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This Lebanese crushed lentil soup is one of my childhood favorite recipes. It’s vegan and easy to make and is the perfect comfort food. Made with a handful of ingredients, this healthy and hearty soup is the perfect winter warmer! Ready in 30 minutes.
Today I want to share with you one of my favorite childhood soups that I group up eating! It’s crushed lentil soup (Shorbat Adas in Arabic), which is basically made with red lentils, short grain rice, onions and cumin. We also like adding carrots to it to make it more hearty and colorful. You’re going to love this soup as much as I do.
Why this lentil soup is so good!
We make this soup so often and it is so delicious! It’s:
- Vegan
- Easy to make
- Low in calories
- Made with staple ingredients
- Completely utterly cozy and comforting!
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make Mediterranean lentil soup
Like most soup recipes, you’ll start by sautéing some onions with olive oil in a large deep pot. Then add the red lentils on top.
Next, add the short grain rice along with the spices you’re using. What spices to include in lentil soup? The traditional crushed lentil soup recipe is only made with cumin, salt and pepper. So I stick to that and keep it pretty basic. You can also add a dash of paprika, cinnamon and turmeric if you’d like – all of them would work really well with this soup.
The next step is mix everything together, throw in some carrots cover with water and cook for half an hour until the mixture is all fluffy and well cooked.
The soup is ready to serve as is. But I like to use an immersion blender to give it a smooth texture. Then, stir in some lemon juice to finish it up with a fresh zing!
Tips to make the best lentil soup
- Use red lentils (they technically look orange) or yellow lentils for this recipe. Both kinds are small split lentils as the crushed lentil soup name suggests and have very soft texture when cooked. So that makes them ideal for this soup recipe.
- Stir a few times while the lentil soup is cooking to avoid the lentils burning or sticking to the pot, which can happen sometimes. You can also gradually add more water as you’re stirring for a thinner consistency if you’d like. Keep in mind that the soup will thicken as it simmers and especially the next day.
- Sauté the onions before adding the lentils, rice and spices which really enhances the flavor of the recipe. But if you’re in a rush, you can absolutely just toss everything together in a pot at the same time and bring it all to a boil together.
- Use brown rice instead of white rice if you prefer. If you’re using brown rice, make sure to allow for extra cooking time so that the rice fluffs up. And it’s best to use short grain if possible for the best consistency.
Frequently asked questions
How long does this soup keep?
Let the soup cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container, it will last about 5 days in the fridge and you simply reheat it on the stovetop.
Can you use green lentils to make this soup?
I would not recommend using green lentils have a more firm consistency as compared to red lentils. The essence of the crushed lentil soup is how crushed the red lentils become when cooked. So you would lose that aspect if you use green lentils. Instead try my Green Lentil Soup, which is very similar but uses kale instead of rice.
Can you freeze lentil soup?
Yes, this soup is very freezer friendly and works great. Make sure to cool the soup completely before freezing it. It helps to freeze the soup in smaller serving sizes instead of freezing the entire quantity so it’s easier to reheat as needed. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave and be sure to add some water as it will thicken.
This Mediterranean lentil soup is my go-to soup when it’s cold outside, I want something filling, something diet-friendly and something that my kids will eat without complaining. In fact, they do a little soup dance when I make this. And if you’ve eaten at Lebanese restaurants, you’ll see this as a staple soup on all menus. Some make it without carrots, others leave out the rice. I say throw in the carrots and the rice and go crazy with the lemon juice in the end!
For more soup recipes, check out:
- Spinach Tortellini Soup
- Beef Barley Soup
- Turkey Soup with Rice
- Vegetarian Lemon Rice Soup
- Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Mediterranean White Bean Soup
- Peanut Soup
- Lentil Tomato Soup
I always make a big pot of this Mediterranean lentil soup and it’s on rotation at least once a month. This soup is rich, comforting, delicious and is super healthy with clean, wholesome ingredients! Gahhhh…just make it already and let me know what you think!!
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Crushed Lentil Soup recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Lebanese Crushed Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 ½ cups red lentils
- ½ cup short grain rice rinsed
- 2 carrots large, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 1 lemon juiced
- Chopped green onions for garnish
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until they soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, rice, carrots, cumin, salt and pepper, and cook stirring frequently until they are well mixed and the spices are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the water, bring mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook covered until the rice and lentils are fluffy and fully cooked, stirring occasionally, about 20-30 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to get the desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with green onions and parsley, if desired, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Made this tonight and it’s so delicious!! Thank you!!
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed!
