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 J Daddy’s kind of soup. It’s one of very soups he will eat. I need a bowl RIGHT NOW!
(I might have to add some chopped and fried chorizo to the soup – hope you won’t mind the alternation / addition!)
YES YES YES x 1 million!!! (To chorizo!!)
This soup looks like the one my mom would make for us when we were kids! I love the way you thickened it without adding flour.
I really like thickening lentil soup this way! 🙂 It definitely adds more flavour into the broth. Happy weekend Julia! – N x
Hello Nagi,
Lentil soup is one of my favorites, besides white bean soup. You are right, the secret is in the seasoning with spices and herbs.
I especially love cumin and coriander ! That is the north African way! Sometimes I add chickpeas.
Oooh YES to chickpeas. I must confess it’s my favourite bean! I bet you make a MEAN lentil soup Malika! 🙂
So you are to blame for this weather??! No complaints I should send you a big bouquet of flowers all the rain is doing wonders for my garden and it is perfect weather for soup! This soup!! Soup time is my favourite time!
Ha! Why am I not surprised that you see the silver lining of the cloud? (Literally!)
This looks fantastic, Nagi. I love that tip from Ina – I agree! Also great idea pureeing some of the soup. This looks yummy and so hearty <3
Thank hun! N xx
Oh Nagi – having been born in Northern Europe methinks I went from mother’s milk straight onto lentil soup. So you don’t have to convince me how wonderful it tastes and how it does fill your tum 🙂 ! Actually I am used to the bay leaves and lemon but have not added the spices – that I do not at all mind trying!! Don’t think I normally add tomato either, but again more than game to try . . . Rain – glory, glory hallelujah: some of my neglected big garden may actually stay alive!!!! And I love the in-between temperatures! Dozer is acting quite logically methinks: why bother getting up if there the aromas on the table are not a ‘wake-up’ call 🙂 !
Ba ha ha!!! Lentil soup in your veins?? 🙂 N xx
Nagi, I had a chuckle to myself when reading your description of Dozer. My hubby always says big dogs are the only thing that eats 1kg of food, but seems to crap 2kgs. hence we now don’t have a dog as we now travel instead. We used to have a Malamute (Jessie) and cleaning up after him was horrendous, what with hair and poop. Love all his photos though, he’s obviously a “big” part of your family.
I burst out into laughter when I read this!!! It is SO TRUE, what is with that??? I DO actually wonder how on earth so much comes out of him!!!
Hi Nagi, This sounds wonderful, but I’m wondering if canned lentils can replace dried lentils as I have everything on hand and as you know our weather is starting to change right now which tells me “SOUPS UP”.
Hi Josephine! Use 2 cans of lentils and reduce the liquid by 1 cup. Simmer liquid for 20 minutes before adding the lentils then cook for another 15 minutes (don’t want to cook canned lentils for too longer otherwise they will turn into mush!)
Hi Nagi, Since your reply came a little late (no worries though) for dinner last night and today is my birthday, hubby took me out for lunch to our fave restaurant up at Kurrajong. If you get a chance to get up to “Locheil House” run by a beautiful young couple, I recommend their menu. Anyway, after such a beautiful lunch we haven’t the room to fit in your Lentil Soup” so it’s on our menu tomorrow night.
I looked it up! it look divine, thank you for the tip! I love family run local restaurants like that 🙂
So not being a fan of tomatoes in any fashion, is there a substitute for them in this soup?
Hi Ken! Just leave it out and add an extra 1 1/2 cups of stock 🙂 Maybe add a touch of extra paprika? N x
I like to add little cut up pieces of cooking ham to my lentil soup. Like you, I love what lemon does to soups and stews. I had never added the zest, and bada BOOM, it gives it a very nicer touch. Thank you for the idea.
Oooh YES TO THAT!
What is up with food bloggers, adding the same spices or herbs, to each and every meal they make without a great technique, and call it “good”. That’s the word, “Good”. But good is not great, and using your mind more if you thrived from creating, and being creative, would award your heart more. Cooking is all in the heart, and about being creative, but the main aspect is in the technique.
Hi Valerie, I’m sorry to hear you aren’t impressed with my recipe. I just share recipes that I love and I would therefore think that is cooking from the heart. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Love this recipe Nagi. Lentil soup is the most unsexy, but in Northern England, sometimes I wish it ran in my veins. It is the staple of fall and winter. And that Dozer is too much gorgeous-ness!
