Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup is a meatless soup recipe packed full of flavor! Cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon compliment the red lentils and carrots, creating a creamy, filling soup.
MOROCCAN CARROT RED LENTIL SOUP
Lets talk soup. I eat it all year long and this is one I keep on rotation.
Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup is one of my favorite soups of all time and remains one of the most popular recipes on my site. It is one of those soups that keeps you coming back because of the rich, warm spices and the healthy ingredients. This soup is filling and can stand alone as a meal. Or you can pair a nice salad, some crusty bread or naan and a side dish and call it a night.
Those that know me well, know how much I love soup. When I go to a restaurant, I almost always start my meal with a warm cup of soup. If you like creamy soups with a lot of flavor, this Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup is the soup for you. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Last year I shared a slightly different recipe for Moroccan Red Lentil Soup. Today’s soup uses that soup as the base but adds in carrots along with a few additional ingredients. The carrots compliment the tomatoes and lentils nicely, bringing a sweet flavor to the soup.
One of my favorite things about this soup is that you can freeze half for later. This soup freezes really well. It makes a quick and easy lunch on those busy days.
WHY SHOULD I MAKE LENTIL SOUP?
- This soup is vegan, gluten-free and protein packed. It offers you a good dose of vitamins from the carrots, spinach, spices and the lentils.
- 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. A tip before freezing: allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then put it in an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight. Then when you are ready to eat it, warm it up on the stove over low heat until it is warmed through.
COOKING TIPS AND VARIATIONS:
- Add additional protein to the soup by adding chickpeas or white beans.
- I enjoy extra vegetables in this soup. Trycauliflower, jalapeños for spice, potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- 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.
- For those that want to add meat to the soup try adding sausage, diced chicken, ground pork or even some crispy bacon.
- 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!
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:
- A Mediterranean Bean Salad or Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts is always a great partner to this lentil soup.
- This Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower or these Simple Garlic Parmesan Green Beans are a nice addition.
- A big bowl of this traditional or lemon hummus is a great side dish to the soup.
OTHER LENTIL RECIPES AND RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
What are lentils? Nutrition and Variations by Jessica Gavin
Slow Cooker Taco Lentil Soup by Ambitious Kitchen
Curried Lentils by Budget Bytes
Beef and Lentil Stew by A Spicy Perspective
This recipe makes 6 cups of soup. This soup freezes very well if you have leftovers. You can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. 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.Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Beth @ The First Year says
I love that you revamped an old recipe! Looks beautiful!
Beth @ The First Year recently posted..Out of the Kitchen #1
Julia says
Thanks Beth!
Debra @ Worth Cooking says
The color of this is just GORGEOUS! I am trying to find more ways to eat lentils and so will have to try this. Not sure my husband will be as excited as he does not care for those spices, lentils, or soup. But, I am excited to try it 😀
Debra @ Worth Cooking recently posted..Slow Cooker Chicken Lettuce Wraps + Creamy Avocado Pudding
Julia says
I hope you like it Debra! My husband usually isn’t into anything with lentils but he actually liked this soup. He couldn’t eat as much as me but the fact he ate a small bowl made me happy!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
I could eat this soup every day!!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl recently posted..Tart Cherry Chinese BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Julia says
I could too Liz!
Jim Mandoli says
Great receipt, I’m gonna give this one a try. I’m just starting to cook for myself so I’m researching some healthy and relatively easy receipts I could try. Your blog is really helpful. Thank you!
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Judi Boebel says
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Julia says
Thanks Mom! I hope you make it and like it…freeze half for later!
Kari @ Cooking with Toddlers says
This is so perfect for the beginning of fall! I’m going to save this and make it when it’s not 90 degrees here 🙂 Looks so fantastic!
Kari @ Cooking with Toddlers recently posted..Cooking with Toddlers: Baked Carrot Top and Spout Egg Rolls
Julia says
Thanks Kari! It will be perfect once it cools off outside!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Just beautiful! This sounds so tasty & I can’t wait to try it!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate recently posted..Spanish-style Meatballs
Julia says
Thanks Patricia. I hope you like it!
