Turkish Red Lentil Soup is super easy to make and perfect on cold days to warm you up. Cook everything in one pot and blend them together. It’s that easy! One of the best vegan soups because it is super filling and full of flavors.
If you happen to go to a restaurant in Turkey, you see that there is one soup they always have on their menu: Red Lentil Soup. It is a staple at restaurants. Believe it or not, we can even have it for breakfast in the morning on a cold winter day. With a lot of lemon juice. I don't know a better way to start a freezing day.
If you need a satisfying soup that is not heavy and comes together quickly, this recipe fits the bill perfectly. I can imagine the happy smile on your face when you have a bowl of heartwarming and tasty red lentil soup with lemon. Please don’t leave the lemon out! It takes the soup to the next level.
You can serve it with some bread like pide bread or bazlama. Some cheese borek is also a nice match with this nutritious soup.
Ingredients
- Red Lentils: There are several types of red lentils at the market. Well, there is no specific type for this soup. Any red lentil type works fine. The only difference you might end up with is the color. Although all red lentils are orange when raw, some of them result in a pale yellow color while some have a brighter yellow or even orangish color. Other than that, we haven’t experienced any big differences. All red lentils cook fast and perfect for soups.
- Vegetables To Add: We use onion, potato, carrot and garlic to have more flavor. Among these, the only must-have one is onion. Although the other veggies are totally optional, almost everyone uses them in a classic Turkish red lentil soup recipe. Why? Potato gives a little more consistency. Carrot gives a subtle sweetness. And garlic makes it even tastier. This lentil soup recipe is quite versatile and you can use it as a base and make your own twist. Have you seen our Vegan Red Lentil Spinach Soup? Go check it out to learn how we create a completely new soup with this base.
- Spices: The spices in a traditional lentil soup in Turkish cuisine are cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried mint. As this is a spicy lentil soup, don’t leave them out. You can only leave the red pepper flakes if you are making it for kids.
- Lemon: This is another must in lentil soup. We add lemon juice both when cooking in the pot and when having the soup. It helps all the flavors blend well together and you end up with an even tastier soup.
- Chili Oil Sauce: This is a ridiculously easy sauce made with olive oil(or butter if you like), chili powder and dried mint. You can use it on any soup to have an extra kick. You can top it with a few slices of grilled halloumi cheese to add some more protein into it.
How To Make
The recipe has three folds.
- First, put red lentils, chopped onions, carrots, potatoes, one garlic clove and spices in a large pot. Pour water over these and cook uncovered until it boils over medium high heat. Stir occasionally and remove the scam on the surface of the soup. Reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer until everything is wonderfully tender.
- Second, remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup well using a hand blender. Put it back over the lowest heat, add in lemon juice and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Third, make the oil sauce. Heat olive oil or butter in a saucepan. Add in chili powder and dried mint, cook over low heat for about a minute stirring occasionally. Two options for using the sauce: 1) Pour it in the pot and stir with a spoon so that the sauce and the soup combine well. 2) Serve the soup in bowls and drizzle a little oil sauce on each.
Is This Soup Healthy?
This soup is not only decadent and comforting but also super nutritious. Lentils are a good source of protein and fiber, that's why it is perfect for vegans. Plus, they have a low glycemic index when you cook them yourself. It might be higher though if you are using canned lentils. Also, it is low in calories. To put it in a nutshell, red lentil soup is a great option for a healthy diet.
Red or Green Lentils?
We love all types of lentils and use them often in our cooking. A classic Red lentil soup is smooth and creamy without cream. We mostly have it as a starter and have the main course afterwards. We sometimes use a combination of yellow lentils and red lentils to make this soup.
On the other hand, a chunky green lentil soup makes a super satisfying lunch or dinner on its own. Have you seen our Spinach And Green Lentil Soup? It's one of our favorite meals.
Can You Freeze This Soup?
If you have leftovers and won't be eating it in the next few days, freezing the soup is a good idea. Make sure it is cold enough before putting it in the freezer. Also, keeping it in an airtight container is important.
A quick note about reheating Turkish red lentil soup: It gets thicker as it waits, so if it is too thick, add a little hot water when reheating.
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
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Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Spicy red lentil soup with potato, onion and carrot flavors.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Soup:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 potato, chopped
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
- Salt to taste
- 6 cups water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
Instructions
- Combine lentils, onion, garlic, carrot, potato and spices in a large pot. Pour water over them. Cook it uncovered until it boils over medium high heat.
- Bring the heat to medium low and let it simmer stirring occasionally until everything is tender.
- Blend it until smooth using a hand blender. Put it back over the lowest heat, add in lemon juice and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- For the olive oil sauce, heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add in tomato paste, paprika and dried mint. Mix them well and cook for 30 seconds or so.
- Serve the soup hot in bowls with a drizzle of the sauce. You can garnish it with herbs.
