Lentil Soup – super easy, cozy and healthy lentil soup that is huge in flavor. Loaded with earthy and aromatic spices with a little bit of heat. Best enjoyed with slices of bread or on its own for lunch and dinner. You’ll want seconds or thirds of this! 
Although it’s already the fall season, the weather here in LA isn’t in full fall swing yet. But that won’t stop me from digging into a warm cozy bowl of soup like this Lentil Soup. Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you ’cause believe me, it comes together EASILY.
What’s in a Lentil Soup?
This Lentil Soup is perfect for weeknights or whenever you need a hearty quick fix on the table without laboring too much in the kitchen. Here’s what goes in my humble-yet-oh-so-good lentil soup; nothing fancy, just mostly pantry staple ingredients.
- green lentils (can be subbed with brown, red and even yellow lentils, even chickpeas)
- onion, garlic, ginger and celery ribs
- diced tomatoes
- green onions
- cumin, smoked paprika, white pepper, cayenne pepper
- carrots
- chicken broth (to make this vegan, sub chicken broth with vegetable broth)
Are Lentils Good For You?
Low in fat, high in fiber and a great vegetarian source of protein – Lentils are ABSOLUTELY GOOD for you! It keeps you fuller for longer. That’s a big YES if you want to lose weight and just eat healthy food. 
Do I Have to Soak the Lentils?
Well, you may have also read a couple of recipes online that don’t call for soaking the lentils. But I like to soak these lentils for two hours before they hit the stovetop. Soaking lentils (or beans) reduces the phytates and other anti-nutrients for maximum absorption of nutrients found in lentils and beans. And if you’ve noticed, when you soak your beans or other legumes before cooking them, they tend to be easier to digest making you feel more full. But it’s your call. You may skip the soaking step.
Can I Make It Ahead of Time?
Good news, you can certainly make a big batch of this Lentil Soup ahead of time. Simply allow it to cool completely at room temperature before transferring in an airtight container. Then freeze it up for up to 3 months or in the fridge for 3-5 days. When ready to eat, let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight and heat up in the stove over low-heat. Now you can have a wholesome lunch or dinner whenever you want!
What To Serve With Lentil Soup?
While you’re waiting for it to simmer and cook through, you can prepare a side dish to go along with it. You can pair it with any of the following below:
This classic recipe can be subbed with brown, red or yellow lentils, and even chickpeas. But I prefer to use green lentils in this recipe as they hold their shape very well even after cooking. They still look oh-so pretty, right? This simple yet warm and hearty Lentil Soup is a perfect addition to your fall and winter menu. What’s not to love with a big bowl of healthy soup? You’ll be begging for seconds and thirds. Enjoy!
More Cozy Soup Recipes
How To Make Lentil Soup
Heat up large sauce pan with oil then add onions, celery, garlic, ginger, and cumin spice.
Stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
Then add smoked paprika and soaked lentils. Stir and sauté for about a minute.
Finally add tomatoes, green onions, white pepper, carrots, and cayenne (optional).
Add about 6 cups chicken stock. Then salt.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens. It might take about 30-45 minutes or more depending on how you like your lentils. Throw in some parsley, adjust for salt and pepper and soup consistency with more Liquid. Serve warm with bread.
Watch How To Make It
Lentil Soup Recipe | Africanbites.com
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoons (42 - 56 ml) cooking oil
- 2 medium onion ,diced (about 1 3/4 cup diced)
- 2 celery ribs , diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves ,minced
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) minced ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon (3 g) cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons (4-6 g) smoked paprika
- 1 pound (450 grams) dry lentils ,soaked for 2 hours
- 1 14.5 ounce, 425grams can diced tomatoes
- 2 green onions , chopped
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) white pepper
- 2-3 large carrots , chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) cayenne pepper (optional)
- 6 cups (1.5 L) or more Vegetable /Chicken broth or water
- 2 tablespoons (8 g) or more chopped parsley/Cilantro
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up large sauce pan with oil then add onions, celery, garlic, ginger, and cumin spice. Stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Then add smoked paprika and soaked lentils . Stir and sauté for about about a minute. Finally add tomatoes, green onions, white pepper , carrots and cayenne (optional) . Add about 6 cups chicken stock . Then salt.
- Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens. It might take about 30-45 minutes or more depending on how you like your lentils. Throw in some parsley, adjust for salt and pepper and soup consistency with more Liquid. Serve warm with bread.
