This creamy red lentil soup is one of our favorite soup recipes and one of those few meals everyone in our family loves. This is my go-to in winter when craving some warm hearty soups and is filling enough to be the main course as an easy everyday dinner option.
The total time is only 30 minutes. It’s so simple & fast to make AND it is cheap! I know. It’s perfect. Often creamy plant based soups rely on coconut milk. But coconut milk is high in saturated fats. That’s why I love this creamy soup recipe- it gets its creaminess from lentils and potatoes and there is no need to add any dairy heavy cream, nor coconut cream. Just simple veggies and red lentils do the trick.
I adapted my version of creamy lentil soup recipe from a traditional Turkish soup recipe called ´´Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası“
I first tried these 2 recipes: one from mediterraneandish blog and the other from gimmesomeoven blog and then I ended up making this soup over and over again in a few different versions. It has become a favourite with our small kids and my husband too.
Ingredients for creamy lentil soup
Red lentils
Red lentils are amazing in terms of nutrition and also they are the quickest cooking of all legumes. No soaking needed. You could substitute red lentils with yellow lentils. But yellow lentils have slightly different flavour profile and also cooking time is a bit longer.
Vegetable broth
You can make your own but usually I just use stock cube or stock powder and it works great. The Turks often use chicken stock in this soup and still call it vegetarian, so keep that in mind if you are vegetarian in Turkey. If you are not vegetarian than you can try the soup with chicken stock also.
Simple vegetables- potato, carrot, white onion and garlic
It´s amazing that you don´t need to peel and chop the veggies very small since you blend them up in the end. Just wash potatoes and leave them with their skins on (potato skins are very rich in iron). I usually peel carrots, but you can also just scrub them clean.
Tomato paste
This gives the soup a bit of umami taste and adds a bit red hue & slight acidity that gives the soup a bit extra depth.
Extra virgin olive oil for frying and spices
You can vary this soup a lot & choose whatever Middle Eastern or Mediterranean spices you have available. Any combo of cumin, coriander, dried mint, paprika powder, herbs de Provence like thyme, oregano, rosemary or bay leaf will do great in this soup.
In this recipe I chose- oregano, paprika, cumin and black pepper.
But it works well with different flavors-
- Many traditional recipes use 1 tsp of dried mint in addition to other spices
- Some use only mix of ground cumin and coriander
- Some use only cumin
- Most recipes usually use some kind of chili pepper for heat
- I´m also certain that this creamy red lentil soup goes very well with curry powder and would happily take on an Indian character
Fun toppings- use toasted seeds, chopped herbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice (lime juice also works great)
I used toasted pumpkin seeds on top of the soup for a nice crunchy finishing contrast for the silky smooth soup. But any seeds will work great.
Use fresh herbs like peppermint, parsley or coriander for a bright garnish.
Juice from a fresh lemon is traditioanlly squeezed on top of the soup before serving. This is optional, I love lemon on everything, but not everyone does. Serve lemon wedges on the side and everyone can add as much or little of lemon as they like.
Health benefits of lentils (there are many)
1 Fights cancer
The truth is that lentils are so healthy that the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils etc) with every meal. Not only every day, but with EVERY MEAL.
American Institute for Cancer Research has listed lentils among other super plant foods as one of the ”Foods that Fight Cancer”
Go check it out and include other veggies from the list in your diet.
Here’s the full list- Apples, asparagus, blueberries, broccoli and cruciferous vegetables, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, coffee, cranberries, flaxseed, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, kale, oranges, legumes, raspberries, soy, spinach, winter squash, strawberries, tea, tomatoes, walnuts and whole grains.
2 People who live to 100 eat legumes every single day
Legumes (lentils, beans and peas) is the cornerstone in the diets of the worlds longest lived people. People who live up to a hundred eat at least half a cup of legumes (beans, peas, lentils) every day.
3 Lentils are a type of superfood rich in essential nutrients
Red lentils have one of the highest antioxidant content among all legumes. In addition lentils are a great source of iron, zink and folate.
They consist of 22% plant-based protein and 77% of complex carbohydrate– the good type that doesn’t give you spike in blood sugar levels. Read more HERE and on Blue Zones.com
4 Good for the Microbiome (your gut)
Red lentils are also rich in fibre that keeps you full and is a good prebiotic (feeds the good bacteria in your gut).
