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.
This recipe is the best!!!
Making a double batch this weekend. Do not skip the lemon!!
Great soup! I added shrimp and it was great!
This was AMAZING! Ran out of carrots, so I added some chopped sweet potato. Chopped in my own tomatoes. Mine didn’t dry out… keep adding water as it cooks. Kept eating some as it cooked, but then at the end I added some lemon juice…WOW! Even better! I’ll make this one again. Thanks
YES — this soup is AMAZING!
I add diced capsicum, potatoes and curry powder! 🫠
This recipe was fantastic! I had no idea that the lentils would cook so easily. The lemon zest was amazing. I also added a bag of frozen peas since I accidentally used a bit too much chicken broth but it was a truly wonderful meal. Thank you 😊
Wow, it’s true! Seriously best lentil soup I’ve made. I keep going back for more.
I did use homemade chicken bone broth—it is less salty than anything you can buy—and I keep it in the freezer for such recipes as this. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe worked perfectly, thank you! Really tasty and easy to make. I sprinkled in some chilli powder, and agree that the lemon really added to it
There’s not a week that goes by that I don’t cook SEVERAL of Nagi’s recipes, so I was bummed that this one didn’t work out for me. I cut back on the cumin because I don’t love it, but it still tasted like vegetarian taco filling. (I might strain it and use the solids for just that!)
Lori – You may want to research Italian Lentil Soup.
It could be more suited for your flavor profile.
I cooked the recipe exactly as written. However, my husband loves sausage so I browned off about 1/2 lb. of savory Italian sausage and added it to the finished soup. It was awesome. I know he would preferred the lentil soup with the sausage over just the vegetable lentils.
Same here. I was really disappointed.
I made this tonight to see how my husband and I would like lentil soup. I followed the recipe to a tea and it was fabulous !!!! The lemon zest and lemon at the end adds so much. Thank you so much for sharing as I will absolutely be making this again!!
Hi Nagi,
Wonderfully healthy and tasty dish. I have a gas stovetop and stainless steel, and I found with the lid on ajar that the pan got too hot and liquid evaporated in about 20 minutes.
Would a Dutch oven be better to have a consistent temperature and a slower cook?
Thanks Nick Price
Hi Nicholas! I had a similar problem on my electric stove and although I kept adding more liquid and cooked for almost 90 min, my lentils are still mostly hard. I am going to put them into my dutch oven and into the oven to bake today to see if they can be salvaged and cooked. The flavor is delicious, just need soft lentils too!
While I thought this was delicious, I definitely needed to keep adding liquid as it evaporated in my Dutch Oven and after 90 minutes, my lentils were still hard. The lemon at the end was a fabulous touch.
Thanks Rachel for the reply. Cheers Nick
This soup is SO perfect! Agree with others, the lemon at the end makes it.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe just in time for the colder months.
Can’t wait to check out your other recipes!
The lentil soup was amazing!! I will definitely make this again!!!
In my opinion, this recipe didn’t need the lemon at all. I tasted it before I added the lemon and it was perfect. I added the lemon and couldn’t even eat it afterwards. All I tasted was zest.
Again… this is just preference, as I see other ppl liked the lemon. Everyone is different. But to me, it’s great without the lemon.
Did not like this at all. Way too much lemon flavor, seasonings weren’t anything special, and it was way too think. So many other lentil soup options. I’ll ditch this and try another.
This was very tasty. Never added paprika, coriander or curry to my lentils before, but it really added a nice flavor to it. My husband loved it too. I’ve also never used a 14 oz. Crushed tomatoes. Thank you.
I made this tonight. It’s the first lentil soup recipe that I have made that I like. Correction, I love it. I made it in the Instant pot and at first I forgot to add lemon juice and zest but honestly I like it better without it. Definitely doing this again.
So easy to make, inexpensive but nutritious, and best of all – delicious.
Made this today…first, super easy…and delicious…this will be great now that the weather is turning cooler.
Really first rate lentil soup. I strongly recommend. Instructions and amounts of ingredients are spot on. Thanks very much (I also subscribed). Ken
It was a delicious Lentil soup, wholesome, felt very nutritious, bursting with flavours and filling.
The only slight issue I had was with the overall cooking time which took longer then estimated time.
Thank you for sharing with helpful guidelines/instructions.
This is a fantastic lentil soup. I didn’t use the lemon but it is still very tasty.
Big mistake leaving lemon out especially when using those spices or any other middle eastern spices.- but of course, depends on a person’s preferences. I’d still suggest to take a spoonful of the soup and add 2/3 drops of lemon. The transformation of taste is unbeatable. Another great addition would be a swirl of Greek yoghurt on top just before serving. In fact I use lemon in all of my soups and the difference is pretty strong.
Well done Nagi it really is a great soup and I detest lentils!
Next I’ll be trying your bread recipes.
Big mistake leaving lemon out especially when using those spices or any other middle eastern spices.- but of course, depends on a person’s preferences. I’d still suggest to take a spoonful of the soup and add 2/3 drops of lemon. The transformation of taste is unbeatable. In fact I use lemon in all of my soups and the difference is pretty strong.
Well done Nagi it really is a great soup and I detest lentils!
Next I’ll be trying your bread recipes.
Made this twice so far and it’s really good! Everyone loves it.
So very delicious. This is my new comfort food (: