• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Veg Space

easy vegan recipes

  • About
    • About
    • Press & Media
    • Work With Me
  • All Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Main Courses
    • Baking Recipes
    • Soups & Stews
    • 20 Minute Meals
    • Lunch Ideas
    • Starters & Sides
    • Pasta Recipes
    • CanapĂ©s & Nibbles
  • 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan
  • My Book: Vegan in 15
    • My Book: Vegan in 15
    • Vegan Store Cupboard
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Vegan Baking
  • 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan
  • My Book: Vegan in 15
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Soup Recipes » Dahl Soup (Lentil Soup with turmeric & lemon)

    Dahl Soup (Lentil Soup with turmeric & lemon)

    Published: Jan 20, 2019 · Modified: Jul 6, 2022 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Dahl Soup
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    pinterest pin for lentil dahl soup

    This hearty and protein-packed dahl soup with lemon, turmeric and ginger is totally delicious and very easy to make. Perfect comfort food!

    🍴Why you will love this recipe

    There's nothing more healing and comforting than a steaming bowl of lentil dahl soup, with a base of two 'superfoods' - ginger and turmeric, and a squeeze of lemon.  Good for the body as well as the soul.

    Dried red lentils are a great source of fibre and protein, and all sort of other nutrients - see this article on the health benefits of lentils. And when something so nutritious is as delicious as this lemony dahl soup, there are really no excuses!

    The soup is so easy to make, and can be as smooth or as chunky as you like. It freezes very well, so you can make up a big batch at once and put individual portions in the freezer for a busy day.

    Jump to:
    • 🍮Why you will love this recipe
    • 📝 What you need
    • đŸ‘©đŸœâ€đŸł How to make your lentil dahl soup
    • đŸ”Ș Top Tips & FAQs
    • đŸœ If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews

    📝 What you need

    ingredients for Dahl Soup

    Ingredients

    Red lentils Dried red lentils make wonderful soup (and dahl!) as they break down fairly quickly to give a thick and luscious texture. You could also use half-and-half red lentils with yellow split peas. Totally delicious, but the split-peas take a bit longer to cook, so prepare to add another 20 minutes or so to your cooking time.

    Fresh root ginger Regular readers will know that I often use ready-chopped ginger from a jar, or a tube of ginger purée to save time, but here I think it really makes a difference if you use fresh root ginger - it is one of the stars of the show in this healing soup, and needs to be zingy and at its best rather than just a background flavour.

    Ground turmeric I've specified ground turmeric here as the fresh stuff is harder to get hold of. Ground turmeric will give you all the deep flavour and beautiful yellow colour you need for this soup, but if you can find fresh turmeric go for it! It will really take this soup to the next level.

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your lentil dahl soup

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.

    chop onion and carrot

    Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot. Fry gently in a large saucepan.

    chop ginger and potato

    Peel and finely chop the ginger. Add to the pan with the crushed garlic clove. Peel and chop the potato and add to the pan.

    add turmeric and stock and simmer

    Stir through the turmeric, then rinse the dried red lentils and add to the pan. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir through the spinach and lemon juice, season and serve.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    The consistency of this dahl soup is up to you - blitz it to a smooth purée if you prefer, or just mash the larger chunks with a potato masher, or leave it fully chunky as it comes!

    For a spicy dahl soup add half a teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes along with the turmeric, or add a finely chopped fresh chilli at the same time as the potato.

    Lentil Dahl Soup

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I freeze my dahl soup?

    Yes! Your soup will freeze brilliantly, so why not make up a double or even triple batch whilst you're at it, if there's room in your freezer? 
    I love leaving the spinach or kale leaves whole if I'm serving this soup fresh, but if freezing I tend to either chop them up small or blitz the soup to a smooth purée as the leaves can go a bit slimy after freezing and defrosting.  Or you could leave them out entirely and add some to your defrosted soup just before serving.

    How long will the soup keep in the fridge?

    This soup gets better and better after a day in the fridge as the flavours develop. It will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

    What else can I make with dried red lentils?