This recipe is amazing! I made it for the second time today and this time I added about a tablespoon of turmeric, about 6 Yukon gold potatoes and some garlic. I added the potatoes because I needed it to be more filling for my fast. Two daughters also approved! Thank you for your recipe!
Love the idea of adding potatoes, and you can’t go wrong with turmeric – such great health benefits! Thanks for sharing your variation!
I’ve been searching for this soup that I get at my local restaurant, and I’ve finally found the perfect recipe !! Thank you ever so much 🙂
Yay! So glad you like it!
awesome soup… definitely baking again with the red lentils. Red lentils are hard to find so used the green. Found some red lentil and ready to make a big batch for the freezer.
Thank you for the recipe.
Yay! I am so glad you liked it and were able to find some red lentils.
Made this yummy Lebanese Crushed Lentil soup and it was so flavorful and filling.
That is so great to hear! Exactly how it should be!
Another Detroiter here, so crushed lentil is a favorite. This was the closest recipe I found for the one I lost, and it’s a good one. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever made any soup without garlic, so I added that. And I always chunk up cilantro stems in mine, and garnish with cilantro leaves. I’m with you on a lot of lemon at the end.
For those who asked if you could make it in the instant pot, here is what I did. Sautéed all the veggies on medium for a couple minutes, then added the garlic and spices to “bloom.” After adding the broth/water, rice and lentils, I cooked at high pressure 15 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. Red lentils cook so quickly, that was probably more than enough, but it came out beautifully silky after blending.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Garlic is always a good idea. Thank you for sharing your Instant Pot instructions!
Another Detroiter here who now lives in the UK and was searching for that taste of home lentil soup! This was a great recipe, I followed the advice of others and added a little turmeric and a few cloves of garlic. I also added a splash of chili powder and cinnamon!
Thank you so much! I’m glad this recipe reminded you of home.
At the end. A vinegar instead of lemon
I need to try that – that sounds like it’d be good too!
Made this tonight – soooooo good. Only had whole cumin seeds and not the powder, and they added a really nice texture. Can’t believe how delicious this is with such simple ingredients!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed!!
Love all your recipes, your my go to for cooking.
Thank you so much! That makes me incredibly happy to hear!
I absolutely loved this recipe! Never thought to add rice but it’s a perfect thickener! Love food I can feel good about eating!
Thank you so much! Happy to have shared!
OMG, attempting to type this review while shoveling this into my mouth! I’m originally from the Metro Detroit area and we had a ton of fantastic Lebanese restaurants, but now live in Florida, where… yeah, not so much lol. I crave lentil soup when I’m in need of a hearty, healthy and healing pick-me-up and THIS right here is the absolute closest I’ve ever made to those family-owned places from back home. I had some leftover Progresso spicy chicken broth in the fridge and used about 2 cups of that with the 8 cup liquid total… such a great addition if you like a bit of heat! Also a tiny pinch each of turmeric and ginger for some anti-inflammatories. 5 very enthusiastic stars!
I’m so glad this hit the spot and resembled what you used to have back in Michigan! I definitely need to try that for a bit of heat. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like a great recipe. Would you recommend freezing before you add the lemon juice?
Thank you! You can add it before or after, but it might be easier to add it before you freeze it.
Excellent recipe. Only adjustment I did was added heat (cayenne pepper).
Thank you so much! Great idea!
This was so easy and simple and best of all, delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much! Happy to have shared!
Excellent Recipe. Very Flavorful. Forgot to rate it with my last comment. Sorry about that.
Thank you!!!
I have always made soup with brown lentils. I was impressed with the simplicity of this recipe. The only modification I made was add chicken broth and water. The next time I make it I was thinking of adding turmeric. Excellent and tasty recipe. The presentation had a nice color. Thanks. Your recipes are all so flavorful.
Thank you! There are many ways to customize this recipe, and those ideas sound delicious!
As usual Yumna you never disappoint. This was perfect just as it is for the cold weather. I will be making this regularly. I always go for your Lebanese recipes. So good! Thank you!
Thank you so much! So glad you’re loving the recipes!
Hi, Yumna! I just wanted to say thank you so so much for your recipes. Since I’ve moved out of my parents house, I haven’t been able to get my hands on my mom’s Lebanese recipes. This past week, I got really sick and I really wanted to make my mom’s lentil soup. I remember the ingredients but not the measurements, and oh my god I was so elated to find the recipe on your page. You’re such a life saver and I just can’t thank you enough for being such an amazing person. Thank you for sharing the traditions recipes of our culture!!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you came across this. Hope you feel better soon!
Hello, can I make this soup in the instant pot? If so, what adjustments would I need to make? Thanks in advance!
