This post may contain affiliate links.
Moroccan Red Lentil Soup is a comforting soup recipe that is easy to make and perfect for the freezer. The warm, rich spices of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika and turmeric mix together perfectly to create a flavorful soup. You will love this hearty soup!
Today’s recipe, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup, is comforting. The warm, rich spices of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika and tumeric mix together perfectly to create a flavorful soup. The wonderful smell of spices simmering in this soup remind me of my Grandma’s kitchen growing up. There is something about soup that can really warm the soul.
I spent most of last week eating this soup for lunch and even had some leftover to freeze. This Moroccan Red Lentil Soup is easy to make and simmers on the stove while you go about your day. If you are a fan of lentil soup, I suggest you give this one a try… make a big batch, invite your loved ones over and enjoy!
If you love lentil soups you also need to try 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. Some other lentil recipes that you might like are this Chicken and Lentil Soup, Lentil Feta Salad, Lentil Mushroom Stew, Lentil Sweet Potato Stew or this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup.
Why You Will Love this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
We love this flavorful soup. Here is why we love it:
• Vegan: This soup is vegan, gluten-free and protein packed. It offers you a good serving of veggies from the carrots and spinach.
• Freezer-Friendly: 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.
• Flavor: You honestly can’t beat the spice mixture in this soup. It is so warm, rich and just pure comforting.
Recipe Ingredients
You will love this easy recipe and the simple ingredients it uses. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- Vegetables: This soup is loaded with delicious vegetables. It uses carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes.
- 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.
- Spices: You will love the combination of spices in this soup. It mixes together coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon.
- Vegetable Broth: I used vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth or chicken stock also.
How to Make this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
Step 1: Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a Dutch over or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender (about 3-4 minutes).
Step 2: Add Spices: Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes stirring the whole time.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients and Simmer: Add the broth, tomatoes, and lentils stir well and heat to a boil. Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes {until the lentils are tender}, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Puree Half of the Soup: Remove the soup from the heat and ladle half of the soup into a large mixing bowl. Carefully blend half of the soup in a separate container with an immersion blender which is a hand blender (or use a blender) in small batches if necessary. Return the blended half of the soup back to the pot and mix well.
Step 5: Add Lemon Juice: Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with warm pita bread or bread of your choice. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro if you desire.
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
- Beans: Add additional protein to the soup by adding chickpeas or white beans.
- Vegetables: I enjoy extra vegetables in this soup. Try cauliflower, jalapeños for spice, potatoes 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.
- Protein: For those that want to add meat to the soup try adding sausage, diced 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!
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
Vegetarian
Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup
Mediterranean
Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe
Mediterranean
Lebanese Lentil Soup
Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating and comment below! Subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest for the latest.
Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery , chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Dash of pepper
- 8 cups vegetable broth, low sodium if possible
- 1-15 ounce can crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes
- 2 cups red lentils, picked over, washed and rinsed until water runs clean
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch over or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes stirring the whole time.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and lentils stir well and heat to a boil.
- Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes {until the lentils are tender}, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the soup from the heat and ladle half of the soup into a large mixing bowl. Carefully blend half of the soup in a separate container with an immersion blender which is a hand blender (or use a blender) in small batches if necessary. Return the blended half of the soup back to the pot and mix well.
- Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with warm pita bread or bread of your choice. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro if you desire.
Notes
- I liked blending half of the soup so create a semi-pureed soup with some chunks. If you prefer a chunky soup then you do not need to blend the soup at all.
- I like to use an immersion/hand blender because it provides a little chunkier texture than a blender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I followed the recipe exactly as it was and it was delicious! I will most definitely be making this soup again and again! Thank you for sharing!
So glad you liked it!
Amazingly delicious soup! Thank you!
The only change I made was that I used 6 garlic cloves, fresh roasted Roma tomatoes rather than the can of crushed tomatoes and I folded in julienned fresh spinach once the soup was finished.
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love your additions and am so glad you enjoyed it!
I made it and it was delicious, thank you very much for this lovely recipe. It’s a keeper, I’ll be doing it again for sure!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I have made this recipe countless times! Delicious and so easy to vary.
Thanks for sharing! We love this one and I am so glad you do too!
I just made your Moroccan Red Lentil and it is absolutely stunningly delicious!! I made mine in the instapot ans added fire roasted chopped tomatoes but other wise used your recipe to a T. It’s so good I can’t stop eating it.
Thanks so much for letting me know! I love this recipe and make it often. Love the idea of fire roasted tomatoes.
OK, I have made this about 15 times. Here is my mods if anyone cares. First of all double all the spices and garlic. Second use four slices of bacon along with the olive oil. Third, on the side, brown 1/4 pound of Italian sausage and include that in the portion you blend. This is one of my most successful recipes. Shookran Katir Julia.
I love these ideas. The bacon and sausage sound like a wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing this with us! So glad to hear you liked it.
I made it! Soo good! I halved the recipe. Thumbs up!! ????
So glad you liked it! Yes, it makes a lot so halving it is a good idea. I need to make a batch of this next week!
Made this last night for a dinner party and it was a huge hit. So far I think this is my favorite red lentil soup recipe, in fact! Thanks!
Oh thanks Catherine! That makes me so happy. Thanks for letting me know. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello does, the carrots mash while the lentil cooks or is it good to serve the carrots as chunks?
Hi there. When I make this soup I put the carrots in with the onion {cook the onion for a few minutes first} then I let the carrots sauté for maybe 10-12 minutes. Then you will add in the rest of the ingredients listed in the directions and let that simmer. The carrots will get tender during the cooking. Once the soup is ready I take an immersion blender or a regular blender and puree the soup in batches. This will make sure the carrots chunks are gone. If you like some texture you can just puree half the soup and add it back into the rest of the soup. Let me know if you have more questions. I hope this helps.
Hi Julia – saying hi from the sharing group! This is an important reminder for us all to keep the victims in our hearts and minds.
I love this type of soup and the use of the red lentils. I can’t believe I haven’t met you or your blog before! Besides writing OMG! Yummy, I run a virtual cooking community called Tasting Jerusalem where we explore the food of the Middle East through the lens of the Jerusalem cookbook (and beyond) and a new ingredient that we explore each month! We’d love to have you join the conversation! We are on FB,G+, Pinterest as Tasting Jerusalem and Instagram and Twitter hashtag #TastingJrslm with a new website coming soon!
Nice to meet you!
Hi Beth! Thanks for stopping by. I am intrigued by your site and am definitely going to stop by. Thanks for the information!