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?
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A touch of spices.
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Cooking the onion, carrot and celery slowly so they sweeten and make a beautiful flavour base.
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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
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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!
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Add everything else other than the lemon;
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Simmer 35 minutes until lentils are soft; and
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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
Lentil Soup
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:
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Sexy Lentil Salad – try it, then you’ll get the name….
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Dal – Indian lentil curry. The highest and best use of lentils, full stop!
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Coconut Lentil Curry – outrageously addictive, and easy (I make this for a curry fix when I don’t have time for dal)
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Mejadra (Middle Eastern Spiced Lentil Rice) – so good you can eat it plain, seriously!
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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.
Hi Nagi
I’ve been craving your soup for ages and finally tonight I made it. Sssssso delish. My son even asked if it was now a part of our regular menu, he liked it so much, adding that’s how soups are supposed to be. lol. I’ll make a double batch next time, so as to freeze some. Thank you so much for sharing.
Oh thats so great Helen!
I made this soup for my son.He is vegan. He loves it. Instead of a crusty bread. I made him fried depression bread in my iron skillet. For sure a keeper. Econimali too !! 5 star…
Sounds fabulous Leigh!!
I made this last night in my InstantPot. It was wonderful! Only took 12 min on high pressure and quick release. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Great Lu!!
Delicious!
Thanks Beth!
I have to tell you… The other day, not wanting meat,,I decided to make Lentil Soup. When my husband found out he said, “Why, of all the soups you make Lentil soup is my least favorite .” I said trust me, this is Nagi’s recipe. You’ll like it.” And he did !!! As did my son and grandsons!!!
Wahoo!!! Great news Gwen!
I made this recipe this weekend and it definitely deserves the 5 stars. Everyone lived it and that included 2 BIG meat eaters. Thank you!
That’s great to hear Karen!!!
Made this for dinner tonight, delicious. The lemon zest and juice at the end really brought all the flavors together. Thank you for a great and easy recipe!
You’re so welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
So simple and delicious! I made it last night and served with bread.I was looking for the top recipe star button.
That’s great!!!
I made this! Absolutely delicious! I used canned lentils and instead of blitzing, I mashed up about 1/4 of the can and added it to thicken, then I added the lentils for the last 5 minutes to simmer with the rest as not to make them mushy. Definitely adding this to my repitoire!
Awesome Tara, I’m so happy you liked it!
Delicious! So thick I did have to thin…But a lovely soup to warm your heart! Thanks
It’s definitely one to warm you up Lyn!
Love love Dozer’s face in repose. You have described my Harry! Also a goldie. Love ‘em!
Will make this soup tonight as it sounds perfect.
Re the addition of lemon. Was given a recipe from a B&B where we stayed in Ireland. It’s a sweet potato and ginger soup
When it’s served , I give everyone a wedge of lime to squeeze ver their soup and literally everyone is amazed at how it transforms and lifts a simple soup.
Off to buy some lentils!
Yes! It’s amazing how it can just make something ordinary into extraordinary!!!
I’ve just made the lentil soup today, living in the UK it’s the middle of some freezing weather with a threat of snow. This soup was delicious and so easy to make. I’m really loving your recipes, thank you
That’s so good to hear Lynne, I’m so happy you loved it!!
This and your wonderful cabbage soup are amazing. My entire family loves this!!
Searched for the cabbage soup you mentioned was also great, but no cabbage soup listed. What is the title of the recipe you use?
It’s the Healthy Vegetable Soup.
Hi Brooke, cabbage soup? Which recipe are you referring to??
Made this yummy soup and found it to be more like a stew. Added water and your favorite ingredient, Vegeta to keep the flavor more veggie like. Tasted great!
Yes, it’s quite thick (I like it that way) but you can definitely thin it out ☺️
This looks like a lovely soup but I think I will hold it over for a couple of months till the weather cools a bit. This is a good reminder of the good, simple foods that are so good for us.
Dozer is worth more than his weight in gold. What a wonderful companion to have – even with the hair, sleeping and eating but then those lovely times when he can’t bear to be away from you and showers you with love. 🙂
Yes definitely Mary – I prefer it in the cooler months!
I’m making the soup tonight and struggling with getting all the lentils equally soft. What do you think the timing would be in the InstaPot? But I’m excited about the flavors – I think it’s going to be great!
I haven’t tried just yet to be honest Antonia!
And after all those negatives ….. you wouldn’t be without him, would you Nagi?
Dozer does have positives. Dogs are good for our health, they create calm which in turn reduces blood pressure.
Listen to all our woes and never judge, Let our tears drip onto their fur and last but not least …
They love us unconditionally,
I <3 Dogs.
Totally agree with you there Jayne ❤️
Hi Nagi ,
My question is: Could this Soup be prepared in a instant pot?
Thanks,
Anya
Ditto to Anya! Can we throw this into a crock pot?
Thanks!
Hi Vanessa, You’d need to transfer this after step 4 if you were going to do it in a slow cooker ❤️
Dozer tired, the heat got him. Love lentle, bean soup any time. At moment it’s all about salad . End of week another stinker inc night. Not happy Chappy.
Don’t always leave comments, but this recipes needs one. This lentil soup is the best. I only changed one thing smoked paprika. Thank you for sharing this recipe.