Red lentil soup is the soup I make when the fridge looks empty and I still want something that tastes like real cooking. A bag of red lentils, an onion, a couple of carrots and a spoonful of tomato paste turn into a silky, golden pot in about 40 minutes. No soaking, no cream, and only one pot to wash.
This version leans on cumin and a big squeeze of lemon, the way it’s served across the Middle East and Turkey, where lentil soup (shorbat adas in Arabic, mercimek çorbası in Turkish) is an everyday staple. Below you’ll find the master recipe, the nutrition per bowl, five variations and how to store it.
Short answer: To make red lentil soup, soften onion and carrot in olive oil, stir in garlic, tomato paste and cumin, then simmer 1 1/2 cups (300 g) rinsed red lentils in 6 cups (1.4 L) broth for 20 to 25 minutes until they fall apart. Blend until mostly smooth and finish with lemon juice. It makes 4 bowls with about 384 calories, 21 g protein and 10 g fiber each.
Red Lentil Soup at a Glance
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 40 minutes |
| Makes | 4 bowls (about 2 cups each) |
| Per bowl | 384 calories, 21 g protein, 10 g fiber |
| Keeps | 3 to 4 days in the fridge, 2 to 3 months frozen |
21 meals, 100 g+ protein a day, plus a grocery list and prep schedule.
Ingredients
Red lentils are the split, hulled kind, so they cook fast and collapse into a creamy soup on their own. Brown or green lentils won’t do that; save those for salads.
- 2 tablespoons (27 g) olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (about 150 g), diced
- 2 medium carrots (120 g), diced
- 3 garlic cloves (9 g), minced
- 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) red lentils, rinsed
- 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for serving
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and just starting to turn golden, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, paprika and pepper flakes. Stir for about 1 minute, until the paste darkens a shade and the spices smell toasty.
- Add the rinsed lentils and the broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have completely broken down.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. No stick blender? Blend half of it in a countertop blender with the lid vented, then stir it back into the pot.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and thin with a splash of water or broth if the soup is thicker than you like.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with parsley or cilantro, a lemon wedge and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Serve it the classic way with lemon wedges and warm pita, or toast the pita into chips while the soup simmers. A spoonful of plain yogurt on top is good too.
Red Lentil Soup Nutrition (Per Bowl)
I calculated these numbers from USDA FoodData Central per-100 g values for each ingredient, divided across 4 bowls. The small amounts of turmeric, paprika and pepper flakes, plus salt and toppings, aren’t counted.
| Nutrient | Per bowl (about 2 cups) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 384 |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60 g |
| Fiber | 10 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
Most of that protein and fiber comes from the lentils. Raw lentils have 24.6 g protein and 10.7 g fiber per 100 g in USDA data, so the 300 g in this pot carry about 74 g protein before anything else goes in. The sodium depends almost entirely on your broth: regular vegetable broth is salty, so if you’re watching salt, use a low-sodium carton and season at the end. For more meatless protein ideas, see our list of vegetarian protein sources ranked per 100 g.
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Want a bowl with even more protein? Our high protein soup recipes range from 19 to 41 g per bowl, including a 15-minute egg drop soup with tofu and a lemon chicken orzo soup with white beans.
Tips for the Best Texture
- Rinse, don’t soak. Red lentils don’t need soaking. A quick rinse in a sieve washes off dust and some of the starch that makes foam.
- Skim the foam. When the pot first boils, a little foam rises. Skim it off with a spoon if you want a cleaner-looking soup; it doesn’t affect the taste.
- Cook the tomato paste. That minute in the oil before the liquid goes in takes the raw edge off the paste and deepens the color.
- Blend as much as you like. Fully blended gives you a smooth, restaurant-style soup. Half blended keeps some texture. Unblended works too, since red lentils break down on their own.
- Add lemon at the end. Acid added early fades in the long simmer. Stir it in off the heat and taste again: it’s usually what makes a flat pot taste finished.
5 Red Lentil Soup Variations
Turkish-Style With Paprika Butter
Make the soup as written and blend it fully smooth. In a small pan, melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter with 1/2 teaspoon paprika and a pinch of dried mint until it sizzles, then spoon it over each bowl.
