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Detox Moroccan Lentil Soup
This Detox Moroccan Lentil Soup is a simple, healthy and hearty meal that's great for digestion and the liver. Easy to make, packed with protein and delicious!
It's officially soup season and I'm so here for it! Today we're whipping up a delicious detox soup recipe that is packed with flavor, but also protein and fiber. This hearty soup is going to quickly become your new favorite – especially if you love spice!
What are we making? We're making a glorious Moroccan Lentil Soup full of chopped veggies, starchy potatoes, two types of lentils and all the spices!
The Moroccan spices we're using are warming, great for digestion and so tasty. We've got turmeric, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and smoked paprika which makes this soup extra cozy! It's also freezer-friendly, meal prep-friendly AND made in just one pot!
Benefits of Eating Lentils
Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients to add to soups. For starters, they're super high in protein. In fact, lentils have more protein than most other beans. Lentils are also high in fiber, so they're filling and hearty.
And finally, lentils cook quickly and have an amazing texture. They typically take about 40 minutes (max) to cook and give a soup a somewhat meat-like texture which is perfect for those of us who have meat eaters in our houses.
But what types of lentils are best? The answer is any of them!
Best Types of Lentils for Soup
There are three main types of lentils that work really well in soup:
- Green/Brown Lentils: my go-to lentils for soup are green or brown. They cook in about 35 – 40 minutes and hold their shape. They have a mellow flavor, but help give you that meaty texture. They're also really easy to find at most grocery stores!
- Red Lentils: these are perfect for soup when you use them in combination with something else. Red lentils cook very quickly and don't hold their shape. They break down and turn quite thick. I love adding them into soups as a secondary ingredient because they help thicken the soup while not affecting the flavor AND adding protein at the same time.
- French Lentils: these are my last choice because of the texture. They're kind of on the crunchy side and I find that they don't blend in as much. I'd say that if you want to use French lentils, you'd be better off with a brothy soup (not thick like this one).
How to Make Moroccan Lentil Soup: 3 Ways
Now let's chat soup, specifically how to make it. I'm sure you already know how to actually make soup, but I thought it might be helpful to break down the three ways I personally like to make soup. You can also use these three methods for making this Moroccan lentil soup:
How to make Moroccan Lentil Soup:
- Stove Top: this method is what you'll find below. It's quick and it allows you to build the flavor as you cook. I personally usually make soup this way because I'm not a great planner and it's easy. I use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven for this.
- Slow Cooker: you could also totally make this detox lentil soup in the slow cooker as well. Just add all the ingredients into your slow cooker, stir it together and let it cook. It should cook for 4 – 6 hours on low, 3 – 4 on high. Here's the slow cooker I have at home.
- Instant Pot: I'll be honest and say that I haven't nailed the InstantPot yet, but I do love using it to make soup. For this recipe, I'd say start with the saute setting to cook your veggies and then add the rest of the ingredients in. Cook it on high for about 10 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. I have the 6qt Instant Pot and love it!
An Easy Vegan Meal Prep Recipe
Soup is a great meal prep option. This recipe makes six servings so you can make it on a Sunday, serve it for dinner (with a small side salad) and then have a few portions leftover for lunches for the week!
If you are planning to meal prep this recipe, I'd recommend storing the portions individually with all the toppings. Since you'll be heating it up, the coconut yogurt will melt into the soup, which will actually be so delicious!
Here are the best meal prep containers for soup:
- Oven Safe Glass Lock Container Set (this is a great deal and the round ones are perfect for soup)
- Divided Glass Lunch Containers
The bottom line when choosing containers, make sure you're using glass so that you can heat it up without worrying about plastic!
How to Store Moroccan Lentil Soup
What I love about soup is that it makes great leftovers. You can either keep it in the fridge for 4 – 5 days and reheat it as you want, or you could freeze it. The best way to freeze soup is to store it in the size servings you plan to eat. If you want a meal for 2, freeze two portions. Just for one lunch? Freeze just one. That way you'll only end up thawing what you need.
Topping Ideas for Moroccan Lentil Soup
And finally, before you dive into this amazing soup, let's talk toppings! Toppings for me are a must and I love having some fun with them. I try to make it color, I try to have something spicy and I always do something cooling as well.
Here's what I love to top my lentil soup with:
- Coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream: this adds some tang, some creaminess and also cools the soup down a bit so you can dive right in!
- Chopped jalapeños: these add some crunch and some spice! Another option here would be red pepper flakes.
- Chopped red onion: I partly use these for color, but also for a little bite.
- Fresh herbs: you can never go wrong with herbs! They brighten up a dish, add a nice pop of color and really do help with the freshness element. For this soup, I'd recommend parsley or cilantro!
