This Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe is a zesty, flavorful lentil soup that is filled with protein. If you are looking for more vegan recipes this one is for you. I like to make a big batch of this soup and freeze half for later. Pair it with crusty bread and a light side salad for a full meal.
I know many of you love lentil soups as much as I do. If you have been around here for any period of time you probably know I make a lot of different soups using lentils.
Lentils are one of the pantry staples I keep on hand.
I love how filling lentils are and that they are a great option when making a vegetarian meal. Today’s Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe is for the lemon lover.
Some of my most popular recipes are lentil soups like this Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup, Lebanese Lentil Soup and this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup.
Lentils are a great meatless protein that offers many healthy benefits and help you feel full.
I personally am a big fan of red lentils which you will find in today’s Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe.
This easy lentil soup recipe is bursting with zesty, lemon flavor which is a personal favorite of mine. You can add more or less depending on your love of lemons.
Lentils and pulses are a large part of the Mediterranean diet and something I encourage everyone to incorporate into their diets.
Some other lentil recipes that you might like are this Red Lentil Curry, Mediterranean Lentil Salad, Lentil Mushroom Stew, Lentil Sweet Potato Stew or this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup.
You can also check out this post on 20 Recipes to Make With a Bag of Lentils for Other Ideas.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
- Red Lentils: This soup uses red lentils. I find these work really nicely in soups. Make sure to rinse and pick through the lentils.
- Fresh Vegetables: The vegetables in this soup are carrots, onion and celery.
- Garlic: The garlic adds nice flavor.
- Spices: The spices in this soup are cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, curry powder and cayenne red pepper. It adds a warm flavor to the soup.
- Vegetable Broth: This soup uses vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth if that is all you have.
- Lemon Juice and Zest: The lemon juice helps balance the flavors and adds a touch of sweetness.
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
How do you Make This Easy Lemon Lentil Soup
1. Sauté: Heat a large pot, large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté the onions and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Then add the spices and continue to sauté for about 4 minutes.
2. Add Vegetables: Add the carrots and celery and sauté until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Simmer: Add the vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir in the lemon juice.
4. Puree: You can eat the soup as is with the chunks of carrots, celery and lentils or you can use a hand blender or traditional blender to create a creamy soup. Sometimes I blend half and keep half chunky.
Garnish the soup with fresh dill and parsley, crushed red pepper and lemon wedges for serving. I also really like to serve pita bread or crusty bread on the side to soak up that delicious lentil soup.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
How Can I Modify This Lemony Lentil Soup
- Bean: You can add additional protein to the soup by adding chickpeas or white beans.
- Vegetables: I enjoy extra vegetables in this soup like cauliflower, jalapeños for spice, potatoes, bell peppers or sweet potatoes.
- Garnishes: 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 {once again not vegan}.
- Meat: For those that want to add meat to the soup try adding sausage, shredded chicken, ground pork or even some crispy bacon.
- Lentils: I like red lentils because they break down and become soft. With this soup I blend it, or at least half of it, but you can easily eat this soup as is. If you have brown or green lentils on hand you can swap those in or use half red and half brown or green. Some people prefer the texture of the green or brown-so that is totally up to you!
- Spices: You can add red pepper flakes, chili powder, garam masala, curry powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper or dill.
- Citrus: You can add extra fresh lemon juice if you like an even more lemony flavor. You also could add some lemon zest.
- Grain: Sometimes I like to add a grain to my soups. You can try brown rice, white rice or quinoa.
- Thickening: You can use tomato paste to help thicken this soup.
What Should I Serve with this Soup
A lot of times when I eat this soup it stands great on its own. I will often warm up a piece of pita or naan to go with it and make a simple salad. Here are some other ideas:
- Vegetables: I like to add vegetables on the side to this soup. Some sides that would be nice are these Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables, Mediterranean Bean Salad, Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts and this Summer Orzo Pasta Salad.
- Potatoes: Another thing I like to pair with lentil soup is potatoes. Try these Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes, Paprika Roasted Potatoes, Lemon Cilantro Roasted Potatoes and these Gouda Smashed Potatoes.
- Dips: I am big fan of dips on the side of soups. I especially like this Baba Ghanoush, Lebanese Hummus or this Lemon Whipped Feta Dip.
More Soup Recipes
Vegetarian
Green Lentil Spinach Soup
Vegetarian
Tomato Red Pepper Bulgur Soup
Vegetarian
Mediterranean White Bean Soup
Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon {for an extra lemony lentil soup use two lemons}
- Fresh dill, chopped
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
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 celery and sauté until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and lentils and stir to combine. - Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add the lemon zest for more lemon flavor. You can skip the lemon zest if you feel like the lemon is strong enough with just the juice.
- You can eat the soup as is with the chunks of carrots, celery and lentils or you can use a handheld immersion blender or regular blender to create a creamy soup. Sometimes I blend half and keep half chunky.
- Serve the soup with fresh cilantro, fresh dill and lemon wedges.
Notes
- This soup freezes very well if you have leftovers.
- If you want a bit thicker of a soup add 2-3 Tablespoons of tomato paste once the onion, garlic and carrots are cooked.
- Some other additions that are nice include quinoa or couscous, chickpeas, grilled chicken, butternut squash or zucchini.
I love this type of food. Right now I am making red lentils with lemon. The kitchen smells wonderful.
I love it too! So glad you agree!
I whipped up this recipe on a cold January morning. The lemon flavour is amazing, not to mention the wonderful warm spice aromas that filled the house. Of course I had to taste test it and ended up having two bowls before lunch! Delicious!
It is so perfect for the cold days. I am glad you enjoyed it!
This is one of our family favourites. We serve it with a bit of crumbled feta. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Love the addition of feta cheese. We will have to try that next time.
I am half way through making this soup and the recipe states the juice and zest of one lemon but at no stage of the recipe can I find where the zest is added – the instructions just say to add the juice – I dont want to add the zest and find it over powers the soup but then if I miss it out the soup might be bland – what did anybody else do at this stage please
Hi there, The lemon zest is just to add that extra lemon flavor. I suggest you taste the soup and see how you like it with the lemon juice and then add the zest if you want more lemon flavor. I hope you enjoy!
Soooo! delicious and easy. It is addictive!!! I put all of mine through a blender so I could eat while I work and sip it through a straw. Shared it with my daughter and she too LOVES it! thank you for sharing. The spices make this soup. I am a stroke survivor that has had to make drastic changes to my diet. It is really wonderful to find a flavorful dish that does not break my diet. Need protein and this does the trick.
I am so glad to hear this! And I am glad that this was helpful in your way of eating!
Delicous and really quick and simple! Thank you!!☺️
So glad you liked it!
Julia, thank you for the recipe – it was delicious and very easy. I’m so happy I have lunch for the week and I’m eating healthy at the same time!
You are welcome!