Don’t settle for bland Lentil Soup! Make it right and you’ll have everyone begging for seconds….and thirds… This lentil recipe is one of the best nourishing, simple dishes you can make with dried lentils that’s 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. It’s an easy recipe that delivers terrific results, a 5 star reader favourite with hundreds of feedback from readers!
Want to add 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 I’m all about big flavours. Spicy, herby, curries – kapow, kapow, kapow!
But you know what? A well made Lentil Soup recipe is can’t-stop-eating-it good. You’ll go back for seconds and thirds, then you’ll be taking big tubs of it to work for lunch and happily have it for dinner again.
And – I’m going to say it (*head swell*) – plenty of readers have said this is the best lentil soup they’ve ever had!
A well made Lentil Soup recipe is can’t-stop-eating-it good.
Is lentil soup good for you?
If you’re wondering if lentil soup is good for you, the answer is yes! Lentils are nutritious, rich in minerals, protein, low in fat, high in fibre (digestive health). They are a terrific vegetarian source of protein with 25% of the calories in lentils attributable to protein.
Lentils are a carbohydrate, but it’s slow burning which means it keeps you fuller for longer. Studies also suggest that lentils are good for heart health.
The added benefit is that 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. There’s an undertone of natural sweetness from the soffrito flavour base of onion, carrot and celery. My favourite part is the texture! It’s thick and comforting, and just made for dunking in hot crusty bread!
What goes in Lentil Soup
Here’s 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 – The “secret” ingredient. 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 minutes in the soup, and there’s 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 – brown, green, red or yellow, though it will affect the colour of the soup. I’ve used green lentils, pictured below.
The only type of lentil I do not recommend is Puy Lentils (little black French lentils) because they hold their shape and don’t soften like other lentils.
Can you used canned cooked lentils?
Yes you sure can, and directions are provided in the recipe notes. But it’s better made with dried lentils because of the texture in the soup, there’s only 10 minutes difference in cook time and it’s more economical!
How to make Lentil Soup from scratch
Sauté your onion, garlic, carrots and celery over over low heat for almost 10 minutes. Take your time here – 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!
You’ll 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 a 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 – 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 – even longer!
Every time I make this, I always wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s healthy, filling, super economical, freezes perfectly, versatile and it’s seriously good.
Serving this with some sort of warm crusty bread for dunking is not optional. It’s an essential part of the Lentil Soup experience.
But it is optional whether you slather said bread with butter, or grill it with cheese! Here are a few options – including making your own ultra easy homemade bread with NO YEAST:
– 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 – 10 minutes or until softened and the onion is sweet. Don’t rush this step, it is key to the flavour base of the soup.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the lemon and salt. Stir.
- 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 – 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 – it’s been a firm reader favourite from day 1, so I wouldn’t dare touch it!
More totally delicious lentil recipes:
Sexy Lentil Salad – try it, then you’ll get the name….
Dal – Indian lentil curry. The highest and best use of lentils, full stop!
Coconut Lentil Curry – outrageously addictive, and easy (I make this for a curry fix when I don’t have time for dal)
Mejadra (Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil Rice) – 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 contributes negative. Dropping fur everywhere, shaking vigorously so it flies everywhere along with an inordinate amount of sand, constantly sprawling out in my path so I’m forced to step over him (remember, I’m vertically challenged = giant steps).
Giant 💩 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, don’t we? 🙂)
PS Another example of his uselessness – he spends 22 hours a day doing this. The other 2 hours are spent a) eating b) hoping to eat c) playing.
I love your recipes and this one looks amazing. My only challenge is, I can’t have tomatoes. Is there something I can substitute for tomatoes?
The soup is so good on its own that omitting the tomatoes won’t really affect the delicious flavor. Tomatoes add a bit of needed acidity, so you can squeeze a more lemon into the soup to make up for that.
Deb, we always leave the tomatoes out bc my husband thinks he dislikes tomatoes (he eats them more than he realizes though hahaha), and the lentil soup tastes phenomenal even without the tomatoes in it!
It would be nice with some puréed sweet potato or pumpkin, would change the flavour profile but would be great with the lentils as well as the combination of spices ☺️
I’ve made this at least 5 times now. Really good recipe and both my 2 yr old and picky husband enjoy it!
This is on regular rotation in our household. It’s very budget friendly, and it’s super versatile to leave out tomatoes celery etc and add in things like potatoes, just whatever we have on hand. Sometimes I even eat the leftovers for breakfast!
Delicious, easy, and super economical. My son (who’s not a lentil fan) commented on how tasty it was! Another great recipe from Nagi!!!!
I have made this soup at least a dozen times. This is a terrific recipe. I like a little thicker/stew-like consistency so I also add another cup of red lentils which are smaller and adjust spices as needed. Recently I have also added frozen spinach at the end, just because! This soup also freezes well.
Making this again right now! I had some cauliflower that I thru in… just because. Really, this does freeze well. I usually freeze containers that hold 1 serving or 2 servings so either my wife or I can have a separate one for lunches or two for a joint dinner. I do defrost to reheat, but after defrosted the microwave does great! I occasionally throw some cooked chicken in If I want some more protein.
ALSO – I love adding some hot sauce (in the bowl)
My go to comfort food, love the recipe thanks.
Yum! It was so good and easy to make!
My first experience cooking lentils and I was not disappointed! Such a flavorful, filling, healthy soup!
Easy to follow recipe. Delicious – definitely a keeper!
Hey there how would you go about adding stew meat to this dish
This made 8 servings for me but I did add a cubed russet potato which i would recommend doing! I think i will add more carrot next time too.
First time trying lentils and i will be looking for more recipes with them thanks to you. 😁
Nagy, this is very similar to the Lentil Soup my mom used to make way back in the 1950’s when I was growing up. We had it often because it’s so inexpensive. Mom’s didn’t have tomatoes or lemon but otherwise – with different spices – we loved it. I’m making your version today – my hubby loves it. Thanks for posting this recipe and for the trip down memory lane! You rock!
Perfection.
This was so easy and delicious. Like some other readers, I used my instant pot (12 minutes) and it was perfect. I also made your no knead bread to go with it. Excellent.
Has anyone tried cooking this in a crockpot?
Interested in hearing how long you cooked it. Thanks!
I don’t see how it all adds up to over 300 calories . I come up with 200 per serving, 6 servings.
This dish is amazing! The spice blend is right on point. It’s perfect for a cozy winter day by the fire.
This was amazing! Made it almost exactly as written except I added a frozen block of spinach I was trying to use up. Delicious!!!
Delicious, nutritious and simple! I take forever in prep time, but the process is straightforward. I’ll be making this again for sure!
Made the lentil soup here with homemade broth and tweaked it a little with smoked paprika, and the family LOVED it! This plus a loaf of fresh made bread and butter and we were all groaning. It was so good, thanks for the recipe!
This sounded like such a delicious recipe and reviews were positive, so a made a big pot of it. I probably cooked the lentils too hard or blended them too much. I thought it would be creamier – but little pieces of lentil skin were getting caught in my throat. The flavor was great – but the texture was a problem.