Soup is one of my favorite things to eat at night for dinner, it’s warm, satisfying and completely fills me up if it has the right ingredients. Incorporating all 6 tastes in a meal is one little trick that can help you eat less and this Coconut Split Pea Soup does just that! In Ayurvedic Medicine (a form of ancient alternative Indian medicine), they teach that all 6 tastes – sweet, bitter, salty, pungent, sour, and astringent, should be eaten at every meal for us to feel fully satisfied and to ensure that all major food groups and nutrients are represented. I incorporate this principle in the way I eat each day and also emphasize it in our Meal Plans for Health Program that we launched last month (check it out if you are looking for an easy weight-loss inspired meal plan to follow!)
- 2 cups yellow split peas
- 8 cups water
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
- 8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced (divided in half)
- ⅓ cup currants (or raisins)
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 14-ounce can of organic coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- one small handful cilantro, chopped
- Soak split peas overnight,
- Rinse split peas until the water runs clear,
- Toast curry powder on dry skillet until it is fragrant (don't burn it!),
- Place split peas in a crockpot with water, carrots, ginger, toasted curry powder, coconut oil, 4 green onions sliced, currants, tomato paste and salt,
- Let the soup cook in crockpot on high for at least 4-6 hours,
- Add coconut milk and cook for another 30 mins,
- Serve soup with a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro.
If you are wondering more about the healing Ayurvedic way of eating, check out this chart produced by the Deepak Chopra Center below – you can refer to it as you build your recipes to make sure you are creating a very satisfying meal. If you are trying to reduce cravings or the feeling of being unfulfilled after your daily meals, incorporating the 6 tastes might just do the trick. A side benefit of this method is you will likely end up eating less than you would have otherwise. I definitely have noticed this and I hope you experience the same benefits!
If you know someone who would enjoy knowing about the 6 tastes, please share this post with them…especially if you notice they have an unvaried or bland diet or eat too much!
Hope you enjoy the soup,
Food Babe
Sounds yummy! Gonna try this one 🙂
Making it tonight 🙂 Report back!
I’m confused. Do you put the 8 cups of water in the crock pot as well?
Yes, please put the water in the crock pot too! 🙂
Do you have a recommendation for a safe crock pot brand that doesn’t have lead? Thank you!
What could I substitute the can of coconut milk with? Would some potatoes work?
I avoid all tinned foods because their just dead processed foods. Most tins contain BPA in the lining.
The coconut milk I linked to does not contain additives or BPA, however you can make your own coconut milk – check this recipe: https://foodbabe.com/2012/05/31/sweet-banana-in-coconut-milk-elephant-camp-dinner-at-four-seasons-tented-camp/
I have a live health and wellness show on am1420 in Bonham TX I would love to have Vani call in to talk about her lattest venture in regards to her activist movement! Let hear from you Richard
Looks amazing, Vani! Would you recommend freezing unused portions?
Yes absolutely – this recipe makes a huge portion 🙂 I like to freeze in small pyrex dishes with silicone tops.
you can also freeze it glass ball jars.
I would like to be a testimonial for you because I believe you will be the one to educate me, using smart techniques like the coconut split pea soup trick ! I hope to discuss the thought and the opportunity with you in the very near future. Officially, I weighed in at 280 today. I will be 199 pounds by 7/25/2014 !!! Thanks Food Babe !!!
Hope you made your goal! Don’t give up if you are not quite there yet.
Any recommendations for a substitute for the peas for those who avoid legumes?? Thanks!! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this!! I love all of your tips, thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂
You are welcome Michelle, thanks for sharing your love!
I hate to ask a dumb question, but…Do you have to blend this with an immersion blender or anything to give it a soup consistency? Or is it chunky?
The split peas get really soft, creamy and break down during cooking – so there is no need for a blender.
Looks delicious! Will have to try.
There are no fresh split peas in Chicago, any other suggestions other than canned peas?
They are dried split peas – you should be able to find them. Good luck!
I had some friends over for dinner tonight and made this. It was delicious! We all loved it! And I agree it left us very satisfied – no after dinner chocolate or pre bed snack cravings. Sadly though it was so yummy there were no left overs… 😉
Can any curry be toasted? I have organic curry powder but is this a special kind?
