Donβt settle for bland Lentil Soup!Β Make it right and youβll have everyone begging for secondsβ¦.and thirdsβ¦ This lentil recipe is one of the best nourishing, simple dishes you can make with dried lentils thatβs 100% delicious. Use green lentils, red lentils, brown lentils or a lentil soup mix.
All it takes is a hint of spice flavourings, bay leaves and finishing it off with a touch of lemon to elevate this soup. Itβs an easy recipe that delivers terrific results, a 5 star reader favourite with hundreds of feedback from readers!
Want to addΒ some protein? Try this Beef & Lentil Soup!
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is quite possibly the least sexy sounding soup on the planet.
At least, in my world. Regular readers know that Iβm all about big flavours. Spicy, herby, curries β kapow, kapow, kapow!
But you know what? A well made Lentil Soup recipe is canβt-stop-eating-it good. Youβll go back for seconds and thirds, then youβll be taking big tubs of it to work for lunch and happily have it for dinner again.
And β Iβm going to say it (*head swell*) β plenty of readers have said this is theΒ best lentil soup theyβve ever had!
A well made Lentil Soup recipe is canβt-stop-eating-it good.
Is lentil soup good for you?
If youβre wondering if lentil soup is good for you, the answer isΒ yes!Β Lentils areΒ nutritious, rich in minerals, protein, low in fat, high in fibre (digestive health). They are a terrific vegetarianΒ source of proteinΒ with 25% of the calories in lentils attributable to protein.
Lentils are a carbohydrate, but itβs slow burning which means it keeps you fuller for longer.Β Studies also suggest that lentils are good for heart health.
The added benefit is thatΒ they are low in calories with 116 calories in 1 cup of cooked lentils (which is roughly the amount per serving of this lentil soup).
What does lentil soup taste like?
It tastes savoury and has a flavour boost from a hint of spices. Thereβs an undertone of natural sweetness from the soffritoΒ flavour base of onion, carrot and celery. My favourite part is the texture! Itβs thick and comforting, and just made for dunking in hot crusty bread!
What goes in Lentil Soup
Hereβs what goes in my lentil soup. Nothing fancy, just everyday ingredients.
So what makes this Lentil Soup so good?
A touch of spices.
Cooking the onion, carrot and celery slowly so they sweeten and make a beautiful flavour base.
Lemon βΒ The βsecretβ ingredient.Β Yes really. Little tip I picked up from Ina Garten. Just a bit of zest and squeeze of fresh lemon makes all the difference which takes it from really good to great!
Do you cook lentils before adding to soup?
Nope! Dried lentils cook in 35 minutesΒ in the soup, and thereβs no need to soak them either!
What type of lentils are best for lentil soup?
Dried lentils are best for lentil soup. You can use most types of lentils for this recipe β brown, green, red or yellow, though it will affectΒ the colour of the soup. Iβve used green lentils, pictured below.
The only type of lentil I do not recommend isΒ Puy Lentils (little black French lentils) because they hold their shape and donβt soften like other lentils.
Can you used canned cooked lentils?
Yes you sure can, and directions are provided in the recipe notes. But itβs better made with dried lentils because of the texture in the soup, thereβs only 10 minutes difference in cook time and itβs more economical!
How to make Lentil Soup from scratch
SautΓ© your onion, garlic, carrots and celery overΒ over low heat for almost 10 minutes. Take your time here βΒ the lower the heat, the longer you take, the more these will transform to create an incredible flavour base for the soup!
Add everything else other than the lemon;
Simmer 35 minutes until lentils are soft; and
Finish with a dusting of zest and spritz of lemon.
A hint of lemon earthiness from the zest and touch of freshness from the juice just jazzes up the soup and takes it to that next level!
Youβll find that the lentils mostly breakdown and naturally thicken the soup. But what I like to do to get a really luscious creamy texture is to give the soup aΒ quick whizz with a blender stick (or transfer a couple of cups to the blender) to puree SOME but not all the lentils.
That way you get the benefit of both worlds β creamy soup with soft bits of lentils. YES!
