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.
Had everything on hand ‘cept the ‘stock’, so used plain water. Added a couple of tablespoons of molasses near the end. A great recipe, thanks Nagi!
I think this recipe looks very good. I’ll have to try it. I usually like some potatoes in my lentil soup as well. Maybe one or two small ones diced would be good in this recipe.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and it’s a definite family favourite!! I agree the lemon makes it just perfect. I also like to add some chilli and a dollop of Greek yoghurt to serve…yum yum YUM! So nourishing and warming😋 thanks Nagi x
I’ve made this a couple of times now and it’s a definite family favourite!! I agree with most the lemon is a must. I also like to add some chilli and a dollop of Greek yoghurt to serve…yum yum YUM😋 thanks Nagi x
A modern version, extremely delicious and comparable to my german Oma’s soup! I love the addition of lemon! I added apple chicken bratwurst, sliced up, during step 2. My new favorite !
This soup is great! My brother made it when I was starving to death and it saved me—so good! Then he cheated me out of my birthright, but the soup was still great. Would eat again
This soup is great! My brother made it for me and it saved me from starvation. Then he cheated me out of my birthright, but the soup was delicious. Would eat again.
I am a seasoned cook. I am amazed at how much the squeeze of lemon at the end absolutely MAKES the soup pop in1 your mouth. Great recipe. thanks.
Is someone translating this recipe from another language? This Englis verision doesn’t make any sense! For example: 1 large allotment chopped (about 1 1/4 cups) means CARROTS? Instructions are equally oddly translated and nonsensical. Please correct this Nagi!
You’re not wrong…at least entirely. We have some markets near us that have gargantuan carrots and one of those might make 1 1/4 cups, but…yeah…using standard grocery store bagged carrots required about 5 carrots worth. Same with the celery. Two ribs will NOT give you 1 1/4 cups.
I don’t understand the instructions either-1 large carrot should not yield 1 1/4 cups of chopped carrots. That would be a super large carrot. Is is supposed to be 1/4 cup?
Puzzled by your comment Barbara. I’ve been making this delicious soup for years and the English is always correct (like all of Nagi’s recipes – she lives in Australia, after all 😊) I’m seeing 1 large carrot when I re-read the recipe, not allotment….
It seems straight forward….1 large carrot, chopped will yield approx 1 1/4 cups.
The BEST vege soup going around, even better than the minestrone.
Usually I follow RecipeTin recipes to the letter and dont alter the ingredients, even once I am used to making the dish. However, I would strongly recommend leaving out the bay leaves entirely (they leave a nasty aftertaste, I found) and a teaspoon or two of dried chilli flakes are a good addition.
Reading other comments saying leave the lemon out, that is of course taste dependant, but I feel that the lemon elevates this dish to what it is.
Love this soup. Echoing others that the lemon is mandatory – it really rounds out the flavours. You can add other veges you happen to have on hand – I’ve made this with chopped red capsicum and mushrooms and both worked well. And I usually double the spices as suggested in another comment. Such a delicious, versatile, nourishing soup.
Wonderful soup, way more delicious than expected. I made a big batch for my lunches all week. Looked forward to lunchtime every day. I’ll definitely make this again.
Just made this, I added two small diced gold potatoes, some chopped ham and some fresh grated ginger (approx 2 tsp). I tried it before adding the lemon and after. The lemon is MANDATORY!So easy and insanely delicious. TY Nagi!
I’ve tried multiple other lentil soup recipes and I’m always hesitant to try ones using tomatoes (not something my family traditionally adds and other recipes I’ve tried online with tomatoes turn out horrendously too tomato-y)
I pretty much followed this recipe to a T aside from me using 1/2 a lemon instead of a whole since that’s what I had. I used dried brown lentils.
This recipe is something I’ll make multiple times over again. It’s definitely getting filed under my favorites. 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Unfortunately, I did not have any cheesy bread, so I’ll have to try that next time!
I love most things I try on this site but wasn’t a big fan of this one. And I’m a soup lover and lentil-enjoyer too. I made it with brown lentils.
AMAZING this recipe is outstanding thank you. Family LOVES it
Thanks for the perfect simple receipe! I have made this tasty soup several times using dried red lentils. I always double the spices and use whole cumin and koriander seeds that I crush. I like to add a dollop of fatty yoghurt, a bit of olive oil and nigella seeds (black caraway/cumin) as extra toppings.
Just made this, but I used red lentils and threw in a couple of diced gold potatoes. It was delish!!! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper for sure 🙂
Made this for the family lunch. It absolutely hits the spot, so delish, hearty & filling on a cold winter’s day
Yummy and healthy!
I made this tonight with dried red lentils and it was great. For my taste, contrary to other commenters, I’d skip the lemon. I tried the soup before I added the lemon and I preferred it that way. To each their own! This was my first time looking lentils, so I highly recommend for newbies. Even my fussy husband liked it. A fantastic recipe, thank you Nagi!
Oooooops somehow posted this as a reply to another comment! Apologies 😂