    As I mentioned above, the 'falling apart' texture of dried red lentils is wonderful in thick, creamy stews and this Slow-Cooker Butternut Dahl is a favourite - the butternut squash also breaks down into a velvety soft sauce so this really is a hug in a bowl for not much work.
    Or my kids love this easy Red Lentil Cottage Pie from Jamie Oliver's site - just use vegan cheese instead of parmesan.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    • Curried Parsnip Soup
      Curried Parsnip Soup
    • Slow Cooker Dahl
      Butternut Slow Cooker Dahl
    • Green Lentil Dahl
      Creamy Green Lentil Dahl
    • Vegan Leek and Potato Soup
      Vegan Leek & Potato Soup

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    📖 Recipe

    Dahl Soup

    Dahl Soup (Lentil Soup with lemon and turmeric)

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    This hearty and protein-packed dahl soup with lemon, turmeric and ginger is totally delicious and very easy to make. Perfect comfort food!
    4.91 from 31 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine British
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 281 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
    • 1 onion
    • 2-3 cm fresh root ginger
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 2 carrots
    • 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 potato
    • 150 g dried red lentils
    • 1 litre vegetable stock (check it is vegan)
    • handful spinach or curly kale
    • 125 ml dairy-free milk
    • 1 lemon

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish.  Peel and finely chop the onion and carrot, and fry gently for 2-3 until starting to soften.
    • Peel the ginger (a teaspoon is surprisingly handy for this job, give it a try!), then finely chop and add to the pan. 
    • Peel and crush the garlic clove and add to the pan along with the turmeric.  Peel and finely chop the potato and add to the pan. 
    • Rinse the red lentils in a sieve, then add to the pan followed by the stock. 
    • Bring the soup to the boil and cook for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft. 
    • Add the spinach/kale (removing any large stalks), and cook for a further minute.
    • Stir through the dairy-free milk and the juice of the lemon. Taste and season well with salt and black pepper as required, then serve. 

    Video

    Notes

    The consistency of this dahl soup is up to you - blitz it to a smooth purée if you prefer, or just mash the larger chunks with a potato masher, or leave it fully chunky as it comes!
    For a spicy dahl soup add half a teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes along with the turmeric, or add a finely chopped fresh chilli at the same time as the potato.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1portionCalories: 281kcalCarbohydrates: 40.3gProtein: 12.7gFat: 8.3gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 50mgPotassium: 805mgFiber: 14.7gSugar: 5.5gCalcium: 64mgIron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
    If you enjoy my recipes please BuyMeACoffee.com!
    Vegan meal plan and shopping lists

    Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan

    Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK here to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan today!

    Veg Space E-Newsletter

    Don't want to miss a thing?

    Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

    Or why not subscribe to my blog and get delicious vegan recipes straight to your inbox every week?

    Please note that all recipes and images on The Veg Space are copyright protected. If you would like to share the recipe, please use the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or copy and paste the recipe, (even if credited to The Veg Space). Many thanks for your understanding

    « Vegan Chilli Burritos
    Vegan Scones »

    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Andrew Leigh says

      September 07, 2024 at 8:55 am

      Hi Rachel - please don't publish this - I'll add a comment when I've tried the recipe. It does look delicious though and I love your site. I've watched the accompanying video a few times, and it doesn't seem to mention putting the lentils in. Just thought I'd let you know to check it out.

      Best wishes, Andy

      Reply
    2. Lesley says

      April 30, 2024 at 5:18 pm

      Delicious soup! I left it chunky

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        April 30, 2024 at 7:42 pm

        Great to hear!

        Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      December 10, 2023 at 12:59 pm

      This is a good recipe with accurate cooking times, however I personally didn’t like the taste as there was too much turmeric- to me it just tasted like eating turmeric.

      Reply
    4. Lesley says

      September 15, 2023 at 5:09 am

      Really delicious and easy to make . The vegan flat breads were a great addition. Thank you for another fantastic recipe

      Reply
    5. Aimee Mars says

      July 11, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      It may be hot this summer but we've all had colds and this soup was the perfect comforting fix! We all loved it.

