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’m using tinned tomatoes, should I use chopped or plum?
Thanks
Hi Tali – use chopped here. N x
This is the best Lentil Soup ever! The lemon really lifts it, thanks Nagi.😀
Hey Nagi! In love with all your recipes, have tried at least 5 and not one of them has disappointed 🙂 will try this one next – very similar how we make lentil stew in Spain! X
Beautiful best ever soup so easy too thanks
Thanks so much for the great feedback Paul!! N x
Hi Nagi 🙂 I have made this recipe quite a few times now for my vegetarian daughter. It is super delicious, hearty and healthy. Easy to freeze and very versatile, I have used it as an excellent base for vegetarian Mexican and Italian dishes too! Thanks so much!
Hi Nagi, gonna give this a go soon. A total newbie at making soup. What’s your thoughts on adding pearl barley to this?
Sure could Nicole, I haven’t tried though so it may need slightly more stock if you’re cooking barley in it. N x
The lentil soup is terrific.
I love lentils, but never made a soup for my family.
My wife now loves it.
Thank you. 😁
That’s so great to hear Francis!!! N x
Truly loved this recipe. For years ie 5 I ate takeaway lentil soup for at least 3 days a week for lunch (I know, boring and weird) as every recipe I looked at seemed daunting and complicated. Made this a couple of nights ago and couldn’t believe how easy and delicious it was!! The best! Brought it into work and shared with my team who also loved it!! Thank you! I am officially obsessed with all your recipes!
This is scrumptious! I made a batch and a half which is so easy with the serving slider on all your recipes. I’ve given some to family and friends who have all loved it too. It’s so tasty especially with the squeeze of lemon. I love lemon. Another wonderful recipe I will e making again and again. Especially during winter in New Zealand!
I loved this lentil soup!! I added some ground cloves to a small portion of it to try and it was also incredible.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Sounds great Gaby! N x
It was fantastic….I followed the re I’ve pretty much as written, what I would say is this soup is earthy like digging for worms you get the satisfaction of the Garden element. Thank you.
It was fantastic….I followed the re I’ve pretty much as written, what I would say is this soup is earthy like digging for worms you get the satisfaction of the earthy element. Thank you.
I love this soup, I’ve made it SOOO many times. It’s absolutely delicious. I make a big batch and freeze for lunches.
My question is about your calculation of calories. I’ve put this recipe manually in to MyFitnessPal and it only comes out to around 190cals. Just wondering if you could let me know about the calories?
Hi – I entered the ingredients into My Fitness Pal as well and got 191 calories, 3.5 g of fat, 38.3 g carbs, 15.2 g protein. I only used 1.5 tbsp. of olive oil but everything else I followed exactly.
This is my go to lunch to take to work. I make a huge batch of it and pop it in the freezer. It’s helping me lose weight by having something pre prepared and is healthy. I also freeze low GI seeded bread rolls and keeps me full all day until dinner. I even made it without the stock only using water as I forgot the stock cube! Still tasted great.
This soup is quick and easy and really delicious! Thank you!!!
OMG! I made a double batch (there is only 2 of us) and we have thoroughly enjoyed this as a soup, pasta sauce and even vegetarian shepherd’s pie topped with sweet potato mash! AND 4 more servings in the freezer. Thank you Nagi, Another Recipetineats receipe to add to my growing collection of favourites from you. x
That’s great to hear Diane!! N x
I forgot to mention – by thoroughly washing the lentils there isn’t any scum formation.
I cannot get over how good this soup is. Like, I’ve told everyone I know about this recipe and have sent the URL to pals around the world. The lemon! Who knew! Mind blown!
I love serving this because the table goes quiet and after about 3-4 minutes I get comments like ‘mmm… this is so delicious’ and ‘can I take leftovers for lunch’ which never usually happens when I’m cooking! 😂
It’s a new regular in our rotation for sure and a lovely little confidence boost for moi!
🙂 thanks Nagi! x
Woah that’s such great feedback, thanks so much Hayley!! N x
It’s become a family favourite in our household
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Joy! N x
My son who is very picky when it comes to food, requested for me to cook this dish for him again. It’s his and my fav soup. Thanks for the recipe 😍
Woah, that’s amazing Florence, I’m so glad it was a hit! N x
I made this for dinner tonight (and lunch for the next few days of course) and it turned out great. I bet sweet potato would be a fantastic addition, I’ll try it next time.
Yes definitely Scott!! N x