Hi Patti – you can use any curry powder. Hope you love it!
I tried your coconut split soup. Took all day to cook in the crock pot and makes a big pot but I does not like the taste. I had to add some coconut sugar because it’s to blen. Sorry I will not do this recipe again.
So sorry you didn’t like it. Hope you will try some other recipes on the site!
I tried this soup cooking it on the stove top. I don’t always like stuff cooked in the crockpot as it tends to all taste the same. I used Japanese sweet potatoes instead of carrots and added lime juice & serano peppers along w/ the green onions & cilantro when served. It was very good. I will be making it often. Really liked it.
I know you recommended several juicers on your site. Have you heard of the fusion juicer if so what are your thoughts on it??
I’d like to know more about food combinations — what is best together.
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing!
I was going to make this tonight because the cooking time says 1 hour but it is way longer than that! May want to change the top stats of the recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out Jenny. You can do it on the stove top (see note at bottom of recipe) in way less cooking time but yes, we should make that clear.
Hey Vani! This may be a stupid question but I was wondering if you’re vegan or vegetarian and if not, have you ever been?
Hi Morgan – Vani is not not vegetarian or vegan. She does eat mostly a plant based diet but will occasionally have a little meat or dairy. What is most important to her is avoiding chemicals in her food.
I am trying to make this soup right now and the split peas just aren’t getting soft. I soaked them overnight and I’ve had the crock pot going for 9 hours now. What am I doing wrong? :(((
So sorry Kristen – did they ever soften up? Usually the cause of beans/peas not getting soft is because they are old. Did you buy them in bulk? They could have been in the store too long.
Thanks! Yes, indeed I bought them in bulk aisle at Whole foods. I cooked those suckers for 11 hours. Eventually poured everything down the drain. 🙁 Please update the recipe with this helpful tip so others don’t make the same mistake. Thanks again! I love this site.
I hate that…please tell Whole Foods – they will give you your money back and they need to know so they can change them out.
I tried the recipe again, with split peas from the bag, they were not expired. Still didn’t work for me. 🙁 I don’t know what is going on. I guess I am done trying this recipe.
Kristen, the same thing happened to mine when I cooked them in the crock pot tonight. I put what we had in our bowls in a pot to finish over the stove. It took about 25 min after bringing to a boil and then simmering. Next time, I will just do the whole thing on the stovetop from the beginning! Hope this helps 🙂
Ohhh. My crock pot must not get hot enough. Good to know. Thanks!
Kristen, did you by any chance have your crock pot on low instead of high?
Please advise in terms of cups what one serving would be. I need to track for a family member portion size along with carbs, protein etc.
I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe and it came out great! I had a ton of frozen peas, so I added them at the end instead of using the split peas. The consistency was probably a little different from yours, but it was faster and it was still tasty! Even my picky husband (who ALWAYS complains when I add curry or coconut milk to things) enjoyed it. It freezes really well in glass containers, like you recommended (I think this is important to emphasize, because curry powder stains everything plastic). It was also filling but not bloat-inducing, and refreshing and warm at the same time, if that’s possible. Sooo…thanks!
Thanks for sharing Danielle – so glad you like it. My family loved it as well…
My husband I both liked this soup. It was so good, we could not eat just one small bowl. Thanks. Need to get some more split peas and make again.
Made this soup tonight for the family as pea soup is a favorite. My 6-year old had two bowls!
I made this yesterday with split peas that were olllllllllld. After cooking for quite some time and realizing they weren’t going to soften, I decided to puree the finished soup with a hand blender. It wasn’t the perfect smooth consistency, but better than throwing it out! Can’t wait to try again with fresher peas!
I made this soup and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, my split peas were from the Whole Foods Bulk section and never softened up – I soaked overnight and left them in the crock pot for 9 hours. In the end I blended it all up but it was still very grainy. I hope my next batch of split peas are fresher because I truly loved the taste of this soup! Thanks for all the info, hard work and delicious recipes (I tried the kale tacos tonight and the whole family loved them – even my 2 and 4 year olds).