What to serve on the side for this creamy lentil soup
BREAD. Any bread.. sourdough would be perfect.. or warm pitta.. or baguettes- all crunchy bread will go very well as a side for this creamy soup.
How to make creamy lentil soup. Step by step process with photos
1 First prep all ingredients
Wash lentils in a colander under running water to wash off any dust or debris and to have them ready. Wash, chop and prep all veggies. Then measure out the spices and tomato paste that you will need.
2 Sauté onions
Add some olive oil in a large pot. Ideally with thick bottom so it doesn’t burn. If all your pots have very thin bottoms then its better to fry vegetables in a pan and then move to a pot when adding vegetable stock. Sauté chopped onions on low heat for about 3-4 minutes or until they are translucent, kind of like in the picture below.
3 Fry other vegetables
Add chopped potatoes and carrots and fry a bit more, about 2 minutes.
4 Warm tomato paste
Add tomato paste and stir for another 30 seconds.
5 Then add lentils and spices
Add washed lentils in the pot along with all the spices and crushed garlic.
6 Last add broth and boil
Use 6 cups (1.44 liters) of broth and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. Remember to stir every 5-8 minutes as the lentils will sink and might end up sticking to the bottom.
7 Blend
Take the soup off the heat and blend with immersion blender. If you don´t have hand-held blender you can also blend the soup in a food processor or any other blender. Just be careful as the soup is very hot and you could easily scald yourself. If you use a blender with a jar then it could be good idea to blend the soup in several portions to avoid burns.
8 Toast seeds
Warm up a skillet. No oil needed. Add the seeds in the pan and toast until golden. It takes only a few minutes. Shake the pan often to toast evenly from all sides. Never leave the pan as the seeds burn very fast. Add a pinch of salt in the end.
9 Serve
Serve the soup topped with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds and fresh chopped herbs like mint or parsley. You can also add a sprinkle of black pepper or pinch of red pepper flakes on top and maybe a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Or serve the lemon wedges on the side. Warm toasted pitta bread is the perfect side for this soup.
How to eat even more beans?
Hummus. Check out my perfect hummus recipe here.
Creamy Lentil Soup Recipe (Easy, vegan & NO coconut)
Ingredients
Method
- First prepare all the ingredients so you have them ready before turning on the heat.
- Wash dry red lentils in a colander under running cold water.
- Peel and chop the onion.
- Wash and dice the potato. You can leave the skin on, it is rich in iron and won´t affect the taste or texture of the soup.
- Dice the carrots.
- Measure out the spices and tomato paste and have them ready on the side.
- Warm a thick bottomed pot on medium heat and add olive oil. (Alternatively fry vegetables in a pan and then move everything into a pot at step 12 when adding vegetable stock).
- Sauté chopped onions on low- medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until they are translucent.
- Add potatoes and carrots and fry a bit more, around 2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir for another half a minute.
- Add lentils, all the spices along with salt, pepper and crushed garlic. Stir everything and fry for another minute or so but not much longer, you dont want the spices and garlic to burn.
- Add vegetable broth and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat until lentils are falling apart and mushy and vegetables are soft. Remember to stir the soup every 5-8 minutes or so as the lentils will sink and could stick to the bottom if left too long.
- Take the pot with soup off the heat and blend everything with immersion blender until creamy and smooth. (Alternatively use food processor or any other blender. !!Be careful as the soup is very hot!! If using blender with a jar blend the soup in several portions to avoid getting scalded).
- To toast the seeds warm up a a dry skillet (without oil). Add the seeds in the pan and toast on medium high heat until golden for around 1-2 minutes. Shake the pan often to toast evenly from all sides. Never leave the pan as the seeds burn very fast. Add a pinch of salt in the end.
- Serve the soup topped with toasted pumpkin or any other seeds and fresh chopped herbs. Add a pinch of black pepper or red pepper flakes for some heat.A squeeze of fresh lemon juice in every bowl is also a nice finish or you can just serve some lemon wedges on the side. And of course a warm toasted pitta bread or any other rustic bread will go perfectly with this creamy soup.
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