This warming curried split mung bean soup with coconut milk is easy to prepare, nourishing and simply delicious. Enjoy on its own or with some grilled naan for dunking!
Hi friends!
Bringing you a delicious mung bean recipe today!
You may remember a while back I shared a slow cooker mung bean soup.
Today, though, it’s split mung beans! They’re also known as “yellow mung beans” or “moong beans.”
But, it doesn’t really matter what you call them, because they’re straight up delicious (especially in soup with a rich curry coconut base).
And I don’t know about you, but I could still use all the comfort food!
Why We Love This Split Mung Bean Soup
- This recipe uses pretty budget-friendly and humble ingredients.
- It’s made in one pot for easy preparation and cleanup.
- It uses mostly pantry (and freezer) ingredients and some hearty vegetables.
- It tastes delicious!
What are Split Mung Beans?
Split mung beans (or moong beans) are basically the hulled and split portion of a whole mung bean.
They’re naturally gluten free, inexpensive and cook quickly.
And though yellow split mung beans may look something like yellow split peas, they are different.
Do I Have to Soak the Beans?
Nope!
Just pick over (remove and discard any rocks, foreign objects and imperfect mung beans), rinse and drain.
They cook pretty quickly, which is also a bonus!
Can I Use Fresh Spinach Instead of Frozen?
I’ve made this soup with frozen spinach and fresh.
Fresh baby spinach can be added at the end when everything is cooked. The residual heat in the pot will wilt it.
If you use frozen spinach, you just need to cook it a little longer.
Another thing to keep in mind is the frozen spinach will give you more green flecks in your soup, whereas the fresh spinach will have larger pieces. The taste is still the same, of course!
Garnishes and Serving Ideas
- Herbs, like cilantro or green onion add a lovely flavour and pop of flavour.
- Dollop with a little plain yogurt (dairy or non dairy, whatever you prefer)
- Serve this yellow mung bean soup with a wedge of lemon to really brighten things (or a splash of white vinegar).
- Grilled naan is delicious for dunking into this soup.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Full-fat coconut milk was used (and recommended) here over, say, a light variety.
- Use less crushed red pepper flakes if you prefer less spice. Just add (or not) to taste.
- Instead of store-bought broth, try my homemade veggie broth.
More Delicious Soups
Fan of mung beans? There’s another mung bean recipe heading your way soon!
If you try this split mung bean soup, be sure to leave a comment below!
Yellow Split Mung Bean Soup With Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped small (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 cup split yellow mung beans, picked over (remove rocks, foreign objects and imperfect mung beans), rinsed and drained
- 4.5 to 5.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth, depending on how thick you want your soup
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
- 4 to 5 ounces frozen spinach, or fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Add coconut oil to a large pot over medium heat. (I used an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.)
- Once melted, add onion and cook, stirring often, for about 3 to 5 minutes until onion has softened.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook, giving it a little stir, for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add carrots and sweet potato.
- Stir in tomato paste, curry powder, crushed red pepper flakes, turmeric, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring as it cooks.
- Add the split mung beans and vegetable broth. Stir to combine everything. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in coconut milk, frozen spinach and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and remaining ½ teaspoon of black pepper.Note: If using fresh spinach instead of frozen, just add during the last couple of minutes of cook time until cooked and wilted.
- Bring to a simmer, cover again with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the split mung beans are tender and the spinach has broken down and is heated through. Give everything another stir to ensure the spinach has distributed throughout the soup. Serve and enjoy! Yields 4 to 6 servings.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Kelly says
I just made this for the first time and it’s beautiful and delicious. I ate some immediately, put three servings in containers for lunches, and froze another three portions in silicone meal prep molds. I made some yogurt naan bread as a side. I will definitely make this again!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Kelly! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Sounds like such a yummy meal with the yogurt naan bread. 🙂
PK says
Really delicious soup. The sweet potato and fresh ginger elevate the flavors. I make soup twice a week and my husband asked to make sure I make this one again.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you kindly! I’m so glad to hear that you both enjoyed it!
Michelle VR says
This was great! I didn’t have sweet potatoes on hand but had everything else in my pantry. Very easy to customize and it was delish! I used chopped frozen spinach and had some Rao’s marinara which worked just fine as a sub for tomato paste. Eliminated the red chili pepper flakes and black pepper to keep the heat down. The curry powder and fresh ginger gave it enough heat. The only problem I had was I only had bone broth (which uses vinegar to break down the protein etc but inhibits the break down of the mung beans) and no chicken or veggie broth so it took forever to cook down the mung beans but that was my error. Only 1/2 bag of fresh frozen coconut milk but that was fine! Was still delish! The best part? My husband didn’t “toot” all night long!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
LOL!! Thank you very much, Michelle! And I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was easy to customize, that’s awesome! 🙂
Sherry Short says
Was really good. I did alter it slightly, but we loved it.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thanks very much, Sherry! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Paul Williams says
The soup tasted pretty good but it seemed like something was missing. I couldn’t figure out it was missing.
HPow says
Really delicious! I halved the red pepper flakes to appease my kids, and amped up some of the spices a bit. Excellent recipe !
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you so much!!
Maaliyah says
I bought a bag of split mung beans, as I am allergic to lentils and peas, and decided to use this recipe to try them out. I am so glad I did! I did make two modifications to reduce the carbs of this soup and preference:
-replaced the sweet potato with half a pie pumpkin
-replaced frozen spinach with frozen kale.
Even with the modifications, the soup turned out delicious!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Maaliyah! Thank you very much!
Kay says
The soup is in the pan as I write this. It is not time to eat yet, but the smell is driving me crazy – so I’ve had a little taste! Oh my goodness, what a celebration of tastes in my mouth! This is not the last time I’ll be making this!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
That’s so wonderful to hear, Kay!! Thank you very much!!
Sarah says
I tried this recipe after I saw split mung beans in my local market and wanting to try something new with them. It turned out SO delicious and I know I will be making this a lot in the future! Thank you so much 🙂
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Sarah! That’s wonderful to hear!!
Helena says
Very reach and tasty soup, my self and family love it, made that soup already several times!!
Thank you for sharing that recipe.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Helena!! I’m so glad you and your family enjoy it!!
JT says
I stumbled upon this recipe looking for instructions on how to cook split yellow mung beans I’d had for too long.
I didn’t have an onion but subbed onion powder as well as butternut squash for the sweet potato.
It ended up tasting delicious even without turmeric and with some old celery I had laying around.
Thanks for the inspiration and tasty nutrition Dawn!!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Pat says
Thank you, seems very nutritious, filling and tasty. Making my 3rd batch shortly.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Pat!! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!!
Amanda Elliott says
Can I use green mung beans if I can’t find split yellow?
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Hi Amanda, I’ve only tested this particular recipe with yellow split mung beans. If you’re looking for a recipe with green mung beans, this slow cooker mung bean soup is yummy! I hope you enjoy the recipes!