Tips & Notes:
- You may sub green lentils in this recipe with brown, red, yellow lentils and even chickpeas.
- When you buy lentils, use them within a few months. Older lentils take longer to cook and shred their skins during cooking. And never mix newly-purchased lentils with the old ones.
- Soaking your lentils for longer may result to loss of nutrients. I prefer it soaked just for 2 hours.
- You may think that your lentil pack is safe from unwanted intruder but to be on the safe side, sift through the lentils before soaking them to get rid of debris or pebbles.
- If you want to add a little bit of meat into this soup, you may do so by adding pork shoulder, ham hock or even bacon.
- Keep tasting the lentils as they cook to see if they're your preferred consistency.
- Never sub the chicken broth with plain water. This chicken broth makes a difference.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Popoola Olawale says
I’m planning to cook this soup for the first time. Is there any substitute for the Chicken broth? Thank you. Wale
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Popoola! I am so excited for you to make this! YOu can substitute the chicken broth with water. Make sure to adjust the seasonings to taste and add any bouillon powder you can lay your hands on. If using bouillon powder, be careful with the salt content. Let me know how this works out for you 🙂 !
Janel Prasad says
This soup is a weekly staple at our house. It’s tasty, healthy, cheap to make and fills the tummies of two kids and adults. We love it! Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
That’s good to know Janel. Thanks for taking the time out to let me know.
Peter Beckles says
I looked it up. The Difference Between Split Peas and Lentils. While both are legumes, split peas and lentils come from different varieties of legumes. Split peas are a type of field pea, which is a pea grown specifically for drying, while lentils are their own type of legume, harvested as the seed of the plant and dried.
I didn’t have lentils but I did have split peas.
All I can say is that I did not choose wisely . . .
Maanoiscooking says
hi I’m Maano from Pakistan, please check my website maanoiscooking.com, therre are many chicken recipes
in pakistani styles ans many more recipes
Lydia says
I have been looking for a good simple recipe for lentil soup and I think I just found it! Thanks, I am going to try it very soon.
imma africanbites says
Awesome! So excited for you to try this.
Antonio says
What’s the serving size ? I see the nutritional value but not the serving size. Is it one cup or two cups ?
Recipe is great !
Thank you !
imma africanbites says
Hi. I already updated the recipe box to correspond to 1 cup per serving size. Please be reminded though that numbers could vary depending on the product used.
Bibi Fonmedig-Nkwenji says
Imma,
Thanks for yet another great recipe. This lentil soup came very handy today with the crazy weather and most importantly on our NO MEAT Friday during this lent period.
The entire family loved it.
I find myself running to ImmaculateBites every now and then for more food inspirations. Lol…
You are the best.❤️
imma africanbites says
Awww. You’re always welcome in this little online kitchen. 🙂 Glad you love it as much as I do!
Andrea D Williams says
Making this soup presently, thank you for the easy to follow directions!! I appreciate it. And it looks and smell delicious, my grandchildren are all coming from upstairs to investigate the aroma Lol
imma africanbites says
You’re most welcome! I’m always happy whenever my recipes are a hit too with the kiddos. Enjoy! 🙂
Hope says
this recipe is fantastic!
It was my first experience making lentil soup, and I couldn’t have asked for a more delicious dinner.
Delicious, simple, nutritious.
Amazing!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks!
Ivy says
I’m going to try this tonight. Except we are going to put in leftover smoked sausage for our meat. Cant wait to see how it comes out.
Dana says
I’ve made this soup twice now and it’s been excellent both times. Thanks for the great recipe!
imma africanbites says
Glad you love it, Dana! Thanks for stopping by!
C P says
This was great. Just had it a couple of days ago ans husband is looking forward to be making it again. Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback!
C P says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I’ve tried a lot of other ones and I love them and as a result i trust your opinion concerning flavors. I recently ran out of lentils, but I have a whole bag of green split peas that I need to use…would you personally recommend subbing out the lentils for the peas? Seems like it would taste pretty weird to me…what are your thoughts? Sorry for the weird question, but thank you in advance.
ImmaculateBites says
Not at all weird . It would do just fine here . Go ahead and give it a try. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Sylvie says
It is so cool that you can adjust the portions onthis recipe! Idon’t know what tool you use to do this, but it is really useful. 🙂 will definitely try this recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Sylvie! Good to know ! It’s a great tool makes calorie counting and portions easier to control.
Betty says
I am making this for dinner tomorrow night along with some cornbread. Yummy. Thanks again for the great recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
My pleasure ! Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!!