Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup
Veggie-packed and loaded with warm, aromatic spices, this Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup is a wholesome meal you can feel good about. Just toss everything in the slow cooker for an easy and healthy dinner!
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While not the prettiest bowl of food, this Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup, could be one of the healthiest!
Not only is this vegan recipe full of vegetables – carrots, celery, onion, kale, and garlic, lentils are a fabulous plant-based protein that also happen to provide a good amount of fiber!
Additionally, there are many great benefits of turmeric, including being touted as helping with arthritis, inflammation, and multiple diseases.
If all that weren’t enough, this slow cooker lentil soup is delicious! It’s thick and hearty, and so full of flavor!
This soup is an homage to a lentil soup I used to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant in San Diego.
It didn’t have curry powder, that is my own addition, but I fell in love with lentil soup with greens in it because of that restaurant, which has sadly closed down.
If you like legumes, Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup is another great soup!
Ingredients needed (scroll down to recipe card for complete instructions):
- Dried lentils – I like green best, but brown work well too
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Kale
- Vegetable broth
- Seasonings – bay leaves, dried thyme, curry powder, cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, white pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper
- Vinegar (optional)
There are a lot of spices in this recipe, but they all play a nice part in creating depth of flavor to this healthy soup. You may already have a lot of them in your cupboard!
If you love curry powder, Chickpea Cauliflower Curry, Curry Spiced Roasted Carrots, and Spicy Curry Roasted Nuts are delicious!
How to make Slow Cooker Lentil Soup:
- This soup is so easy, it makes itself! Just toss all of the ingredients into your slow cooker. A 5 or 6 quart is perfect for this.
- Stir to combine everything and put the lid on. Cook according to the instructions on the recipe card below. That’s it!
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
It seems like kale is a polarizing ingredient. You either love it or you hate it.
I love kale and think it’s the perfect leafy green for soups because it doesn’t get slimy like spinach does.
However, if you prefer spinach over kale, feel free to replace it.
How to serve Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup?
This soup is an excellent vegan main course! We like to serve it with either a baguette or Slow Cooker Herbed Focaccia Bread.
If desired, garnish your bowl of soup with some chopped cilantro and/or a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
Can you freeze lentil soup?
You can freeze lentil soup in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. The texture may change when reheated and may require a little liquid.
Looking for more slow cooker soup recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup (shown below)
NOTES:
- The use of vinegar is optional, but just a touch of it will help balance all the warm, earthy flavors going on in this soup.
- If you don’t have vinegar, a tiny bit of lime or lemon juice will also do the trick.
- I have made this with both green and brown lentils. Use your favorite!
- Curly kale is my favorite in soup, but you could also use lacinato kale, aka Tuscan kale/dinosaur kale.
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Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup
Equipment
- 5 quart slow cooker or larger
Ingredients
- 2 cups green lentils
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots approx. 3 carrots
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery approx. 3 stalks
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1-1.5 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lime juice optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker except for the vinegar (if using) and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, or until the vegetables and lentils have softened. Taste for needed salt. If desired, add a 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar/lime juice to jazz things up.
- Excellent served with some crusty bread. If desired, garnish your bowl of soup with some chopped cilantro and/or a dollop of Greek yogurt/sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- The use of vinegar is optional, but just a touch of it will help balance all the warm, earthy flavors going on in this soup.
- If you don’t have vinegar, a tiny bit of lime or lemon juice will also do the trick.
- I have made this with both green and brown lentils. Use your favorite!
- Curly kale is my favorite in soup, but you could also use lacinato kale, aka Tuscan kale/dinosaur kale.
- Once cooled, store the lentil soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
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I just ate the recipe! Sooo good. Thank you! :)
It turned out beautifully. I used frozen kale – delicious – great recipe!