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Looking for a meal that’s simple, nourishing, and totally satisfying? This Red Lentil Soup is the kind of recipe that builds confidence in the kitchen and comfort in your bowl. It’s made with pantry staples, minimal chopping, and big flavor—so whether you’re new to plant-based cooking or just craving something hearty and wholesome, this soup has your back.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love It
Okay, hear me out—you may not be totally sold on lentils, but this red lentil soup might just change your mind. It’s cozy, flavorful, and totally plant-based (you won’t miss the meat, promise). Plus, it checks all the boxes: easy, healthy, and super satisfying. Here’s why I think you should give it a try:
- It’s quick and so simple to make: Red lentils cook faster than most legumes—no soaking required and ready in about 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights or when you want a hearty meal without the wait.
- Packed with plant-based protein: This soup is naturally rich in protein and fiber, making it a filling, nourishing option for anyone looking to eat more plants and feel satisfied.
- Comfort food with clean ingredients: It delivers cozy, comfort food vibes without relying on heavy creams or processed ingredients—just simple, wholesome staples that taste amazing and fuel your body.
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Red Lentil Soup Ingredients
While this spiced lentil soup has a long-ish ingredient list, they all work together to produce a tasty result. Trust me, you won’t want to miss out on these rawkin’ fresh vegetables and vibrant spices.
- Coconut Oil: My favorite healthy fat to help sauté a few of the ingredients.
- Yellow Onions: My go-to onion for its buttery, mild flavor.
- Celery Stalks: An often hidden, yet necessary ingredient to make any soup a success. Pro tip: use the leafy ends of the celery in the soup if you can! They bring even more flavor.
- Garlic: I always mince fresh garlic for the most nutrition. Garlic is a powerful health booster.
- Fresh Ginger Root: This anti-inflammatory root packs a powerful punch, so a little goes a long way!
- Spices: I use a blend of cumin, turmeric and red pepper flakes to add warmth, earthiness and just a bit of heat.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: If you like depth that roasted brings, then these are a no-brainer! You can use regular diced tomatoes, too.
- Vegetable Stock: Homemade vegetable stock or store-bought, look for a one with real ingredients.
- Red Lentils: These have a less-earthy flavor than green lentils do. Red lentils also get softer during cooking, which is what I wanted for this soup. Look for dried lentils next to dried beans, or in the soup aisle.
- Spinach: I always add leafy green vegetables— our health is our wealth, right?
How to Make Red Lentil Soup
This soup does have a few more components than some, yet it’s 100% worth it at first bite. Here’s how I make my Red Lentil Soup:
Sauté the onion and celery in coconut oil (or the oil of your choice). This releases the flavors and adds a lovely warmth to your final product.
Sauté the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn (this can happen quickly!). Use fresh minced garlic for the best results.
Add spices and tomatoes, namely turmeric, cumin and fire-roasted tomatoes. Stir quickly to combine so that the spices don’t stick to the bottom.
Add vegetable stock and lentils and give the soup a few stirs to cover the lentils. Now all you need to do is allow the soup to simmer until the lentils are soft (no crunch!).
Add spinach and lemon juice once the soup is ready. Lemon juice is a game-changer so don’t omit!
Feel free to taste the spiced lentil soup and add in a bit of salt and pepper, or just let people add it to their own bowls after serving.
Red Lentil Soup Tips
- My number one tip for the best-tasting soup all the time is this sauté the aromatic ingredients. Whether you are slow-cooking your soup or just simmering on the stove top, taking a few minutes to sauté a few of the veggies first opens them up nicely. I want my soup to be as flavorful as possible and this is the way to do it.
- My second tip is to make extra! Whether you’re feeding one person or a family of five, make sure to have a few extra servings when you’re finished. This way you can freeze or refrigerate them to enjoy later in the week for quick lunches or dinners. No need to chop all that produce more than once.
- Finally, use what you have on hand. Soup often contains several ingredients, yet they can easily be swapped for something that’s easier for you to find or less expensive to purchase in your town. Living in Florida gives me access to a wide variety of produce that I know isn’t available all over the United States. If you ever need help with a swap, just drop a comment below and let me help!
More Soup Recipes
If you know me, you know I love soup. It’s a great way to pack in lots of different veggies at once. It also fills the whole house with amazing smells. Here are a few more vegetarian soup recipes I’ve created that have been hits on my blog:
Don’t forget to rate + review this Red Lentil Soup recipe once you’ve tried it. I can’t wait for your feedback!
Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, unrefined
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 8 garlic clove minced
- 2 tsp ginger root finely minced
- 1 tbsp ground cumin ground
- 1 tsp turmeric, ground ground
- 1 ½ cup fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 cup vegetable stock
- 1 ½ cup red lentils uncooked
- 2 cup spinach roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juiced
Toppings
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½ avocado diced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the cumin and turmeric. Stir for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and stir again.