Ha!!! Glad to hear I’m not the only one who thinks lentil soup is so unsexy! 😉 N x
I love lentil soup, all vegetarian varieties, and the addition of lemon is a must, I find if you use the right amount of lemon it enhances the flavour of the dish as opposed to making the dish taste lemony. My favourite variety is spicy lentil and chestnut soup, made with red lentils and blitzed to smoothness then add pre-cooked green lentils and lemon juice to finish, it’s wonderful. My dog sounds a lot like your dog, he actually drools when he watches us eat, lol.
Absolutely agree! I probably should have said that in the recipe re: it doesn’t make it lemony, just brightens it 🙂 PS Of COURSE Dozer drools. Silently. But nevertheless disgusting.
Yumi! Am waiting for this. Do NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT WEATHER.BODY NEEDS REST! Wish YOU Were here am having Bayleave Tree in My garden, goes in everything. Having hips of very Fresh herbs from garden in My salads. Wont to shared with Neighbours but no one wont IT , Shame. As for our Dear Friend he isNOT USELESS, HE MAKES YOU HAPPY, LAUGH, MAD AT A TIME BUT ALL IS GOOD. HE LOVES YOU DEARLY!! Bring on more soups Please, thank YOU.
He definitely does make me LAUGH!!!! PS More soups definitely coming up! N xx
I have to admit, I’ve never made lentil soup with green lentils. I usually use red lentils, ham stock, and swap out the bay for some freshly grated ginger. The rest of the veggies are definitely in. 🙂 So Dozer is part cat, hm? Your description of his day sounds like my old Widdy-kitty. Abby the dog stays occupied. Today she was locating and digging up old potatoes and stale bread she had stolen from the deer and hidden in the snow a couple of months ago. Right now she’s off relocating what she doesn’t want to eat. Ugh.
Ooooh now THAT’s a serious lentil soup!!! PS There is eery possibility Dozer is part cat in mind but definitely not in body, when he runs he sounds like a horse thudding through the paddock. Nothing like the delicate light foot of cats!
Hi Nagi – Made this soup in my Power Pro XL pressure cooker – in 30 minutes and I used a natural release for 10 minutes before I did a quick release so I could open the pot. Of course I did the saute of everything like the recipe said and after I opened the pot and adjusted the seasonings, I did thicken the soup the way as you said to. The only think I did differently was I soaked the lentils over night which helped get rid of the “gas” factor. WOW!!! Great soup. thanks so much for this great recipe.
Fantastic to hear Kathi! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! N xx
Hello Nagi,
Another great recipe that I will be trying soon. It is still winter here so we need a bit of warming up!
I have always liked lentils, in fact I have just made some for tomorrow. I like to do it the day before as reheating seems to thicken the dish up. In many ways a very different recipe, although they both use bay leaves. I couldn’t agree more, they go very well with lentils.
I will be trying your soup though and I am particularly interested to try the lemon as it is something I have never added to lentils.
Thanks as always for sharing.
I really like that finishing touch! Definitely doesn’t make it “lemony”, just adds that extra freshness burst 🙂 I made another batch and added loads of extra veggies, emptied out my fridge! I have the weirdest stuff in it – asparagus bits, cabbage, radish – it’s delish!
The least sexy sounding soup on the planet… Hahaha, Love you writing! This post reminds me of the lentil soup my best friend made for me 2 years ago. She used cumin as well. Delicious! Will have to tell her your version. Looks yummy!
It IS!!!! It just sounds so blah because there are so many boring lentil soups “out there” – ha ha ha!!
Woulld you believe I made Lentil soup yesterday !The clouds were grey and the sea was pounding.very similar to your recipe but I always add chopped silverbeet . We’ve always called it Hippie Soup as the aroma of spices and lentils brings back memories of Nimbin and Byron Bay in the early years . I will definitely be adding that squeeze of lemon . Thanks so much Nagi!
We’re in sync! It’s Lentil Soup week! 🙂 N xx
Oh, Nagi i love your posts about Dozer – useless, yes, but look at that face!!!! sitting in the middle of a walkway must be a retriever thing – my mix who is part some-type-of-retriever is always sitting in doorways – i am forever stepping over her. My Border collie doesn’t do that.
I will have to try this lentil soup recipe – i have to admit it has tended to be a less favorite soup. But you are correct about it needing a flavor boost. i have always had good luck with your recipes so this one will be going on my “try” list.
Because collies are so much smarter!!! Dozer is definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed….. ha ha ha!!