Julia says
I could slurp this soup down any dern day! I’ll be sure to make this soon – love those warm Moroccan flavors!
Julia says
You will love it Julia!
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
I’m so ready for soup season and this recipe is going to the top of my must try list!
Melanie | Melanie Makes recently posted..Smoky Pistachio Crusted Chicken Tenders
Julia says
I am ready too–not for cold weather but for soup!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
This soup looks so silky – I want to grab a spoon and dive right in!
Julia says
Thanks Lauren! Grab a spoon and come over! 🙂
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) says
This sounds amazing! I love those flavors, especially with red lentils.
Alyssa (Everyday Maven) recently posted..Arugula Salad with Lemon Balsamic Dressing
Julia says
Thanks Alyssa! I love red lentils too!
Jessica @ Stuck on Sweet says
I love the flavors going on in this soup and can’t wait for FALL! I am already obsessing about all things FALL and this soup is on my list for sure. Beautiful photos too!
Jessica @ Stuck on Sweet recently posted..Funfetti Sugar Cookies
Julia says
Thanks Jess! I can’t believe fall is almost here. It is my favorite season except that it means a Chicago winter is on its way! 😉
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
Love all the spices in this soup and the touch of cinnamon!
Jeanette | Jeanette’s Healthy Living recently posted..Thai Barbecue Chicken Recipe
Julia says
Thanks Jeanette! The cinnamon adds a nice warm flavor.
Yelena Butler says
Can I use regular lentil vs. red lentil? Thank you.
Julia says
I would think you can. I have not tried using a different lentil but I know that some varieties take more or less time to cook so I would suggest if you sub a different lentil you watch the time it takes to cook and test the lentils to make sure they are fully cooked. Also depending on the lentils you may have to add more liquid..this is something I would asses as you start cooking the soup and see how the lentils are absorbing the liquid.
Zsuzsanna says
I just made this soup – the only change is I replaced 2 cups of stock with a can of coconut milk. It is delicious, I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the recipe.
Julia says
Love that idea! Glad you liked it!
Jessica Wright says
Made this for meat eating friends, they loved it! I recommend blending it and adding cayenne pepper for spice. Very hearty, delicious soup!
Julia says
Love that idea Jessica! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
nuts4knits says
Wow!! This is officially the best carrot soup I’ve ever had. Possibly the best soup I’ve ever had. Thank you.
Julia says
Thanks so much! I am thrilled that you liked it.
Kristina says
some great flavors in here – we love lentils and I am always looking for new recipes to use them in, thank you! I know we will both love this one.
Julia says
Thanks Kristina! We love this soup-hope you like it too.
nibbles by nic says
Yum….I absolutely LOVE red lentils! Your soup is just divine!
Julia says
Thanks! I love red lentils too, especially in soups!
Susan | LunaCafe says
Beautiful soup. Can’t wait to try it with new crop carrots this spring.
Julia says
This is a great one for those extra carrots!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Beautiful soup, absolutely beautiful. I’d love to eat a big bowl of it.
Julia says
Thanks so much. It is one of my favorites.
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets) says
I always like to start out with soup as well 🙂 I love that this soup is naturally gluten free, the flavor combinations really are calling out to me.
Julia says
Thanks Sandi! The flavor combinations in this soup work really well together. Hope you try it out and like it.
Josie - Eat Thrive Glow says
This soup looks AMAZING. I eat a lot of carrots and red lentils & I love how you combined these wonderful flavors together. Pinning! 🙂
Julia says
Thanks Josie!
love quotes says
I could eat this soup every day it looks very tasty <3 quotes about success
Ka says
Lovely soup,
I made mine with red onions and topped it with fresh coriander leaves and homemade finely chopped preserved lemons.
Julia says
Thanks for the feedback! I love the idea of fresh coriander leaves and the homemade preserved lemons. Sounds wonderful!
Susanne Ames says
How many cups does 7 carrots yield? I would think it depends on how big the carrots are.
