This red lentil soup recipe is cozy, flavorful, and bright with lemon. Easy to make with simple ingredients, it's a delicious, healthy one-pot meal.
This red lentil soup recipe is exactly what I’m craving these days. It’s cozy and warming, but nourishing too. Blended red lentils thicken the broth (no cream here!) and give each bowl a boost of plant-based protein. Aromatic veggies and cumin add earthy depth of flavor. This red lentil soup is healthy and delicious.
The recipe is inspired by Turkish red lentil soup, which is one of my favorite dishes to order at Middle Eastern restaurants. Unlike lentil soup made with green or brown lentils, it has a vibrant orange-yellow color and bright, lemony taste. On a cold winter day, it’s a perfect pick-me-up!
This red lentil soup is easy to make with basic pantry ingredients. Simple, filling, and flavorful, it’s a great recipe to have in your back pocket at this time of year. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Red Lentil Soup Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this red lentil soup recipe:
- Red lentils, of course! The red lentils fall apart as they cook, giving the soup a thick, creamy consistency. Green or brown lentils will not work here. If you have those, go check out this lentil soup recipe instead!
- Onion, garlic, carrot, and celery – These aromatic veggies create the soup’s flavorful base.
- Yukon Gold potato – For texture.
- Ground cumin – For earthy depth of flavor.
- Cayenne pepper – For heat. Skip it if you’re sensitive to spice, or substitute a pinch of mild chili powder.
- Vegetable broth and water – You’ll need 5 to 6 cups of liquid to make this soup recipe. The exact amount will depend on how much liquid your lentils absorb. I call for 4 cups broth and 1 to 2 cups water because most store-bought stock comes in 4-cup boxes. If you have extra stock on hand, or if you’re using homemade vegetable broth, feel free to replace the water with additional broth.
- Fresh lemon juice – It gives the soup a delicious bright finish.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds lovely richness. Use some in the soup, and serve it with another drizzle of oil on top.
- Fresh parsley – For garnish. You could technically skip it, but I love the freshness it adds to this simple soup. Fresh cilantro would be nice here too.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
This red lentil soup recipe has three simple steps:
- Sauté
- Simmer
- Blend
Start by sautéing the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the potato, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook for another minute.
Next, simmer the soup. Add the lentils, broth, and 1 cup water to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and lentils are tender.
Then, blend. The trick to this red lentil soup recipe is only partially blending the soup. The blended lentils and potatoes will give it a nice creamy consistency, while the remaining whole potatoes and other veggies will leave a bit of texture.
An immersion blender is perfect for this, but you could use an upright blender too. If you’re going that route, transfer most of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Then, add it back to the pot with the remaining chunky soup.
Finally, season and serve. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Stop blending before it’s totally smooth. I like to blend some of the lentils and potatoes in this soup to make the broth thick and creamy. But I don’t totally puree it—leaving some chunks gives the soup a satisfying texture. An immersion blender is perfect for this!
- Add more water for a thinner soup. I list a range of water in this recipe. You may need less or more depending on how much water your lentils absorb. Start on the low end and stay there for a thick red lentil soup. Add more water for a thinner one. The final texture is up to you!
- Make it your own. I love this recipe as written, but it’s flexible. Feel free to make it your own! Try replacing the cumin with ground coriander or paprika, or experiment with sweet potato instead of the yellow potato or carrot. Add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste for a bolder color and tangier flavor, or dump in a can of diced tomatoes. Just don’t skip the lemon juice. Its bright, tangy flavor takes this recipe over the top.
What to Serve with Red Lentil Soup
I love to serve this red lentil soup with crusty bread and a simple salad. Any of these salad recipes would pair nicely with it:
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
The soup will thicken after a day or two in the fridge, so you may need to stir in a little water to thin it when you reheat.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this red lentil soup, try one of these easy soup recipes next:
- Best Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small Yukon Gold potato, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in the potato, garlic, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the lentils, broth, and 1 cup water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are soft.
- Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until mostly smooth. (Alternatively, blend the soup in an upright blender.) If the soup is too thick, add the remaining 1 cup water.
- Add the lemon juice and season to taste with more salt and pepper as desired. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped fresh parsley.
