Published February 18, 2022.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious Lentil soup recipe is jam-packed with spices and caramelized vegetables to bring about an incredibly flavorful soup. This is one of the easiest-to-make most nutritious soups on my website, and the taste is beyond amazing.
I am such a huge soup fan; Afterall, I used to call it my first love. If you’re unsure how to make soup flavorful, I go into detail on just about every recipe I have to show you how to do that. Definitely try my Cream of Mushroom Soup or Beef and Barley.
Lentil Soup
Lentils are a legume indigenous to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Countries. They are plant seeds that are jam-packed with fiber, potassium, and protein and make for a great meat replacement.
Since lentils are starchy, earthy in flavor, and can be on the bland side, there are many ways to make them flavorful, including by adding them into soup. When other ingredients are introduced that complement lentils like onions, garlic, spices, and lemon, the taste is out of this world.
There are many variations of lentil soup depending on where you live, so do not be surprised if you see different ingredients. My version is much more of a Middle Eastern Lebanese style.
What Goes in Lentil Soup?
- Lentils – You can use red, green, brown, or yellow lentils for this recipe. Avoid using French lentils.
- Oil – I prefer olive oil, but you may use ghee or clarified butter.
- Onions – Medium to large size yellow, red, white, or sweet onions will work for this.
- Garlic – Finely minced garlic cloves will help bring out a lot of flavors.
- Celery – A few ribs of small to medium size diced in this soup.
- Carrots – Medium to large sized peeled and small to medium size diced for this recipe.
- Potatoes – This one is optional, but it is often seen in many classical Middle Eastern style lentil soup recipes.
- Spices – Ground cumin and coriander are great in this, but I’ve also seen things like paprika and dried mint added.
- Stock – I prefer to use really good chicken stock, although you can use vegetable stock to help keep this recipe vegan/vegetarian.
- Lemon – This will add some much-needed acid and brightness to this soup.
How to Make Lentil Soup from Scratch
You these easy-to-follow instructions and images to make this delicious Lentil soup recipe from scratch:
Add the onions to a large pot with olive oil over low to medium heat and cook until completely caramelized. This may take up to 45 minutes but do not skip out on this part as this is where a lot of the flavor of the soup will come from.
Next, add in the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until very lightly browned and tender.
Stir in the cumin and coriander until combined with the vegetables.
Pour the rinsed lentils, potatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock and stir to combine.
Add a lid and cook over low to medium heat for 35-45 minutes or until the lentils are very tender.
Next, using a hand immersion blender, pulse blend the soup until about half of it is pureed. This will help thicken the soup. If you do not have an emersion blender, blend half of the soup in a regular blender until thick. Please also remember to remove the center part of the cap when blending so that it does not explode.
Adjust the seasonings of the lentil soup with salt, pepper, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this soup up to 1 day ahead of time. When ready to serve, reheat on the stovetop in a pot.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well and be covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a pot and heat up over low heat until hot. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and add a ¼ cup of chicken stock at a time if it is too thick and needs to be thinned out.
chef notes + tips
- You can use red, green, brown, or yellow lentils in this recipe, although the color of the soup will change depending on which one you choose.
- If you are using a blender to blend the soup, remember to take the centerpiece of the blender lid off and replace it by putting a towel right over the top of the whole while blending.
- You can substitute the potato for a few red new or Yukon gold potatoes.
More Soup Recipes
- Stracciatella (Italian Egg Drop Soup)
- Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Rice Soup)
- Ham and Potato
- Birria Consomé
- Shrimp Bisque
Video
Save
Homemade Lentil Soup Recipe
4.98 from 47 votes
This delicious Lentil soup recipe is jam-packed with spices and caramelized vegetables to bring about an incredibly flavorful soup.
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, ghee, or clarified butter
- 2 peeled and medium diced yellow onions
- 2 peeled and medium diced carrots
- 2 peeled and medium diced ribs of celery
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 cups green lentils, rinsed
- 1 large peeled and medium diced potato
- 2 bay leaves
- 9 cups chicken stock
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Add olive oil to a large pot over low to medium heat and cook the onions until completely caramelized. This may take up to 45 minutes.
Next, add in the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until very lightly browned and tender.
Stir in the cumin and coriander until combined with the vegetables.
Pour the rinsed lentils, potatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock and stir to combine.
Add a lid and cook over low to medium heat for 35-45 minutes or until the lentils are very tender.
Remove the bay leaves and then using a hand immersion blender, pulse blend the soup until about half of it is pureed. This will help thicken the soup.
Adjust the seasonings of the lentil soup with salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make this soup up to 1 day ahead of time. When ready to serve, simply reheat on the stovetop in a pot.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze well covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a pot and heat up over low heat until hot. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and add a ¼ cup of chicken stock at a time if it is too thick and needs to be thinned out.
You can use red, green, brown, or yellow lentils in this recipe, although the color of the soup will change depending upon which one you chose.
If you are using a blender to blend the soup, remember to take that centerpiece of the blender lid off and replace it by putting a towel right over the top of the whole while blending.