How to store lentil soup
Lentil Soup will easily keep for 5 days in the fridge, making it ideal for cooking on the weekend and serving throughout the week. And it also freezes 100% perfectly for 3 months β even longer!
Every time I make this, I always wonder why I donβt make it more often. Itβs healthy, filling, super economical, freezes perfectly, versatile and itβsΒ seriously good.
Serving this with some sort of warm crusty bread for dunking is not optional.Β ItβsΒ an essential part of the Lentil Soup experience.
But itΒ is optional whether you slather said bread with butter, or grill it with cheese! Β Here are a few options β including making your ownΒ ultra easy homemade bread with NO YEAST:
β Nagi xx
Watch How To Make It
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Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped (white, brown, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot , chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 celery ribs , chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 cups / 400g dried lentils , green or brown, rinsed (Note 1)
- 400g / 14 oz crushed tomato
- 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts (6 cups) vegetable or chicken stock / broth, low sodium
- 1/2 tsp each cumin and coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 lemon (zest + juice)
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, each
To Serve
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Warm bread, to serve
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add celery and carrot. Cook for 7 β 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Donβt rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.Β
- Increase heat and bring to simmer. Scoop scum on the surface off and discard (do this again during cooking if required). Place lid on and turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 35 β 40 minutes or until lentils are soft.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Thicken Soup: Using a stick blender, do 2 or 3 quick whizzes to thicken the soup (see video below). Or transfer 2 cups to a blender, let it cool slightly, then hold lid with tea towel and blend then transfer back into pot.
- Add a touch of water if you want to adjust soup consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grate over the zest of the lemon then add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with warm crusty bread slathered liberally with butter!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Recipe originally published March 2017, spruced up with new pics, new video and fresh new writing. Absolutely no change to recipe β itβs been a firm reader favourite from day 1, so IΒ wouldnβt dare touch it!
More totally delicious lentil recipes:
Sexy Lentil Salad β try it, then youβll get the nameβ¦.
Dal β Indian lentil curry. The highest and best use of lentils, full stop!
Coconut Lentil Curry β outrageously addictive, andΒ easyΒ (I make this for a curry fix when I donβt have time for dal)
Mejadra (Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil Rice) β so good you can eat it plain, seriously!
Browse all Beans and Lentil recipes
Life of Dozer
He contributes less than nothing to this household, he actually contributesΒ negative.Β Dropping fur everywhere, shaking vigorously so it flies everywhere along with an inordinate amountΒ of sand, constantly sprawling out in my path so Iβm forced to step over him (remember, Iβm vertically challenged = giant steps).
Giant π© all over the backyard. Barks furiously at tree branches swaying in the breeze but I swear, he would happily show a robber where my jewellery box is in exchange for a pat.
Useless!!! (And yet we love them so much, donβt we? π)
PS Another example of his uselessness β he spends 22 hours a day doing this. The other 2 hours are spent a) eating b) hoping to eat c) playing.
This lentil soup is exactly the flavor profile I was looking for. I have memories of a bagel store in Ny with the same cumin flavor. My only problem was it wasnβt soup, my beans absorbed all the broth and when I added water it lost the flavor. My husband likes it soupy. I enjoyed it before when it was thick. So next time I have to add more broth instead of water so it doesnβt lose flavor. Oh I forgot I added polish sausage hubs likes some meat and it probably gave it yummy fat tooπ
Thanks for the recipe β€οΈ
Great, easy recipe! Exactly what I was looking for to surprise my boyfriend. He LOVED it and gave it 9/10.
I didnβt have any celery or carrots, but did have a can of diced tomatoes. Stand out flavors for me were the tomatoes and brightness of the lemon. Thank you !
Made this soup for the first time. I stuck to the recipe but used red lentils. I will not make it again. I felt like the flavor was bland.
I have several lentil soup recipes but this one leaves the others in the dust! Pretty straightforward to put together but it was the pulse with the wand blender to give it a creamier texture and the dash of lemon at the end to brighten the flavours that really made a difference. Thank you Nagi!!
