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This Lebanese lentil soup recipe’s got everything you need to upgrade your whole life in one steaming bowl of soup. It’s weeknight-friendly, budget-conscious, and freezes like a dream (uh, do dreams freeze? I guess). Plus, it tastes like you spent hours making it... when really, you just friggin’ bossed it on a weeknight.
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Arabic lentil soup, known traditionally as shorbet adas, has been perfected in households across the Middle East for generations. It's like a milder, brighter version of Indian red lentil dahl—with the same comfort factor, but a Middle Eastern vibe. Even better? It's lower in fat than toor dal tadka.
The combo of protein-packed red lentils and warming spices makes for a hearty soup, a deeply nourishing meal, and that hit of fresh lemon juice at the end takes it to another level. This is a great source of plant-based protein and contains healthy fats from the olive oil.
Once you rock this Lebanese lentil soup, it'll become your go-to recipe when you need something warming, nutritious, and deeply flavorful in minutes! This perfect soup is especially popular during the holy month of Ramadan and the holy month as a staple soup in Lebanese restaurants.
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🥰Why you’ll adore this shorbet adas recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this Lebanese soup keeps it real without chicken stock, butter, or cholesterol. Kinda the magic key if you're diggin' around for easy vegan gluten-free recipes that taste uhh-mazing.
🌱 Protein Powerhouse: Red lentils pack 18g of protein per cup, making this soup a complete and satisfying meal in one bowl. The daily values for protein are easily met with this delicious Lebanese soup.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I share, after tweaking and perfecting it, I shared it with a massive team of hundreds of recipe testers who loved it a lot.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍲 Lebanese lentil soup Ingredients
Baharat
Baharat is a Lebanese 7-spice mix that gives this soup a complex, warming flavor without making the recipe’s ingredient list super-long and complicated. If you’re out, sub in 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and that will get you somewhat close. You could also add a bit of turmeric or curry powder for additional flavor.
The Lentils
Split red lentils cook faster than any other legume on the block and melt right into the broth, giving the soup a creamy texture without needing cream. If you're out, split yellow moong dal is a great sub and holds up beautifully. You can also use chana dal, though it will have to cook longer, and will probably need a little extra water too.
If you have other lentils on hand, don’t use them for this recipe. Brown lentils should be used for making Moroccan lentils, and green lentils for making Mexican lentil soup. Neither of those will be the right consistency here. Different types of lentils require different cooking times, so it's good practice to stick with the recommended variety.
The Rice
Rice helps thicken things up and also makes for a complete protein when cooked with the lentils. Regular white rice (short or medium-grain) works best here, but basmati or jasmine rice will do if that’s what you’ve got.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Shorbat Adas with Swiss Chard
Stir in 2 cups of chopped Swiss chard during the last 5 minutes of cooking, and suddenly this soup’s got that Lebanese grandma energy. It leans greener, heartier, and a little more rugged, with leafy bits that bring the vibes of molokhia without the slime. It shifts the flavor profile quite a bit but still keeps the lentils front and center.
Harira
This Moroccan lentil soup hits way differently than shorbat adas—it’s tomato-heavy, spiced with cinnamon and coriander, and built around chickpeas, lentils, and vermicelli noodles. While this Lebanese soup leans creamy and lemony, harira’s got a richer, tangier broth that feels more like a full-on meal-in-a-bowl situation.
Turkish Lentil Soup
Like Lebanese lentil soup, ezogelin is also made with rice in it, but it also has bulgur, pepper paste, and tomato.
📖 How to make shorbet adas
Nail this soup on your first try with the step-by-step pics and tips below, or scroll down for the easy-print recipe card and get that golden pot of goodness on the table faster than you can say "more lemon, please."
Step One
Sauté-braham Lincoln:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. After 90 seconds, toss in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and translucent.
Step Two
She Blinded Me With Spicence:
Add turmeric, baharat, black pepper, garlic, celery, and carrot. Stir constantly for 2–3 minutes to coat everything and keep it from burning.
