Dive into a bowl of pure coziness with our Yellow Lentil Soup recipe. Packed with protein, rich in flavors, and super easy to make, this soup is a perfect addition to your plant-based repertoire. This recipe will warm you up and satisfy your taste buds with its aromatic spices.
If you enjoyed my mulligatawny soup, this recipe is for you.
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Why You'll Love This Soup
- Delicious flavor: Yellow lentil soup is known for its rich, earthy flavor. The lentils themselves have a mild taste, allowing them to absorb the flavors of spices, such as cumin and turmeric. The whole family loves this soup.
- Creamy texture: When cooked and blended, yellow lentils create a naturally creamy and velvety texture, without the need for dairy or cream.
- A nutritious soup: Yellow lentils are a fantastic source of plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients.
Ingredient Notes
- Yellow lentils - You can substitute red lentils for the yellow.
- Potato - Any kind of potato is fine as it's more for adding texture than flavor.
- Vegetable broth - Homemade or packaged
- Lemon juice - Use fresh lemon juice, not from a container.
- Garlic powder - You can substitute with fresh chopped garlic if you prefer, about 2 cloves worth.
Instructions
1. First, prepare your vegetables. Peel and dice the carrot, onion and potato and set aside.
2. Next, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions to the pot and sauté for 3-5 minutes until lightly golden.
3. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the diced carrots and potato and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Rinse the lentils and pick through to make sure there are no small stones. Add the rinsed lentils and vegetable broth to the pot and stir to combine.
7. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until veggies and lentils are tender.
8. Use an immersion blender to make a smoother texture if desired or you can leave it chunkier. You can also use a traditional blender and blend in batches. Be careful of the hot soup when blending.
9. Add salt and black pepper to taste and the lemon juice. The lemon flavor is very mild. If you want it stronger, add an additional splash of lemon to the bowls of vegan lentil soup.
Garnish and serve.
Serving Suggestions
You can garnish the soup with fresh parsley or fresh cilantro and lemon wedges. I like serving this soup with biscuits or crusty bread. You can also pour a ladle full of soup over a bowl of brown or white rice.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator
Once cooled, store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer
This soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once cool, pour the soup into freezer safe bags or containers and place in the freezer.
Reheat
Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight first.
Recipe FAQs
No, they are not the same. Yellow lentils are a bit larger and have a slightly different flavor and texture compared to red lentils. Yellow lentils tend to hold their shape better when cooked.
Of course! Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste. Add more or less cumin, paprika, or even a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
Yes, this soup is naturally gluten-free. Always check the nutritional information on any packaged ingredients.
Yes! You can sauté the veggies and spices in the Instant Pot before adding the vegetable stock and lentils. Then reduce the cooking time to 12-15 minutes, add lemon and taste for seasoning.
Yes! Simply sauté the veggies and spices in a medium pot before transferring to the crock pot. Add the lentils and vegetable broth and cook 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Add the lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
While you can use green or brown lentils, they have a different taste and cooking time. Yellow lentils are preferred for this recipe because they cook faster and have a milder flavor.
If desired, you can add a splash of coconut milk to the soup.
Lentils are high in protein and fiber, low in fat, and rich in vitamins and minerals.
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Recipe
Easy Yellow Lentil Soup (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1 potato
- 1 cup yellow or red lentils
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your vegetables. Peel and dice the carrot, onion and potato and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced onion to the pot and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minutes.
- Add the diced carrots and potato and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes.
- Rinse the lentils and pick through to make sure there are no small stones.
- Add the rinsed lentils and vegetable broth to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- If desired, use an immersion blender to make a smoother texture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and the juice from ½ a lemon.
- Stir, garnish and serve.
Equipment
- Immersion blender
Mel says
We loved this soup. I was worried I would taste the lemon a lot but I couldn’t. It was nice and light and I’m glad to find a different way to make lentil soup.
Jen Cardenas says
I agree Mel that you can barely taste the lemon, if at all. Glad you liked the soup.