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.
Just made this soup and it was delicious! Perfect remedy for a household who are all feeling under the weather.
I added diced potatoes just because I love them in any soup.
Excellent
Wow, this is amazing. My first time cooking lentil and we all loved it. Thank you for another great recipe!
Wow! I have never made this before and was a bit hesitant because I didn’t have all the ingredients but I used what I had and it turned out AMAZING! .I Didnt have the chicken or vegetable broth so I made my own with better than bouillon beef base, and I didnt have onions. Other than that I added a bit of garlic salt while cooking and turned out pretty damn good! I will put over rice for dinner tonight. THANK YOU for this recipe!
I love your site (and dog). Ive never made lentil soup with tomato so I will try next time (and the lemon!) PSA if anyone is “sensitive” to fiber, keep in mind lentil soup has a LOT. I have to eat small servings only.
Oh my lord this was delicious. Used green lentils. Never made lentil soup before and was unsure by the look of it initially. Once a bit blended it was just right. Do not omit the lemon. It will elevate to the next level. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
Delicious! Added some chopped, unpeeled zucchini that I needed to use up.
I just made the Lentil soup. This is a very good soup. I am trying to eat less meat and eat more vegetables and this is a great way to do that AND feel nourished. The lemon zest and squeeze if lemon adds the perfect touch
Just made this today!
I did slight variations like some extra seasonings, a full bag of lentil right under 3 cups. About 7 cups of chicken broth and 20 ounces of crushed tomato. Tipped with a drizzle of lemon juice and grated pecorino Romano cheese FAMILY LOVED IT
I would love to make this for a potluck but I need to know how much this will make? I’m not good at reading recipes and figuring that out? Any help would be very appreciated!
YUM! I’ve made this a few times with slight variations and it’s always delicious and gets even better the next day! Last time I made it, I sautéed 14 oz. of Turkey Kielbasa before adding the veg and that’s definitely a keeper. Soooo Good! Thanks, for another great one, Nagi!
Best lentil soup I’ve eaten. The spices are just right and I barely needed any salt or pepper. I had to add an additional 2 cups of chicken broth but that’s about the only change I had to make.
I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing it. It has been my go to. I do not have crush red tomatoes. However I do have rotelle tomatoes with green chilies. Would that be OK to use or would it alter the flavor?
I would think that it would enhance the flavor. Don’t be afraid to experiment! 🙂
Im currently enjoying this meal once again. The perfect meal for Aussie winter! So delicious simple and economical. Like Nagi said it freezes perfectly so it’s going to be a great thing to grab from the freezer on nights you want something nutritious to warm you up. 🙂
I just made this, amazing! I skipped the parsley (cos I didnt have any) and it seriously didn’t disappoint! Thanks Nagi xx
I have made this dish a number of times but twice now doing a little different thing. We love it and have served it to friends who also have like it. Served with biscuits.
I made this soup today. I halved the recipe because there’s just 2 of us. It was DELICIOUS! Best I’ve ever made. The lemon made a big difference.
Have made this soup many times and it is always a winner in our house! Recently I used less lentils and added in a bunch of different dried beans— I pre-soaked them first and the texture/ depth of flavour to the soup was delicious. Definitely a must try for anyone wanting an amazing soup!
My good friend made me a pot of this when I came home from hospital. So delicious and flavoursome and hearty! I asked her for the recipe – she said it’s Nagi’s – of course it is! 💖
I don’t like coriander seed, so I omitted it, added more cumin, a bit of curry powder and turmeric, and still needed to up the base note with a bit of (sigh–it’s what I had) Worcestershire sauce. It came out fine but not I’m not as thrilled as I’d hoped to be. Also I used red lentils and I think brown would have been better. Will need to tinker.
I never thought I would care too much for lentil soup; however, I have made this twice now, and it is DELICIOUS!! I put a dollop of sour cream on top along with Worcestershire sauce and I can’t get enough of this wonderful healthy soup!
This soup is so yummy. Love your recipes Nagi. Thank you so much.
Lentil is one of my favorite soups and this has become my favorite recipe. Simple and delicious, I’ve made it three times. Thank you very much!