You can substitute the potato for a few red new or Yukon gold potatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 27gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 405mgPotassium: 1189mgFiber: 24gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2596IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 7mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
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85 comments
- Cheryl Koller
I just made this recipe for lunch on this miserable chilly damp day. Very good.
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Excellent!
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- sue😁
Thank you ChdfBilly tasty soup recipe 😁😋
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my pleasure!
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- Perry
Best lentil soup I’ve ever tried, been making it every winter season for several years, thank you Billy, everyone should try this recipe. It’s Fu nominal, best tasting & healthiest soup ever.
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- Maria
So delicious. I love lentil soup but this recipe is fantastic
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- Grandma 13
Making this now, but your recipe says 2T olive oil and you say 3 on the You tube.
Which is it?- Reply
either is fine
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- LAS
I made this last night but substituted a can of diced tomatoes for the potato. Excellent taste! I served it with chicken sausage and fresh parsley! I forgot the lemon but will add it when I reheat later. I am sure it will be even better after allowing the flavors to meld overnight!
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nice!
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- Lindy
I made this last week and was worried the littles wouldn’t like it. Everyone loved the soyp and some had seconds.. Thank you for this delicious recipe that will stay in our rotation. I plan on making more to freeze!
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excellent!
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- Joanne Mary P
A Chef Parisi recipe never disappoints. I made this soup for my book club meeting. Remember to give yourself 45 minutes to caramelize the onions. I omitted the coriander because I only had seeds, I substituted the potato with a sweet potato, and I added a cup of water because I only had 8 cups of stock. I made the soup the day before the meeting and warmed it on the stove the next day. I did add a packet Herb-ox Chicken Bouillon dissolved in a cup of hot water to thin it. I also added the lemon when warming it up. Delicious and a hit!
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- Grace
Delicious. I didn’t need to blend. Thickness was perfect. Omitted the potato. Added some smoked turkey kielbasa.
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- Janaan Domeyer
I made this recipe as instructed including adding chickpeas which was noted in the video. It was delicious!
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- sue
Thank you 😁ChefBilly😁😋
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- sue
Thank you ChefBilly 😁😋
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- Kim Roberts
This lentil soup is absolutely delicious.
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- Bobbie
Excellent! I am not usually crazy about lentil soup but I made it for my husband who loves it. We both thought it was delicious! will be making this soup again! Thanks!
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- Kathy Pepe
Delicious
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- Robert Daniels
This soup is outstanding! The lemon is a key addition for the brightness. Careful not to “OVER” blend (like I did). Still tastes great but Billy’s picture is more visually appealing!!
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- Tamie Hodges
Very good!
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- Margaret
Ìnteresting recipes 😋
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- Judy
I made this using my own vegetable stock and served it at a women’s luncheon this fall. It was a hit, some who thought they hated lentils were converted and wanted your recipe.
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- Jo Benoy
OMGoodness!! Like so many of Chef Billy’s recipes, this one is absolutely delicious! I did add a bit of extra to it, and here’s how. I cook mainly for two people, and once every couple of months I do pork ribs. I can only buy them in an entire rack, which is too much for just my husband and me. I decided to use the “extra” ribs in some sort of bean soup, and I settled on lentils. I added two chopped pieces of bacon to the pot as I sauteéd the onions (for flavor), then followed the recipe to the letter afterwards. When it was time to to cover the pot and let the lentils cook, I threw in the five extra ribs. When it was time to serve, I removed the ribs, removed the meat from them and put it back into the pot. After tasting, I decided to add two tablespoons of tomato paste, which gave it another little layer of flavor. Don’t forget to add Billy’s suggestion of lemon juice … it really brightens the soup. Honestly, this is absolutely yummy!
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- Chef Billy Parisi
Thank you for trying this, glad you enjoyed it!
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- Charmaine
I followed this recipe exactly as written. It was simply delicious. Thank you, Chef
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nice!
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- Basil
I like the thickness and flavor of the soup. I substituted Allspice in place of cumin. Delicious!
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- Eloise
Delicious!!! Made it exactly as written. Tried French lentils for the first time, loved the taste and texture. Give it a try.
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- Kate Stough
Hi. I made the lentil soup a few days ago. I highly recommend it. I did 1/2 the recipe as we have 2 people in our household. I will freeze the rest. I did make homemade croutons also. Really good. Thanks for the recipe .
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- Jessica Finkbine
I got to share this with someone who felt a little down and they said it was so good, it lifted their spirits! Warms the tummy and the soul 😊
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- Cynthia
Absolutely delicious! Thank you Billy!
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- Sonia
Amazing 😋, as we say in latin: DELISIOSO😋😋😋😋😋
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- Mary Nolan
Lentil soup is my favorite. Can’t wait to try this. I usually cut a sweet potato into small cubes and include it in the soup. Sweetens it a bit
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- Darla Watanabe
This is the third time I have made this lentil soup recipe. This time I added kale and it is spectacular!
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- D Shoemaker
Excellent taste, easy to make. One of my husbands favorites!