This recipe is sooooo good. My husband went back for thirds and probably would have had more if I didn’t put the rest away for leftovers.
Thank you for making all the steps very easy to follow.
I love that!! You’re so welcome!
I’m totally making this tonight! We get something very like this from our local Middle-Eastern restaurant. It’s so freaking good. They have carrots in theirs. I’ll let you know how it compares.
Excited to hear what you think! I also like adding carrots to it to make it more hearty and colorful!
I didn’t wait. Made it for lunch instead. I did make a few changes since I had a particular flavor in mind. I added quite a bit more cumin, some turmeric, a little more lemon juice and a little ground coriander. I think it’s a pretty good match to what we get from the restaurant. Not sure about the coriander, but just felt like something was missing. Seemed to work okay. Thanks!
This is a great recipe but please confirm the water when doubling! It says 8 cups of water for either 1x 2X or even 3x. Please advise. I added an extra 6 cups of water when I doubled it.
Thank you
Thank you for pointing that out! It’s 8 cups of water for 1X the recipe, so it would be double that if you made 2X the recipe.
Tastes just like lentil soup from Palm Palace Restaurant in Metro Detroit
That’s amazing! Thank you!!
My favorite Lebanese crushed lentil soup does not contain rice. Why the difference? I love your recipes.
There are many takes on this soup. Some make it without carrots, others leave out the rice. Thank you so much!
Easy to make and delicious. I ended up adding a few cloves of garlic and used vegetable broth. Turned out perfect!!
Yay! So glad to hear it! Love that you added garlic to it!
I loved that it was so simple to make and delicious!! Added it to the house menu!
I was looking for a Middle Eastern lentil soup recipe and found and tried this one. It was super easy and fast to make, and my family loved it! I used 25% vegetable stock / 75% water, and substituted cilantro for parsley (it’s what I had on hand). Thanks for a great soup!
So glad the family loved it! Thank you!!
This is the first recipe I’ve tried by Feel Good Foodie. I made it according to the recipe using chicken broth instead of water. It was totally delicious so I can’t wait to try another recipe soon. It was simple I did not have to go to the store for any of the ingredients a perfect meal for a cool, rainy day!
So happy to hear it! Thank you!! And I hope you try more of my recipes soon!
I can’t believe how easy this was to make! So yum!
Yay, so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
Hello, I am wondering if basmati white rice will work? If so, do I need to pre-soak ahead of time?
Yup, that will work, and there’s no need to soak it.
Soup was delish, added mint and cilantro to a bit more flavor.
Yay! Glad to hear it. I love the mint and cilantro addition 🙂
Some of my favorite lentil soups from restaurants include vermicelli noodles. Can I add that to the recipe? Would I add it when I’m mixing in the lentils and rice? Or would I have to omit the rice? And how much? Thank you in advance.
Oh yes, you can definitely add vermicelli, I recommend adding it instead of the rice or in addition to the rice, but you can cut the rice in half. Add it at the time you would add the rice.
Thank you! Appreciate it!
I cooked it yesterday and put it in the freezer for time constraint days. Just licking the spoon was already Super tasty and so easy to make beside my dinner preparation.
Hahaha that’s awesome! So glad to hear it!
Yet another quick dinner after a long work day. This is very similar to Indian khichdi and oh so yummy. I topped mine with a little bit of ghee 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!!
You inspired me and I made a version of this tonight. It was a hit. Thank you!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
Wow so easy and delicious! A new family favorite!!
So happy to hear that!!
I have tried different crushed lentil soups and this is the best! Easy, nutritious and delicious! Thank you!
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you!!
Can I make this with brown lentils?
Yes you can, but it won’t have the same taste or consistency.
This was so delicious! My friend and I made it and added in some spinach to get more veggies!
Love that you added spinach to it!!
Thank you!! This soup turned out amazing .
Yay! So glad to hear it. Thank you!
Saw the soup on Instagram. Have already made it twice! Super easy to make but delish. Highly recommend using fresh lemon juice and the garnish. ?
So glad to hear you liked it. Thank you!!
I made this recipe using Lentils, rice, carrots and onions, etc. I did not use an immersion blender but it still came out delicious- if I can say so myself. 😉
Thanks so much for this easy to follow and nutritious recipe !!!
Oh perfect! So glad you still enjoyed it. Thank you!
Love you recipes! Can’t wait to make this!! It looks so good and reminds me of my moms soup! I can’t seem to find short grain white rice anywhere? I can only find brown short grain rice, or sushi rice or arborio rice (risotto). Am I just looking in the wrong places?! Thanks!
