Turkish Red Lentil Soup or kırmızı mercimek çorbası as we say in Turkish 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 loaded with flavors.
This authentic red lentil soup is the most popular soup in Turkey as it is cheap with simple ingredients and so tasty like most of the other Turkish dishes.
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 (merci corbasi). It is a staple at restaurants and you can find it at any time of the day. Even in the early mornings. And it is always served with a lemon wedge and some pide bread on the side.
If you need a satisfying soup that is not heavy and comes together quickly, this recipe fits the bill perfectly. Plus, it is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Are you into Turkish soups, which can easily be served for lunch on their own? You might want to see our yogurt soup (yayla corbasi), domates corbasi (Turkish tomato soup) and orzo soup too.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This
- It is incredibly easy to make.
- Our recipe is versatile. You can make your own vegetable additions.
- You can also make it ahead of time. It freezes very well for up to 6 months! And, to thaw and reheat is incredibly easy.
- It's rich, creamy and uber hearty.
- It really fills you up. Because lentils are used, it adds a ton of protein which fills you up quickly.
About The Ingredients
This Turkish lentil soup consists of two parts. The first is the soup itself, and the second is a spicy oil sauce. Although the sauce is optional, we promise it will take your soup to the next level. So it is highly recommended. And it literally takes a minute to make that sauce.
Soup Ingredients
- Red Lentils: There are several types of red lentils at the market. It would be great if you can find Turkish kırmızı mercimek (red lentils), which are round and thick. No worries if you can't. Any red lentil works fine. The only difference you might end up with is the color. And if you like red lentils, you might want to see our Turkish lentil balls mercimek koftesi and red lentil dip too.
- Vegetables: 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 in Turkey 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.
- Spices: The spices in a traditional lentil soup in Turkish cuisine are cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika and dried mint. But if you want a plainer taste, you can use salt and pepper only. Also, you can replace red pepper flakes with Aleppo pepper or crushed chilies. And you can replace paprika with cayenne pepper.
Sauce Ingredients
The sauce is an optional element. But for us, it is a must-add. It helps take the flavor of the entire dish to a whole new level! It is a combination of oil, tomato paste, paprika and dried mint.
You can make the sauce only with oil and paprika or leave the tomato paste out and make it with oil, paprika and dried mint. You can replace oil with butter. In Turkey, you can see that the sauce is made with a combination of pepper paste (biber salçası) and tomato paste. So the sauce itself is quite versatile as well.
How To Make It
Now let's move onto how to make Turkish red lentil soup with a step-by-step guide. It's incredibly easy and quick too!
- Combine the ingredients. Put lentils, onion, potato, carrot, garlic, spices and water in a large pot or a saucepan.
- Cook the soup. Put the pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and allow the Turkish lentil soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Remove it from the heat when all of the ingredients are tender.
- Blend the cooked mercimek soup. Place the tender ingredients into a food processor or use an immersion blender (hand blender). Blend it until you have a completely smooth soup.
- Finish off the soup. Finally, place the blended lentil soup back into the pot. Set it over the lowest heat and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes so the flavors can merge.
- Make the sauce. Add the olive oil, tomato paste, paprika and dried mint in a saucepan. Place it over medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Serve. You can either stir the sauce into the blended lentil soup or drizzle it over the top of bowls when serving. Traditionally, lemon wedges and extra spices like red pepper flakes and mint are always served on the side.
Variations
There is another method of making mercimek corbası. You sauté the veggies, lentils and spices with some oil and tomato paste in a pot, pour water over them and then blend. We don't see much difference in taste. So you can go with whichever method you like.
This soup is naturally vegan and completely free of gluten. However, you can easily use chicken stock to add more richness to the flavor profile. Or use vegetable broth if you still want to keep it vegetarian.
Want a more nutty flavor in your soup? Make a roux as a base before adding all the soup ingredients in the pot as we do in our tomato soup recipe. Then don't leave the potato out. The soup would become too thick otherwise.
Serving Suggestions
This Turkish red lentil soup is great on its own. Always serve it with some lemon wedges on the side as the soup gets even tastier when you add in some lemon juice.
You can also serve it with a mint and red pepper flakes garnish. Most authentic Turkish lentil soup bowls are served this way.
And, as with most soups, bread is a great accompaniment. You can serve it with a flatbread like bazlama. Some cheese borek or gözleme would also be a nice match with this nutritious mercimek soup.
A bowl of fresh salad like piyaz would turn it into a feast.
Tips
- This Turkish lentil soup recipe isn't supposed to be very thick. So, if you see yours becoming too thick, add about ½ cup of hot water before removing the soup from the heat. Whisk it in well.
- For this recipe, you can use any type of blender or food processor that you have. If you don't have any, you can pass them through a fine-meshed sieve. Or, you can just leave it as-is (chunky).
- Be careful when blending as the soup will be really hot.
- To reheat, add a little bit of water, about ¼ to ⅓ cup. When the soup sits in the fridge, it thickens up quite a lot. And as we’ve said, it shouldn’t be a thick soup.
- You don’t have to add the oil sauce to this soup, but we highly recommend it. It deepens the flavor and adds some color.
- You can add the soup either in the soup pot and blend everything well or just drizzle it over the bowls when serving.
Storage
In the fridge: After the soup completely cools down, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
In the freezer: Just place the cooled soup inside an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. The bags are great because you can portion better, and they can be frozen flat to take up less space. Then, store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
FAQs
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.
No. This is a traditional Turkish soup with red lentils.
Add in about ¼ cup of hot water and let it simmer for a minute. If it is still too thick, add some more water. Don't forget to taste it to check whether you need to add a little more salt too after adding water.
More Turkish Recipes
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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!
Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.
📖 Recipe
Mercimek Çorbasi (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
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Soup:
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1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
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1 onion, diced
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1 clove garlic
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1 medium carrot, chopped
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1 small potato, chopped
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1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon cumin
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1 teaspoon black pepper
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2 teaspoons dried mint
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Salt to taste
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6 cups water
Sauce:
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 tablespoon tomato paste
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1 teaspoon paprika
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1 teaspoon dried mint
Instructions
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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.
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Bring the heat to medium low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally until everything is tender.
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Blend it until smooth using an immersion blender (aka hand blender) or a food processor. Put it back over the lowest heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
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For the olive oil sauce, put olive oil, tomato paste, paprika and dried mint in a sauce pan. Mix them well and cook for 30 seconds or so.
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Either pour the sauce in the pot and stir everything well or pour it over the bowls when serving.
Notes
- This Turkish lentil soup recipe isn't supposed to be very thick. So, if you see yours becoming too thick, add about ½ cup of hot water before removing the soup from the heat. Whisk it in well.
- For this recipe, you can use any type of blender or food processor that you have. If you don't have any, you can pass them through a fine-meshed sieve. Or, you can just leave it as-is (chunky).
- Be careful when blending as the soup will be really hot.
- To reheat, add a little bit of water, about ¼ to ⅓ cup. When the soup sits in the fridge, it thickens up quite a lot. And as we’ve said, it shouldn’t be a thick soup.
- You don’t have to add the oil sauce to this soup, but we highly recommend it. It deepens the flavor and adds some color.
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, mercimek corbasi
Cat says
Very good and easy recipe. As mentioned before this is a spicy dish so reduce the red pepper flakes if you are not into that
★★★★★
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.