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.
The soup was quite thick. The lemon rind and juice gave it a tangy edge which was nice. I’ve made Bill Grainger’s lentil soup recipe which is better but does not have as much lentils. This is a solid wholesome soup but not amazing. I’ll try it again with sliced leeks and bit more cumin and coriander, more stock. I tried giving rating of 3 stars (my true rating) but my review not accepted so giving false rating of 4 stars to see if review will be posted.
Delicious soup. Also love Dozer. I have a little Golden, Gabe. However, I wouldn’t say he’s useless. His purpose is to bring love and joy, and he does that very well!
I used diced tomatoes because I wanted the texture of diced and it came out perfect!! I made a double batch and pureed 2 cups of the soup (didn’t double that) I didn’t want it too thick and again that turned out perfect consistency.
OMG awesome recipe. It turned out dead on! Thank you so much I will be trying more of your recipes!
This was good! An easy, low-cost pot of delicious nourishment which will keep us going for several lunches during the week. I made your Irish soda bread to go with it, and the combination was good. I used sweet paprika because it was easier to find than the smoked, was too lazy to skim the scum or blend any of the soup, and would cut the onions a bit finer next time. There will be a next time.
I have a beautiful lentil soup recipe that I love, it’s full of flavour and goodness. But I had 1&1/2 litres of homemade chicken stock in the freezer and needed the space so I tried this version of a lentil soup. Delicious. And yes. Full of flavour and goodness. Thank you, Nagi. I now have two awesome lentil soup recipes.
I also love the tips and explanations in your recipes Nagi. I love the extras you offer, like info that this soup will keep well in the freezer, or in the fridge for 5 days. Great help.
Hi Nagi, I wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it a few days ago and it was amazing, lip-smacking good. Actually I am a big fan of lentil soup which I usually make with fennel (a recipe from the south of Italy, my home country) but yours is a new favourite that I’ll be happy to serve to friends as soon as this lockdown is over! Thanks a million and have a nice day!
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes I use them once a week at least! I was wondering if there were any extra vegetables other then the ones you’ve already stated that you think would go nicely in this recipe?
Can I make this soup using the
autumn Blend Lentils which is Yellow Moong Dai Lentils,Red lentils, Brown lentils and Yellow split peas.
Thank you.
This is now my go to Lentil Soup recipe. The best I ever had. Love your recipes, Nagy.
Seriously so good! This is my new go-to lentil soup recipe. Love how easy and nutritious it is too 🙂
I made this yesterday. The aroma was wonderful as it was cooking. Such a healthy, delicious soup. Thank you Nagi 😊🥣 Mary
So Nagi, can I do this in a slow cooker, and if so, should I do the lentils separately later and add, or just put it all in and cook?
Best lentil soup! Made some substitutions (fresh cilantro and knorr chicken broth powder) came out perfect! Even added green bell peppers!
Just made this today, first time ever making anything lentils. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I served it to my daughter with toasted garlic bread and she said the meal was like in a 5* restaurant. Amazing!
Instead of paprika, I added a diced serrano pepper – very spicy and super tasty! I also added some kale for the green factor, and it made a nice addition. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Sounds perfect Kathryn!! N x
All I have is beef broth :-/ would that be a bad idea?
Do you have Vegeta that you could make up some vegetable stock? N x
I just cook your Lentils soup ..so good&so tasty tkx for sharing
Hi, I’m going to try this for the first time but the recipe says 14 oz. crushed tomatoes but in your video it looks like you used diced tomatoes. Do diced tomatoes work better in the recipe or does it not matter? Thanks!
I used diced tomatoes because I wanted the texture of diced and it came out perfect!! I made a double batch and pureed 2 cups of the soup (didn’t double that) I didn’t want it too thick and again that turned out perfect consistency.
I bet this would turn out great with some sweet potato as well.
Yes definitely Scott! N x