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This simple red lentil soup recipe cooks in just 25 minutes with aromatic vegetables, smoked paprika, and bright lemon zest. It’s a healthy, protein-packed vegan dinner the whole family will love.
If there’s one food that always satisfies, it’s a great lentil soup. Lentils are one of nature’s wonders: they’re full of protein, shelf stable for years, inexpensive, and delicious. So here’s one of my favorite ways to use them: this simple red lentil soup!
While my most “famous” lentil recipe is this 7 ingredient lentil soup, I love this red lentil soup because it’s even quicker! The flavor develops through aromatic vegetables and a hefty amount of smoked paprika, which makes a satisfying soup that tastes like it simmered for hours.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Lightning-fast cooking time: This soup takes only 25 minutes (crazy, right?). It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you need a healthy dinner on the table quickly.
- Plant-based protein: Red lentils pack about 18 grams of protein per cup, making this a filling vegan dinner.
- Pantry-friendly ingredients: The recipe uses lentils, vegetable broth, and common spices, so you can make it anytime without a special shopping trip!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I made this recipe last night. Oh my goodness it is really delicious and so easy to make. Thank you.” -Janine
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
This red lentil soup is hearty and easy, an ideal easy weeknight meal! It’s a vegan dinner recipe that’s filling and full of plant-based protein. All you need to do is sauté the aromatic vegetables, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the lentils are tender. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetables: carrots, onion, celery, garlic: These aromatic vegetables make the base of the soup.
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables and adds richness to the finished soup.
- Vegetable broth and water: Forms the seasoned broth.
- Split red lentils: The star ingredient! This type of lentils cooks quickly and creates a naturally creamy texture. Make sure you’re using split red lentils, not whole.
- Smoked paprika: This is what makes the soup special: the quantity might seem like a lot, but it adds a smoky depth that makes the soup taste more complex than it actually is.
- Lemon zest: Brightens the entire soup and cuts through the earthiness of the lentils without making it taste citrusy.
What Makes Red Lentils Special
Lentils are small dried legumes, part of a plant family that includes beans, peas, and peanuts. Red lentils, named for their bright orange-pink color, have a texture that breaks down faster than other types, making them perfect for quick soups or dal.
Most red lentils you’ll find at the store are split red lentils, which is what you should use here. (Some packages may simply say “red lentils,” but if you’re in an American grocery store it’s likely split red lentils.) Avoid whole red lentils: they cook differently and hold their shape when cooking.
Tip For The Cook Time
One important thing about red lentil soup is to make sure not to overcook it! If you cook red lentils too long, they lose their shape and turn into a mush. Sometimes that’s what you want, like in masoor dal (Indian red lentils). But in this soup, you’ll want the lentils to be just tender but still hold their shape.
Keep an eye on this soup and simmer 7 to 10 minutes until the lentils are just soft, but before they break apart. Some brands of split red lentils are smaller than others, meaning they cook slightly differently. I’ve actually noticed one brand I buy cooks much faster than others!
Topping Ideas and Mix-Ins
This red lentil soup recipe is delicious on its own, but it’s even tastier with a few garnishes. Here’s what I like to add before serving:
- Greek yogurt or sour cream: This adds just the right creaminess and a bright tang: I suggest serving it this way if at all possible.
- Cashew cream: For dairy-free, use vegan yogurt or cashew cream.
- Coconut milk: Want a creamy red lentil soup? Stir in ½ cup full fat coconut milk before serving.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro or parsley add an herbaceous freshness.
Serving This Soup as a Complete Meal
Even though lentils are very filling, a cup of red lentil soup usually needs a side dish to make it a filling meal. Here are some of the items I like to pair it with:
- Cornbread or corn muffins: Try cornbread muffins, skillet cornbread or vegan corn bread.
- Bread: Any crusty artisan loaf will do, from purchased to homemade artisan bread.
- Garlic bread: Go for homemade garlic bread or garlic toast.
- Popovers: These tasty popovers are quick and simple.
- Salad: Try this arugula salad, spring mix salad or apple goat cheese salad.