And that's pretty much it! Now you're ready to dig in and enjoy your Moroccan Lentil Soup! I can't wait to hear what you think ❤️
More Healthy Detox Soup Recipes
- Anti-Inflammatory Ginger & Turmeric Soup
- Detox Turmeric Lentil Soup
- Lemon & Garlic Wild Rice Soup
- Super Healthy Green Detox Soup
- Curried Cauliflower & Squash Soup
- Gingered Carrot Bisque
Detox Moroccan Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped white fingerling potato
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (+ more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (+ more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup almond milk (or coconut milk depending on your preference)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 - 3 cups spinach
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Add onions, celery, carrot, potato and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until everything softens slightly. Season with salt, pepper and the spices and cook about 2 minutes.
- Add lentils and saute 1 - 2 minutes, then add the broth, water and tomato paste. Stir to combine and until the tomato paste has dissolved. Bring the soup to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in almond milk, lemon juice, and spinach, and stir until the spinach has wilted. Serve immediately and top with your desired toppings.
- For garnishes, I like to do a dollop of coconut yogurt, some fresh parsley, pepper flakes, cracked pepper and jalapeno slices. A little spicy, a little creamy and so good!
Video
Notes
- Slow Cooker: you could also totally make this detox lentil soup in the slow cooker as well. Just add all the ingredients into your slow cooker, stir it together and let it cook. It should cook for 4 - 6 hours on low, 3 - 4 on high. Here's the slow cooker I have at home.
- Instant Pot: I'll be honest and say that I haven't nailed the InstantPot yet, but I do love using it to make soup. For this recipe, I'd say start with the saute setting to cook your veggies and then add the rest of the ingredients in. Cook it on high for about 10 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. I have the 6qt Instant Pot and love it!
Nutrition
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This soup was fabulous and by far the most delicious lentil soup I’ve had.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!
This is amazing! I used lite Cocnut mile! Instead of potatoes I added a red pepper and mushrooms!! Delicious!
Sounds amazing!
I really enjoyed this recipe!
So happy to hear that!
Is the sodium content that’s listed on recipe for a single serving or for the total batch
1 serving, but it’s calculated using regular vegetable broth. If you use low sodium, which I recommend, it will be lower 🙂
So terrible … a waste of good ingredients. The spice profile is terribly off. I love lentils and Moroccan food and have had Moroccan food in morocco and this is not representative.
Sorry you felt that way! Maybe it’s just not up your alley!
So Delicious!! but took me a little longer than 50 minutes. (I made double but still lots of chopping time).
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
I plan on making this soup with Italian sausage, and add at the end some chopped zucchini
Sounds great!
Love this recipe!
Do not change one ingredient!
It’s perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup was fabulous! I followed almost exactly cooking in my instant pot with your suggested times – absolutely delicious. Next time I would add some chili flakes to the other spices as we don’t usually have jalapeños around.
So glad it worked in the IP!
I only have green lentils at home and my family is quarantined. Is it possible to omit the red lentils and if so, are there any adjustments/substitutions I should make? Thank you!
Hi! Yes, that should be okay, but you’ll probably want to replace them with green lentils!
Made this today and my husband said “this is so good I never want to stop eating it.” I second that – what an amazingly delicious recipe! The only change I made was using lime juice, because we had no lemons on hand. This one is going in our weekly rotation for sure. Thanks Alyssa! 🙂
Oh yay!! Makes me so happy to hear that 🙂
I don’t have any red or brown lentils. Would it be okay still if I used just green lentils? Thanks 🙂
You could, yes! But you’ll want to increase the cooking time for sure and the texture will be a little different.
This is an incredible soup recipe. Unusual spice combination makes it delicious! I also top with coconut yogurt and raisins with jalapenos. It gives it a great add with the sweet to spicy!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
I made a few alterations (due to misreading the recipe and also substituting what I had on-hand) but this soup was still fantastic! I *did* have the correct spices, which are probably the most important part of the recipe. The soup is so comforting and warm, perfect with a little dollop of sour cream. I’m looking forward to having it again on leftovers night and plan to bake some cornbread muffins to go with it!
YAY! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and love that it worked with your substitutions!
I love the sounds of this recipe and would like to do it in my slow cooker, but I want to know if I need to cook anything beforehand, like saute the veg etc or I just literally put it all in the cooker and wait. Many thanks in advance for your advice, I can’t wait to try this!
I think you could just throw it all in honestly 🙂
I am very much looking forward to making this soup, I have one question please, do the lentils need to be cooked first, it does not state either way
Thank you
The lentils are uncooked!
I LOVE this soup! It is my absolute favourite! If I would have to choose only one dish to eat for the rest of my life, this would be it. This soup started my family and I on a journey to eat more healthy and plant based. I thank you Alyssa for creating this recipe and for sharing it with us. You are a star!
So so happy to hear that!! xxo
This was fantastic, Alyssa! I couldn’t believe I didn’t need to add any additional seasonings. Yum!
So glad you enjoyed it, Aine!
The whole family loved this one! Just left the red pepper flakes and jalapeños for the grown-ups bows.
I’m so glad!!
We have a tree nut allergy in our home, so cow milk is actually the safe bet for us. Is there any reason that wouldn’t work in here? I wasn’t sure what the lemon would do with real milk. Maybe you don’t know either if you don’t use it!
