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.
I’m a college student aka I don’t have any cooking experience and I was starving. I had some lentils but had no idea what to do with it until I found this recipe. I was scared but it was soooo easy and hands down the best lentil soup I ever had in my life. I cook it all the time now, my mom cooks it, my grandma, everyone. We all love you for this!! I tried 3 recipes from you and they’re all amazing and easy enough, i can’t thank you enough!
That’s so great to hear Maria!!! ❤️
So so delicious!! I had been craving lentil soup and this one has definitely hit the spot! This recipe will be a regular in our house now!
Woah what a compliment, thanks so much Jools!
This soup is amazing!!!😍
I’m making it again this week to make burgers from the soup.
Thank you for sharing!
Made this soup yesterday, we had planned to eat it the next day but the aroma and the tasting made my husband and I change our mind. It was just delicious full of flavour. Another winner Nagi.
Woah that’s great to hear Trudy!
So easy to make and absolutely delicious. Highly recommend this soup. Yum xx
Thanks so much Marnie!
Can you make this in an instant pot or slow cooker? And if you can how long and temp? Like I made a lentil soup the other day and it was high pressure for 12min … it was 4 serving size and had 4cups of broth and one cup of lentil
Made this for lunch today. Another wonderful recipe Nagi! The lemon definitely lifts this to next level deliciousness. Yum!! ( For dinner, I added some pulled pork I needed to use up and it too was awesome ). Thank-you.
Yuuuuuum!
This is my 1st time commenting on a recipe- but this recipe was super easy & according to my husband “the best lentil soup ever!” Thanks for the help, I didn”t know where to start w/lentil soup. I knew I didn’t want bland, but I did want quick & easy. This was a rich flavorful soup I will definitely make again.
Woah that’s great Danielle!!!
First time ever I managed to get my 8 yr old to eat lentils. A really great and easy recipe.
Woah that’s awesome Magda!!
Hi, I love the sound of this recipe and the ratings are *wow*! I’m looking for a recipe I can keep warm in a slow cooker for some time, to serve at work – do you think the lemon addition would be okay kept at a warm/edible temperature for a day? Thanks!
Yes definitely Jem!!
Another absolute winner Nagi – the most delicious soup and the best use of spices (and the lemon juice) to liven it up!! Please keep your recipes coming.
Thanks so much!
This was the BEST lentil soup I ever made! So simple and yet so incredibly flavorful.
You were right – the lemon really made it pop! Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Wahoo!! That’s awesome to hear Nadine!
How many cups is a serving of this lentil soup?
Gosh, I used to go to Pinterest for good recipes. Now I start with your blog. Your recipes are very good, and you have a very pragmatic approach which suits me. Thank you for making my life easier.
Thanks so much Jenni, I really appreciate the feedback!
This is the best lentil soup I’ve ever made! I think the lemon did it!
Brilliant flavour and that lemon takes it to another world!!!! Added extra cumin, coriander and paprika and also a bit of turmeric, health benefits, right ;-).
My 9 yo son wakes up this morning and requests the left overs for breakfast :-). We rubbed a cut clove of garlic over his toast to enjoy with your divine soup.
Woah that’s amazing Shelley! He has such a refined palate!
I followed the directions exactly. Although the flavor is really good, all the liquid was absorbed after 4o minutes. Maybe I left it 10 minutes too long? So disappointed when I lifted the lid and all I had was a pot full of cooked lentils 🙁 No soup at all! I added the remaining vegetable stock – (using 2 full quarts) and again, the lentils absorbed it all. Thoughts?
Hi, can I ask what type of lentils you were using? – N x
Delicious! Perfect soup to take to a friend!! Ty for such a wonderful recipe,
Thanks so much for letting me know Lily!
Excellent! Very tasty as well as healthy and great on Weight Watchers Plan. Who said Weight Watchers had to be boring. Awesome! Thanks for the recipe.
Wahoo! I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi Nagi,
Any chance you have some soup (like this lentil) with cooking instructions for an Instant Pot?
Thanks,
Anna