We swooned over this Slow Cooker Indian Lentil Soup with coconut milk and spinach and this soup is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. It’s also quite low in carbs; just use more spinach and fewer lentils if you want a version that’s even lower in carbs.

PIN Slow Cooker Indian Lentil Soup to try it later!

I know some of you are going to take one look this Slow Cooker Indian Lentil Soup and veto it because you think the Indian spices, the red lentils, or the spinach is just not going to appeal to you. But that would be truly sad, because the entire time we were making this easy slow cooker soup, Jake and I just couldn’t stop tasting it and remarking on how good it was!

Admittedly Jake is an Indian food lover, and I’m a fanatic for red lentils, but still we’re pretty picky about what we consider to be “blog-worthy” and this delicious soup more than made the cut. I loved it with a generous squeeze of lime.

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The soup was adapted from a recipe for yellow split pea dal I saw in a fun little book called 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker (affiliate link) but truthfully I changed it up quite a bit in my version. What I didn’t change is the fact that this delicious soup is vegan, making it a perfect choice for a plant-based dinner idea.

What ingredients do you need?

What kind of lentils are best for Indian Lentil Soup?

I highly recommend using red lentils for this soup! The red lentils will dissolve much more quickly, helping the slow get done sooner in the slow cooker. Red lentils also have a slightly sweeter flavor compared to green or brown lentils.

What size slow cooker did I use?

I used a 5-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but it could have been a little smaller.

Is Indian Lentil Soup low in carbs?

When I calculated the nutritional information for this recipe I realized that because there is a lot of low-carb spinach, vegetable broth, and coconut milk, this tasty soup only has 11.8 net carbs per serving. If you’d like to make a version that’s even lower in carbs than that, just use more spinach and fewer lentils and it will still be delicious!

Want more ideas for Slow Cooker and Instant Pot lentil soup?

If you’re a fan of using lentils in soup you can find more interesting ideas in a collection of Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipes on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

How to Make Slow Cooker Indian Lentil Soup:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Heat olive oil, then cook the onions until they’re slightly brown.
2. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala, and ground cinnamon and cook 1-2 minutes more.
3. Put the spiced onions in the slow cooker.
4. These are the red lentils I love so much for soup. Pick them over and discard anyone discolored ones and rinse with cold water before you add them to the slow cooker.
5. We used canned vegetable broth and added enough water to make 4 cups.
6. Add the lentils and vegetable broth to the slow cooker with the onions and spices and cook on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours.
7. After 2 hours, the ground turmeric had given the lentils a beautiful yellow color and they were starting to dissolve into the soup.
8. Turn the slow cooker to low and add coconut milk and chopped spinach and cook about 30 minutes more.
9. Season the soup generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve hot.
10. This soup is delicious with a squeeze of lime added at the table!

More Delicious Soup with Lentils:

Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup

Vegan Lentil Soup with Spinach

Try This Next Keto Short Rib Chili

Slow Cooker Greek Lentil Soup

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup red lentils
• 4 cups vegetable broth (see notes)
• 1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach (or more)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan.  Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until it’s starting to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
2. Add the minced garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, Garam Masala , and ground cinnamon and cook 1-2 minutes more.  Put the spiced onion mixture into the slow cooker.
3. Pick over the lentils and remove any discolored ones.  Put lentils in a colander and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
4. Add lentils and vegetable stock to the slow cooker and cook on high for about 2 hours or on low for about 4 hours.  (The lentils should be softened and starting to fall apart when you add the other ingredients.)
5. Turn slow cooker to low and add the chopped spinach and can of coconut milk.  Cook about 30 minutes more, or until lentils and spinach are done to your liking.
6. Season with a generous amount of salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste) and serve hot, with sliced lime to add at the table if desired.

Notes

I used a 5-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but it could have been a little smaller.

We used 2 cans vegetable broth, 14 oz. each, and added a little water to make 4 cups.

This recipe was adapted from a recipe for yellow split pea dal in 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker (affiliate link) 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 128Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 698mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
All types of lentils and split peas are approved for the original South Beach Diet, but serving size is limited. In a soup recipe like this with lots of other ingredients you can eat a moderate size serving for Phase One. Lentils may be high in carbs for other low-carb eating plans, but if you check the nutritional info for this recipe you’ll see it’s relatively low in net carbs and you can reduce the carbs even more by using fewer lentils and more spinach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes or Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

There’s a definite chill in the air. Can you feel it? Well, maybe not in some parts of the country, but here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn is on its way, if not already here.

The best part of fall is the comfort food and there is no food more comforting than this short rib chili. Well, maybe my Shrimp and Bacon Chowder. Or perhaps my keto Cream of Mushroom Soup. And my Buffalo Chicken Soup is also pretty darn spectacular.

But this keto chili recipe definitely makes the short list.

