A quick and easy, thick and hearty, Red Lentil Soup with Lemon. It's fragrant, super tasty, healthy, nourishing, simple, and versatile!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"Mel, you have a knack for flavor profiles! The soup is so balanced in flavor. The lemon is one of your great additions...We have made it multiple times and it will stay in our "much-used" recipes. Thank you!" - Stanzy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Things you need to know about this Red Lentil Soup with Lemon ... It is PACKED with flavor (yes throw out ALL of your lentil preconceptions), it's thick and hearty in an almost cross-between soup and stew kinda way, and it's lemony, garlicky, and fragrant, and packed with vegetables.
It's also super healthy and flexible, just like my vegan vegetable soup and chickpea curry soup. Not got one of the veggies? Leave it out or throw in whatever you do have. You can even omit the lemon and it still tastes amazing. I'll give some ideas for great subs and additions below.
It's savory, fresh, and bright whilst also being healthy, pantry-friendly, warm, and cozy.
Ingredients
It all starts with the usual vegan soup recipe gang ... onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and stock but then along to the party comes:
- Red lentils - I don't recommend using green or brown lentils in this recipe, but if you do you will need to reduce the liquid accordingly. They won't break down and thicken the soup like red lentils do.
- Potatoes - My go-to potato for soups is Yukon Gold. Red potatoes work well too. They both keep their shape. Starchier potatoes like russets will break down more.
- Dried herbs - Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence. Or you can use a couple of individual herbs like oregano, parsley, marjoram, or thyme.
- Kale - A good choice in soups because it keeps its shape and texture. Any other greens will work instead though. If using spinach bear in mind that it cooks very quickly so you should add it in the last couple of minutes.
- Lemon juice - We're talking excessive amounts for lots of zippy fresh citrus flavor.
- Sugar - This is used as a seasoning rather than a sweetener. It's just a small amount and makes a huge difference. It mellows the tartness of the acidic lemon, provides balance, and enhances all of the other flavors.
How To Make Red Lentil Soup
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me give you a quick walkthrough to set you up for success when it's your turn:
Step 1 - Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery (so important for amping up those flavors so don't rush them!)
Step 2 - Add the lentils, potatoes, garlic, herbs, and seasonings and cook a bit more.
Step 3 - Add the stock then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the lentils and veggies are tender.
Step 4 - Add the greens and let them simmer for a few minutes then turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, stir, and serve.
Got an Instant Pot?
Give my Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup a try. It's the same as this red lentil soup recipe, just made Instant Pot-friendly!
Make It Your Own
This is a very flexible recipe and you can switch up most of the ingredients to suit what you have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes.
- Use spinach (fresh or frozen), collard greens, or Swiss Chard instead of kale.
- Omit the greens completely.
- Omit the lemon.
- Add leftover cooked grains (like brown rice, sorghum, farro, or quinoa) at the end of cooking to make it even more thick and hearty.
- Add a teaspoon of ground turmeric or curry powder.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this Red Lentil Soup with my vegan feta cheese (the unbaked version) sprinkled all over. Its creamy, melty saltiness works well with the lemon and lentils. Vegan parmesan cheese works well too, and who could say no to some vegan croutons?
With all of those lentils and the potatoes, this is a seriously hearty soup, but it's also great ladled over some fluffy rice, and if you're anything like me and always need bread on the side of soup, then these are great options:
Storage Tips
Allow the soup to cool completely then store in the fridge for 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in a microwave. It does thicken a lot as it cools, so add additional stock or a bit of water as needed.
Recipes FAQs
Red lentils cook and break down very quickly so there is no need to soak them before using. Because they break down so quickly and easily they aren't a great choice for recipes where you need the lentils to retain their shape, but they are perfect for making soups, dhals, and stews.
Yes. I recommend sautéing as per the recipe for the very best flavor. Then put everything in the slow cooker (except the lemon and greens) and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 to 6 hours. Once everything is tender, add the greens and allow them to wilt down. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and serve.