      Reply
    6. Amanda says

      July 11, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      This soup was so delicious and filling! I just love the flavor of the fresh ginger with the pop of bright lemon. Will definitely put this on the rotation.

      Reply
    7. Natalie says

      July 11, 2022 at 11:55 am

      I made a smoother version of your lovely lentil soup as I knew my kids would prefer, It was perfect, thanks!

      Reply
    8. Liz says

      July 11, 2022 at 10:56 am

      SO flavorful and scrumptious! My kids loved it, too.

      Reply
    9. Beth says

      July 11, 2022 at 10:38 am

      Delicious protein-packed lunch. Loving the spices in this gorgeous soup!

      Reply
    10. Lesley says

      January 03, 2022 at 9:37 am

      I made this lovely soup with the vegan flat breads and it was delicious. I followed the recipe and I thought it was very well balanced with the lemon, and it wasn’t overwhelming. I did add a teaspoon of chilli flakes as well as I like some heat in a lentil soup, but it would have been great without too. Thank you for another great recipe.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        January 05, 2022 at 6:41 pm

        That's great to hear, thanks Lesley!

        Reply
    11. Colleen says

      December 05, 2021 at 8:44 am

      Made this, minus the spinach and lemon, in a large quantity for our carol singers last night. The amount of turmeric looked scary but it was absolutely fantastic, delicious soup, I had many requests for the recipe! Thank you Kate, another winner.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        December 06, 2021 at 10:26 am

        Oh that's lovely, well done to the carol singers!

        Reply
    12. Lara says

      October 14, 2021 at 8:51 am

      This soup is delicious 😋 I added fresh garlic and chilli to mine and a 400g can of chopped tomatoes. Amazing flavours!

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        October 14, 2021 at 9:12 am

        Ooh, lovely additions - yum! Kate x

        Reply
    13. Brenda says

      October 13, 2021 at 6:30 pm

      Everything about this recipe is healthy and great
except the amount of lemon juice in the recipe! All we could taste was the lemon and it was really quite overwhelming, might be better to use half or quarter of a lemon? Such a shame as the texture and goodness of this soup is fab.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        October 14, 2021 at 9:13 am

        Hi Brenda, sorry you found it too lemony - that's how I like it, but everyone has their own personal taste. Good idea to use half or quarter next time you make it. Kate x

        Reply
    14. Marysa says

      May 28, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      This sounds delicious, and I love the addition of the turmeric and ginger - so good for you!

      Reply
    15. Jhon Ashraf says

      April 26, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      Great Recipes !!! I love it. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.

      Reply
    16. Jalene says

      April 01, 2020 at 9:23 pm

      This was delicious! I am experimenting with cooking during my Covid quarantine and this recipe was simple to make and a hit with my flat mates! I highly recommend it - the only addition I made was adding one chopped garlic clove to the onion stage.

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    4.91 from 31 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Kate. I'm on a mission to prove that vegan food can be every bit as delicious and decadent as its non-vegan equivalent! Read more →

    > FOLLOW

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest

    Subscribe now to never miss a new recipe & receive a free copy of my vegan meal plan!

    > POPULAR RECIPES

    • Vegan Toad in the Hole
      Vegan Toad in the Hole
    • 3 Bean Chilli
      Smoky 3 Bean Chilli
    • Butter Bean Mash
      Butter Bean Mash
    • Vegan Cheese Sauce
      Vegan Cheese Sauce

    > AS SEEN IN....

    > SEASONAL RECIPES

    • Curried Parsnip Soup
      Curried Parsnip Soup
    • chickpea and lentil curry
      Creamy Chickpea and Lentil Curry
    • Vegan Moussaka
      Vegan Moussaka
    • Celeriac Steak
      Celeriac Steak

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About Me
    • Work with me

    ↑ back to top

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2021 KATE FORD @ THE VEG SPACE | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    1.4K shares

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.