Lemon Red Lentil Soup with Carrots
A cozy red lentil soup with sweet carrots, tomatoes, cumin and paprika, brightened with lemon and parsley. Naturally thickened lentils give four generous bowls without cream.
Split red lentils turn a short list of pantry ingredients into a thick, golden-orange soup. Carrots and onions soften slowly in olive oil, tomato paste adds savory depth, and cumin and sweet paprika warm the base. Lemon goes in at the end so its freshness stays noticeable.
The lentils soften and break down in the pot: there is no need to blend hot liquid. This original version makes four generous bowls for lunch or a simple supper. It is and has not been kitchen-tested.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Small carrot dice soften alongside the split red lentils. Cooking tomato paste briefly in the softened vegetables reduces its raw edge, while a short bloom in oil spreads the spice flavor. Stirring as the lentils soften gives a naturally thick but spoonable soup. Lemon added off the heat balances the tomato and earthy lentils.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, knife, cutting board, fine-mesh sieve, 4–5 litre heavy soup pot with lid, wooden spoon, ladle and food thermometer for reheating.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 generous bowls. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A pot of soup and something to tear
For a simple supper, pair a hot bowl with olive oil focaccia with sea salt. Its dimpled crust is useful for dipping into the thick lentil base. Bread is a separate serving suggestion and is not included in this soup's ingredient list or nutrition.
A savory bake alongside
For a lunch spread with a different texture, try cheddar, corn and scallion muffins. Their soft crumb and savory edges sit well beside the lemony soup. The muffins contain their own ingredients and allergens; they are not an addition to the pot.
Build a small sharing table
A separate dish of lemon tahini hummus can turn soup night into a sharing meal. Keep the hummus in its own dish rather than stirring it into the soup, so the two legume dishes keep their different textures. Tahini introduces sesame outside this recipe.
Add a cool salad to the meal
Serve roasted beet, goat cheese and walnut salad on the side when you want cool leaves and nutty crunch with a warm bowl. The salad is a separate recipe containing milk and walnuts; those ingredients are not hidden garnishes in this lentil soup.
Choose a creamy bowl for another day
If you are planning several soup lunches, alternate this lemony lentil version with creamy potato soup with cheddar and scallions. This recipe thickens through softened lentils; the potato soup has its own creamy character and dairy ingredients.
Keep another vegetable soup in rotation
For a different vegetable base, save roasted butternut squash soup with ginger for another evening. Roasted squash and ginger give it a different flavor from the cumin, tomato and lemon used here. Label stored portions clearly so the two soups are easy to tell apart.
Make the texture yours
The finished soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon and loose enough to ladle. Stir often as the lentils collapse. Add the optional water in small measured portions, stopping as soon as the texture is right. The time is an estimate: taste a fully cooled spoonful and check that the lentils have no firm center.
Nutrition and safe leftovers
Nutrition is calculated from the full ingredient batch divided into four bowls, including all cooking oil and the parsley garnish. The written nutrition section below links to the official USDA food-composition source used for the estimate. Finished bowl weight, broth brand and evaporation vary. Cool in small shallow containers, refrigerate promptly and follow the storage and reheating directions in the recipe card.
About the ingredients
- Split red lentils
Weigh 240 g dry lentils before rinsing. They cook quickly and break down to thicken the soup. Pick over for debris, rinse and drain. Whole green, brown or black lentils retain their shape and require a different timing and liquid plan.
- Small carrot dice
The 250 g carrot amount excludes peel and trimmings. Pieces about 5–7 mm wide soften more reliably than thick rounds. Use 180 g peeled onion alongside them; neither is a pre-cooked weight.
- Tomato paste and canned tomatoes
Use 25 g plain paste and a full 400 g can of no-added-salt diced tomatoes, including the juices. The paste is briefly cooked before adding the liquid. No cream, sugar or coconut milk is included.
- Cumin, sweet paprika and garlic
Use 4 g cumin, 3 g sweet paprika and 12 g garlic. Garlic goes in after the onion has softened. Paprika gets only a brief oil bloom before tomatoes are added; scorching it makes the base bitter.
- Prepared vegetable broth
The 1000 g amount is ready-to-use broth, not stock powder or concentrate. Check labels for celery, wheat, soy and other allergens. The recipe has only 2 g added salt, but the broth determines much of the final sodium; no low-sodium claim is made.
- A measured lemon-parsley finish
Weigh 40 g strained juice and 12 g chopped parsley, using 8 g in the pot and 4 g over four bowls. Stir lemon in off the heat. There are no additional wedges, herbs, oil or dairy garnishes in the ingredient estimate.
How to make Lemon Red Lentil Soup with Carrots
Pick over and rinse split red lentils. Dice the onion and carrot, mince garlic and squeeze lemon juice. Soften onion and carrot in all the olive oil, add garlic, then tomato paste and spices. Stir in canned tomatoes, lentils, prepared vegetable broth, water, salt and pepper. Simmer until very soft, stirring often near the end. Finish off the heat with lemon and parsley, then serve in four bowls.
