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.
This is the third time I have made this in a month. I think that tells you all you need to know! YUM YUM.
🙌 Awesome to hear Julie!
Hi there! I’m a budding nutritionist and I’ve learned how important folate is, and wanted something tasty. This looks perfect! Question: How would you adapt this for a crockpot? I’m assuming throw everything in and see how long it takes, lol, but any guesses on best time or temp?
Hi Stephanie, I’d suggest to follow up to step 3 then transfer into a crockpot and cook on low for 4 -5 hours. ❤️
Very tasty!
I haven’t tried the lemon juice or zest yet. I’ll do that next time.
So glad you liked it!
I love lentil soup just made last night for dinner 😋👨🍳
Delicious! Thanks for all your recipes 🙂
Thanks Moira!
So, does lentils cause ‘gassy’ issues?
SO, SO good!!
Made it for an extending family lunch and it was a huge hit! Found out while making it that my great-grandmother’s lentil soup was legendary. Nagi, I’m happy to share that your recipe got two thumbs up (out of two…) and was said to be just as good as the family recipe. 🙂
Awww biggest compliment ever!!! thank you Windy! N x
Looking forward to it Nagi…….thanks for letting me know.
gail
P.S. only had yellow split peas, so waiting to make the Lentil soup until I get the green or brown ones on Thursday next. Looking forward to it.
Dozer….don’t listen to a word of what she is saying Doz…..she loves you to the moon and back!!! Could it be that Nagi is envious of your life style Dozer – eating – playing – sleeping – mmmmm??
Going to give this recipe a go tonight for supper Nagi. Snow is coming down heavy and need some stick to the rib warm soup for supper.
The bread you are using for ‘dipping’ do you have a recipe for it? It looks deliciious!
Thanks ever so much for the great recipes….have a whole file folder full of them – actually more then one working on a second…keep ’em comin’ Nagi.
Blessings
Gail (Patricia)
Hi Gail! funny you mention that bread…. it’s coming in the next couple of days 🙂 It’s my quick ‘n easy Garlic Cheese bread 🙂 N x
This soup is delicious! My hubby says tastes like chili without the meat! Thus was my first time making lentil soup and will make this again. May add mushrooms next time.
So glad this was enjoyed Mommers!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
Very good soup. Love the hint of lemon. This was so easy and is definitely a keeper.
That’s great to hear Meggie! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Fabulous soup that I frequently make. Sometimes I add some sauted mushrooms just before serving, which adds a little “meaty” texture.
Great idea!!! I have to try that myself! N x
Going to try this recipe tonight sounds delicious. Btw, I have a big ole German shepherd just like your own, eats,hopes to eat and since he’s an old dog lies around quite a bit, blocking doorways. But we love him.
They love to lie across doorways, don’t they?? I always feel like I’m walking over / around him…
I have full intentions of making this today. First time coming across your site and plan looking into more of what you do.
Hope you loved it Charlotte! N x
Made today. It is great.
That’s great to hear Joelie! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Yum! Made this last night! Ended up adding another 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp paprika when seasoning at the very end. Followed steps exactly and it was so good! A nice, hearty, healthy dinner on a cool night.
Glad you enjoyed this Jamie!! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Lentil soup was great. I did this recipe in the pressure cooker.did not crush the lentils left them whole and the soup was thick without adding any thickners.
That’s terrific to hear Radojka! Glad you enjoyed this! N x
OMG sooooo Yummy, I am sure I will never find a better recipe than this, My family loved it!!!! awesome with garlic bread!!! I did not have a immersion blender and it is pretty much needed for this recipe so I tried to mash it with potato masher, and that failed LOL anyway I gave some to my brother and now he said this is his new favorite soup and he wants me to make it for him all the time now, so rich and delicious!!! I want to make more now that I am talking about it!!!! One thing on how I got your recipe, I never made lentils before so I googeled your recipe and yours was not on the top of the feed and how I stumbled on yours I do not know but your picture grabbed my attention maybe I don’t know and I am SOOOOOOOO glad I did again Fantastic and I would NOT!!! Change A Thing on This recipe!!!!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
I made this today. A rainy, cooler day perfect for soup. This recipe is easy and delicious!
That’s great to hear Karen! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
This soup is soooo good! I threw some sliced kielbasa in with it. It was hearty, super flavorful, and I can’t wait to make it again.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Elizabeth!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️