Hoping we’ve had the last of the scorching hot weather for the year! I’m making bowls of warm red lentil soup and serving it up with crusty bread on the side, or with a big scoop of basmati rice to my bowl. It’s so so good. Regardless of the weather, I love having a pot full of homemade soup in the refrigerator to enjoy for lunches throughout the week. A bowl of soup and a side salad always fuel me for the day and keep me from feeling super full or from having that 3 pm crash. I’ll be the first one to tell you that red lentil soup may not be the most photogenic soup you’ve consumed, but it definitely is warm and hearty. It’s easy to make, fills you up, tastes better the next day, and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients.
What is red lentil soup?
Lentil soup is a hearty soup that is often vegetarian-friendly. There are a lot of different varieties of lentils that can be used to make soup, such as, red, yellow, black, or brown lentil. We’re using the red variety to make todays red lentil soup.
What do you need to make red lentil soup?
Oil + butter: If you follow a vegan diet, feel free to swap the butter for margarine or more oil.Minced garlic: I like to use four cloves of garlic, but feel free to use more or less as you prefer.Chopped onions: To make this soup even faster, just roughly quarter the onions and pop them into a food processor to help chop them faster. This saves you so much time if you’re planning on pureeing the soup anyway! Chopped celery: I process the celery the same way as the onions.Seasonings: For this recipe, we’ll be using a few Indian spices, such as turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, ground cumin, and curry powder. I often get a lot of questions about the chili powder, so I want to take a second and tell you that almost any kind of mild (or hot) chili powder will work for this recipe. Standard Indian chili powder has about the same heat level as cayenne, so even cayenne will work for this recipe (however, I don’t suggest using ½ teaspoon unless you can really really spicy food!)Diced tomatoes: You just need a can on tomatoes, I told you, this one uses a ton of pantry staples!Red lentils: I buy red lentils from an Indian grocery store. They usually require a quick pick and rinse. Just check the container of your lentils to see if they’ve been pre-rinsed – no need to rinse them if they’ve already done that for you!Vegetable broth: I’ve made this recipe with both vegetable and chicken broth – both work equally well, so use whichever you prefer.Coconut milk: Coconut milk adds richness to the soup. It doesn’t taste like coconut, but it definitely gives it a creamy flavor.Lemon juice: I like to add lemon juice as it really compliments all the flavors in this soup.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Turkish lentil soupDetoxing black bean soupSecret Ingredient Tomato Basil SoupCuban Black Bean SoupSoul Warming Creamy Hungarian Mushroom SoupTuscan Tomato and Bread SoupSweet Potato Lentil Soup
Original recipe shared April 2016, updated September 2020 with a new post, pictures, stovetop directions, and minor tweaks in the recipe.
I used an Indian chili powder (which is very similar to cayenne) but any kind of chili powder (with a spice level you can handle) will work for this recipe! Ancho or chipotle would also work for this recipe!vegan friends: swap the butter for margarine or just use more oil instead!
