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.
Seriously Delicious. I’ve made this soup many times. It is so easy to make and it’s so good and it’s wonderful if you want to lose weight!
Great soup. I would cut the lentils by 25 percent. double the carrot (to 2 large) and add one more stick of celery (3 instead of 2 Large). Double the crushed tomato (28oz). Add a half teaspoon of cumin. This made a lot of soup and I feel it was too lentil heavy and could use a boost with more vege and tomato flavor. Thats just me though, still a great soup as is.
This turned out fantastic! I added a leftover ham bone and used curry instead of coriander and diced for crushed because I didn’t have it. Rest the same….this recipe is a keeper!!
Made this soup tonight and it was out of this world I use a lot celery and carrots and onions I used whole tomatoes and let that cook in the soup when it was done I put a handful of taco cheese on top that was the bomb I will make this again thanks for the recipe I never answered this website
Made this soup tonight and it was out of this world I use a lot celery and carrots and onions I used whole tomatoes and let that cook in the soup when it was done I put a handful of taco cheese on top that was the bomb I will make this again thanks for the recipe
This recipe has been my absolute FAVORITE! I get creative and add a small bag of chopped baby yellow potatoes, along with a healthy handful of kale! Can’t get enough of this lentil soup. Cheers!
I made this recipe today. Although I would recommend this recipe & will make it again, I did not care for tomatoes in it at all; nor did I add the lemon. I had sampled the broth before adding
the tomato and it was perfect! The best I’d ever had actually! The tomato adds an acidity I didn’t care for or felt complimented
it, which is why I left out the lemon. So yes, I highly recommend, but I’d test the addition of tomato & lemon in a small dish before adding to the pot. Everyone’s different, you may live it as is.
I wanted an easy stovetop lentil soup and was in the mood to try something new … this soup delivered! Thick and hearty. The paprika was interesting and the lemon definitely leveled it up!
I love this soup. Didn’t have crushed tomatoes so subbed I. An 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.
Beautifully seasoned. Served it with warm cornbread. Deluxe
First timer
Recipe Outstanding. Turned out great! Love soup in the winter
Thanks
We liked this soup, but did not love it like I expected. It had too much lemon flavor overwhelming it – next time I make this I will use very little zest and no lemon juice. I would have liked a measurement for each of the ingredients – lemon juice and zest. Otherwise, it was good.
What if I don’t scoop scum on the surface off? What is it and will it affect the soup’s flavor or consistency?
Excellent. Thanks for sharing. I saved this one for later. I followed the recipe to a T and wow!
What a refreshing take on lentil soup, I loved the fresh lemon flavor with the spices! I added a little bit of butter to round out the flavors and some 3% yoghurt for serving and this recipe ended up being easily the best lentil soup I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to have this for lunch tomorrow!
This soup is delicious. I used two cups of canned lentils and two carrots and cubed 1/2 a sweet potato. the lemon zest and juice finished it perfectly
This lentil soup is exactly the flavor profile I was looking for. I have memories of a bagel store in Ny with the same cumin flavor. My only problem was it wasn’t soup, my beans absorbed all the broth and when I added water it lost the flavor. My husband likes it soupy. I enjoyed it before when it was thick. So next time I have to add more broth instead of water so it doesn’t lose flavor. Oh I forgot I added polish sausage hubs likes some meat and it probably gave it yummy fat too😂
Thanks for the recipe ❤️
Great, easy recipe! Exactly what I was looking for to surprise my boyfriend. He LOVED it and gave it 9/10.
I didn’t have any celery or carrots, but did have a can of diced tomatoes. Stand out flavors for me were the tomatoes and brightness of the lemon. Thank you !
Made this soup for the first time. I stuck to the recipe but used red lentils. I will not make it again. I felt like the flavor was bland.
I have several lentil soup recipes but this one leaves the others in the dust! Pretty straightforward to put together but it was the pulse with the wand blender to give it a creamier texture and the dash of lemon at the end to brighten the flavours that really made a difference. Thank you Nagi!!
I made this just the afternoon. Omg, this is a keeper. I already have variations in mind! Thank you so much. (I normally intensely dislike lentils! LOL)