Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
Moroccan red lentil soup is easy to make, thick and creamy and so comforting. This simple lentil soup with Moroccan spices is budget friendly and ready in under 30 minutes. Made with mostly pantry ingredients, this spiced lentil soup is very filling and great for meal prep.
If you have more red lentils, try this Creamy Cauliflower Lentil Soup or Red Pepper Lentil Soup.
If you love having a big bowl of soup prepped for your weeknight meals, you have to check out my other soup recipes. This site is all about sharing gluten free recipes that are quick, easy, and made with ingredients you can feel good about. If you’d like to learn more about Bites of Wellness and what makes my approach special, take a peek at the About page!
Why you will love this recipe
- One pot meal, ready in 30 minutes
- Simple ingredients, mostly pantry and fridge staples
- Great for meal prep or freezer prep
- Vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Ingredient spotlight
- Spices: Turmeric, salt, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon – this spice combination creates a deep savory flavor with just a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon. It’s smoky, sweet, salty and so yummy.
- Vegetable broth – vegetable broth adds depth to the soup, it helps it taste like it’s been cooking all day.
- Red split lentils – these are often just labeled “red lentils” and are an orange color before cooking. These lentils cook up quickly (under 20 minutes) and get soft and creamy when they are fully cooked.
How to make Moroccan lentil soup
Start by chopping the red onion, thinly slicing carrots and chopping garlic.
Preheat a large pot over medium to medium high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, carrots and red onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until they start getting soft. Once the carrots and onions are soft, add chopped garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add the spices to the veggies in the pot and cook 30 seconds – 1 minute to toast the spices (it takes the bite out of the spices).
After 1 minute, add ½ cup of vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spoon. This helps ensure the spices don’t burn.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and turn the heat up to high. Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on the pot. Cook for 12 minutes stirring occasionally.
After the lentils are soft, turn off the heat and blend 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup using an immersion blender (or carefully use a blender).
Other additions
- Harissa for spice and deep flavor
- Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for spice
- Coconut milk or greek yogurt- add about 1/2 cup to make this recipe even more creamy and rich.
- More veggies from frozen cauliflower rice or spinach (fresh or frozen), roasted red pepper
- Squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice at the end. I’m not really someone that enjoys a citrus squeeze on soup but many people love the freshness it provides.
Topping ideas for lentil Moroccan soup
- Coconut milk, coconut cream, cashew cream or yogurt
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Cilantro
- Red pepper flakes
- Pickled onions or red onions
- Crushed pita chips or crackers
- Jalapeno (fresh or jarred)
- Avocado
Common questions
Can you use other lentils?
Yes, you could also use green (brown) lentils instead of red lentils. Green lentils will need to simmer longer (at least 15 minutes after bringing to a boil) until soft.
Can you make this soup in the instant pot?
Yes, this soup also cooks up quickly in the instant pot.
- Saute veggies 5-7 minutes until softened
- Add the spices and stir well.
- Turn off saute mode. Add 1/2 cup of broth to scrape any spices or brown bits off the bottom to the pot (otherwise you will get a burn notice)
- Add the rest of the ingredients but don’t stir. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes then let pressure naturally release 5 minutes before manually releasing the pressure.
- Blend 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup with an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to blender and blend in batches).
Can you make this soup for meal prep?
This Moroccan lentil soup is great for meal prep. This recipe can easily be doubled and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Moroccan Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 medium carrots - thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes - 14 oz can
- 1 cup red lentils - rinsed
Instructions
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat.
- Chop the onion, thinly slice the carrots and finely chop the garlic.
- Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil, onion and carrots and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 5-7 minutes, add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, add the spices and stir well. Cook 30-60 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pot so that the spices don't burn.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (be sure to rinse the lentils). Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, turn the heat down to low and put a lid over the pot. Cook for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minute, the lentils will be soft. Turn off the heat and blend 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup with an immersion blender or blender (carefully).
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or blender
Notes
- Blend 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup to get that creamy texture. I like to leave a little bit of the soup unblended for different textures in the soup. If you prefer, you can blend the entire pot.
- If using a regular blender to blend the soup, be sure to blend the hot soup in batches (or allow it to cool before blending). Do not use a bullet blender for this (the heat will build up). Use a regular blender and remove the cap at the top of the blender to allow some of the air to release as it’s blending. I recommend holding a towel over top to ensure that you don’t get soup all over the kitchen.
- This soup can also be made with green lentils, however you will want them to cook for 15 minutes, covered, once you turn the heat down from boiling.
- Use a large pot – the lentils do double in size when cooked, so it’s important that you are using a pot that is large enough.
- Fridge: Store this red lentil Moroccan soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Allow the soup to cool then transfer to a freezer safe container. I like to use Soupercubes to portion out leftovers into ½ or 1 cup servings. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag (I like to use Stasher bags) for up to 3 months.