Coconut Curry
Swap the cumin for 1 tablespoon curry powder and add 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger with the garlic. Replace 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of the broth with one 13.5-ounce (400 ml) can of light coconut milk, and finish with lime instead of lemon.
Lemony Spinach
Leave the soup unblended. After step 3, stir in 4 packed cups (120 g) baby spinach and let it wilt for 2 minutes, then add the lemon. It’s brighter and greener, and it gets more vegetables into the pot.
Chunky Vegetable
Add 1 diced celery stalk with the onion and one 14.5-ounce (411 g) can of diced tomatoes with the broth. Skip the blending for a heartier, stew-like bowl.
Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
Do steps 1 and 2 in a skillet (or on the sauté setting), then add everything except the lemon. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours in a slow cooker, or at high pressure for 10 minutes with a 10-minute natural release in an Instant Pot. Blend and add the lemon at the end.
How to Store and Freeze Red Lentil Soup
Cool the soup, then refrigerate it in covered containers. FoodSafety.gov gives soups and stews with vegetables a fridge life of 3 to 4 days and a freezer time of 2 to 3 months for best quality. That makes this an easy one for lunches: portion it into four containers on Sunday and you’re set through Wednesday or Thursday.
Red lentil soup thickens a lot as it sits. When you reheat it on the stove or in the microwave, add a splash of water or broth and stir until it’s loose again, then taste for salt and lemon. Freeze it in portions with a little headspace and thaw overnight in the fridge.
FAQ
Do you have to soak red lentils before making soup?
No. Red lentils are split and hulled, so they cook in 20 to 25 minutes without soaking. Just rinse them in a sieve until the water runs mostly clear.
Is red lentil soup healthy?
It’s a filling, plant-based meal. One bowl of this recipe has about 384 calories, 21 g protein and 10 g fiber, with only 8 g fat, most of it from olive oil. If salt is a concern, the broth is the thing to change.
Why is my lentil soup bland?
It’s usually short on salt or acid. Season gradually at the end, add another squeeze of lemon, and make sure the spices got their minute in the hot oil. A drizzle of good olive oil on top helps too.
Can I use brown or green lentils instead?
You can, but you’ll get a different soup. Brown and green lentils hold their shape, take longer to cook and won’t turn creamy. For this silky texture, stick with red or yellow split lentils.
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Have a bag of brown or green lentils to use up? They are exactly what you want for mujadara, the Middle Eastern lentils and rice dish, where they need to hold their shape.
Looking for more ways to cook with both kinds? Our roundup of lentil recipes for soups, salads and weeknight dinners includes a red lentil dal, lentil tacos and a lentil bolognese, with protein and fiber for each.
What goes with red lentil soup?
Warm pita, a crisp salad, or a plate of roasted vegetables. If you’re building a cozy week of meals, pair it with ideas from our healthy fall dinners, or browse more bowls in our healthy soup recipes. Looking for more fiber-forward dinners? Try these high fiber meals.
For a heartier Middle Eastern spread, serve the soup with a few pieces of crispy baked falafel and a drizzle of tahini sauce.
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart
- USDA FoodData Central: lentils, raw (FDC 172420), olive oil (FDC 171413), onions, raw (FDC 170000), carrots, raw (FDC 170393), garlic, raw (FDC 169230)
- USDA FoodData Central: tomato paste (FDC 170459), cumin seed (FDC 170923), vegetable broth, ready to serve (FDC 171583), lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747)
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (27 g) olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (about 150 g), diced
- 2 medium carrots (120 g), diced
- 3 garlic cloves (9 g), minced
- 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) red lentils, rinsed
- 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and just starting to turn golden, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, paprika and pepper flakes. Stir for about 1 minute, until the paste darkens a shade and the spices smell toasty.
- Add the rinsed lentils and the broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have completely broken down.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender until mostly smooth. No stick blender? Blend half of it in a countertop blender with the lid vented, then stir it back into the pot.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and thin with a splash of water or broth if the soup is thicker than you like.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with parsley or cilantro, a lemon wedge and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Nutrition per 1 bowl (about 2 cups)
21 meals, 100 g+ protein a day, plus a grocery list and prep schedule.
