This easy, lemon lentil soup is perfect for everyday lunches and dinner. It’s low glycemic and filled with protein and fiber.
Table of Contents
Lentil Benefits
Lentils are an easy, and inexpensive way to get more plant-based fiber and protein into your diet. Lentils are packed with B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and potassium and are low glycemic, which means they’re great for balancing hormones and blood sugar. We cook them in the broth, vegetables and spices, like turmeric, then add fresh lemon juice at the end for a flavorful zing to this lemon lentil soup.
Love lentil soup? This sausage lentil soup and carrot and lentil soup are both nutrient-dense, vegan, gluten-free, and so comforting.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil
- Vegetables: a mix of celery, onion and garlic start the base of the recipe and help build a ton of flavor.
- Vegetable broth: you can use homemade if you have it, but we always purchase several cartons to have on hand.
- Red lentils: this type of lentil is easy to find at the grocery store and usually cook quickly, without needing to soak them. They have a subtle sweet and nutty flavor to them. They don’t end up looking red once they’re cooked!
- Spices: bay leaves (or bay leaf substitute), turmeric, cumin, black pepper and salt.
- Lemon: this is the star of the dish, so we’re using the lemon juice and the lemon zest.
How to Make Lemon Lentil Soup
Saute the vegetables
- Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Simmer the lentils
- Pour in the vegetable broth over the vegetables then add the red lentils, bay leaves, turmeric, and cumin and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the lemons are soft.
Blend and serve
- Remove the lid and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Add it back to the soup and stir to combine. You could also use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup.
- Cook and wilt spinach for a few minutes, if using, then taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Storage and Freezing
- To store: allow any leftover lemon lentil soup to cool then place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: place the soup in an air tight container or bag and freezer for up to 6 months. Lay the bag flat to freeze then stand it upright to save room. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
- Reheating: pour leftover soup into a large pot and warm over medium heat. You can also
Lemon Lentil Soup FAQs
Lentil soup freezes well for up to 6 months. Store in an airtight container and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Red lentils do not need to be soaked, but you can quickly rinse them under cool water to remove any debris.
Saute the vegetables over the stove as directed then transfer them to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the lentils are tender.
The flavor and texture are so much better with dried lentils, however, you can use canned if that’s all you have. Use 2 cans of drained and rinsed lentils and allow the broth to simmer with the vegetables for 10 minutes, then add the canned lentils and simmer for another 10 minutes.
One of my all-time favorite cookbooks called The Flavor Bible.
What to Serve with Lemon Lentil Soup
A light green salad, like a kale salad, or a grilled cheese make a great side dish for lentil soup.
Modifications
- Add more vegetables: Stir in a bunch of kale or spinach at the end until wilted.
- Different lentils: you can swap red lentils for any lentils you have on hand! They all will work, the color will just be different.
- Less sodium: use a reduced sodium vegetable broth and limit the added salt in the recipe.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
- Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Smoky White Bean Vegetarian Chili
- Easy Vegetable Soup
- 5 Ingredient Butternut Squash Soup
Lemon Lentil Soup
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Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils
- 2 bay leafs
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 5 tbsps)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Optional: spinach or kale
- To top: parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat then add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables, then add the red lentils, bay leaves, turmeric and cumin and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
- Remove the lid and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender and blend on high until smooth then pour it back into the soup and stir to combine. You can also an immersion blender to partially blend the soup to your desired consistency.
- Add the spinach, if using, and cook to wilt for 2-3 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with fresh cracked black pepper, cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- To store: allow any leftover soup to cool then place in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: place the soup in an air tight container or bag and freezer for up to 6 months. Lay the bag flat to freeze then stand it upright to save room. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
- Reheating: pour leftover soup into a large pot and warm over medium heat. You can also
- Different lentils: you can swap red lentils for any lentils you have on hand! They all will work, the color will just be different.
- Canned lentils: The flavor and texture is so much better with dried lentils, however, you can use canned if that’s all you have. Use 2 cans of drained and rinsed lentils and allow the broth to simmer with the vegetables for 10 minutes, then add the canned lentils and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Video
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Soooo delicious. Lemon brings it to gourmet status! First time I made this…definitely in my top ten soup receipts.
What a compliment. Thanks Diana!
I’ve made this recipe many times. The lemon takes it to the next level. Delicious!
Thank you Cathy!
I make this soup over and over. I LOVE it!!
Received your cookbook for Christmas. Tried your Moroccan lentil stew with kale and mashed Potatoes. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
You’re welcome!! Love to hear that!
I added a lot of curry seasoning to it and it’s so delicious. All I need is a think slice of good bread and this meal is one for the books!
Thanks so much, Cameron!
We loved it, and it was easy to make. My only comment is that after tasting it with the juice of one lemon we felt like it wasn’t lemony enough. I eyeballed approx 3 tbsp of store bought lemon juice and it was perfect.
This was delicious and so quick to make!
Thanks, Hannah!
Made this tonight and I LOVED it! It will be in my soup rotation for sure!
Love this, Michelle!! So glad to hear that!