Julia says
It depends on how big the carrot are but I used large carrots for my recipe. Next time I make it, I will measure the cups.
Michelle says
I just made this soup and it is so yummy, my body is really appreciating the inside hug 🙂
Julia says
So glad you liked it! It is hands down one of my favorite soups that I make. Thanks for stopping by to let me know! 😉
Kirsty says
Made with grated carrots and tomato purée as I had no canned tomatoes – amazing
Julia says
So glad you loved it. Grated carrots is a wonderful idea!
Teresa says
Is the difference in red and green lentils just color or is the taste as well.
Julia says
Great question! This is a great article on the difference: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-brown-gre-111139. Green lentils take longer to cook {maybe around 45 minutes} while red lentils take less than 35 minutes to cook {for me usually 20 minutes until tender}. I do think there is a different taste between the two and I like red lentils more in soups than green {green tend to taste more peppery} but I think it is probably a personal preference.Green also stay firm while red lentils get soft {which makes red great for soups}. If you have a blender you can blend the soup pretty smooth, so green could still work. Let me know if you use green!
Julia says
A reader gave me the following notes from when she made the soup:
1. I cooked the onions and garlic in coconut cream (I had some extra in the fridge) not oil.
2. I added all the spices to the onions (after they softened) and cooked the spices. My friend from India taught me to do that.
3. I added 3 tablespoons of tomato paste to the spice and onion garlic mixture.
4. Then I added the carrots stirred them around for awhile and added 1/2 cup water to get the sticky bits up.
I added water off and on (about 2 cups) to help the carrots get soft. THEN I just added 4 cups of water after.
—I used Better than Boullion from the jar and added it to the water. It was fake chicken flavor.
Jenna says
Thank you sooo much for posting this recipe. I never have much luck with cooking but I followed your recipe exactly and my soup has turned out perfect! Gratitude gratitude gratitude for you 🙂
Julia says
I am so glad you liked it Jenna! It is one of my favorite soups to make!
Samara says
I made this a few weeks ago (fantastic!) and I’d like to make it again – any suggestions for how to modify this into a crock pot recipe? I know the veggies get blended up at the end anyway, but I’m not sure how the lentils would be after sitting in the slow cooker all day. Thoughts?
Julia says
Hi there! I am so glad you liked it! From what I read most people just put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours then blend it. I think it would work really well! Let me know how it goes. It is a good idea for me to create a version in the slow cooker so I might do that soon too and post it. 🙂 Great idea!
Roberta says
Hi There Julia! I just made your recipe few hours ago, it was delicious…I couldn’t wait to blend it, ate a bowl of it, will blend it in the morning and freeze some! I didn’t have onion on hand but had some shallot, so I used it and also used fire roasted diced tomato which was what I had. Thanks for sharing your comfort soup! It’s a keeper!!
Julia says
Thanks for the feedback. I love the idea of fire roasted tomatoes! Let me know how you like it.
Anita says
I just made this for a quick lunch. Our fridge was pretty empty as we had just returned from a 3 week trip, but I happened to find a packet of multi-color lentils in the pantry so I decided to look and see what I else I can find in the pantry and freezer. I found a carton of chicken broth, a can of stew tomatoes, and a half bag of medley of frozen carrots, peas and corn, so I decided to throw these in. I followed the method and the soup was ready in 45 minutes.. It was delicious! I love how easy it is and how it tastes like I’ve sweated for half a day by the stove to make the soup. 🙂 Thanks for sharing and this will be one of the regular items on our dinner table.
Julia says
I love that you were able to make this with what you had in your pantry! It really is such a versatile and customizable soup. I am glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback!
Gaynor Boyce says
I’ve just made this soup, as we are out feeding the homeless tonight, it is gorgeous, i used chicken stock, and garam masala as i had no cumin, but had cumin seeds so used both…..i added a 1/4 tsp of chilli powder and it turned out really nice, i’m sure the homeless guys out there tonight will have a warming effect from this soup……..cold out there, hope they like as much as i do…..thanks for posting will defo be making again.
