Sweet Potato, Lentil and Tahini Soup (Vegan)

This hearty sweet potato, lentil and tahini soup is perfect for cold winter weather. Warmly spiced and comfortingly creamy as well as vegan! It's also great for batch cooking and can be frozen too.

It's still soup weather out there and after my success with carrot and tahini soup, I was eager to experiment more with tahini in soups. This sweet potato and tahini soup is so creamy and warming, it's a brilliant comfort food recipe.

It's amazing that just a little bit of tahini makes the lentils taste really creamy. I know it doesn't look that pretty or appetizing in the picture, but if you like lentils and tahini then I'm sure you would love this. For a slight variation peanut butter would work really well too and probably any nut butter.

Ingredient notes for sweet potato lentil and tahini soup

To make this soup you will need:

• Onion - I usually use a normal brown skinned onion but red onions are also fine.
• Bell pepper - I like to use a a green pepper as it's less sweet and so it's a contract to the sweetness of the sweet potato. However, any colour of pepper is fine. Romano peppers also work well.
• Garlic - I usually use fresh garlic but you can use a spoonful of garlic paste or puree instead.
• Chilli pepper - To add some heat! Miss it out or remove the seeds if you want less heat.
• Curry powder
• Red lentils - Red lentils break down in a soup and help to thicken it. Before adding to the soup, wash them well in a sieve under running water.
• Sweet potato 
• Tahini

How to make sweet potato, lentil and tahini soup

This soup is very simple to make. First just cook the onions gently for about 5 minutes and then add the crushed garlic, chilli pepper and bell pepper. Stir fry for a minute and then add the curry powder plus a tablespoon of water if the pan seems dry.

Cook, stirring for a minute and then add the sweet potato and lentils. Cover with water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the tahini at the end.

Ways to adapt this tahini soup

The recipe below is really a rough guide only. When I make soups I tend to throw in as much of each vegetable as I have or feel like using.

The vegetables were basically what I had left in the fridge so could easily be changed for whatever you have. I think aubergine would be fantastic in this soup.

The spicing also varies. If you feel like making this vegan soup super hot and spicy then please do. Just add more chilli peppers or more curry powder. You can even use a spice paste instead of the curry powder.

The same goes for if you don't want a really hot soup. Depending on how hot you like it you can remove the seeds from the chilli pepper or even remove it altogether.

Can you blend this soup?

Yes, if you would prefer a smooth soup then just use a stick blender and blend it after cooking. Or transfer it to a jug blender, which you may need to do in batches if you've increased the quantities. Alternatively you can just blend some of the soup to add a little thickness.

Can you swap the red lentils for green or brown ones?

I used red lentils in this soup and they are brilliant as they break up as lot and help to thicken the soup. You can certainly use a green, brown or puy lentils instead but the soup will be different. They don't break down in the same way that red lentils do and so they won't help to thicken the soup.

However, it will still be a really tasty soup.

Can you batch cook this tahini soup?

Like most soups, it's very easy to increase the quantities of this sweet potato and lentil soup and make a larger batch.

Storing and Freezing

If you do make a large batch, just store the remainder in the fridge or freeze it in individual portions.

It will keep well for three days in the fridge or three months in the freezer.

You can then reheat it on the hob or in the microwave.

What to serve with this soup?

As this soup is quite hearty I don't think you need to serve anything with it. However, if you do want to add something then some bread would go really well and be perfect for soaking up the flavours.

More delicious soups

I've even got a whole recipe collection devoted to easy homemade soups! This time of year is perfect for making soup so why not have a look at one of these delicious soups!

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Do let me know if you make this sweet potato, lentil and tahini soup or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.

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