Quick-cooking red lentils are simmered in a mild turmeric and cumin-infused broth until they are tender (NOT mushy), for a cozy, brothy red lentil soup with enough carrot, onion and spinach to call it a one pot meal, perfect for when you don’t have a lot of energy to cook!

lentil soup in purple bowl with spoon
Simple yet flavourful, this brothy red lentil soup is simmered with carrots, onion and cumin for a cozy, nourishing meal.

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At the end of a tough day, curling up with a really good homemade soup can lift my spirits in a way that little else can…well, that and maybe also rewatching The Office or Emily in Paris. Some sort of alchemy happens in a soup pot that makes them so, so comforting.

And this brothy red lentil soup makes me feel good on a whole bunch of levels: it’s flavourful and satisfying, packed with high fibre, high protein red lentils and enough veggies that my inner dietitian will happily declare it a complete one pot meal…although it’s nice with some crusty sourdough or whole grain pita on the side! 

The flavours here are inspired by Shorbet Adas, a Lebanese lentil soup, but my version is brothy, not blended. It’s naturally vegan and gluten free, so more people can enjoy it…and it’s richly flavoured while still being kid friendly (although my youngest prefers I dish her portion out before I add the spinach, ha!).

Love a good soup? My bestselling plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic, has a whole chapter devoted to soups and stews, from a corn and jalapeño chowder to a cream of wild mushroom soup!

How to make this cozy red lentil soup

One of the things I love MOST about this soup is that it’s super low effort: 10 basic pantry ingredients and like 15 minutes of hands-on time. It’s not even a huge amount of chopping. It’s the perfect way to save money and avoid the takeout trap on those nights where there isn’t much in the fridge and you don’t feel like cooking.

red lentils, spinach, onion in bowls
Hot tip: if you’re sick of throwing out half used cartons of broth, make the switch to bouillon concentrate…you won’t be sorry!

I always use Better Than Bouillon veggie broth concentrates because A) they’re low waste and B) they pack a lot more umami than regular broth. Of course, if you’ve got some good broth at home, use that.

hand chopping onion
Kitchen tip: take the time to dice your onion and carrot fine, so they cook quickly.
spatula stirring onion and carrot
I like to cook the onion and carrot until they’re just beginning to soften, so we leave some texture in the soup!

Texture is one of those things you can really play with in a soup and it makes a difference. The fine dice on the veg results in a finer textured soup…and everything fits nicely on the spoon too!

hand pouring cumin into soup pot
if you’ve made blah lentil soups or lentil salads in the past, you’ll know that lentils tend to suck up a LOT of flavour.
hand pouring water into soup pot
So to make up for it, you’ve got to throw a lot of aromatics, spices and yep, salt at them.

There is a little bit of magic in the red lentils here: no soaking necessary, and they do NOT turn to mush like red lentils normally do. How? A couple of tricks…one, that the broth is well salted which helps them hold their shape (yes, they still soften), and then cooking until they are just tender, about 15-18 minutes.

pouring red lentils into soup
PSA: do NOT swap in a different kind of lentil. they’ll take WAY longer to cook and have a stronger flavour
hand squeezing lemon into lentil soup
Oh, and that lemon juice at the end? Not optional! The reason for this is that the acid in lemon juice really helps perk up the flavour of the soup. You can try using a tiny amount of apple cider vinegar instead (1-2 tsp max) if you don’t have lemons…but you need some acid.

More delicious (naturally vegan!) lentil soup recipes:

lentil soup in purple bowl with spoon

Brothy Red Lentil Soup with Carrots

4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Quick-cooking red lentils are simmered in a mild turmeric and cumin-infused broth until they are tender (NOT mushy), for a cozy, brothy red lentil soup with enough carrot, onion and spinach to call it a one pot meal, perfect for when you don’t have a lot of energy to cook
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, trimmed and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 ½ quarts water
  • 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Chicken Concentrate
  • 1 cup dry red lentils
  • 2 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about half a lemon
Imperial – Metric

Instructions 

  • Warm oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, onion powder, cumin, and turmeric, salt and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minutes.
  • Pour in the water and add the bouillon concentrate. Bring to a boil on high heat.
  • Add the lentils, return to the boil, then turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally so lentils don't stick, until lentils are tender, about 15-18 minutes.
  • Wilt in the spinach, about a minute, and add the lemon juice and stir through. Turn off heat, taste and adjust salt (or Better than Bouillon, garlic powder and/or cumin!) to your taste.

Notes

The soup will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days, just add a bit of extra water or broth to reheat.
Cuisine: American, lebanese
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Author: Desiree Nielsen, RD

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