Chili is and always has been one of my favorite foods, because even not very good chili is pretty darn comforting when you’re cold and hungry. How can you go wrong with meat cooked slowly in rich spices and a thick tomato broth? You can’t, that’s all. You can’t go wrong.

And the crazy part is that while I make chili all. the. time, I don’t actually have a good keto chili recipe here on All Day I Dream About Food. Until now, that is.

What makes the best keto chili?

Well, what really makes good chili is a matter of opinion and taste. And probably a few feuds as well. Everyone has their own take on the best way to make chili.

In my experience, a slow simmered chili recipe is best, as it allows the flavors to develop and intensify over time. So don’t be fooled by promises of “fast and easy”. Good chili is usually easy to make but it takes time to cook.

Keto chili should be devoid of any higher carb items like beans, though. That goes almost without saying, because beans are high in carbs and many consider them inflammatory. Onion needs to be kept to a minimum as well, since it’s surprisingly high carb.

Tomato sauce, paste, and puree can also send the carb count up if used too liberally. I like to keep my chili to less than 5g total carbs per serving, so I use a single can of diced tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes help bring out the best flavor.

But the focus of a good keto chili recipe should always be the meat and the spices. Use beef with a high percentage of fat for a satisfying meal, and be generous with the chili, cumin, and garlic.

Can you make keto chili ahead of time?

I find myself wanting to answer this question with a smart ass comment like “Is the pope Catholic?”. Because chili is perhaps the best make ahead meal on the planet.

It’s one of those dishes that seems to actually get better when it’s eaten the next day or even a few days later. And one of the benefits of keto chili is that there are no beans to get mushy as they sit and soften. So it’s just as good or better than the day you made it.

So go ahead and make a huge pot of this short rib chili. This particular recipe serves 10 people. Let it cool to room temperature and then split it up however you see fit. You can do individual servings, or portion it out for your family size.

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. We froze our leftovers back in May and I just fed my family the second portion about a month ago!

Because it contains acidic ingredients like tomatoes, I recommend storing in glass containers if you have them. If not, good BPA-Free tupperware works too.

Tips for making Short Rib Chili

Short ribs are ideal for comfort food dishes like this, because they are fatty and rich, and become incredibly tender with slow braising.

Always brown the ribs first: This step adds 10 minutes or so, but it’s worth it. Browning the meat in lard or oil helps bring out the best flavor, before the liquids are added. Otherwise, you are essentially just eating stewed meat. Transfer the ribs to a plate while making the rest of the chili.

Sweat the onions and other veggies: While I do keep the onion to a minimum, it definitely helps add flavor. So add the onion and green pepper to the pot and sauté in the oils and fats with a little bit of salt. This will help them release their juices and flavor.

Add the spices into the hot oil: Before adding any liquids into the pot, you want to briefly sauté the garlic, jalapeño, and spices in the hot oil. This enhances and intensifies the flavor.

Adjust the heat to your liking: My husband and I like our chili pretty spicy but our kids have more tender palates. So we keep the heat at a medium level. I always add the seeds from the jalapeño but you can leave them out if you want less spice. You can also leave out the cayenne. Or you can add more jalapeño and cayenne too.

Now add the liquids and the meat: Once the spices and garlic are fragrant, stir in the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer before adding the meat.

Slow braise in the oven: You’re looking at a good two to three hours of cooking, but this time is completely inactive. You can be doing lots of other things during this time. Slow braising makes the meat from the short ribs fall off the bone and shred more easily.

Doesn’t this keto short rib chili sound like the perfect comfort food? 

Check out my Keto Soups & Stews cookbook for more delicious comfort food recipes.

Keto Short Rib Chili

Bean-free keto chili made with braised beef short ribs. So easy to make and the perfect low carb comfort food. This keto chili recipe is paleo, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved! And it can be made ahead and frozen so it’s ideal for keto meal planning.

Popular Recipe Cream of Asparagus Soup – Dairy Free Keto Recipe

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto chili, keto chili recipe, short rib chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 428kcal

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone in short ribs
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup bacon fat, lard, or other high-heat oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 large green pepper chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper minced (leave the seeds in for more heat)
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 15 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• ⅓ cup beef bone broth

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300F and season the short ribs all over with salt and pepper.

• In a large dutch oven over medium heat, melt the bacon fat or lard. Once hot, add half the short ribs and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and brown the remaining short ribs. Transfer to the plate.

• Add the onion and pepper to the pot, sprinkle with salt, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne, and cook another minute, until fragrant.

• Stir in the roasted tomatoes and bone broth and bring to a simmer. Add the short ribs back into the pot, cover and transfer to the oven.

• Cook 2 to 3 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the ribs, shred the meat and return the meat to the pot. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Short Rib Chili

Amount Per Serving (1 serving = about 1 cup)

Calories 428
Calories from Fat 319

% Daily Value*

Fat 35.4g54%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1.2g5%

Protein 22.6g45%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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