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.
Followed the recipe exactly and it was delish. My DIL absolutely love lentil soup…she had one bowl and wanted the recipe. The lemon adds a brightness to the soup yet it is great without.
I’m so glad you loved it Sherry!! – N X
Are the bay leaves removed at the end of the cooking time before blending?
Hi Hoosier – yes remove so they aren’t blended – N x
Followed the recipe , the soup is very good. I will make this recipe again and pass it on to my daughter.
I’m so glad you loved it Lorry!
Hi I made the lentil soup, but found it a bit too lemony. Is there anything I can do to tone down the lemon flavour please?
Don’t add lemon
I’ve been eating lentil soup my whole life and this was the best I’ve ever had. It’s so good with the lemon!
Don’t add lemon.
So amazing. Thank you for this. Will be making this many many more times. I sent the recipe to everyone.
I’m so glad you loved it Sabrina, that’s great to hear!
My daughter made this last week. OMG, it was delicious with toasted bread! Will absolutely be in my winter soup collection!
Perfect!!
I made this soup a month ago and it was a hit! I loved the consistency once I blended a small portion. This has been approved for our soup recipes (tough crowd!!). Thanks Nagi, keep them coming.
I’m so glad you loved it Carla!
So soooo sooooooo good!!!! Hearty, deep flavors, rich consistency, and DO NOT skip the lemon at the end. Stick-to-your-ribs goodness.
This recipe sounds very good but I can’t have tomatoes right now can I just omit the tomatoes or can I replace it with something else I can‘t have potatoes either?
Incredibly tasty and delicious. So glad you reminded us not to skip the lemon zest and juice – perfect!
Thank you
Yes! It gives that lovely freshness, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This looks great – can you tell me how you would make it in. A slow cooker ? And could I throw sliced cooked sausage into it ? Thank you
Sorry if I missed it, but what is the serving sizes of your soups?
Hi Masaye, you could definitely add sausage & transfer to a slow cooker at step 4. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for about 3-4 hours – N x
Hello Nagi
I’m Tina
And I really love your Lentil soup.
That’s so great to hear Tina, thanks for letting me know!
Yum! Made a double batch and I see what you mean about going back for seconds and thirds. It is good! Made it for my son who needs soft foods after dental surgery, but I think ill be doing another double batch in the next few days. I’d been craving a good lentil soup recipe, and this one hit the spot. Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Rachel!
I made this exactly as the recipe stated and it turned out beautifully! I wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe next time I’ll make double! I am considering trying it with vinegar since I don’t always have lemons on hand and I want to be able to spontaneously pull it from the freezer when need be. Either way, great recipe!
This is delicious!
Why do you scoop the scum?
It’s just any scum that comes from the lentils, just nice to take it out of the soup – N x
Yum !! Delicious lentil soup . The lemon in it adds such a lovely flavour . I added more stock to thin it down a little as mine was very thick.
Just yum 😋
I’m so glad you loved it Sue!
Beautiful n yummy
Thanks so much Lallie ❤️
This soup turned out so good 🙂 Even better than my parents soup I grew up with. So easy AND flavorful! I didn’t add the carrots or celery because I’m used to a plain soup and it still turned out good. I soaked my lentils for 2 hours beforehand and rinsed them and they were so fall apart tender. Also, used 1 can tomato sauce and 1 big juicy tomato on the vine, diced. At work writing this and can’t wait to go home for leftovers ❤️❤️ Thank you SO much for the recipe!
You’re so welcome Nadia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it ❤️