Step Three
Lentil the Break of Dawn:
Dump in the lentils, rice, and stock (or water). Stir well, crank the heat to medium-high, and bring it to a boil.
Step Four
Sim Simmer, Who’s Got the Keys to My Bimmer:
As soon as it boils, drop the heat to low, cover it up, and simmer for 35 minutes, stirring now and then.
Step Five
Tender Lovin' Care:
After 35 minutes, check that the lentils and rice are tender. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and adjust the seasoning.
✅ Blend a little with an immersion blender if you want it a bit smoother.
Step Six
Soup, There It Is!:
Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley, optional harissa, and crushed peppercorns if desired.
💡Serving Ideas
This Lebanese lentil soup is already a full-on hug in a bowl, but you can stack the comfort factor by serving it over a scoop of coconut jasmine rice, vegan biryani, or some nutty brown rice.
Want to make it a full-on mezze moment? Pair it with muhammara, Turkish stuffed grape leaves, or some kuboos smeared with either harissa hummus, Lebanese baba ganoush.
Serve it with bulgur for more protein. Fellah köftesi, taboule, kisir, or ciğ kofte might be just the droids you are looking for.
👉Top tips
- Texture control: If you want it smooth, go all in with an immersion blender. For something chunkier and more rustic, blend just partway—or skip it entirely if you’re a lazy bum like I am.
- Adjusting thickness: This soup keeps thickening as it sits, especially once it’s chilled or frozen. When reheating, just stir in a bit of hot water or stock until it loosens up to your liking.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
That’s exactly why I wrote a flawless baharat recipe you can follow or modify to make your own at home!
Yes, but they won't break down as much, resulting in a way less creamy texture. They also require a longer cooking time, about 40 minutes. A better option is toor dal, or split yellow moong dal.
Lentils and rice continue to absorb liquid as they sit. If your soup becomes too thick, simply add more vegetable stock or water when reheating.
Absolutely! Use the sauté function for the first steps, then pressure cook on high for 8-12 minutes with natural release.
🧊 Refrigeration: Allow the soup to cool completely before transferring to airtight glass containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. The soup will thicken considerably as it sits, which is completely normal.
❄️ Freezing: Transfer cooled soup to freezer-safe glass containers, leaving at least one inch of headspace to allow for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Label with the date and contents for easy identification.
🌡️ Thawing: Transfer frozen soup to the refrigerator and allow to thaw overnight. For quicker thawing, place the sealed container in a bowl of lukewarm water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating: Pour the soup into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add additional vegetable broth or water to reach desired consistency, as the soup will have thickened during storage. Heat until it reaches a gentle simmer and is heated through, about 5-7 minutes.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating: Transfer a single portion to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely with a microwave-safe lid or plate. Heat on medium power for two minutes, stir, then continue heating in one-minute intervals until thoroughly heated, stirring between intervals.
✌️You’ll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
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Lebanese Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Immersion blender optional
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons baharat Lebanese 7-spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 cup celery small dice
- 1 cup carrot small dice
- 1 ½ cups split red lentils
- ⅓ cup white rice
- 10 cups unsalted vegetable stock or water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Fresh parsley chopped
- Harissa
- Peppercorns crushed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add the turmeric, baharat, black pepper, garlic, celery and carrot, and cook over medium heat for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the lentils, rice, and vegetable stock (or boring ol’ water). Stir thoroughly to distribute the ingredients evenly. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 35 minutes, opening the pot occasionally to stir to prevent sticking.
- After 35 minutes, check that the lentils and rice are fully cooked and tender. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and salt, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Optionally, blend the soup briefly with an immersion blender for a just-slightly-puréed texture.
- Ladle the soup into bowl. If desired, garnish each serving with chopped parsley, harissa, and crushed peppercorns.
Notes
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Meg says
This is comfort food extraordinaire. Loved it, will be making this again and again.