- Add the vegetable stock and lentils. Lower heat to a simmer and partially cover the pan. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
- Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper.
- Top with cilantro avocado and red pepper flakes for serving.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Crockpot: Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 6 hours or on high 2 1/2 hours. Check earlier in case lentils cook extra fast— you don’t want them too mushy.
- Swap ground turmeric with fresh turmeric root for even more anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Swap fresh ginger root with 1/8 tsp ground ginger, though this will eliminate some of the nutrition found in fresh ginger.
- Omit the red pepper flakes and use regular diced tomatoes for a less spicy result.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
Mine is! I use as many fresh, whole food ingredients as I can so that this soup nourishes and helps boost your immune system during cooler weather.
Not in my soup. I do rinse my lentils before adding them to the soup pot, but they will soften nicely inside the simmering stock without the need to soak beforehand.
You can, but the texture will change. Brown or green lentils take longer to cook and hold their shape, so the soup won’t be as creamy. Stick with red lentils for that smooth, hearty consistency.
It will keep for up to 4–5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It also freezes well—just let it cool completely, portion into freezer-safe containers, and reheat as needed.
My family enjoyed this soup and we will be making it regularly. In preparing the soup I would have preferred weights or other more specific measurements in the recipe (large can of tomatoes or small can? fist-sized potatoes or golf ball-sized potatoes?). I ran out of red lentils and substituted some strange sprouted black lentils, and I doubled the amount of spinach. I also used a large can of diced tomatoes, and didn’t have diced so I used crushed. I didn’t have avocado or cilantro, but reading previous comments make me excited to try this soup again when I have those around!
Thank you for the feedback Lorraine – we try to keep the challenge directions and shopping lists as simple as possible, but I understand that more details can often be helpful. Awesome job improvising – it sounds like you’re rawkin’ this challenge!
Hi Loraine,
The can of diced tomatoes was intended to be the smaller, 14.5oz can. Fortunately, adding extra tomatoes isn’t going to ruin your recipe. We always encourage the recipe maker to make any adjustments to the ingredients and/or recipe as needed or desired.
For the potato soup, I’d go more with a fist-sized potato or about 1 cup of chopped up potatoes per recommended potato. So, if you’re making a recipe that suggests 4 potatoes, use about 4 cups of potatoes. Doesn’t have to be exact, but close. 🙂 Hope this helps
We really liked this soup. The lemon juice gave a nice flavor. I don’t care for cooked spinach but I didn’t taste it in this soup so it’s a great way to sneak it into a meal.
I really liked adding the spinach to this soup. It gave it fresh color and flavor. Also liked the fresh avocado on top! Thank you!
Red Lentils really are an unsung hero and the flavors were spectacular. This is a fantastic soup. Will definitely make all winter.
I loved the soup. I cut the broth in half to create a heartier meal.
I added 2 tablespoons of Tamari.
The spinach was fresh from the garden; I love that!!
But honestly, this is going to be even better tomorrow!
Loved the flavor! Hearty soup. Added the recipe to my favorites.
Great tasting soup! I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. I will be making this most often.
so yummy, another hit!
Loved this soup, Great flavors and consistency. I will make this again. Lentils are high in iron and since I’m vegetarian it great to have a yummy recipe with lots of iron.
Love this soup! Will definitely be making it again. Hearty and with just the right amount of kick.
I enjoyed this soup. I didn’t have the garnishes suggested in the recipe, but the result was still a thick, tasty, flavorful nourishing lunch.
Very good
I love lentils. I enjoy very much this soup. My mom used to make them with
apple plantain and pineapple.
Thanks for the recipe
Very delicious. I never ate lentils before they are quite tasty in this meal. The avocados give it the extra touch that makes it yummy.
I love a good lentil soup and this one is good. I don’t use onion or garlic and , since I’m a wimp when it comes to spice level from peppers, I used regular ones instead. I also added a couple of diced carrots. Love that the soup also has greens in it. All in all a very hearty and filling soup, even with my changes.
This soup hit every mark: spicy, savory, tangy and yummy. My husband, who *hates* lentils, even went back for seconds! A keeper! The recipe & the hubby 🙂
This was so good! I loved the spice, perfect for a cold fall day. The only change I made was to use a can of tomatoes with jalapeños for even more kick. It was delicious.
The spicy lentil soup was very good. I loved the cumin and turmeric spice – and think the next time I make the recipe I’ll add even more heat/spice with other Indian style spices. I’ll definitely make it again.
This is a decent recipe. The toppings really help to make it better – in addition to toppings listed, I added a little dollop of greek yogurt/sour cream. I thought the cumin flavor was quite strong and think that’s probably why I’m not a raving fan of this one. It’s a good recipe for freezing, though, which is always a ‘plus’ in my book…AND it is hearty and filling – no additional sides needed.
Delicious and oh so satisfying