Everyone needs a good red lentil soup recipe - hearty, comforting, warming, and just bursting with a myriad of flavors. While there are many lentil soup recipes, this Moroccan-spiced variation is my favorite. It's one of those soups I make over and over again. It’s vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, and nut-free.
One of the things I love about this soup is that it incredibly flavorful. It contains a lot of Moroccan spices – cumin, coriander, ginger, and cayenne pepper – which are not only bold, but also fragrant and vibrant.
Spices are used extensively in Moroccan cuisine. Rarely will you find a Moroccan dish without the depth of flavor brought by at least three spices. Upon a visit to any Moroccan souk (market), you will notice a stall after stall with vibrant red, yellow, and brown spices mounded in piles. Anise, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, saffron, turmeric, and white pepper are among the most popular ones.
If you've ever wondered what makes Moroccan food taste so delightful, it is most certainly a set group of spices. There is a reason why the most recommended Moroccan souvenir to bring back home are freshly ground spices. Moroccan cuisine has Mediterranean, Andalusian, and Arabic influences, making it wildly exciting to cook and eat. Moroccan dishes are sweet and spicy, sour and salty, floral and buttery, and just like this red lentil soup – bursting with flavor.
Tips for Making Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
The beauty of this soup is that it’s a pantry soup. The list of ingredients is simple and relatively short:
- Red lentils: unlike other types of lentils, red split lentils are hulled and, therefore, cook up quicker than any other variety of legumes. They break down and disintegrate as they cook, producing thick, heart soups. If you cook them long enough, they become almost creamy in texture. The great thing about red lentils is that they are very mild and take on pretty much any flavor.
- Onions and garlic: these two aromatics are a classic in almost every soup. They give off deep, well-rounded flavors and pleasing aromas when cooked, and are the core of flavor bases.
- Carrots: I love the sweetness of carrots in this soup, but celery, zucchini, or parsnips would be really good too.
- Tomato paste: a few tablespoons of tomato paste intensify the body of the soup and impart a beautiful red tone.
- Spices: the combination of cumin, coriander, ginger, and cayenne pepper deliver assertive, bold flavors with a little bit of heat. It’s this blend of spices that transforms simple pantry ingredients into a complex, flavorful meal.
- Lemon juice: a splash of lemon juice helps to brighten up and balance out the deep flavors. Lemon pairs really well with Moroccan spices and is a frequent addition in Moroccan dishes.
- Spinach: like all good soups, you need something green to make it come alive. If you don’t like spinach, you can leave it out or use other leafy greens.
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
- Sauté the aromatics and spices. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil. Give them a change to soften and turn translucent. Then add the spices. Sautéing the spices is the fastest, richest way to build flavor. No amount of simmering will extract as much flavor from spices as frying. Take your time sautéing all the ingredients; it will add layers of flavor.
- Caramelize the tomato paste. One trick I've learned from Geoffrey Zakarian, a chef in New York City, is to let tomato paste "brown" in olive oil together with the aromatics and spices. This can boost the soup flavor in a big way. Letting the tomato paste heat through and then deglaze the pan caramelizes the sugars, making the soup smoother and sweeter.
- Add the carrots, lentils and vegetable broth. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt (if the broth doesn’t contain salt already), and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils begin to break apart into a smooth, velvet-like texture.
- Blend (optional). If the soup is not creamy enough for you, you can always purée half of the soup in a blender.
- Stir in the lemon juice and spinach. Finish the soup off with a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of fresh baby spinach.
How to Serve Red Lentil Soup
Garnish the soup with some fresh parsley leaves and a wedge of lemon. Serve hot.
I often pair lentil soup with good crusty bread. Make sure to slice your bread thick enough to tear off nice big hunks — perfect for dunking and swiping up the last few drops of soup.
How to Store and Reheat Lentil Soup
The flavor of this red lentil soup improves with time. So, go ahead and make a batch to eat throughout the week. If your weather is still snowy and dreary like it is here in Canada, you’ll enjoy eating this comforting soup for sure.
- Refrigerate: allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: allow soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container (leaving a little bit of room for expansion) and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Transfer frozen soup into the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Add ¼ cup/60 ml water/broth at a time if too thick.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this lentil soup recipe, you might also enjoy one of these healthy soups next:
- Vegetable soup: another family favorite. This vegetable soup is made with homemade vegetable broth and packed with all kinds of veggies. No matter what produce you have on hand, this vegetable soup always comes out delicious.
- Minestrone soup:
If you try any of these recipes, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 carrot , chopped
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
- sea salt , to taste
- fresh parsley leaves , for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics and spices. Heat the oil in medium-size pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Then add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Caramelize the tomato paste. Add the tomato paste and let it "brown" in the pan for a few minutes together with the aromatics and spices.
