Lebanese Lentil Soup

Lebanese Lentil Soup is rich, warming soup that combines red lentils, vegetables, curry powder, cumin and lemon juice. This soup naturally gluten-free and vegan, is easy to make and freezes well for later! Your family will love warming up to this soup in the cold months! 

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Post Permalink Email

Save

The farmers market where I live has a vendor that sells Lebanese food.

Of course every trip I make to the farmers market I have to stop at their booth and pick up some of their hummus, tabbouleh and their lentil soup.

I have become slightly obsessed with their Lebanese Lentil Soup and knew I hard to share this since it has quickly become a favorite Lebanese recipe. 

I have a few lentil soup recipes on my site, including this Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup and this Red Lentil Coconut Soup but nothing like theirs. All of these are variations of a vegan lentil soup.

I started working on a recipe that tastes similar to their soup and came pretty close to creating a soup that tastes like theirs. The difference between my other lentil soups and this Lebanese Lentil Soup are the spices that I use. This Lebanese Lentil Soup uses curry powder and cumin which I think add so much warm flavor. 

It works really nicely with the lemon juice. If you are looking for a healthy soup this is the one for you. It is naturally gluten-free and vegan. 

Why Should I Make This Lebanese Lentil Soup?

• Flavor: You honestly can’t beat the spice mixture in this soup. It is so warm, rich and just pure comforting. It also offers a lot of healthy vitamins and minerals. 
• Vegan: This soup is vegan, gluten-free and protein packed. It offers you a good dose of vitamins from the carrots, spices and the lentils.
• Freezes Well: I love that this soup freezes so well. Make a big batch of it and save half for later. Portion it out so you can pull it out when you need a healthy lunch option.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Red Lentils: Red lentils are the star of this recipe. Make sure to rinse them and pick through them to get any rocks or other things that shouldn’t be mixed in out of the lentils.
• Vegetables: This recipe uses fresh sweet onion, garlic, carrots and celery. You can use red onion or shallot if that is all you have on hand.
• Spices: The cumin and curry work so well together in this soup and bring a warm, rich flavor. You can also add crushed red pepper or cayenne red pepper for some heat.
• Broth: I used vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth or chicken stock also.
• Lemon Juice: The lemon juice adds a brightness and works so well with the warm spices and lentils. I suggest trying to use fresh lemon juice if possible.

How to Make Lebanese Lentil Soup

Step 1. Sauté the Vegetables: Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes then add the spices and continue to sauté about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté until carrots are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the celery and sauté another 2 minutes.

Step 2. Add the Broth: Add the vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Step 3: Add the Lemon Juice: Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Puree the Soup: Use an immersion blender and blend the soup to your liking. Serve the soup with fresh cilantro, cayenne pepper and fresh lemon juice.

Modifications for this Soup

• BEANS: Try adding beans to accompany the lentils in this soup. Two options I love to use are chickpeas or white beans.  
• GREENS: You can add swiss chard, spinach or kale to this soup. 
• VEGETABLES: You can add additional vegetables to this soup too. Some options are bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapeños for spice, zucchini, potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• GARNISH: Garnishes are always a great way to take a soup to the next level. Some garnishes I love in this lentil soup is feta cheese {of course the soup won’t be vegan if you use feta}, fresh cilantro and parsley, Greek or plain yogurt swirled in to create a thicker, creamier soup.
• GRAIN: Sometimes I like to add a grain to my soups. You can try brown rice, white rice or quinoa. 
• MEAT: If you want to add meat to your soup try adding sausage, diced chicken, ground pork or even some crispy bacon. 

Recipe FAQ

Other Soup Recipes You Might Like:

WHITE BEAN SOUP

INSTANT POT BEEF STEW RECIPE

INSTANT POT BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

TORTELLINI SAUSAGE SOUP

ZESTY BEAN POSOLE SOUP

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

4.52 from 87 votes

Lebanese Lentil Soup

By julia

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6

SaveSaved Pin Print

Lebanese Lentil Soup is rich, warming soup that combines red lentils, vegetables, curry powder, cumin and lemon juice. This soup naturally gluten-free and vegan, is easy to make and freezes well for later! 

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Permalink Email Title

Email *

Save

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 medium onion,, diced {about 2 cups}
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves,, minced
• ▢ 2 carrots,, peeled and diced
• ▢ 2 celery,, diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon curry {you can add more once you taste the soup at the end}
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups red lentils,, rinsed until water runs clear
• ▢ 8 cups vegetable broth {or vegetable stock}
• ▢ 1 lemon,, juiced
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ Fresh cilantro,, garnish
• ▢ Crushed red pepper,, garnish

Instructions 

• Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• Sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes then add the spices and continue to sauté about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté until carrots are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the celery and satue another 2 minutes.
• Add the vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
• Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Use an immersion blender and blend the soup to your liking.
• Taste the soup and add more cumin or curry powder to taste.
• Serve the soup with fresh cilantro, crushed red pepper and fresh lemon juice.

Notes

• You can mix up the spices to your liking. Sometimes I like adding cayenne red pepper in or extra crushed red pepper.
• If you like lemon flavor add in lemon zest along with the lemon juice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @acedarspoon or tag #acedarspoon!