A creamy spiced chickpea soup bursting with coconut and lime flavours, this is a naturally vegan recipe that makes for a delicious lunch or light dinner. The soup is ready in just 30 minutes and you can serve it with roasted chickpeas on top for extra texture.
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Loosely inspired by Alison Roman's chickpea stew, this creamy soup has quite a bit of kick thanks to a mix of curry powder, ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
I don't use turmeric in this creamy spiced chickpea soup, but I add lots of lime juice, and I top it off with roasted chickpeas for a bit of extra texture.
The soup is very hearty and full of flavour and goes well with croutons, wholemeal bread, or pita bread.
It's also quite creamy, not just from the coconut milk, but also because I add red lentil to it, which break down while cooking, thus adding to the creaminess.
And if the delicious taste of the soup wasn't reason enough to make it, the great news is that you can have a steaming bowl of coconut lime soup in front of you in just 30 minutes!
What do you need to make this creamy chickpea soup?
I make this soup with canned chickpeas for speed and convenience, but you can make it with dry chickpeas instead if you want.
All you need to do is soak them overnight and then simmer for 30-40 minutes before using them in this soup.
Full-fat coconut milk is best for this recipe to obtain just the right amount of creaminess. You can use low-fat coconut milk if you want, but the soup will be less creamy.
To make the roasted chickpeas you see as a topping in the pictures, drain a can of chickpeas and place them in a bowl.
Mix in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of garam masala, season with salt and black pepper, then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.
How do you make the soup?
Start by cooking onion, carrot, garlic and ginger in coconut oil until tender. You then stir in curry powder, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper.
After that, it's a matter of adding all the other ingredients to the pot, except for the spinach and lime juice.
The soup only takes 15 minutes to make because the chickpeas are already cooked, and the red lentils break down quite quickly.
Simmer it on low heat with a lid on, and add a bit more stock or water if it looks too thick.
If you want your chickpeas to be more tender, you can simmer the soup for 30 minutes. I like them to still have a bit of a bite, and that's what 15 minutes does.
What goes well with coconut curry chickpea soup?
I serve this creamy chickpea soup with spiced roasted chickpeas on top, plus lots of extra lime juice and a handful of croutons.
You can also serve it with fresh coriander, a dollop of yoghurt if you're not vegan (a plant-based yoghurt works too), or with toasted coconut.
This is the type of soup that allows you to get really creative with the toppings. Mustard seeds are another idea, and if you don't like coriander, you can sprinkle some parsley instead. The possibilities are truly endless!
If you liked this creamy spiced chickpea soup with coconut and lime, check out some of my other delicious vegan soups!
Vegan White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Garlic
Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Soup)
Instant Pot Vegan Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
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Creamy Spiced Chickpea Soup with Coconut and Lime
A creamy spiced chickpea soup bursting with coconut and lime flavours, this is a naturally vegan recipe that makes for a delicious lunch or light dinner. The soup is ready in just 30 minutes and you can serve it with roasted chickpeas on top for extra texture.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 x 400 (13.5 fl.oz) ml full-fat coconut milk
- 100 g (½ cup) red lentils
- 2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins chickpeas
- 750 ml (3 cups) vegetable stock
- 100 g (3.5 oz) baby spinach
- 1 lime, juice of
Instructions
- Heat up the coconut oil in a large soup pot or a Dutch oven. Add the red onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat until they soften.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute until fragrant. Next, stir in the curry powder, ground coriander and cayenne pepper and continue to cook for another minute.
- Stir in the coconut milk, red lentils and chickpeas, then add the vegetable stock and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes until the red lentils have broken down. If the soup looks too thick, you can add a bit more stock or water.
- Add the baby spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lime juice and stir well. Serve with extra lemon juice and roasted chickpeas on top if you want.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 656Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 644mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 20gSugar: 13gProtein: 24g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Jackie says
Can you make it without red lentils if you don’t have any?
Alice says
You could but the texture will be a lot different.
thefoodblognet says
This is an incredibly flavorful soup. I love the spicy kick and the tropical notes. Delicious!
Kasey says
Amazing flavors!! It was perfect because we’ve had so many rainy days lately. So cozy!