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    Home > Recipes > Soups

    Red Lentil Soup

    Published: Jan 17, 2021 · Modified: Nov 9, 2022 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Close-up shot of a bowl of red lentil soup with the words red lentil soup

    Red lentil soup, warm, comforting, and nutritious. A perfectly simple recipe to enjoy during the cold winter days, it's ready in 30 minutes!

    Photo of a bowl of red  lentil soup

    This red lentil soup should be a must in your cookbook! It really is one of the best recipes to fight the cold, as it is super warm, cozy, and satisfying. I absolutely love to have it for lunch or dinner, as it is light but filling at the same time.

    Soups are always a staple on my table because they are one of the easiest recipes to prepare and they don't require a lot of effort. They are great if you don't have much time to cook but still want to enjoy a hearty meal!

    Besides, this recipe is packed with lots of vegan protein and I usually serve it with some basmati rice if I have leftovers but they're not enough to make a full meal.

    Red lentil soup recipe, super warming, comforting, and ready in 30 minutes. It is great for the wintertime and one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make. It's so flavorful everyone will have seconds!

    Contents hide
    1. Red lentil soup recipe - Short video
    2. How to make red lentil soup - Step by step
    3. Pro tips
    4. Do I have to make this red lentil soup with lemon?
    5. How long will this red lentil soup keep?
    6. Serving suggestions
    7. Looking for more vegan soup recipes?
    8. Did you make this red lentil soup recipe?
    9. Red Lentil Soup

    Red lentil soup recipe - Short video

    How to make red lentil soup - Step by step

    Step-by-step photos of how to make this recipe
    • Heat the oil in a large pot (photo 1) and add the veggies (photo 2). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 3), stirring occasionally. 
    • Add the spices (photo 4) and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Incorporate all the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice (photo 5), stir, and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer (partially covered) for about 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft (photo 6).
    • Remove the bay leaf, add the lemon juice (photo 7), and stir.
    • Serve your red lentil soup immediately or blend with an immersion blender or a regular blender before serving (photo 8). 

    Pro tips

    • Feel free to add your favorite veggies, spices, and herbs.
    • Crushed tomatoes can be replaced by diced tomatoes or even fresh chopped tomatoes (you may need to add more stock if you use fresh tomatoes though).
    • Any type of oil will do.
    • Add more or less liquid depending on how thick you want your soup to be.
    • If you want to reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe, omit the salt and use water instead of vegetable stock. You could also make your own vegetable stock with no salt or buy a low-sodium one.
    • Lentils don't need to be soaked in order to reduce cooking time, but if you do soak them they will be easier to digest.
    • If you can’t find red lentils, use any other type of lentils instead, but you may need to add more or less water and the cooking time will probably change as well.
    Close-up shot of a bowl of red lentil soup

    Do I have to make this red lentil soup with lemon?

    Although there's not a big amount of lemon in this recipe (I used only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice) you can omit it if you don't like how it tastes. However, I think it gives the soup a delicious flavor!

    How long will this red lentil soup keep?

    You won't likely have any leftovers because this recipe is absolutely delicious, but if you do have them, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Serving suggestions

    Feel free to serve your vegan soup with a side of vegan garlic bread, vegan bread, or even gluten-free bread.

    Looking for more vegan soup recipes?

    • Vegetable Soup
    • Pumpkin Soup
    • Cabbage Soup
    • Vegan Potato Soup
    • Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
    Photo of a bowl of red lentil soup decorated with a sliced lemon

    Did you make this red lentil soup recipe?

    Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

    This post contains affiliate links so you can easily find some of the products that we used to make this recipe. If you buy any of them through the links provided (without any extra cost for you), we'll get a commission. We're so grateful for your support!

    Square photo of a bowl of red lentil soup

    Red Lentil Soup

    Red lentil soup, warm, comforting, and nutritious. A perfectly simple recipe to enjoy during the cold winter days, it's ready in 30 minutes!
    5 from 3 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: Main Dish, Soups
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
    • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 cup dried red lentils
    • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 4 cups vegetable stock
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat the oil in a large pot and add the veggies (garlic, onion, and carrot). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally. 
    • Add the spices (cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper), and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Incorporate all the remaining ingredients (lentils, tomatoes, stock, and bay leaf), except the lemon juice, stir, and bring to a boil.
    • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer (partially covered) for about 15-20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
    • Remove the bay leaf, add the lemon juice, and stir.
    • You can serve the red lentil soup immediately with a side of vegan garlic bread, vegan bread, or even gluten-free bread. I prefer to blend it using an immersion blender or a regular blender. 
    • Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for about 2 months.

    Notes

    • Feel free to add your favorite veggies, spices, and herbs.
    • Crushed tomatoes can be replaced by diced tomatoes or even fresh chopped tomatoes (you may need to add more stock if you use fresh tomatoes though).
    • Any type of oil will do.
    • Add more or less liquid depending on how thick you want your soup to be.
    • If you want to reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe, omit the salt and use water instead of vegetable stock. You could also make your own vegetable stock with no salt or buy a low-sodium one.
    • Lentils don't need to be soaked in order to reduce cooking time, but if you do soak them they will be easier to digest.
    • If you can’t find red lentils, use any other type of lentils instead, but you may need to add more or less water and the cooking time will probably change as well.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.6g | Protein: 15.3g | Fat: 4.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 449mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 8.2g

    More Vegan Soup Recipes

    • Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
    • Vegan Vegetable Soup
    • Instant Pot Vegan Chili
    • Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. John Schoen-McCullough says

      October 17, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      5 stars
      This is very easy to make and delicious! I added curry powder in and it made it taste even better

      Reply
      • Adriana @ Simple Vegan Blog says

        October 19, 2022 at 2:41 pm

        Hi John! Sounds so good 🙂

        Reply
    2. Katherine says

      March 18, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      I'm trying to leave butter, oil and eggs alone. What can I substitute?

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        March 22, 2021 at 12:04 pm

        Hi! In our blog, you can find a vegan butter recipe and also some eggs substitutes!

        Reply
    3. Annelies says

      February 15, 2021 at 10:32 pm

      5 stars
      Dear Iosune,
      I don't usually leave reviews on food blogs, but I really wanted to say how absolutely delicious this soup is! We are a large, plant-based family, and Sunday is our 'soup day'. With many children around the table, there is invariably at least one pair of raised eyebrows over one soup recipe or another, but I can honestly say that this soup received unanimous thumbs up all around the table. Even one of our youngest commented, "Mmhh, mama, this is really nice soup!"
      The only "change" I made was that I cooked it in the pressure cooker (10mins), but everything else was the same.
      Thank you for the wonderful blog you run. I have been following you for a long time, and have been recommending you to many family members and friends. Each recipe is a joy to prepare, and of all the ones I have tried (many!), not one has failed. They are so easy to follow, simple ingredients, and just plain delicious. I always look forward to the next one.
      Lots of love, Annelies

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        February 18, 2021 at 7:20 am

        Hi Annelies! Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂 Have a nice day!

        Reply

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