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.
So good, the lemon really makes it perfect!
Thanks so much Melanie! N x
Delicious!!!
Can this be done in a pressure cooker?
How long?
Yes I would like to know too? Can you please help Nagi?
Hi Dee and Phuong! I haven’t tried but will do so because it’s perfect lentil soup season! 🙂 I am pretty sure the water ratios will be different. Will get back to you! N x
I just cooked this for tonight’s Shobus dinner. Will add the lemon after I reheat it, just before serving. Smells sooooo good!
I don’t care for lemony flavors in Fish and food. Can you leave out the lemon even though you said it really elevates the dish? Does it make the soup taste lemony? Thank you.
Hi Chrystine, you can leave it out if you like 🙂 N x
Thank you for the recipe Nagi! I’ve made this a few times and my family love it, it’s our favourite lentil recipe! Much appreciated.
I’ve tried many different lentil soup recipes and this one is, hands-down, the best. Thanks much for sharing!
Sorry my previous comment is meant for the lentil soup recipe!!
Made this tonight. The only changes are I used NO butter and added a ham bone/scraps. This soup is amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Wahoo, so glad you enjoyed it Sally! N x
Great recipe, Nagi!! I’m a believer! I find this is great with croutons, and some chopped green onions and cilantro. My wife hates beans, but loved this recipe! Even asked me to make it again. Thank you!
That’s great to hear Kevin! N x
On of the best & easiest soups ever! Loved the addition of tomato which gives it the rich colour and the lemon!!!…..well let’s just talk about that for a while…lemon!!?? who’d have thought it would make all the difference. Tried the soup before adding lemon (just to check) and WOWZER!!! Makes all the difference! Will deffo make this again and again 🙂 Thank you Nagi
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Shelley! N x
This was easy to make and delicious!!! Even the kids ate it up, except for one, but he’s the most trouble anyways!! Can’t wait to have some leftovers for lunch today!!
Simple and delicious. I used the celery leaves as extra garnish. My friend isn’t really into soup but loved this. Thanks so much!
More for you then!! 😂
Made this soup for dinner last night..fabulous!!
Wahoo!! N x
I made this this week. It is a very easy weeknight meal that is filling, healthy, very tasty, and moreish. While I love crusty bread with soup I found this particular recipe doesn’t need it.
This was delicious, super hearty, but also healthy. And so easy! I cooked a chicken breast in the soup, took it out at the end to shred it, then stirred it though again (but it would have been good without the chicken also!!!)
Sounds like you nailed it Jacinta! N x
This is one of the best soups I have ever had! The taste was like no soup I’ve ever had before. The zinginess of the lemon zest was amazing! Thx Nagi!
Wahoo, thanks so much for the feedback John! N x
Nagi does it again:) awesomeness in a bowl, hubby and i love the lemon tang. I swapped out half the paprika for smoked paprika and serve with a cheesy, herb no knead bread…winning. thanks again xo
I used a mix of mostly green, and the rest red lentils because that was all I had. I also added some yellow curry powder while the onions were cooking. This was by far, the best lentil soup I’ve made!
I used a mix of mostly green, and the rest red lentils because that was all I had. I also added some yellow curry powder while the onions were cooking. This wasn’t far, the best lentil soup I’ve made!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Jessie! N x
This was very yummy. We added a German touch with fresh frankfurters and had with rye bread and butter. Delicious!
I used a diced red capsicum to the celery and carrot mix to cook off. Had no fresh parsley so added a teaspoon of dried with the other spices. Put it all in the slow cooker on low for 5 hours. A good sprinkle of freshly ground pepper added to your bowl just before eating is fabulous.
Sounds perfect Gaye!! N x
My mdam rate it 5 star its good
Great! N x
Yummo ….My family loved it and were seriously surprised that it was a lentil soup. It certainly packs a punch with flavours. I’m amazed! Thank you!
That’s awesome Jules! N x
I love your site and visit it biweekly for recipes! My question- I am planning on making this and was wondering if anyone added sweet Italian sausage?
Hi Dana, you definitely could – I’d just cook it off first, remove it from the pan then cook the soup as per the recipe and add the sausage back in at the end. N x
Absolutely delicious! My first time cooking with lentils and it turned out wonderfully. The lemon addition was perfect.
I’m so glad you loved it Dar! N x
Made this last night, it was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe 🙂
You’re so welcome Emma! N x