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    Home » Soups » Black Bean Lentil Soup

    Published: Nov 1, 2016 · Modified: Apr 5, 2022 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Black Bean Lentil Soup

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This black bean lentil soup is flavored with celery, carrot, garlic and lemon. It is low in calories, extremely high in plant protein and fiber. It is a perfect meatless soup that is both tasty and filling.

    Black bean lentil soup in a white bowl and a spoon in it.

    Beans are great ingredients in soups and stews. If you love them in salads too, you might want to check our piyaz salad too.

    Our soup is truly one of a kind. You can substitute virtually any ingredient, change the entire flavor profile, and even use a completely different cooking method. Whatever works best for you, this lentil bean soup will be able to cater to your needs.

    Jump to:
    • Why should you make this recipe?
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • Variations
    • How to Make
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Expert Tips
    • How to Store and Reheat
    • FAQs
    • Other Bean Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why should you make this recipe?

    • This is a one-pot recipe. There is no need to make a ton of dishes for this easy soup. Simply add everything to one large pot or slow cooker and cook the ingredients until they reach perfection.
    • This is a highly nutritious and high protein recipe. Today, it is hard to find hearty soups that are still as healthy as this one is. Not to mention it is extremely low in calories – perfect if you are trying to lose some weight.
    • This soup is extremely quick and easy to make. It takes less than half an hour and can even be stored for a couple of days.
    • You can make this bean lentil soup in advance and simply thaw it once you’re ready to serve it again. Have a look at our storage tips on how to best freeze this soup.
    Green lentils, black beans, celery stalk, carrot, onion, tomato, lemon, spices on a dark background.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Green lentils: The hero ingredient for this black bean and lentil soup is naturally the green lentils. These legumes are protein packed and make an excellent plant-based substitute. Furthermore, lentils help add a ton of savory flavors to the soup and make it more filling. If you can't find green lentils, you can also use brown lentils, red lentils, or black lentils. 
    • Black beans: For this recipe, we use canned black beans, which are already cooked. If you use dried black beans, you need to soak them for 8 hours and boil until tender before adding them into the soup. Make sure you discard the water you boil the beans in. To substitute these beans, kidney beans or pinto beans will work great. You can even use a combination of beans and chickpeas.
    • Vegetables: We have decided on using only basic vegetables for this recipe including onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. But, you can add more veggies like kale, sweet potato and bell peppers to this recipe.
    • Spices: We use black pepper, cumin, paprika and salt. But, you can also make this a spicy soup! Add some chili powder or flakes (even fresh chilies if you'd like) to add some bite. You can even throw one or two bay leaves for an extra flavor.
    • Water: Water is an easy addition, but for more flavor, you can add low-sodium vegetable broth instead.

    Variations

    We love this black bean soup because of how flexible the recipe is. You can turn this vegetarian soup into chicken soup. All you have to do is add some grilled chicken pieces and substitute the water with chicken broth (low sodium).

    You can also give it a Mexican twist inspired by a classic Mexican black bean soup recipe. For example, by adding some delicious grated cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese, tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream, you now have a delicious nacho soup. 

    These are only two ways you can dramatically change the flavor of the soup and give it a fun new take.

    And, you can even change up the cooking method used! You can use a slow cooker to make this soup instead of cooking it on the stovetop.

    You can turn this chunky soup into a creamy soup by blending everything in a food processor or using an immersion blender. 

    How to Make

    This black bean and lentil soup is packed with lots of nutritious veggies and can even be made in advance and frozen!

    Onions, carrots and celery in a pan.
    1. Make the base. Heat the olive oil inside of a large pot. Then, add your onions and cook them until they become translucent. Add the chopped 2 cloves garlic and cook it for a minute. Add your chopped carrots and celery and continue cooking them for 5 minutes.
    Green lentils and vegetables in a pan.
    1. Add in your mashed or diced tomatoes, green lentils, and spices. Give the ingredients a good stir and cook them for roughly 2-3 minutes.
    Green lentils and vegetables cooking in a pan and a wooden spoon in it.
    1. Add the water and lemon juice to your soup base. Bring the mixture to a boil before reducing the heat to a medium-low. Cook the lentils until they become tender, about 20 minutes.
    Green lentils, black beans and vegetables in a pan.
    1. After your lentils have cooked, add the black beans and continue cooking them for roughly 5 minutes. Once finished, serve your soup immediately with some freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.
    Black bean soup with lentils and vegetables in a pot and a wooden spoon in it.

    Serving Suggestions

    This black bean and lentil stew can be served with loads of accompaniments. Of course, you can add virtually any fresh garnish that you'd like. We love some freshly chopped parsley and a swirl of fresh cream or yogurt.

    And, we especially love serving this soup with some flatbread or a crumbly cornbread. You can have a look at our bread recipes you can make at home.