I made this just the afternoon. Omg, this is a keeper. I already have variations in mind! Thank you so much. (I normally intensely dislike lentils! LOL)
This recipe is the best!!!
Making a double batch this weekend. Do not skip the lemon!!
Great soup! I added shrimp and it was great!
This was AMAZING! Ran out of carrots, so I added some chopped sweet potato. Chopped in my own tomatoes. Mine didnβt dry outβ¦ keep adding water as it cooks. Kept eating some as it cooked, but then at the end I added some lemon juiceβ¦WOW! Even better! Iβll make this one again. Thanks
YES β this soup is AMAZING!
I add diced capsicum, potatoes and curry powder! π«
This recipe was fantastic! I had no idea that the lentils would cook so easily. The lemon zest was amazing. I also added a bag of frozen peas since I accidentally used a bit too much chicken broth but it was a truly wonderful meal. Thank you π
Wow, itβs true! Seriously best lentil soup Iβve made. I keep going back for more.
I did use homemade chicken bone brothβit is less salty than anything you can buyβand I keep it in the freezer for such recipes as this. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe worked perfectly, thank you! Really tasty and easy to make. I sprinkled in some chilli powder, and agree that the lemon really added to it
Thereβs not a week that goes by that I donβt cook SEVERAL of Nagiβs recipes, so I was bummed that this one didnβt work out for me. I cut back on the cumin because I donβt love it, but it still tasted like vegetarian taco filling. (I might strain it and use the solids for just that!)
Same here. I was really disappointed.
I cooked the recipe exactly as written. However, my husband loves sausage so I browned off about 1/2 lb. of savory Italian sausage and added it to the finished soup. It was awesome. I know he would preferred the lentil soup with the sausage over just the vegetable lentils.
Lori β You may want to research Italian Lentil Soup.
It could be more suited for your flavor profile.
I made this tonight to see how my husband and I would like lentil soup. I followed the recipe to a tea and it was fabulous !!!! The lemon zest and lemon at the end adds so much. Thank you so much for sharing as I will absolutely be making this again!!
Hi Nagi,
Wonderfully healthy and tasty dish. I have a gas stovetop and stainless steel, and I found with the lid on ajar that the pan got too hot and liquid evaporated in about 20 minutes.
Would a Dutch oven be better to have a consistent temperature and a slower cook?
Thanks Nick Price
Hi Nicholas! I had a similar problem on my electric stove and although I kept adding more liquid and cooked for almost 90 min, my lentils are still mostly hard. I am going to put them into my dutch oven and into the oven to bake today to see if they can be salvaged and cooked. The flavor is delicious, just need soft lentils too!
Thanks Rachel for the reply. Cheers Nick
While I thought this was delicious, I definitely needed to keep adding liquid as it evaporated in my Dutch Oven and after 90 minutes, my lentils were still hard. The lemon at the end was a fabulous touch.
This soup is SO perfect! Agree with others, the lemon at the end makes it.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe just in time for the colder months.
Canβt wait to check out your other recipes!
The lentil soup was amazing!! I will definitely make this again!!!
In my opinion, this recipe didnβt need the lemon at all. I tasted it before I added the lemon and it was perfect. I added the lemon and couldnβt even eat it afterwards. All I tasted was zest.
Againβ¦ this is just preference, as I see other ppl liked the lemon. Everyone is different. But to me, itβs great without the lemon.
Did not like this at all. Way too much lemon flavor, seasonings werenβt anything special, and it was way too think. So many other lentil soup options. Iβll ditch this and try another.
This was very tasty. Never added paprika, coriander or curry to my lentils before, but it really added a nice flavor to it. My husband loved it too. Iβve also never used a 14 oz. Crushed tomatoes. Thank you.
I made this tonight. Itβs the first lentil soup recipe that I have made that I like. Correction, I love it. I made it in the Instant pot and at first I forgot to add lemon juice and zest but honestly I like it better without it. Definitely doing this again.