Nope! That totally works in 99.9% of my recipes 🙂
This stew is delicious! It’s my new favorite! Amazing flavors and textures. Comfort food. Especially when served with a dollop of sour cream.
So so happy you enjoyed it!
Hello, what is a good substitute for the white fingerling potatoes and avocado oil? I usually russet and red potatoes on-hand. Instead of avocado oil, would olive oil work? Thank you!
You could use russet potatoes and any oil that you enjoy!
The video shows coconut milk but the recipe states almond milk? Which one is it? Thank you!
Either works!
This recipe is so delicious and warming!!! For as thick and creamy it is, it feels so light!!! Perfect for a rainy, fall day here in the PNW!
Question: Serving size says 1.5g??? How much is that, the recipe is 6 servings so is it approximately a cup or so?
Hi! It should be 1.5 cups for the serving size 🙂 And so glad you liked it!
Do you use coconut milk(video) or almond milk (recipe) ?
You can use either! I like them both, so it’s more a matter of taste preference 🙂
I’ve made this recipe multiple times exactly as written. It’s really delicious, especially topped with sour cream and chopped red onions.
So happy to hear that, Angie!! Thank you!
This was so delicious!! I’ll be making this again for sure! I’m curious though what a serving size is–it say 1.5g above. My guess is you meant to say 1.5 cups?
yay! And yes, that’s correct 🙂
Just curious…is a serving size 1.5 grams? Or is it supposed to read 1.5 cups?
It’s 1.5 cups 🙂
Just made this!!!! Amazing!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!! xx
This recipe is amazing! So flavorful, I was saying wow every bite! Haha. Thank you so much for sharing, it’s definitely being added to my list of regulars.
Oh yay!! So so glad you liked it 🙂
Made this today and it’s so delicious!!
Added cilantro and sriracha on top!
This will be a new staple for sure!!
So so glad you enjoyed it!!
if I’m doing this in a crockpot, I put the lentils in dry right? I don’t need to pre-cook them? Thanks!
Yes, dry!
Yep, they go in dry!
Do they go in dry for dutch oven too?
Yep, they should!
I noticed the recipe calls for almond milk, but you are using coconut milk in the video. Which one would you recommend?
Either works! You really can’t go wrong with either 🙂
Made this tonight for lunch this week. WOW. This is so good. The flavor was great. I added some vegan sour cream mixed with lime juice and avocado on top. SO GOOD.
Hooray! So so glad you like it 🙂
I choose to this soup in a volunteer job at my church but the end if the page where the ingredients and recipe was it’s not open anymore. It desaperd!
I tryed to open the page in diferent computer and cellphone and used google crome and explored also…
Please help me! I need the list of ingredients so i can multiply them to feed around 30 people and need to buy the ingredients today because of possible snow tomorrow…
Thank u in advance,
Rita.
We were having some web issues the last few days, but it should be all set now 🙂 thank you for your understanding!
I have this currently cooking in my slow cooker, I am guessing that I should add almond milk, spinach and lemon juice near end? I have never had lentils so very intrigued to try this!
Yes! Sorry for the delay but hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Delicious Soup! Made it in the Instant Pot and it worked great. Sautéed as directed, cooked It on high for 10 minutes and then did natural release for 10. Stirred in the spinach and almond milk and everything was cooked to perfection. Nothing beats soup in the IP! Thanks for tasty, healthy recipe!!
AWESOME! Love to have those IP instructions 🙂 thanks!
Really excited to try this, especially because I am looking for slow cooker ideas. Question about the spinach in slow cooker, is it okay to add at the beginning or perhaps to to put it in at the last hour? Any thoughts? Thanks.
I would just do it right before serving. It will cook down in about 30 seconds 🙂
I was doubtful that I would like this blend of spices, but I went for it anyway and I am blown away! It is delicious! I used a sweet potato as that was what I had on hand. Don’t forget the toppings! Especially the yogurt and jalapenos, so creamy and a kick of spicy. Perfect! Thanks Alyssa!.
YAY! So happy you enjoyed it, Chris!
Tried this in my instant pot and it worked wonderfully, although I tweaked the amount of vegetables / lentils and therefore spices, doubling the amount . I made it more into a stew than a soup. Just pressed the button and go time! My dinner party enjoyed this vegan rendition of lentil soup.
Thanks for the creative recipes!
I’m so glad! Would love to know what your cooking time was 🙂
This looks like such a healthy recipe, I was floored by the sodium content. Is that just from the 1 tsp. salt and the vegetable broth? I suppose the tomato paste as well. I’m still going to try it, as it is right up my alley. I’ll use reduced-sodium or no-sodium broth, and try it with 1/2 tsp. salt.
I really appreciate all of your wonderful recipes and tips 🙂
Sometimes I can’t control the exact ingredients that are pulled in for nutrition calculations. I always use reduced sodium veg broth and then you can also reduce the salt you add 🙂
Hi! This soup looks amazing! How long would you say it would stay good for? Would it freeze well/do you have any recommendations?
It stays good for at least 4 days 🙂 and yes, it also freezes well! I actually mention that in the text. xox