- Simmer. Add the carrot, lentils, and vegetable broth, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt (if the vegetable broth doesn't contain salt already), and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils begin to break apart into a smooth, velvet-like texture, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice and spinach. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and spinach.
- Season. Taste and adjust the flavor, adding more salt for saltiness, garlic for pungency, cumin for an earthy flavor, cayenne pepper for heat, and lemon juice for acidity.
- Serve. Garnish the soup with freshly chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon. Serve hot.
- Store. Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat. The easiest way to reheat frozen soup is to remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat on a stovetop, adding extra ¼ cup (60 ml) water/broth at a time if too thick.
Shay
Love this recipe!! So simple and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
PetraScott
Aw, thank you so much Shay!
Sheila Plateo
Hi Petra, I live in New Orleans, LA. It is generally hot here. Today ir is rainey and a little cool. It put me in the mood for soup. I made your Spivey lentil soup with carrots. OMG it was so good that I could have probably eaten all of it. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I will keep it in with my favorites.
PetraScott
Aw, thank you so much for the comment, Sheila! So happy you enjoyed the soup! You just made my day 🙂
Gaby G
I’m so happy I stumbled upon this recipe. So simple and yet came out so hearty and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
PetraScott
Thank you so much for the feedback, Gaby! ❤️ So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Rosa
This recipe was delicious! I used what I had on hand, so I made some substitutions: bok choy instead of spinach (at the end) & red onion instead of white or yellow. Yum, yum, yum! Thank you! 🙂
PetraScott
Thank you so much for the feedback, Rosa! I am glad you enjoyed the soup 🙂
clara koss
we sometimes go to a Lebanese restaurant where they serve red lentil soup I love... now I can have it at home ... thank u...
PetraScott
Awesome! I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Tina
Making this tonight even though it's in the 80's ! Looks so good, thank you
PetraScott
I hope you love the recipe, Tina 🙂
Jean Thielmann
Remarkable soup. Great flavor. Used a heaping teaspoon of ""Better than Bouillon" vegetable base for the vegetable stock. I can hear my husband scraping the bowl from here! Thanks so much for a wonderful meal!
PetraScott
Yay! Thank you so much for the feedback, Jean! So happy you and your husband enjoyed it ❤
Heather
Hi Petra!
We discovered your YouTube channel a few weeks ago and this was the first thing we tried since we had everything on hand! It was so good that I’m making it AGAIN tonight!! Your raw brownies are in my freezer waiting for my to eat afterwards lol Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!!!!
PetraScott
Yay! That makes me so happy. Thank you so much for the feedback, Heather! ❤ Hopefully you will love the brownies just as much 🙂
Diana VRasmussen
The soup is so easy to make and extremely delicious, I added a few small potatoes, because I love them and literally add them everywhere. All and all, the soup is fantastic, made it twice already. Thank you so much for sharing.
PetraScott
Haha - my husband loves potatoes in every soup too! I like using potatoes in soups because the starch the potatoes release thickens everything really nicely 🙂 So, I totally understand. Thank you so much for the feedback, Diana! ❤️
M C
So easy and delicious! I love the flavours and textures, and especially the lemon juice:) For me too, it reminds me of a Lebanese soup I used to have. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes Petra!
PetraScott
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback and rating. It truly means a lot!
Diana Vartanova Rasmussen
Thank you so much, Petra! All your recipes that I've tried to recreate so far, turned out to be a big success. Thanks again and please keep up good work!!!
Tracey
This is absolutely delicious and surprisingly filling - my husband was dubious when I gave him the soup to take to work for lunch, but came home raving about it, and how full he felt. Loads of flavour, with just the right amount of spicy heat - this is definitely a staple soup for our family now 🙂
PetraScott
You don't even know how happy your comment made me! Thank you so much for the feedback, Tracey!❤️
Xenith Kruger
This was sooo delicious! I added all the ingredients to my instant pot and it came out perfect. Thank you! Will definitely be trying some of your other recipes.
PetraScott
So happy you enjoyed the soup, Xenith! Thank you so much for the feedback. I really appreciate it.
Lisa
Lovely flavoursome soup. I followed the written recipe and l think blending half the soup and adding it back to the pot improved the texture and consistency. Watched the video just now and noticed that ginger powder and the bayleaf were not mentioned in the written version. I will try this next time. Also in the video there were two onions not one and three tablespoons of tomato paste, not two, also spinach was added not parsely. My son thought it tasted better without parsely, l liked it though plus the lemon juice adds some zing.
PetraScott
Thank you Lisa! My apologies for the confusion. I often add or change the seasonings I am using. I don't really measure when I'm filming though, so the written version is what I recommend people follow. However, you can definitely take some inspiration from the video.