More Lentil Recipes
Recipe
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , (use a few drops of water to sauté instead for oil-free)
- 1 large onion , diced
- 3 sticks celery , diced
- 2 large carrots , diced
- 5 cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 3 to 4 potatoes , diced
- 1½ cups (300 grams) dried split red lentils , sometimes labelled Masoor Dal
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs blend , such as Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 to 7 cups (1440 - 1680 mls) stock
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 fresh lemons
- 4 to 5 big handfuls chopped kale , or other greens of choice
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm a large soup pan or Dutch Oven over a medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Sauté the onion, celery and carrots together until turning golden. Don't rush them. It will take about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, potatoes, lentils, herbs, salt, and pepper and continue to cook for a few minutes.
- Add 6 cups of the stock and the sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until the potatoes are fork tender and the lentils have more or less broken down. It should take about 20 minutes. Check the thickness. If you prefer it thinner add the rest of the stock. (Remember that lemon juice goes in at the end and will thin it a little more).
- Add the greens, stir and allow to cook in the simmering soup for 5 minutes, unless you are using spinach, in which case it will be cooked more or less immediately once it's been stirred in.
- Turn off the heat. squeeze in the juice of the lemons, stir well. Taste to check seasoning and add more as necessary. Check the thickness again. Add some hot water from a kettle if you want to thin it down, then serve immediately.
NOTES
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Vee says
Amazing. Best lentil soup Ive made.
Alexandria Phillips says
This was on my meal plan last week. I really like it. The kids did too. It will go into rotation. Nothing like a good dump-and-go soup. :)
Cindy says
This looks good and I'll give it a try. Question about the sugar - it says "see notes" next to sugar in the ingredient list, but I don't see any notes. Is there something we need to know about the sugar? I don't think I've ever added sugar to soup before, so I'm quite curious.
Melanie McDonald says
Sorry about that. It must have been deleted at some point. I've added a note about it in the post. Here's what it says to save you scrolling back up: "Sugar - This is used as a seasoning rather than a sweetener. It's just a small amount and makes a huge difference. It mellows the tartness of the acidic lemon, provides balance, and enhances all of the other flavors.".
Teresa says
This is so good and so tasty. It is filling and satisfying. Thanks again, Melanie!
Denise says
Really good. I used sweet potatoes and herbs de Provence with 2 lemons. Plenty of leftovers, so added a can of coconut milk to them for variation. Both versions were delicious. Thank you!
Lisa says
Holy cow! This soup is delicious! Thank you!
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Lisa!
Lisa says
This is the most amazing lentil soup. My husband and mom also love it. I use Italian seasoning and kale. I find it needs almost double the stock. We love the lemon and can use less salt. It freezes beautifully for a quick vegetarian meal for meal when mom and husband eat something with meat. I usually double recipe and share with family and neighbors.
Our fav!!
Janine Barclay says
This was "okay" but not something I would make again. There was too much lemon in it. I used 1 large juicy lemon as opposed to 3 and it was still too much. I made some cashew cream for it and it improved it.
Rosebud says
Very good soup! Delicious as is.
And because I couldn’t resist, I added Preserved Lemons for an extra punch! WOW!
Thank you for taking the time to create this nourishing soup, Mel!
Lauren Vaught says
Great recipe, thanks for the inspiration. I broth sauteed all veggies and used baby kale with the lemon at the end for a truly delicious, power-packed and nutrient-rich soup!
suzi says
What a great soup you have here!! Followed your recipe and warmed leftovers today for lunch.... added lots of extra broth and some steamed brown rice to make leftovers go further. YUM!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Suzi!
Larissa says
Excellent recipe here. I followed the recipe exactly (fried onion, celery and carrots in a non stick pan with 1 tspn. of canola oil then completed the rest of recipe in my Instant Pot.
I used 4 minced garlic cloves and 1 vegetable stock and 1 vegetable broth.
I used 1 tspn each of dried basil, rosemary and oregano.
I used 2 lemons instead of 3 and yellow potatoes. Delish! ?
My daughter agreed with me, we felt like we were eating Greek lemon ? potato soup! Yum.
Thank you.