Julia says
Thanks for letting me know that you liked it Gaynor! And how wonderful that you are out feeding the homeless. I hope this warms you and them. I am so touched that you picked my soup to make for them. I like your idea to use cumin seeds–I am going to try that next time.
Linnea says
Wow this was absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recepy. I’m definitly going to make this again, i added only 4 cups of vegetable broth bc i wanted it to be thicker and for me it was the perfect amount. I loved all the different spices in this. De-li-cious! And all the rest of my fam loved it too
Julia says
Great idea! It is such a customizable soup, so I am glad you figured out what worked best for you. Thanks!
Darshana says
I tweaked this recipe a bit to suit pressure cooking the soup, and it tasted wonderful! Thank you!
You can check the tweaked version here:
https://meremortalmonologue.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/carrot-lentil-soup/
Jess says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I made it for “Soup club” at work and was asked for the recipe over and over!
I accidentally forgot the tomatoes…. I added a good inch of fresh ginger as well. Turned out great. Thanks again
Julia says
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing and I am glad you liked it!
Lauren says
Would this recipe work if i just wanted a moroccan carrot soup? Can I follow the same procedure and skip the lentils? Thanksb
Julia says
I honestly have not tried that but I think if I did that I would do less liquid. A lot of the liquid is soaked up when the lentils cook making the soup thicker. I think you could cook everything together and then blend it to the texture you want. You could even add some white beans in for a thicker texture if you want instead of lentils. Let me know how it works out!
Linda says
This soup looks delicious, I am eager to taste this but first i have to make it.
Hope first time all goes well.
Linda recently posted..How to Clean Cuisinart Stand Mixer Complete Guide
Julia says
I hope you like it! Let me know.
Rak Minimarket says
This is look spicy but i love it
Michelle says
I just made this soup for my family for the second time, we love it! Great recipe! Thank you!
Julia says
I am so glad you like it! Is is one of my favorites!
Carol says
Hi Carol here from Greensborough Victoria Australia. I just made this soup and I love it. It will be on my winter soup list from now on. Thank you for your delicious recipe.
Julia says
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
Tracy says
This soup was excellent! I have a family member who can only have pureed items after oral surgery, and this was a hit/not the typical cream of soup! i used 14oz fire-roasted tomatoes (plus the suggested red pepper flakes)… it had a great spice/was very aromatic! Lentils providing protein an extra plus!
Julia says
Love the idea of the fire roasted tomatoes and I am so happy that you liked it! This is one of my favorite soups to make all year round. Thanks for sharing!
Chessie says
I just made this for supper along with a spinach pie (spanakopita). You could call this random combination fusion cooking, right? (ha)
Very tasty — thanks!
Julia says
That actually sounds like it could be a great combination! I love spinach pie!! 🙂 Glad you liked it.
Minnie says
Dumb question. Are the red lentils canned or dried?
Julia says
Sorry! They are dried red lentils. I buy mine in a bag.
Sandy says
Thankyou for this recipe. I have been looking for a good red lentil soup for a long time and I finally found it. One of your posts mentioned an “Indian friend” so I incorporated some of these tips in too. Yummy!
Julia says
So glad you liked it! It is one of my favorite soups. I actually made it again this past Sunday.
Heather Neufeld says
This is great soup but the number of ads that popped up when I tried to get the recipe was absolutely maddening.
Vanessa says
THanks for sharing! Does it kep long?
Julia says
Yes! I keep it up to a week and it is fine. Otherwise it freezes too!
Katy says
Hi how much is 4 cups in ml for the stock?
Julia says
Hi there, when I do the calculation online, I get 946.3529 ml is 4 cups.
Karen says
Nice soup, thanks for the recipe. I served it with cilantro, a swirl of Greek yoghurt plus naan bread. A nice easy meal for the family!
Julia says
So glad you liked it!!
Yang says
I love carrots so much! This recipe looks absolutely gorgeous, and I bet it tasted really good. I will be making this for my grandmother when I visit her soon. The color looks really stunning, Julia! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
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Julia says
I am so glad you liked it! This is one of our favorites.