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.
Great recipe Nagi! Absolutely loved it! Adding cumin and lemon, gave an amazing twist to this recipe.
I personally added more water and skipped the ”blender part” as I like my soups on the watery side, so I can add croutons in the dish.
Try adding a tablespoon of vinegar in one of the portions right at the end and let me know what you think. Cider vinegar works best for me, but others would also.
Delicious, thank you! I added fresh chopped spinach the last few minutes cooking. I made this at a vacation rental with no blender available so skipped the thickening step. Still great.
I’ve made this a few times, my daughter loves it. I added a potatoes, my daughter’s favorite. Last time I made this I froze it in 5 zip lock bags. So easy to reheat in a pinch.
Sounds yummy!! Is blending it with the stick blender necessary?
Hi Bes,
We’ve done it using the stick blender and without. I think it’s still extremely tasty either way. It is such a slight textural difference and I wouldn’t let it stop you from making it, such a tasty soup. Both of my children love it either way and will also eat leftovers for breakfast.
I only have beef broth in my house. Can I use that instead of vegetable or chicken broth?
Beef has a stronger flavour – but you can use it if you like! N x
Thought I ‘d try this-glad I did, it’s delicious! Mine turned out to be more of a stew, which is fine, great over rice or on own..the lemon makes this dish!
The title of this post doesn’t lie, this soup is SERIOUSLY AMAZING. And the lemon totally takes it to next level deliciousness. (Only problem is I don’t have warm crusty bread to go with it 😢)
Thanks for another great, easy recipe!
This soup was good!
I added bacon in mine as it was my husbands request…
Husband like the soup but said the lemon flavor was slightly too powerful. I loved it as is. If you prefer a subtle lemon flavor, a half lemon should be enough.
I also added cilantro instead of parsley since I wanted a stronger tasting herb. It was great!
Thank you for the great recipe.
I just made this and it was DELICOUS ! i Asked my husband to try it after i had made him breakfast 😉 he wanted a bowl of soup right away! I’ll definitly be making this more frequently. It’s snowing outside and having this soup just made my day, so did the snow 😀 best day ever ty for sharing this recipe
I made this flavorful soup today, exactly as the recipe is written then added a little shredded parmesan to my own bowl. So delicious. Only regret is that I didn’t make the cheesy garlic bread. Will do that tomorrow with leftovers. Thanks for another winner, Nagi.
This soup is so tasty and full of flavour. I added into the soup at the end of the cook time, some cooked elbow shaped pasta. My husband loved it so much he went back for thirds.
Thanks Nagi so much for such a beautiful flavoured soup.
The fact that you put “seriously amazing” wasn’t necessarily the reason I tried this recipe. My husband loves lentils. Me, meh. This recipe truly is Amazing, I’ve SERIOUSLY AMAZING! It’s warm, it’s packed with flavor and absolutely, positively delicious. The slow cooking of the veggies really tops this recipe off. You can’t rush it. I cannot say enough about it. This is going on our dinner rotation. Oh, and the are just as good, if not BETTER, the next day! Thank you sooooo much for sharing this gem of a recipe!
I’m so happy it was a hit Tracy, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
The flavor was great! However every time I make lentil soup skins come off the lentils and don’t go away even after blending the soup. What am I doing wrong? I really hate getting a mouthful of those tough skins.
i’m a college student, so i basically just used what i had which was orange lentils, carrots, pasta sauce, cumin, pepper, and a couple other things. I wish I could make it like the recipe said, but it was still so delicious! thank you for the recipe!!
making it now. whole house sure smells good. I also added some asparagus stalks, left overs, can’t wait to try …..
Well, that was mighty tasty!!!! Thanks so much. Husband even took it to work!!!! :-0
Hi Nagi,
Do you think it is possible to make this in the slow cooker too?
Thanks
Hi Becky, not this one as written sorry, you really need it to get to a simmer – N x
I knew this would be good but it is in all honesty amazingly delicious! The lemon with the smokiness of the soup….the crusty bread 🥖. I absolutely love this recipe and it’ll be in the lineup from now on. Super simple with incredible results! Love it. Thank you so much.
My daughter and I loved your soup recipe and think it is the best lentil soup we have ever tasted and made. The lemon kind of scared me, but you were right it was absolutely amazing and I would never leave it out. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Love your floopy Dozer! Just put this lentil soup on and it smells amazing as it cooks. Its a rainy day here and this will just make it all the better!
When making this soup, if I’m going to freeze it, should I still add lemon zest and juice at end of cooking or wait until I’m eventually going to eat it? Can’t wait to make this as I love lentils
Hi Marion, it’s fine to add it before freezing, but yes, after defrosting – taste and then maybe pimp it up with a little fresh lemon too 🙂 N x
So so good! My children were not fans, but my husband and I loved it! Even my mom liked it and she’s not a fan of lentils. As someone else mentioned- use the lemon for sure! Although the flavor is subtle, it adds such a great depth of flavor to the soup. Thank you so much for the recipe.