Awww so glad to hear that! Short grain rice can be hard to find. We buy it at a Middle Eastern store, but you can use sushi rice instead!
Hello from Lisbon, Portugal. I found FeelGoodFoodie during quarantine and have been loving several recipes since – energy balls, Dalgona coffee, banana bread, oatmeal cookies, egg salad, crustless quiche and this crushed lentil and rice soup. Everything has been simple (very important to me!), health-conscious and very tasty. I have loved this blog and IG account!
Awww thank you so much!! Means so much to me!!
Hi from West Michigan! Made your Lebanese Crushed Lentil Soup (delicious), and as you mentioned it continued to thicken. Rather than add water as you suggested for reheating, I had my husband turn the leftovers into lentil patties by adding egg and breadcrumbs. It was AMAZING!! Loved that this recipe could be converted into something equally as delicious and yet completely different to use up the leftovers. Our 5&7 year old LOVED the patties too!
Such a great idea! Thank you so much!
This was an easy recipe to make. Grocery items you will likely have in your pantry. We had for supper with fresh bread. Satisfying and delicious. Made a big pot. Leftovers for lunch and it was even better today.
Totally agree that it’s the perfect pantry meal and so good with some fresh bread. Thanks for the feedback!!
So good
Thank you!
Thank you!!
Hi all! I just wanted to hop on here and let you know that I used my ninja blender for this recipe and it worked great! I recommend doing it in a couple of batches, for some reason mine splattered all over the place when I hit pulse and if you can imagine that… it went all over me haha. I also recommend hitting the “pulse” button on your blender that way you can control how much you blend. Anyways.. happy cooking! This lentil soup is amazing!!
That’s a very good tip!! I always use my immersion blender so this is really helpful for others who may not have an immersion blender. Thank you!
The soup was amazing! The recipe was very easy to follow and extremely simple. Everyone enjoyed it, thank you for the amazing recipe!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
I don’t have an immersion blender, can I use a regular blender?
Yes, that works fine!
Can I use a regular hand mixer
Yes for sure!
Im on a diet where im forbidden to eat rice what can i use as an alternative?
Thanks,
Love from Pakistan
Hi there! Can you use quinoa instead? If not quinoa, I would recommend pulsing cauliflower until it looks like rice and adding that to the soup. It will be delicious and you won’t even miss the rice.
I’m curious at the amount of sodium per serving. I’m on a low sodium diet limited to 2000 mg per day. I was expecting the sodium to be lower based on water instead of broth. What is the sodium source? Thank you!!
Wow, I’m so glad you said something! The nutrition label I used was showing canned red lentils so the sodium skyrocketed. It’s corrected now and it’s actually very very low at only about 11 per serving. Thanks for pointing this out to me.
Fabulous recipe! We loved it! I used less cumin and less lentils.
Just became one of my favorites.
Best regards from Chihuahua, México
Wow, so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Delicious!! Thank you for the recipe. When do I add the lemon? And how much? We love lemon.
Yay! So glad you liked it! And I’m not sure if you noticed but the lemon is the second to last step. You would stir it after blending the soup. I use a whole lemon for a pot, but you can adjust to your taste 🙂
Do you have a substitution for the cumin? I just don’t love the flavor and generally omit, but wonder if it’ll leave the soup lacking in flavor since there aren’t many spices to it. Thanks!
No worries, you can use coriander, caraway or chili powder. You can also add some turmeric or curry powder. Enjoy it!
Making it right now! Already looks yum!!
Awesome!! So happy to hear that! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Looks so delish, can’t wait to try it! What is the serving size?
Thank you! Hope you like it! The recipe can be divided into 6 servings 🙂
Hello 🙂 do the lentils and rice need to be washed and soaked? Thx!!
No, that’s not necessary to wash the lentils and rice, but it wouldn’t hurt if you did.
Just bookmarked 3 recipes. I’ll be trying them over the next couple of weeks. My grandma makes a wonderful lemon chicken soup and I wanted a vegan version and came across ur website. I do have a question. Is the 1 1/2c lentils used here cooked or dry? I assume cooked.
Hi there, it’s actually uncooked and then it cooks with the broth. I’ve updated the recipe to clarify this point. Thank you!
Delicious soup! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks so much!!
Thank you for sharing some traditional recipes, Hannah has been asking for me to make this. By the way, what brand of immersion blender do you use? Reviews have been mixed…
Yay! I love this recipe so much! I use the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender & Chopper – I’ve had it for over 10 years and it’s comes with three components for only $40. Best thing ever!
Yes definitely comforting, delicious & healthy.