1. Prepare the vegetables and rinse the lentils
2. Soften the onion and carrot, then add garlic
3. Cook the tomato paste and bloom the spices
4. Add tomatoes, lentils and the measured liquid
5. Simmer until the lentils break down
6. Finish with lemon and parsley, then serveWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Lemon Red Lentil Soup with Carrots
A cozy red lentil soup with sweet carrots, tomatoes, cumin and paprika, brightened with lemon and parsley. Naturally thickened lentils give four generous bowls without cream.
Ingredients
0 / 15 readyIngredient amounts for 4 generous bowls
Soup base
Finish
Let’s make it.
- Build the flavor base
Prepare the vegetables and rinse the lentils
Wash hands and rinse the carrots, lemon and parsley under running water before preparing them; do not use soap on produce. Peel and trim the onion and carrots, then weigh 180 g onion and 250 g carrot. Dice the onion finely and cut the carrot into 5–7 mm pieces so they soften in the simmering time. Mince 12 g peeled garlic. Pick over 240 g dry split red lentils, rinse in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs mostly clear and drain. Weigh 40 g strained lemon juice and 12 g chopped, dried parsley separately. Keep all seasonings measured and ready; no celery, potato or other vegetable is added.
- Build the flavor base
Soften the onion and carrot, then add garlic
Warm all 30 g olive oil in a 4–5 litre heavy pot over medium heat. Add the prepared onion and carrot and cook for about 7–8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Avoid dark browning; lower the heat if the edges catch. Add all 12 g minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. The garlic should not burn. The entire oil allowance stays in the soup; do not add butter or an extra serving drizzle.
- Build the flavor base
Cook the tomato paste and bloom the spices
Add all 25 g tomato paste to the softened vegetables. Stir over medium-low heat for about 1 minute until it coats the vegetables and darkens slightly. Add 4 g ground cumin and 3 g sweet paprika and stir for a further 20–30 seconds. Keep the mixture moving so the paprika does not scorch. Have the canned tomatoes ready to stop this brief blooming stage. No chili, curry powder, cream, flour or sugar is used.
- Simmer and finish
Add tomatoes, lentils and the measured liquid
Stir in all 400 g no-added-salt canned diced tomatoes with their juice, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the cooked paste. Add the rinsed and drained red lentils. Pour in 1000 g ready-to-use vegetable broth and 250 g water. Stir in all 2 g fine salt and 0.5 g black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring to keep lentils from settling against the bottom. The broth is already diluted to drinking strength; do not use 1000 g concentrate.
- Simmer and finish
Simmer until the lentils break down
Reduce to a gentle simmer and set the lid partly ajar. Cook for about 20–25 minutes, stirring every few minutes and more often as the soup thickens. The red lentils should lose their firm centers and break down, and the largest carrot dice should be easy to squash with a fork. If either is still firm, continue in 3–5 minute intervals. Add extra water in 50 g portions only if needed to keep it spoonable, up to 150 g more. Red lentils cook differently from whole green or brown lentils, which are not a direct substitute here. No blender is needed; the cooked lentils provide the thick texture.
- Simmer and finish
Finish with lemon and parsley, then serve
Turn off the heat. Stir in all 40 g lemon juice, then 8 g of the chopped parsley. Divide the full pot evenly between four bowls and scatter the remaining 4 g parsley equally over them. Serve hot, without extra oil, cheese, cream, bread or lemon wedges in the measured recipe. For leftovers, divide promptly into small shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C/90°F; do not leave the whole pot out to cool. Store at 4°C/40°F or below and use within 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 2–3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat with stirring to at least 74°C/165°F throughout and bring the soup to a boil; add a little water if it has thickened.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 generous bowls, all cooking oil and parsley included; sides excluded. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 372 kcal
- Protein
- 17.7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57.8 g
- Fat
- 9.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fiber
- 11.7 g
- Sodium
- 1001 mg
Checked 10/30/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Use split red lentils and 5–7 mm carrot dice. Plan 15 minutes preparation and about 35 minutes cooking, with 20–25 minutes of gentle simmering. Check lentil softness and carrot tenderness; extra cooking may be needed. Stir frequently near the end and loosen with up to 150 g optional extra water. No hot-liquid blending is required.
Make it your own
Ingredient and nutrition amounts refer to the listed version. Whole lentils are not a timing-equivalent swap. Broth may contain celery, wheat, soy or other allergens; inspect the actual label and lentil packaging. No certified gluten-free, allergen-free or low-sodium claim is made.
Storage & freezing
Divide into small shallow containers promptly. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, at 4°C/40°F or below. Use within 3–4 days or freeze for 2–3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat while stirring to at least 74°C/165°F throughout and bring soup to a boil. Do not leave a large hot pot on the counter to cool.
At the table
Four generous bowls include all measured oil, dry lentils, vegetables, tomatoes and their juices, prepared broth, seasonings, lemon and parsley. Water adds no nutrients. Bread, muffins, hummus and salad are separate linked suggestions and are excluded. Nutrition uses USDA raw pink/red lentil composition as a proxy for split red lentils and generic ready-to-serve vegetable broth; brands and cooked portion weights vary.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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