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- Jenny
I made this exactly as the recipe stated except for one small thing. I omitted the potatoes because my main reason for making this at all in the first place was to make pasta fa*gioli with it. Pasta fa*gioli has small noodles in it which would’ve been too much starch for me. But everything else was exact and after making it I will never make pasta fa*gioli with canned lentil soup again. Even my kids loved it and they are the pickiest eater‘s ever. I highly highly recommend this recipe and I’m so glad I found it. In case anybody ever wants to make asiper easy pasta fa*gioli, simply make this recipe first. Then just add garbanzo beans, some cooked ditalini noodles, and a small amount of spaghetti sauce – approximately a 16th to the amount of lentil soup you use. Start off with even less than that, mix it in, and then just add a little bit more to taste depending on your own liking. Then garnish it with some Parmesan cheese and eat it with a soft slice of French bread and it’s delicious. This lentil soup recipe really made my pasta fa*gioli pop
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See AlsoChristmas Salad Recipe- Dawn
Soooo good! Be sure to add the lemon at the end
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- Irina
Made it a few times. Every time it’s super delicious! My entire family loves this soup. Thanks for sharing.
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love it!
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- Catherine Wadden
Never had lentil soup until I tried it in a restaurant. I loved it and was excited to try this recipe…it did not disappoint!
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love it!
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- Julie
My family LOVED this soup!
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amazing!
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- Heidi
Very good! I don’t have a blender, so we are enjoying the soup as is. The flavor is incredible.
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appreciate you trying it
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- Kate
Excellent flavor & texture. From my 95 yr old Dad to my 14 yr old grandson we all loved it! Made enough to freeze some for when it is just Dad & I as we have soup 6 out of 7 evenings!
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so good!!
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- Lind Wolf
Totally added this recipe to the rotation ….
Perfect food for your soul …
Thank you- Reply
fantastic
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- Joyce Liang
Super yumm. Easy to follow and just the right amount of spices and aromatics. Thanks for my winter belly-warmer!
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excellent!
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- Valerie Morgan
It’s been YEARS since I’ve had lentil soup!! OMG just like my mom made for supper on cold winter evenings with homemade bread. It brought back wonderful memories and that’s the beauty of unpretentious food!!!
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perfect!!
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- Cathie Zimmerer
Made this today, definitely excellent. My usual recipe for this dish is almost the same except for a few spices and diced tomatoes. However, this one is superior to my own.
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Fantastic!
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- Joyce Liang
Absolute comfort food on a cold day. Easy and doable.
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so good!!
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- Diane Shoemaker
My husband loves lentil soup…so made a pot full and canned the majority. Now he can have it whenever he likes. He said it was better than store bought!
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That’s great!
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- Joanne Avella
Tried it and also your ham and lentil soup. Fantastic
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perfect!
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- Mardy
Delicious
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Thank you!
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- Barbara
thank you!
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My pleasure!
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- Ella Garcia
Very good recipe. Made it exactly as instructions indicated except put in two bouillon cubes.
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Love that idea!
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- Vivian Soul
It’s very cold right now, so this was the perfect lunch soup with sandwiches. My guest loved it. I agree using Cilantro for garnish was perfect. This recipe was easy, and absolutely a do again. The leftovers are going to a party tomorrow, with another soup I made from Chef Bill Parisi, Broccoli and Cheddar, both 5 star yummies.
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- Pamela Capes
Easy to follow… and, absolutely delicious! Thank you, Chef!
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- Jonathan Moore
Used leftover cilantro (coriander) for garnish instead of parsley. We loved it! Truly delightful!
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- Suzanne Douglass
This was wonderful! I never thought of using cumin and coriander but they made a world of difference. I dolloped the soup with creme fraiche dusted with pimenton for color. Thanks for the recipe, Comie.
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- Patricia Richter
Best soup ever….. my husband couldn’t believe….usually I make a big pot and send some over to my daughter’s family…..not this time. Thank you for sharing…
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- Kathleen
Very good flavor but mine was ridiculously thick, seriously the spoon could have stood up on its own. Thinking 2 cups of lentils next time. Thoughts anyone?
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- Gerry
Can you use broth from a ham bone 🍖 n stead of chicken broth?
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absolutely!
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- Stacy Carp
Made it and it’s the perfect lentil soup. I added kale for some greens at the end. The lemon gives it life. Thank you!
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- Tali Grossman
Hi chef billy! I’m definitely going to try and make this soup. Can I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock?. Thanks for your recipe’s. Tali
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Yes
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- Donna
So flavorful! I halved the recipe, added chopped red bell pepper. Beautiful colors. Will definitely make this one again! Subscribed to newsletter.
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- Alli
Absolutely Delicious!
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- Dawn
Third time making this soup. It’s sooooo good! Adding lemon juice at the end is an absolute!
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- Nanda Labranche
Hi ,thanks for another great recipe, I also froze same,🥰
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- Nancy
Most excellent dish. Fun to make. Good texture. I pulsed it smooth. Will make again.
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