To quote my husband: “The way this tastes totally exceeds my expectations based on the way it looks!” 😂 We loved this soup and would put it in the “keeper” category. It came together easily, was inexpensive and made with ingredients we had on hand, and was delicious! I would probably blend it slightly less in the future to maintain more texture and whole carrot/potato, but otherwise wouldn’t change it. Thank you!
This far exceeded my expectations! It was delicious, hearty, and very satisfying. Even my very picky teenager ate a huge bowl and said it was tasted and smelled good (high praise from him!!) I used russet potatoes because I thought I had Yukon gold but I was out and only had russet. I also realised as I was cleaning up that I’d forgotten the lemon juice but it was fantastic without it (although next time I’ll add it and see which we prefer 😊)
Hi Kristy, I’m so glad the soup was a hit!
Perfect soup for a rainy night tonight! Loved it.
Both my husband and I love this soup! I make a lot of soups, and the red lentil soup will go into our rotation. I added about 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers to the recipe and did not add any water. I also used a food processor to chop the veggies, including the potato. This made it easier and faster to pull the recipe together. After the lentils were cooked, I let the soup cool a bit and then put most of it in the blender to make it smooth. The added lemon juice at the end is a must!
I love the combination of red lentils and potatoes – makes the soup so hearty!
I used smoked paprika and garlic granules instead of cumin, and omitted celery.
I also didn’t take the time to blend part of it, but I smushed up some potato and lentil with the back of a spoon to add some thickness. All so good.
Thank you for your recipes!
This was delicious! The entire family loved it! Next time I will make a double batch and try freezing leftovers in individual servings for a quick lunch.
I have an abundance of red lentils, so this recipe was perfect! I absolutely love the addition of the sauteed veggies. I added a habanero because I love heat, decreased the EVOO, and increased the cumin and garlic! No blah lentil soup here – this was SO good! Leftovers are perfect for lunches too!
this was good! it’s simple and a little plain. next time i would add more cumin and not add the cup of water, since i like thicker soups. but would make again! it’s nice because i usually always have these ingredients on hand.
We love red lentils! Made this soup using a sweet potato because it was in the pantry & wilted baby spinach into the soup at the end. Delicious!
So glad you loved the soup, Patti!
Thank you for sharing this unique recipe. I have never used red lentils before. It was easy to assemble.
Hi Jackie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was perfect for my winter supper, it had a great flavor, I loved that I had almost all the ingredients on hand. I did sub a sweet potato for the Yukon potato – Im sure using a Yukon would be amazing too. My husband who doesn’t love lentils was shocked that he was enjoying a lentil soup haha! Win!!
Hi Sarah, ha! I’m so glad it was a hit!
I’ve been using up leftover veggies by adding them to this soup as I warm it up — perfect for these cold windy days!
Fun idea to use up veggies, Lauren!
Perfect for a rainy winter night. Will serve with na’an bread and a salad. This one’s a keeper!
Hi Nita, I’m so glad you loved it!
I just made the soup and gobbled it up! Delicious!
So glad you loved it, Rhianon!
This is a great recipe to make with younger children. They can help wash, dump ingredients, and stir. On top of that they also LOVED the soup. I made some for a friend and her child loved it so much I instantly shared the recipe with her too. In the winter I don’t have a ton of herbs on hand but I did have thyme and topped the soup with some- that worked very well. Overall wonderful recipe.
Hi Kelly, so great to hear that you found this soup kid-friendly—for making and eating! I’m glad you loved the recipe.
This recipe was easy to make and did not require any special ingredients. The soup tasted good but it wasn’t the vibrant red I was expecting. Maybe my medium carrot was not enough or my potato was too large. At any rate, I will try this recipe again.
Hi Ann, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
As a new Mom I’m always on the look out for easy, healthy, and filling meals that taste great. This soup checked all the boxes! Thanks for posting for us.
Hi Kristen, yay! So glad you loved the recipe.
I made this for my family and they loved it! My husband said we should save it to our favorite family recipes! We made it with grilled cheese and it was a perfect compliment to it.
Hi Jaclyn, so great to hear that this soup is a new family favorite! I agree that it’s a perfect partner for a grilled cheese.
This is a delicious and healthy soup. I love the creamy texture and bit of spice! Perfect on a cold day!
Hi Adrienne, I’m so glad you love the soup!
Delicious, easy and healthy!
So glad you love it, Susan!