Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
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Spicy and full of goodness, this delicious Middle Eastern lentil soup will transport you to exotic places. It’s thick, filling, and full of flavor, yet simple and easy to prepare.
Love this? Try this flavorful Turkish Red Lentil Soup as well!
Table of contents
Every time I cook this lentil soup, Jordan and the Middle East come to mind. This recipe is inspired by a soup we had during our trip to Petra, where we spent a wonderful evening at Petra Kitchen.
Cooking this lentil soup is so quick and easy (it’s ready in less than 30 minutes) that it has become one of my favorite evening meals, especially during the fall and winter months when we really need something to warm us up!
This lentil soup is packed full of goodness, is very filling, and the scent of spices is so inspiring!
Ingredients
All you need to make a bowl of red lentil soup are 10 simple, easy-to-find ingredients!
- Red split lentils: These quick-cooking lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition. Lentils are a great source of protein and their nutty, hearty flavors make them perfect for soups. Unlike other lentils, red lentils don’t stay intact when cooked which gives the soup a perfect creamy texture.
- Onion: A great starter for soups to add flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: One of my favorite healthy oils for cooking.
- Ground cumin: Its earthy, spicy flavor, brings depth to the soup. I know it’s a bit more hassle, but grind your cumin at home as you will get a much more intense flavor out of the seeds, and believe me, it’s worth it!
- Turmeric: Turmeric gives the soup that extra color. It has a mild flavor, slightly bitter and peppery, and it’s full of superpowers. With its incredible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it helps the liver, lowers cholesterol, and aids digestion.
- Ground black pepper and salt: Black pepper, with its antioxidant and antibacterial effects, gives the soup a bit of heat and the salt brings all those flavors together.
- Parsley: Just a touch for a little brightness and color to the top of the soup.
- Lemon wedges: Once the soup is ready and plated, add the juice of a lemon wedge. The acidity of the lemon with the nuttiness of the lentils creates a seriously delicious and earthy flavor.
How to Make
This soup cooks up in a few easy steps and only requires a few minutes of hands
- Rinse and drain: The lentils to get started.
- Cook the onions: Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until it starts to soften.
- Add the spices: Add the cumin and turmeric to the pot.
- Heat the spices: Slightly to release their flavors while stirring into the onions.
- Add the drained lentils: To the pot and stir for one minute.
- Pour the water: Into the pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Boil and cook: Bring the ingredients to a boil and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed, to thin the soup.
- Serve: Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. Squeeze in the lemon just before eating. I promise you won’t be sorry about this step!
How to Store
Middle Eastern Lentil Soup is great for meal prep because it stores and reheats so easily.
Fridge: You can store Middle Eastern Lentil Soup in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezer: When stored properly, you can also store the soup in the freezer for up to three months. Once the soup is fully cooled, transfer it to an airtight container or mason jar for storage.
When you’re ready to serve, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat, mixing well, until warmed through.
Expert Tips
Fresh lemons: The squeeze of lemon at the end really gives the soup that special touch. Fresh is so much better than bottled!
Red lentils: This soup is definitely best when made with red lentils. These break apart when cooking and give the soup a naturally creamy texture.
Blend the soup? There’s no need to blend this soup as it cooks up creamy with just a tad of texture all on its own.
Heat the spices: Adding the spices to the onions and cooking them briefly helps to revive the dried spices intensifying their flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
Don’t have red lentils? You can also use yellow split lentils as well since they cook up with a similar texture, but green or brown lentils will not work in the same way.
Like fresh turmeric? If you prefer cooking with fresh turmeric, you can replace the ground with two tablespoons of finely grated fresh turmeric.
Toppings: I often keep things simple with just a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh parsley over the top but you can also add tri-colored sesame seeds, chopped nuts, or a sprinkle of microgreens.
Want the soup heartier? If you are looking for a heartier meal, you can serve this soup up with some cooked quinoa, brown rice, or another healthy grain.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It cooks up in one pot, which means fewer dishes for me!
- This soup is a healthy addition to meals and satisfying enough to serve on its own.
- Made using simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-find ingredients.
- Red lentils cook quickly, so you can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Other Soup Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoy flavorful and delicious soups for meals, you definitely need to try these!
- Fresh Pea Soup
- Red Lentil Soup with Peas and Carrots
- Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup
- Pumpkin Soup With Mushrooms
- Quick Tuscan Farro Soup
If you try this Middle Eastern Lentil Soup recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it.
Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups red split lentils
- 1 onion - diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cups water
- 3 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch parsley - finely chopped
- 4 lemon wedges - see note 1
- 1 teaspoon salt - more to taste, if desired
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils and drain.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the finely chopped onion and cook until it starts to soften.
- Add the spices to the onions and stir, heating slightly to release the flavors.
- Add the drained lentils to the pot and stir for one minute. Then, add the water, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add more water if needed, to thin the soup
- Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge.
- Squeeze in the lemon just before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
So delicious! I made this and got so many compliments. My new favorite lentil soup.
So glad you loved it, Melissa 🙂
Turned out well, I love the quick cool time and minimal prep! I subbed vegetable broth for water and added a bit of garlic and chili for a little more heat. I think I’d prefer it blended a little as well for consistency. Nice recipe though!