Notes
When reheating the soup, you might have to add in some hot water because you will see it is thicker.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 197
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 426.7 mg
- Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.8 g
- Protein: 8.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Turkish red lentil soup, lemon lentil soup, spicy red lentil soup
Karen W says
Hi, Zerrin and Yusuf! I finally made this recipe, and it's so delicious! I used spearmint this time, instead of peppermint.😊This recipe is super, super spicy, so if you don't like that, I recommend reducing the red pepper flakes and the black pepper. I reduced the black pepper to 1/4tsp., because when I made your vegan lentil and spinach soup, the black pepper was over-powering for my taste, and that recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. I also cooked this in my Instant Pot again. I like to saute the vegetables first, then pressure cook for 5 minutes, natural release for 5 minutes, and quick release. I also love the chili sauce on top! Thank you!
★★★★★
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Karen, thank you for the feedback! We are so glad you liked our red lentil soup. The type of mint matters, right? Yes, this is a spicy soup, that's how we like it in Turkey. But you can always adjust it to your taste. Making it in an Instant Pot is a brilliant idea. It is even easier with it. Thanks for sharing your twist here, which might help others too.
Cheers!
E. says
Thank you for this recipe! It's healthy, low-fat and so easy to make, I love it that you do not even have to fry the onions first. I often make it for my family, especially when I'm tired and do not feel like cooking. It can be made from the ingredients you have in your fridge if you keep red lentils, pepper flakes and dried mint at home. I guess the pepper flakes can be substituted for paprika, but the dried mint is important. Do you use peppermint or some other type? Best regards from Hungary!
★★★★★
Zerrin & Yusuf says
So happy to hear that you like our favorite lentil soup recipe as much as we do. Yes, it is really easy to make and you can even add veggies in it if you like. It might be a good idea to use up any waiting vegetable in the fridge. We sometimes add spinach, broccoli or even leeks.
And yes, red pepper flakes can be substituted by paprika or chili powder or even cayenne pepper. As for the dried mint, it is definitely a MUST for this soup. In Turkey, there is only one type of it and we had had no idea about another type before moving to the UK. When we bought a random one one day and used it in the soup, we all made the same comment: It tasted like a mint candy. Not a flavor we desired in the soup. I guess it was peppermint. And not sure but probably, the one in Turkish cuisine is spearmint.
Cheers from UK!
Karen W says
Thank you for this note. I just made your lentil and spinach soup recipe, and when I looked for dried mint in my local market, I only saw spearmint leaves, but I thought I needed peppermint, so I used peppermint tea - the soup was delicious anyway. I want to try this recipe now, so I'll go get the spearmint.
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Karen,
Glad you liked the soup. It is really easy to make and tasty. Peppermint is not bad, but doesn't give that authentic taste we want in soups like this.
ASHLEY PAYNE says
I'm so happy to find this site. Me and my daughter took Turkish cooking classes and we are in love with the food. She's very picky and ended up being obsessed with it ! I'm always looking for new Turkish recipes
★★★★★
Zerrin says
Hi Ashley! Turkish cooking classes must be really fun! I'm glad you loved our blog. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.
Jennifer says
I love the story of sharing dinner dishes with neighbors as a daily event. Like a big extended family. My country feels so divided right now that I am wistful for the sense of community and shared basic values.
Zerrin says
Hi Jennifer! Sharing food is such a great way to remember and maintain the basic values. Living in a big city, I'm missing that tradition too.
Aysegul says
What a great update to a fantastic Turkish soup. I love the addition of butter on top. 5 star recipe for sure.
Mariam says
Hi .. looks amazing. ..I’d like to make this .. when do I add the dried mint ? Only as garnish ? And why both flour and potato ? Ty
Zerrin says
Thank you Mariam! Add it with all the other spices when pouring water over lentils. Flour is optional, but it gives a nice flavor when cooked with butter.
Mariam says
Made it ! It was exquisite .. !! The best red lentil I’ve ever had .! .we make this too In the Middle East but only with cumin and also a squeeze of lemon. But the mint in your Turkish recipe really balances the flavors out and brightens it up ... the butter flour step enriches it . thank you so much . I just noticed you changed the recipe ? Like the spicy oil part ?. please keep the Turkish recipes coming ...
★★★★★
Zerrin says
Thank you so much Mariam! I'm glad you loved it. Yes, I've updated the recipe, making the butter and flour step optional because I mostly skip that part too. And that spicy oil definitely riches the flavor of the soup. Will be publishing more Turkish recipes soon.
Denise @ Creative Kitchen says
Love lentils!! I was perusing red lentil soup recipes when yours came up. My soup was already simmering, but love the idea of adding a squeeze of lemon juice. I'd have never thought of that.
This was my first time using red lentils instead of brown. Now I wonder if I can ever go back. These are tasty!
I used the lemon juice but also added feta cheese and some olive tapenade. yummy!
lisa (dandysugar) says
This soup looks so delicious. Healthy ingredients and my favorite spices. I love red lentils. Great idea for a fall/ winter meal!
Soma says
Very comforting! I made a similar soup a couple of weeks back, but did not blend the lentils. Love the mint!! I will try it next time.
we would have friends quite few years back who would do the ramadan & then we would wait for the Iftar time to eat all delicious stuffs 😉
Southern Grace Gourmet says
I love lentils, this is a great recipe with the addition of mint.