Storage and Meal Prep
This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, making it perfect for meal prep. The lentils do absorb liquid as they sit, so leftover soup thickens quite a bit. I always add a splash of water or vegetable broth when reheating.
You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months, though the texture of the lentils may soften further after thawing. This isn’t a deal breaker here because the texture is intended to be soft!
Dietary Notes
This red lentil soup recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red lentils are ideal for their creamy texture. You can try substituting brown lentils, but you may need to cook them longer and they will have a slightly different flavor.
The soup lasts up to 1 week refrigerated (you can also freeze for up to 3 months). Leftovers can become very thick, so you can add a little water or broth when reheating.
Simple Red Lentil Soup
This simple red lentil soup recipe cooks in just 25 minutes with aromatic vegetables, smoked paprika, and bright lemon zest. It’s a healthy, protein-packed vegan dinner the whole family will love.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 large carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 celery ribs
- 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 quarts vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 pound split red lentils*
- 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Greek yogurt or sour cream (or cashew cream for vegan), for serving
-
Cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Peel the carrots. Finely dice the carrot, onion, and celery. Mince the garlic.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and sauté until the carrots are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, water, red lentils, smoked paprika, lemon zest, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Bring to a low simmer, then cover halfway and gently simmer until the lentils are just soft but before they start to break apart, about 7 to 10 minutes. Watch closely and taste to assess doneness. The finished soup should be brothy with the lentils just soft; cooking past this point yields a very thick stew which is just as delicious but less soup-like. (If you’d like, you can add handfuls of greens in the last few minutes, like chopped spinach or kale).
- Taste and add additional salt to taste, and a few grinds black pepper. The soup lasts up to 1 week refrigerated (you can also freeze for up to 3 months). Leftovers can become very thick, so you can add a little water or broth when reheating.
Notes
*Most of what you’ll find in stores are split red lentils, even if it doesn’t specify split on the package. Avoid buying whole red lentils.
Want it creamy? Stir in ½ cup coconut milk.
This was a surprisingly good soup. My young adult children were good for it one meal, but didn’t join me in the leftovers. I’ll make this recipe again.
I am so glad to hear this! Thank you so much for making it!!
I made this recipe last night. Oh my goodness it is really delicious and so easy to make.
Thank you.
Love your recipe book. I gave it to my Mom and she loves it too :-)
Thank you so much!
We enjoyed this recipe. I did make changes “to taste” as we like bold flavors. I used a lot of extra garlic, only 1 TBSP of smoked paprika (which was plenty to us), lemon juice to taste instead of lemon zest, and I added a little bit of agave syrup at the end to balance everything out. I made a cashew crema (it has lemon juice, a bit of agave & salt in it) to drizzle on top of the soup and then I topped each bowl off with a fried egg. I served garlic rubbed sourdough toasts on the side. Quite good!
I made this recipe tonight and it was amazing! All I did was cut recipe in half since I’m only feeding two. For the vegetable broth I used “Better Than Bouillon Vegetable” which I think added a great balance to the smoked paprika! Will definitely make again and I will be trying more of you recipes soon!
Made this yesterday with some carrots I had roasted. It turned out so delicious! Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe. It’s a keeper.
Leaving this comment to provide a bit of balance. The only flavour is smoked paprika. As someone who cooked a lot of hunagarian goulash and had a delicious brown lentil soup I prepared In a bulk batch the month before as I do like lentil soup. This one is bland but overpowering at the same time. I would recommend using less garlic, and less smoked paprika and adding in other ingredients
Does this recipe handle freezing well? Haven’t tried the recipe yet.
Lentil soup should freeze well! The texture of the lentils may fall apart more after frozen but the flavor should be just as good.
Made according to directions except used chicken broth instead, and couldn’t find just red lentils so used a trio instead. Soup was delicious! Will be making this again!
This was delicious. Absolutely perfect for today’s very rainy and cold weather. I was clearing out my cabinets and found red lentils, found this recipe and made it tonight. It’s simple, flavorful and filling. I didn’t have any lemons, but added red wine vinegar for a little acidity and bay leaves. Next time I’ll add some greens! Thanks!