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Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup is a meatless soup recipe packed full of flavor! Cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon complement the red lentils and carrots, creating a creamy, filling soup. This soup freezes great too!
Let’s 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. This soup is filling and can stand alone as a meal. I love having a big pot of this simmering away in my dutch oven. Or you can pair a nice salad, some crusty bread or naan and a side dish and call it a night. 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 complement 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.
If you like lentils you should also check out some other recipes like this Lebanese Lentil Soup, Red Lentil Curry, Mediterranean Lentil Salad or this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup. You also might like this Vegetable Barley Soup, Tuscan Bean Soup or this Instant Pot Bean Soup.
Why We Love this Moroccan Lentil Soup
This lentil soup is warming and packed with flavor. Here are some other reasons we love it:
• Flavor: You honestly can’t beat the spice mixture in this soup. It is so warm, rich and just pure comforting.
• Vegan: This soup is vegan, and gluten-free. If you are looking for a plant-based soup that is filling this is for you.
• 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 an easy lunch option.
Featured Comment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I just made this for the first time. The flavor is remarkable! It’s absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try your other lentil soups!
Recipe Ingredients
You will love this easy recipe and the simple ingredients it uses. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- Vegetables: I added onion, garlic and carrots in this lentil soup. I love the combo and flavor those add. You also could add things like butternut squash or sweet potato but make sure you dice them very small so they cook quickly.
- Spices: The combination of spices in this soup is my favorite. I used cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon.
- 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.
- Diced Tomatoes: I added a can of diced tomatoes. You can used crushed tomatoes or even try fire roasted tomatoes for that smoky flavor.
- Vegetable Broth: I used vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth or chicken stock also.
Cooking Tips and Variations
- Add additional protein to the soup by adding chickpeas or white beans.
- I enjoy extra vegetables in this soup. Try cauliflower, 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!
Tip for 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.
Storage Tips
- Store the leftover soup in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. You can reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- You also can freeze this soup! It makes a great meal-prep option. Make sure the soup cools completely and then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
More Lentil Soup Recipes
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Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chopped carrots or about 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups red lentils, rinsed until water runs clear
- 1-15 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
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 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and lentils and stir to combine. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
- You can eat the soup as is with the chunks of carrots, lentils and tomatoes 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, crushed red pepper and fresh lemon juice.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make this in the instant pot or slow cooker?
For the Instant Pot use this recipe: https://www.acedarspoon.com/instant-pot-lentil-soup/ for the slow cooker use this as far as the cooking time https://www.acedarspoon.com/slow-cooker-lentil-soup/ but the ingredients would be from the original recipe. Enjoy!
@Julia,
Thanks!
This is a family favourite and never disappoints. Much love!
Omg I tried this and it was easy and lovely 😃. I added more carrots and a little ginger too, and blended about half of it.
So glad you liked it! It is one of my favorites. Love the idea of more carrots and ginger. My favorite flavors!
Made soup for dinner, yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Made the Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup for the first time today and all I can say is “WOW”! What a nourishing and delicious winter soup! I added some curly kale, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato and cut back a bit on the diced tomatoes. I also used fire-roasted tomatoes which gave it an added flavorful flair! Since I don’t eat onions or garlic, I left those out. I did puree it a bit but also left it slightly chunky so it still felt very hearty and satisfying. It was absolutely superb! 😊Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. Looking forward to many more to come!
I am so glad you liked it! I need to try your changes- I especially love the fire roasted tomatoes. Thanks so much for your feedback! <3
I loved this soup! Served it over basmati rice. Can’t wait to see how good it tastes tomorrow when the flavours have melded together
So glad you liked it! I think it is ever better the next day.
Delicious! I added a dash of cayenne for a hint of heat.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed it.
Wonderful Recipe! I just loved it. Going to bookmark your website right now for future recipes. Thanks a lot.
Glad you liked it!
Very delicious food. I like it very much.
the winter season is coming soon and i was looking for a healthy soup impatiently. and you made it easy for me. and I’m considering it the best and protein-enriched soup ever. thanks for sharing and keep on sharing.