This Moroccan lentil soup comes together in no time and yields a hearty, comforting soup that is full of warm Moroccan spices. Made with just a few ingredients, the soup is perfect served alongside fresh bread as a stand-alone meal, or as a side to a light dinner.

moroccan brown lentil soup served in two soup bowls, with pita bread on the side, two spoons, a large soup pot and a kitchen towel

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Lentil Soup Across the Region

Lentils are a popular ingredient within middle eastern cuisine, especially in the form of soup. A hot bowl of lentil soup made with red split lentils is common across the Arab region. In Turkey as well, they have a similar but slightly different Turkish style lentil soup served as an appetizer before meals.

In the North African region, brown lentils are used in soups, like in the very popular Harira soup that Moroccans make throughout Ramadan, as well as in this lentil-only soup.

Brown Lentils vs. Red Split Lentils

This soup uses brown lentils, which are distinctly different from red split lentils. The red lentils will disintegrate and break down as they cook, turning into mush, or… soup! That’s why they are used in classic lentil soup recipes.

Brown lentils hold their shape when cooked (but do tend to soften a lot if they are over cooked) and you’ll feel their texture when using them in soups and stews. Green lentils can be used as well, although they will take a bit longer to cook than brown lentils and will hold their shape even more.

This is why rice and lentil dishes like koshari and mujaddara use brown lentils and never red lentils, so the lentil texture is still visible and doesn’t mush into the rice.

moroccan brown lentil soup served in two soup bowls, with pita bread on the side

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

You will just need a few vegetables and spices along with the lentils to make this soup.

moroccan lentil soup ingredients including onions, carrots, celery, brown lentils, parsley, cilantro and spices.
  • Brown lentils: you can also substitute green lentils, but you may need to cook them for a bit longer. Do not use red lentils unless you want a mushy / creamy consistency.
  • Vegetables and aromatics: onions, carrots, celery and garlic. If you don’t have carrots and/or celery, you can skip them!
  • Moroccan spices: cinnamon, cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, and salt, along with tomato paste.
  • Olive oil for softening the vegetables and chicken broth or water for the soup. Chicken broth is of course more flavourful but I tested this soup using just water and it was still so delicious.

How to Make Moroccan Lentil Soup

This soup starts like any other soup: with building flavour!

Start by softening the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil. Continue to cook and stir them for at least 5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Add the tomato paste and garlic and toast both of them in the oil, stirring for 30 seconds. This step adds a lot of flavour by caramelizing the tomato paste and heating the garlic until its fragrant.

diced onions, carrots and celery being softened with oil in a soup pot, with a spatula inside the pot.
diced onions, carrots and celery being softened with oil in a soup pot along with spices, with a spatula inside the pot.

Next, add the lentils in and stir them to coat them in the oil and spices. Pour in the broth or water, stir all the ingredients together, then bring to a boil.

Onions, carrots, celery, spices, and brown lentils being sauteed in a soup pot, with a spatula resting inside the pot.
a brown lentil soup in a red tomato broth simmering inside a soup pot, with a spatula resting inside.

Once the soup is boiling, cover it and cook it on medium heat at a rapid simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, just until the lentils are soft.

Taste and adjust for salt and pepper, then add the freshly chopped parsley and cilantro for a final note of freshness. Serve in bowls alongside fresh bread.

a brown lentil soup which is red in colour is inside a soup pot, garnished with fresh parsley

Serving & Storage Suggestions

Since the soup is quite hearty and filling from the lentils, I often enjoy it as a stand-alone meal with some bread. Scooping soup in bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures. But you can also serve it as an appetizer or side with a light dinner or lunch.

This soup also stores really well in the fridge for 4-5 days, and it freeze well too. Simply allow it to cool, then scoop it into freezer bags, flatten the bags and close them, and place in the freezer for months.

moroccan brown lentil soup served in two soup bowls, with pita bread on the side, two spoons, a large soup pot and a kitchen towel

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If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

moroccan brown lentil soup served in two soup bowls, with pita bread on the side
5 from 9 ratings

30-Minute Moroccan Brown Lentil Soup

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
This Moroccan lentil soup comes together in no time and yields a hearty, comforting soup that is full of warm Moroccan spices. Made with just a few ingredients, the soup is perfect served alongside fresh bread as a stand-alone meal, or as a side to a light dinner.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1/2 large carrot, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1.5 cups brown lentils, (300g), washed and drained
  • 8 cups chicken broth or water, (2 litres)
  • 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a soup pot, add the olive oil and heat it on medium heat.
  • diced onions, carrots and celery being softened with oil in a soup pot, with a spatula inside the pot.
    Add the diced onions, carrots and celery and soften the vegetables for 5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent.
  • diced onions, carrots and celery being softened with oil in a soup pot along with spices, with a spatula inside the pot.
    Add the tomato paste and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add all of the spices and salt and continue to stir for a few more seconds to toast the spices.
  • Onions, carrots, celery, spices, and brown lentils being sauteed in a soup pot, with a spatula resting inside the pot.
    To the pot, add the drained brown lentils and stir to coat in the spices. Then, add all of the water or chicken broth (whichever one you are using).
  • a brown lentil soup in a red tomato broth simmering inside a soup pot, with a spatula resting inside.
    Stir the ingredients together, the bring to a boil on medium heat. Once boiling, cover with a lid and keep it at a rapid simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
  • a brown lentil soup which is red in colour is inside a soup pot, garnished with fresh parsley
    Taste and adjust for salt, then add the freshly chopped cilantro and parsley. Stir them in, then serve in bowls alongside bread.

Notes

  • If you don’t have brown lentils, you can substitute green lentils but they may need longer to cook.
  • You can use chicken broth (more flavour) or water (I tested it with water and it is still delicious).
  • Make sure you don’t over cook the brown lentils so they don’t turn too mushy.
Serving: -4g, Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 651mg, Potassium: 608mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1491IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!