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Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
This red lentil soup recipe is both vegan and gluten-free! A healthy, low-fat soup that’s cozy and simple and packed with 18g of plant-based protein per serving.
Lentil Soup for the Soul. Do you remember those books? I don’t know if there was ever a Chicken Soup for the Vegetarian Soul edition, but if there was this red lentil soup would be on the cover.
If you have ever uttered the phrase “I want a big bowl of something comforting!” then this vegan lentil soup is your kinda meal.
I really feel like lentils could create world peace. There is nothing more soothing than sipping on an incredibly nourishing soup loaded with vegetables, lentils, and spices. After a bowl of this, I am ready to conquer the world! Well, at least conquer my to-do list.
While it’s pretty easy to put this red lentil soup together, the flavor is anything but simple. A boldly flavored soup seasoned with turmeric, ginger, and paprika! Since I crave lots of spice this time of year, I like to finish this off with a bit of cayenne pepper for an extra bonus kick, optional if you want it.
This soup has been getting me through our monsoon-like weather as of late. Since we’ve been in a drought for the past several years, I’m trying hard to enjoy all of the rain and am using the wet weather as an excuse to stay in bed a bit longer or curl up with a book and a mug of this soup.
As with most soup recipes, this one relies heavy on pantry staples and a bit of spices.
Heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add in the vegetables, like garlic, celery and potato and sauté until very tender.
Stir in the ground spices: cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika and salt and pepper. Add the vegetable broth, lentils and tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the lentils have cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Remove half of the soup and puree using either a blender or immersion blender. Blend together the pureed soup with the cooked lentils and add the fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice.
If you haven’t had red lentils before, they behave completely different than brown or green lentils. Once cooked, they lose their shape and become porridge-like in texture. Perfect for a thick, stick-to-your-ribs soup without using butter, cream, or cheese.
Since we don’t use any dairy in this red lentil soup recipe, this creamy soup freezes beautifully! Make a batch, eat what you can, and then freeze the rest in an airtight container or bag. container.
Whenever you’re in need of a little pick me up this winter, remove from the freezer and thaw in the fridge or defrost in the microwave, then heat and serve.
Though I’m a dietitian, I’m not big on numbers. I rarely look at calories and instead focus on the quality of my overall diet. What I eat is way more important to me than how many calories or fat grams it contains. A big bowl of this lentil soup is packed with all of the foods I want us to eat more of: antioxidant-rich spices, lentils and vegetables.
Each serving of this soup also contains 18g of protein and 10g fiber, a one-two punch of satisfying and satiating.
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Lemon Lentil Soup
Turmeric Red Lentil Soup
If you try this red lentil soup recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
PrintRed Lentil Soup! This red lentil soup recipe is both vegan and gluten-free! A healthy, low-fat soup that’s cozy and simple and packed with 18g of plant-based protein per serving.
Tag @delishknowledge on Instagram and hashtag it #delishknowledge
This recipe was first posted in 2014 and updated in 2021.
(35 comments) leave a comment
This recipe is one of my favorites whenever I’m craving comfort food, especially on a rainy day. So quick and easy to make.
If you like it extra spicy, so easy to bump up the spices.
This recipe was a great find!
★★★★★
I have an non alcoholic fatty liver, would this be a good soup to for me
This was so DELICIOUS and a big hit with the family! It was quick and easy to make. Definitely adding it to my favorites! Thank you!
★★★★★
This was so tasty! I was concerned about blending half, but mixing with the second half leaves some texture and colour remaining while smoothing out the majority.
Thanks for the recipe. It can be hard to find healthy meals that are also really delicious. I’ll check out some more. 🙂
Glad you liked it! Thanks Steve!
I made this receipe and it was delicious! Both my hubby and I enjoyed it so much. It was very favourable thanks to all the spices. The receipe says it makes 8 cups which it does. Can you tell me how much per serving in order to get 18g of plant protein? Thanks so much. This is a definite favourite.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! That’s based on a serving size of 6, so about 1 1/3 cups.
Excellent. Even my very fussy son in law loved it. And the baby loved it . Thank you.
★★★★★
So glad to hear! Thanks!
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned?
Yes!
This soup smells amazing cooking. One of the best lentils soups I have made…this recipe is a keeper ! I am trying to stay away from white potatoes so I cubed up a sweet potatoe..it was very good. Thank you for sharing this recipe
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing!
This was a great find – just substituted the large potato with 3 medium small heirloom carrots and it worked out beautifully!
Much appreciated!!
EÖ
★★★★★
We just loved this. It’s cold up here in Canada! My husband is a naughty diabetic and it’s hard to find things to cook that he likes and will eat. He liked this so much that at this moment I’m simmering another batch for the freezer. The flavor is gently exotic with a lovely well rounded taste. Good stuff.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it! Thanks heather!