    Expert Tips

    • You don't have to pre-soak the green lentils before cooking them. You can simply add them into your pot and immediately start cooking them. Soaking them will shorten the cooking time, however, you have to remember to pre-soak them then.
    • If you want to use pre-cooked lentils, you just have to be careful to not overcook them. You can add the cooked green lentils when you add the black beans. Only cook them for another 5 minutes.
    • If you are using cooked lentils, you have to rinse them first. This will remove any foreign particles and ensure that you have clean lentils.
    • You can substitute the water with some vegetable broth to add more flavor to this soup.
    Black bean lentil soup served in a white bol, some bread, parsley and red pepper flakes on the side.

    How to Store and Reheat

    To store any leftovers (if you’re lucky enough to have any) you can simply place the black bean and lentil soup inside of an airtight container. Then, place the container in the fridge for about 4 days.

    Alternatively, you can freeze the soup for a couple of months. When freezing soup, you can even place them in re-sealable plastic bags so that they can be frozen on a flat surface. This will make storing them much easier.

    To thaw the soup, place the entire container in the fridge and allow the soup to defrost overnight. You can also defrost the soup in a microwave on a low heat setting or in a pot over low heat.

    FAQs

    Do lentils need to be soaked before making soup?

    No, they don't. Lentils cook really fast.

    How long should I soak black beans?

    If you use dried black beans, you need to soak them for at least 8 hours.

    What happens if you don't rinse canned black beans?

    The texture and flavor of your soup will change if you don't drain and rinse canned black beans. The liquid inside is too starchy and full of sodium. So it's better to discard it.

    Other Bean Recipes

    • Turkish White Bean Stew
    • White Bean Salad
    • How To Cook Broad Beans

    You might also like:

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      Fresh Fava Beans Recipe
    • Woman holding a bowl of vegan oyster mushroom soup on a light background
      Oyster Mushroom Soup
    • White bean salad with tomatoes and red onions in a white bowl.
      Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad)
    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
      Kuru Fasulye Recipe (Turkish Beans)

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    📖 Recipe

    Black Bean Lentil Soup

    Black bean lentil soup in a white bowl.
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    A super satisfying black bean and lentil soup that is packed with flavors and vitamins.

    • Author: Zerrin & Yusuf
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x
    • Category: Soup
    • Method: Cooking
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegan

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 small onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ cup carrots, diced
    • 4-5 stalks celery (½ cup), chopped
    • ½ cup mashed or diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
    • 1 cup green lentils, uncooked and rinsed well
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 4 cups water
    • Half lemon, juiced
    • 2 cans (15 ounces / 425g in total) black beans, drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish

    Instructions

    1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onions until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
    2. Add in chopped carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

    3. Pour the mashed tomatoes and green lentils over the vegetables. Sprinkle salt, cumin, black pepper and paprika over these. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    4. Add in water and lemon juice and bring it to a boil. 

    5. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. 

    6. Add in black beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

    7. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. 

    Notes

    1. You don’t need to soak uncooked green lentils before cooking. You can add them right into the pot and start cooking.
    2. If you want to use cooked lentils, make sure not to overcook them. You can add them at the same time with black beans. Make sure to drain and rinse first.
    3. You can substitute vegetable broth for water to give the soup more flavor.
    4. To store any leftovers, you can simply place the black bean and lentil soup inside of an airtight container. Then, place the container in the fridge for about 4 days.
    5. You can freeze the soup for a couple of months. When freezing soup, you can even place them in re-sealable plastic bags so that they can be frozen on a flat surface. This will make storing them much easier.
      To thaw the soup, place the entire container in the fridge and allow the soup to defrost overnight. You can also defrost the soup in a microwave on a low heat setting or in a pot over low heat.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 433
    • Sugar: 5.2 g
    • Sodium: 1255.7 mg
    • Fat: 5 g
    • Carbohydrates: 74.4 g
    • Protein: 26.1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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    1. billfromlachine says

      August 22, 2017 at 11:40 pm

      Zerrin,
      A little trick if you forget to soak the beans overnight. Just put them in a pot covered in water turn on the heat on the stove until it boils. Let boil for 1 minute and turn off heat, cover the pot and let stand for 1 hour.
      Then when you cook the beans they've already been tenderized so will cook quicker than the 2 hours it took you.
      Regards
      Bill

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        August 23, 2017 at 11:55 am

        Hi Bill! This is a great tip! I don't know why but I often forget to soak them overnight.
        Thanks for this helpful tip!
        Best!

        Reply
    2. plasterers bristol says

      February 27, 2017 at 8:49 pm

      yum yum, this recipe sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing. Simon

      Reply
    3. Adina says

      November 02, 2016 at 9:55 am

      Bean soup is one of my favorite kinds of soup, but I have never used black beans to make it, they are not particularly common here. But I have seen some in the Turkish supermarket, I will buy some next time I am there.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        November 04, 2016 at 1:17 am

        Hi Adina, black beans are nor originally Turkish. After seeing it in several American recipes, I decided to give it a try and we loved it. Hope you can find it in your area too.

        Reply
        • Adina says

          November 05, 2016 at 6:15 pm

          No, I know they're not Turkish, but the Turkish supermarket is the only place that sells them around here. 🙂 Together with lots of other great products that I couldn't find anywhere else in the area.

        • Zerrin says

          November 06, 2016 at 1:04 am

          Oh got it Adina! You're lucky to have that supermarket then!

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    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

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