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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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.
I donβt think iβve ever left a review before, but I had to for this. Oh my goodness, this soup is amazing β the best home cooked soup iβve ever tasted! I didnβt have carrots, but a bag of spinach leaves was about to go off so minced them and added them for some iron! Absolutely gorgeous soup. I know what iβll be living off this winter π Thank you for this xxx
Awesome Michelle, I love hearing feedback and Iβm so glad you enjoyed the soup!!
Hi Nagi! Really love your page, and thoughtful, delicious recipes. Just a question β¦. Iβm not able to have tomato (nightshades) at the moment, So was wondering what I could substitute for? Thanks so much for helping π
Hi Sharlene, the tomato is the base for this soup unfortunately!
This is the third time I have made this in a month. I think that tells you all you need to know! YUM YUM.
π Awesome to hear Julie!
Hi there! Iβm a budding nutritionist and Iβve learned how important folate is, and wanted something tasty. This looks perfect! Question: How would you adapt this for a crockpot? Iβm assuming throw everything in and see how long it takes, lol, but any guesses on best time or temp?
Hi Stephanie, Iβd suggest to follow up to step 3 then transfer into a crockpot and cook on low for 4 -5 hours. β€οΈ
Very tasty!
I havenβt tried the lemon juice or zest yet. Iβll do that next time.
So glad you liked it!
I love lentil soup just made last night for dinner ππ¨βπ³
Delicious! Thanks for all your recipes π
Thanks Moira!
So, does lentils cause βgassyβ issues?
SO, SO good!!
Made it for an extending family lunch and it was a huge hit! Found out while making it that my great-grandmotherβs lentil soup was legendary. Nagi, Iβm happy to share that your recipe got two thumbs up (out of twoβ¦) and was said to be just as good as the family recipe. π
Awww biggest compliment ever!!! thank you Windy! N x
Looking forward to it Nagiβ¦β¦.thanks for letting me know.
gail
P.S. only had yellow split peas, so waiting to make the Lentil soup until I get the green or brown ones on Thursday next. Looking forward to it.
Dozerβ¦.donβt listen to a word of what she is saying Dozβ¦..she loves you to the moon and back!!! Could it be that Nagi is envious of your life style Dozer β eating β playing β sleeping β mmmmm??
Going to give this recipe a go tonight for supper Nagi. Snow is coming down heavy and need some stick to the rib warm soup for supper.
The bread you are using for βdippingβ do you have a recipe for it? It looks deliciious!
Thanks ever so much for the great recipesβ¦.have a whole file folder full of them β actually more then one working on a secondβ¦keep βem cominβ Nagi.
Blessings
Gail (Patricia)
Hi Gail! funny you mention that breadβ¦. itβs coming in the next couple of days π Itβs my quick βn easy Garlic Cheese bread π N x
This soup is delicious! My hubby says tastes like chili without the meat! Thus was my first time making lentil soup and will make this again. May add mushrooms next time.
So glad this was enjoyed Mommers!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
Very good soup. Love the hint of lemon. This was so easy and is definitely a keeper.
Thatβs great to hear Meggie! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Fabulous soup that I frequently make. Sometimes I add some sauted mushrooms just before serving, which adds a little βmeatyβ texture.
Great idea!!! I have to try that myself! N x
Going to try this recipe tonight sounds delicious. Btw, I have a big ole German shepherd just like your own, eats,hopes to eat and since heβs an old dog lies around quite a bit, blocking doorways. But we love him.
They love to lie across doorways, donβt they?? I always feel like Iβm walking over / around himβ¦
I have full intentions of making this today. First time coming across your site and plan looking into more of what you do.
Hope you loved it Charlotte! N x
Made today. It is great.
Thatβs great to hear Joelie! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Yum! Made this last night! Ended up adding another 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp paprika when seasoning at the very end. Followed steps exactly and it was so good! A nice, hearty, healthy dinner on a cool night.
Glad you enjoyed this Jamie!! Thanks for letting me know β N x
Lentil soup was great. I did this recipe in the pressure cooker.did not crush the lentils left them whole and the soup was thick without adding any thickners.
Thatβs terrific to hear Radojka! Glad you enjoyed this! N x
OMG sooooo Yummy, I am sure I will never find a better recipe than this, My family loved it!!!! awesome with garlic bread!!! I did not have a immersion blender and it is pretty much needed for this recipe so I tried to mash it with potato masher, and that failed LOL anyway I gave some to my brother and now he said this is his new favorite soup and he wants me to make it for him all the time now, so rich and delicious!!! I want to make more now that I am talking about it!!!! One thing on how I got your recipe, I never made lentils before so I googeled your recipe and yours was not on the top of the feed and how I stumbled on yours I do not know but your picture grabbed my attention maybe I donβt know and I am SOOOOOOOO glad I did again Fantastic and I would NOT!!! Change A Thing on This recipe!!!!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?