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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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.
I made this soup today & it was the perfect lunch for a cold, wet Melbourne day while in social isolation. Even our 8 & 12 year olds ate it & said that it was good! I didn’t add the lemon but will try it next time if we have any.
Woah, that’s awesome Francesca!!! N x
Can u omit the tomatoes?
Not in this recipe Melissa, it’s the base for the soup. N x
Hello Navi & Dozer,
Second time I tried this heavenly Lentil soup 😊 Amazing, delicious, can’t get enough of it.
Oh Dozer is adorable 😋
I’m so glad you love it Carmen!! N x
Hi Nagi, we love your recipes and I’m making this next! We only have smoked paprika; would that work? Many thanks.
Yes Liz that will be fine 🙂 N X
Made this tasty soup today and Loved it! As suggested by reviewers, I added 1 tsp brown sugar and more broth to thin a little…Perfection!
Sounds great Kathy!! N x
The trick for me was the lemons. I wasn’t feeling the Nagi taste before I added the lemon. When I did, we ate the whole pot of 1kg lentils
Woah that’s so great to hear Shifa! N x
Hi Nagi, love your receipes. I have a bag of ‘mixed soup’ dried pulses – split peas, pearl barley, lentils kidney/bolotti/black eye beans. Assuming this would be ok to use? It’s 500g so will add a bit more stock?
Thanks! (Making another batch of your pea & ham soup today, it’s wonderful)
Hi and thanks for sharing your recipes. I want to make this but there’s only 2 of us. How would you scale this back?
Hi Ellen, click the servings size and use the scaler to change the serving to 2, all the ingredients will adjust for you! N x
Thank you! Can’t wait to make this!
Ok Nagi, I’m no fan of lentils (at all!), yet since I trust you so much, and have never been disappointed with ANY of your recipes, I’m betting I’ll love this 😉 And may I just say, Dozer is just about the most adorable doggie I think I’ve ever seen!! Thank you for not only the great recipes, but for sharing him with all of us around the world! ~Angie from the U.S.
Ohhhhh I’d love to know what you think once you try it – here’s to converting you to a lentil lover 😂 N x
Hi Nagi! I loved this recipe, and I’d like to cook it to my GF, but she hates celery, is there a substitute?
Hi Ricardo, you really can’t taste it, but if she’s adamant not to have it, just leave it out 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I am having difficulty finding coriander powder/ground. What can I use as a substitute? 😊
Hi Tracey, you can just leave it out – it will still taste amazing! N x
One word only – DELICIOUS!
Wahoo, thanks so much for letting me know Maria! N x
We woke to snow showers this morning and the picture of your lentil soup sprung to mind! I made it this morning. It was really wholesome and tasty. I did season it well. Just right!
That would have been perfect for a chilly day Kim!! N x
Absolutely the very BEST soup ever, I even eat it for breakfast. Thank you sooo much for all your great recipes!!
This soup is DIVINE!! I had no lentils, so subbed yellow split peas. The lemon at the end really does make this soup go from delicious to MAGICAL!!
I’m so glad you loved it Maureen!! N x
Recipe twist; used beef broth and added ground chicken breast. It was so rich and hearty, we loved it!
Thank you thank you thank you. My lentil hating husband and my “ew that looks yucky” children all loved this. I served it with cheese scones and the table was completely silent for a good ten minutes while everyone ate. A great way to use up that random pack of lentils at the back of the cupboard so I don’t have to try to get groceries xx
That’s the BEST Sarah!!!! N x
This soup is delicious, I’ve eaten more lentils in the past few weeks than I have in my entire life 😂
Quick question how do you pronounce your name?
Hi Jenny, they are so versatile and handy to have in the cupboard! My name it pronounced “Nah – ghee” 🙂
Hello, I love this recipe, and have made it quite a few times.
We are also isolated due to the coronavirus and i do not have any broth. What else could i use to substitute the broth and not lose much flavor?
Hi Shelly, do you have stock cubes that you could make up some broth? N x
No, I don’t, but i have the knorr chicken boillion powder
Hi Nagi. Am I ok to use red lentils?
Hi Jenny, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x
Haven’t tried this yet. We’re isolated because of corona virus, so can’t shop for lentils. Can’t wait to try it though!
It’s so worth it once you can make it Anne-Marie!