I eat lentils on a daily basis so need to know if these are “toor dal ” or “Chana dal” ?
The package from Indian stores interchange these terms but I buy what I want by looking at the size & texture of the lentil.
Hi Vani!!
I LOVE your website!
How does this fit in with (i thought) the Ayurvedic Medicine principles of food combining (which is super hard for me to get my head around anyway)?? Seems ultra-complicated!
Am I missing the lentils? How much? I see them mentioned in the stovetop version. Thanks!
Beth, I noticed the same thing about the lentils mentioned in the “Notes” section at the end of the recipe. I think it’s a typo. May have been a “cut-and-paste” from another recipe, because there is no mention of lentils in the ingredients section. 🙂
Yuck! Looks like someone already ate it..
I know this is hard to believe but…I detest the taste and smell of coconut…(ditto for red, green, and orange bell peppers). Is there a healthy substitute for coconut water?
I have been wanting a recipe for split pea soup and here it is! And, healthy at that! Thank you so much, love your site. You have so many great recipes, I can’t wait to try more of them in the new year!
Let us know what you think!
Can Mung beans, red lentils or any lentils be used in place of yellow split peas. Have been cooking for 8 hrs and peas still hard. Soaked overnight, did buy from Whole Foods, Charlotte, in bulk because they didn’t have any pre packaged.
Don’t want to throw the whole batch out…any suggestions?
Thanks
I made this the first time w/ split peas. I personally prefer it with lentils on the stove top that cook in 30 minutes – throw in the carrots (I use sweet potatoes) and the currants and ginger near the end and it is delicious every time. This is what I make when I have to cook dinner quickly but want to impress. Everyone loves it – I like hot peppers so garnish my bowl w/ peppers, onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Yum.
I just made this recipe today. My husband said it was “outstanding!” The split peas didn’t completely soften, so it could be what others are saying, that they were old. They were soft enough to eat, but not the consistency of those in canned split pea soup. That’s ok. It smelled great and tasted delicious. Thank you, Food Babe, for another wonderful recipe!
Just tried this and it tastes great. Feels like there should be sweet potatoes or something else that will help to fill you up. U d
Just tried this and it tastes great. Feels like there should be sweet potatoes or something else that will help to fill you up… I did notice the coconut separated in whilst it was cooking so it doesn’t look amazing…in fact its curdled. Is there a way to prevent this in the future?
Regarding the matter of peas not getting soft during cooking, I have not tested this theory yet, but I recently read an article suggesting that legumes (beans, lentils, etc.) should be cooked without salt to achieve that soft, fully-cooked texture. Something about the salt prevents the beans from absorbing all the water necessary to cook completely. Perhaps it would be better to add the salt near the end of cooking after the peas have softened.
Wow. This soup is amazing. Really.
This is a delicious soup. My mom has made it four times in the past few weeks. She has made hers on the stove top every time. I followed the recipe exactly and it did not turn out at all! I hate waste!
Oops… Meant to write that I made mine in the crockpot. Do you think this does not work in the crockpot, or adjustments need to be made?
I loved the flavors in the soup! My lentils never softened, despite soaking overnight and several hours on the stove (they were fresh from the supermarket).
I would love more ideas on how to get them to soften.
I bet your a really good cook..
This sounds amazing! I’m going to try it with green split peas and share this recipe on my website – daybreakmill.com. Thanks for sharing! Sounds like the perfect soup for a chilly fall evening.
Could you please post the nutritional values per serving? I follow weight watchers and would really like to try this soup
Try downloading the recipe in myfitnesspal that will convert the nutritional info.
I love split pea, SO GOOD for you….I have to for Medical reason keep track of my calories and fat ….can anyone figure out what a cup of this soup is??
I make split peas all the time…easy and fast…use a pressure cooker!
I’m wondering if the currants/raisins are necessary for the “sweet” part of the tastes. No one here likes them, so I’ll leave them out, but wondering if I should add something else or if one of the other ingredients covers the “sweet” taste.
Has anyone made this soup using a vitamix??
I love to make this also! But where is the nutritional information? Sodium, Carbs, Calories etc.