Last updated on March 25th, 2023 at 10:05 am
Ready in around 20-minutes, this pumpkin lentil soup with ginger has only a handful of ingredients and is a quick and delicious spiced bowl. Perfect for lunch or dinner on a cool Autumn evening.
Check out my 3-ingredient zucchini soup if 5 ingredients is two too many. No judgement 😉
This recipe was originally posted on October 4, 2019 and updated September 26, 2022 with revised recipe steps and variations.
If this is your first visit to my blog, welcome. My name is Amanda and I survive on super-simple-super-delicious-healthy-no-sweat meals.
Especially mid-week. Think "one-pot pastas, walk-away curries and stews, and easy soups."
Why We Love This Vegan Pumpkin Lentil Soup
Besides its miraculous time-saving qualities, this pumpkin lentil soup with ginger has the to power to:
- reduce inflammation - thanks ginger!
- boost antioxidants (pumpkin)
- make skin happy (pumpkin)
- make tummies happy (lentils)
- stabilise blood sugar (lentils)
Add to that, it's pretty bloody yum, naturally vegan and so easy to make.
What You'll Need | Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients to make this soup sing.
Pumpkin. I use Kent pumpkin most often but a butternut will work too.
Red lentils. Stick with red lentils for a quick bowl - they don't require precooking. Just pick them over, give them a wash and you're good to go.
Fresh ginger. Freshly grated or ginger paste adds zing and warmth to this soup.
Vegetable stock. I use vegetable but you could use a vegan chicken stock too.
Onion. Use a yellow or white onion.
How to Make the Easiest Pumpkin Soup
Step 1: Take your soup pot and sauté an onion over medium heat
Step 2: Throw in chopped pumpkin, dried red lentils, stock and grated fresh ginger,
Step 3: Step away.
Step 4: Step back.
Step 5: When the lentils and pumpkin are soft, remove the soup from the heat and carefully blend it in batches once it has cooled a little.
Recipe Variations
If you want to mix it up, substitute the ginger for:
- A few tablespoons of red curry paste stirred into the onions
- A teaspoon of curry powder
- Finely chopped garlic
If you love your dishes quick and delicious try my Tomato Spaghetti with Olives & Lemon, or a Chickpea and Spinach Curry. My Swiss Chard Stew with Pimentón with Lentils is so easy to make and tastes like a weekend in Spain.
And best of all it's just a really delicious warming soup the whole family will love. With sweet golden pumpkin, earthy lentils and a hint of ginger it's a clean and wonderful bowl of goodness. Enjoy. x
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Pumpkin Lentil Soup with Ginger
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and finely sliced
- 1 kilogram pumpkin peeled and cut in to cubes
- ¾ cup red lentils 135 grams | washed and drained
- 1 litre/ 1 quart vegetable stock 4 cups
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for three to five minutes or until soft.
- Add the chopped pumpkin, lentils and stock to the pot and stir before adding the finely grated ginger.
- Cook at a simmer for around 15 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft.
- Season with sea salt.
- Carefully blend the soup in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth to serve.
Josie says
Nice and easy and lovely flavour.
Amanda says
Excellent. I am glad you enjoyed it, Josie. Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂
Deb Kruk says
Amanda we got our first snow fall for the season in the Oregon Willamette Valley so I decided it was a good day for soup. I had bought some puréed pumpkin during Thanksgiving which I never used, so when I saw your recipe today I had to give it a try for lunch. It was simply delicious.This will be a regular in my house. Thanks
Amanda says
Oh, that's so great, Deb. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I am so jealous of your snow! Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Dianne Pymble-Ward says
Hi Tanya, do brown lentils work in this recipe?
Amanda says
Hi Dianne,
I haven't used brown lentils in this recipe but I don't see why you couldn't. Puy lentils have a longer cooking time than red lentils so you'll need to cook your soup for around 45-50 minutes until the lentils are tender. Let me know how you go! 🙂
Tanya says
Hi Amanda 🙂 If I wanted to make this even easier (read: I'm feeling truly lazy) could I use store bought pumpkin puree? And if so, how much would I need to equal the 4 cups of chopped pumpkin? This recipe sounds scrumptious and I am so excited to make it! Thank you! xx
Amanda says
Hi Tanya! I am so glad you want to make the soup. I haven't made it with a puree before - I use the chopped specifically because it cooks with the red lentils at the same time. At a guess, I would say you would need 1 and a 1/2 15 oz cans of pumpkin. I did a little sleuthing and found a 15 oz can holds just under 2 cups so 1 and a 1/2 cans should do it. I would try and get a puree that has no sugar or additions. You have to let me know how it goes! Thanks Tanya.