Thanks so much, Kate! glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Just found this recipe on Pinterest. My favourite soups are the red lentil kind. This one was nice and easy to make and it came out looking exactly like the preview pic. Only downside was that even though I followed the recipe exactly, the flavour was quite underwhelming.
This is one of my favorite soups and I am sorry you didn’t like it. It’s pretty much the same recipe as the flavorful red lentil soup I had in Jordan and I found it delicious. I guess we all have our own views on what we like or don’t like!
Very good! Came out thick, I made sure to boil over medium heat. I also added some extras since other comments mentioned more flavor was needed: curry powder,and a tiny bit of ginger and cayenne pepper. I threw in some carrots and celery too to be even healthier haha. Great recipe, thank you!
Glad you liked it, Shannon 🙂
I’m a big big fan of lentil soups and will trying this out tomorrow! I always love the ones I get from middle eastern restaurants or shwarma shops and I asked one of the guys what he did last week to get such a velvety texture to the soup and he does blend it all once done, incorporates a carrot when sautéing with the onion, and he also uses potato. He didnt tell me the quantities, but his was similar to yours with the pepper, salt, cumin and turmeric! He said an Iraqi man taught him how to make it and its out of this world so I may mix the two recipes to see what magic happens. I don’t think adding coconut milk is the way to go UNLESS you want to change it into a coconut curry lentil soup, which is also great, but then its not the typical middle eastern taste I’m personally after.
Let me know how it turned out, Danielle 🙂
And I agree about the coconut milk!
This was really easy to make. I doubled spices and added a little cayenne pepper for extra kick! Delicious!
Glad you liked it, Maija 🙂
Love this delicious soup! Super easy and fast to make. Is it possible to use brown lentils instead? Thanks!
Hey Gabriela,
If you use brown lentils it will be a completely different texture as brown lentils don’t break as much to create a mushy texture. Plus they will need to cook for over 45 minutes to cook. I don’t think you’ll like it as much! But feel to try 🙂
I have made this soup a number of times and don’t find it bland at all. It just gets better each time I make it. And most people who try it like it.
Thank you, David! Glad you like this soup. We love it too and make it almost every week 🙂
Like a few others said, I found this to be a little bland. Definitely needs more spice, maybe some heat and coconut milk. I also didn’t like the consistency, so I put it in the food processor. A good base, but needs tweaking.
Hey Cindy, I guess we all have our own taste. When I had this soup in Petra I loved it just as it is 🙂 Coconut milk isn’t really something wildly used in middle Easter cuisine, but feel free to tweak it for your taste buds. You could try chicken broth too if you are not vegetarian.
Great recipe! It was so fast and easy to make. I used vegetable broth instead of water and added some bay leaves but otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Karyn 🙂
So glad you liked it!
Delicious and comes out perfectly every time. I had been looking for a simple, easy recipe and this one is now my go-to! Love how quickly it comes together. Thank you!
Amazing, Emily!
So happy you love this soup. It’s one of my favorites too! 🙂
Haven’t made it yet, but could coconut milk be substituted for some of the water? What would that be like?
Hey Mary, I think coconut milk could work quite well in this soup. It will add sweetness and creaminess. I would add around 1 cup, but just try it and regulate the quantity to your taste! Let me know how it goes!
Lovely soup! Thank you 🙂
Thank you Martha! Glad you liked it 🙂
This soup was delicious! I added a bit more pepper as I like my food spicy but everything else was great. Not sure about the watery comments. Mine just came out like the pictures: creamy and thick!
Thank you, Linda! I am glad you like it 🙂
Decent taste but mine came out really watery and not thick looking like the picture. I’d probably add more lentils next time or extra veg to thicken it.
Hi Claire,
Not sure as to why it came out watery? I tend to make it simmer on medium heat and I wonder if by doing that it becomes thicker?
Could this be made in the instant pot?
Hi Estafany, I am sure it can be done in an instant pot! I am just not sure about the timing.
I found this recipe creamy and light! And quick to prep.
Great, thank you!
Thank you so much, Caroline!
Glad you liked it!
It’s one of my favorite soups 🙂
Nice base recipe, but very bland when following the recipe. I’ve nearly doubled the spices and added some chicken bouillon and curry to add flavor. Somewhat disappointed, it looks nothing like the provided images, which look almost creamy, when none of the ingredients provide that quality. If i had coconut milk handy, I would add a few splashes to up the richness factor. In the meantime, I’ll settle for this brothy lentil soup.
Hi Rose,
I am sorry you didn’t find the recipe full of flavour. As I mentioned in the post, I had it for the first time in Jordan and I really like it. I am sure adding chicken broth makes it richer, but I am following a vegetarian/vegan diet as much as possible, therefore I don’t add chicken to my recipes.
I am not sure as to why it didn’t look like the images. I made it several times following these instructions and never had a problem but I would love to help you to troubleshoot the recipe at your end if I can 🙂
This is really nice! I love the taste of the spices, but it’s not too overpowering. Very creamy and tasty! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Caroline!
Glad you liked it 🙂
Thanks for this healthy and tasty recipe. I would love to make this as my husband loves soup and will be happy if I will make it. Share such healthy recipes.
Thank you Supriya for your comment! I hope you will enjoy the soup when you try it! 🙂