-pressure manual mode and release the pressure naturally. When the pressure has been fully released, carefully open the lid.
  
• Let the veggies cool a bit. Remove the ginger piece, then puree the soup with a hand or immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree it in a mixer jar. Do it in batches.
  
• After pureeing, set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Check for the seasonings and, if required, add salt. If using black pepper, add it now and simmer.
  
• The soup will splash. So be cautious and turn off right away. And that’s it. No oil, no butter, carrot ginger soup is ready. Garnish it with cilantro and crushed nuts; I used crushed pumpkin seeds and served it warm.
  

Video

Notes

• Water amount: I wanted a thin soup, so I added 3 cups of broth and 1 cup of water. But you can reduce the water measure to 2.5 to 3 cups if you want a slightly thick soup.
• Veg broth/bouillon cube – I crushed one veg bouillon cube into 3 cups of water and used it for the soup. You can also use veg broth or veg stock water. Two cups are sufficient; if you don’t have broth, plain water would work too. In that case, add ½ tsp extra salt and curry powder.
• Ginger – I pressure-cooked it with carrots, then removed it before pureeing, as it adds a slight bitterness. Alternatively, you can add ginger julienne when simmering the soup rather than pressure-cooking. I have tried both. If I have fresh, tender ginger, I add it when simmering the soup because I like that flavor, but if the ginger is not tender, I pressure-cook it with carrots and remove them before pureeing.
• As we are adding stock, be cautious with the salt, as the bouillon cube may already contain it.
• You can replace the curry powder with the home-blend I mentioned above. A quarter tsp of each (cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and fennel powder) would do for this measure.
• Lentils add natural creaminess, so always add them. If you want to skip, I recommend adding ⅓ to ½ cup of coconut milk.
• I didn’t add any turmeric powder, but a ¼ tsp would be a great addition.
• If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simmer all ingredients in a covered pot for about 20–25 minutes until carrots and lentils are soft, then blend.

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 1333mg | Potassium: 281mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10829IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2016 but now updated with new photos and step-wise pictures and video.