Red Lentil Recipes: A Carrot Soup, a Spinach Dal and a Sweet Potato Curry

Red lentil recipes start from one fact: the lentils cook in about 20 minutes and turn creamy on their own. These three each use 1 cup (192 g) of dry lentils for four bowls, with about 5 g of fiber per bowl from the lentils alone:

Recipe	What is in it (4 bowls)	What the evidence shows	Main caution
Turkish-style red lentil soup with carrot	252 calories, 13 g protein, carrot, cumin, lemon	Trials on pulses, not on this soup	Broth sodium: 566 mg a bowl
Red lentil dal with tomato and spinach	242 calories, 14 g protein, tomato, ginger, spinach	Trials on pulses, not on this dal	Lentils may cause gas in some people (NIDDK)
Red lentil and sweet potato curry	322 calories, 14 g protein, sweet potato, coconut milk	Trials on pulses, not on this curry	The most calories and fat of the three

One detail matters with every recipe below: rinse the lentils in a sieve until the water runs nearly clear, and salt lightly, tasting only at the end. The lentils drink up liquid as they cook, so a bowl that tastes right at minute five is too salty at minute twenty.

Red lentil recipes: what the research says about pulses

Lentils belong to the pulses, the group that also holds beans, peas and chickpeas. The studies below pooled pulses as a group, not red lentils on their own, and none of them tested the recipes on this page. I read the abstract of each.

• Fullness. A 2014 meta-analysis of nine acute feeding trials (PMID 24820437) found that dietary pulses (beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils) produced a 31 % greater satiety response than comparison meals with the same calories, without changing the food eaten at the next meal. The authors note small samples and unexplained differences between trials.
• Blood pressure. A 2014 meta-analysis of eight trials with 554 people (PMID 24014659) found that pulses, swapped calorie for calorie for other foods over at least three weeks, lowered systolic blood pressure by about 2.25 mm Hg. The change in diastolic pressure was not statistically significant, results differed a lot between trials, and the authors ask for larger, better trials.
• LDL cholesterol. A 2021 review of reviews (PMID 33762150) graded the evidence as moderate that pulses cause small to moderate drops in LDL cholesterol. For comparison, the same review rated oats, barley and psyllium as high-evidence foods with at least moderate reductions.

The fair summary: pulses seem to help a little with fullness, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and a bowl of lentils is a sensible swap for a more processed dinner. It is not a treatment, and nothing here shows that these three dishes change your numbers. If you take medication for blood pressure or cholesterol, keep taking it and ask your doctor before changing your diet.

Turkish red lentil soup recipes: carrot, cumin and lemon

Of all the red lentil recipes here, this is the bowl I would cook first. Carrot gives sweetness, cumin and paprika give warmth, and lemon at the end lifts the whole pot. Cut the carrots small and even, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick: they must soften in the same 20 minutes as the lentils.

Serves 4. Prep 10 minutes. Cook about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion (110 g), finely diced
• 3 medium carrots (180 g), in 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup (121 g) canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup (192 g) dry red lentils, rinsed
• 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth
• 4 cups (960 ml) water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps

1. Soften the base. Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and carrots for about 6 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
2. Bloom the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin and paprika and cook for 1 minute, until the mixture darkens and smells toasted.
3. Simmer. Add the lentils, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover partly and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils have fallen apart and the carrots are tender. Time depends on the age of the lentils, so check with a spoon rather than a clock.
4. Blend if you like. For a smooth soup, purée part or all of it with an immersion blender. Leave it chunky if you prefer texture.
5. Finish. Stir in the lemon juice off the heat, taste, and add salt only if needed.

Per bowl: about 252 calories, 41 g carbohydrate, 13 g protein, 5 g fat and 566 mg sodium. Ingredients are costed raw, and the vegetable broth brings most of the sodium: choose a lower-sodium one if that matters to you.

Serving note: a little dried mint or chili flakes over the top is traditional in the region, and a slice of toasted bread makes it a meal. Neither is counted in the numbers.

Carrot and red lentil soup recipes: three ways to change the bowl

• Cream it without cream. Blend the soup smooth, then stir in 2 tablespoons of coconut milk per bowl. It adds a little fat, and the figures above no longer apply.
• Add greens. Stir in 2 handfuls of baby spinach or chopped kale for the last 3 minutes.
• Make it heartier. Add 1/2 cup of cooked rice or a handful of small pasta to the pot for the last 10 minutes, and thin with a splash of water.

For a lighter, ginger-and-turmeric soup with a lentil variation, see our anti-inflammatory soup.

Red lentil dal recipes, also spelled dahl and dhal

Dal is the Indian word for dried split pulses and for the soft stew made from them; you will also see it spelled dahl or dhal. The detail that matters here is the order: spices cook in oil first, then lentils and tomatoes, and the spinach goes in at the very end so it stays green.

Serves 4. Prep 10 minutes. Cook about 25 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (192 g) dry red lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion (110 g), diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup (242 g) canned crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups (720 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 packed cups (120 g) baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Steps

1. Cook the aromatics. Warm the oil in a pot over medium heat and cook the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the spices and tomatoes. Stir in the cumin and turmeric, then the tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes.
3. Simmer the lentils. Add the lentils, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 18 to 22 minutes, stirring often as it thickens, until the lentils are soft and creamy. Add a splash of hot water if it gets too thick.
4. Wilt and finish. Stir in the spinach until it collapses, about 1 minute, then the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the salt.

Per bowl: about 242 calories, 39 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein, 5 g fat and 432 mg sodium. Turmeric and ginger are too small to count.

Serving note: spoon it over plain rice or beside warm flatbread. The rice is not in the figures above.

Red lentil curry recipes: sweet potato and coconut

The same dry red lentils, a different mood: sweet potato adds body and a little sweetness, and half a cup of coconut milk gives creaminess without turning the pot into a heavy curry. Keep the sweet potato cubes about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) wide so they soften with the lentils.

Serves 4. Prep 10 minutes. Cook about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion (110 g), diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup (133 g) peeled sweet potato cubes
• 1 cup (192 g) dry red lentils, rinsed
• 1 cup (242 g) canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) canned coconut milk
• 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Steps

1. Start the base. Warm the oil over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and turmeric and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add everything but the lime. Stir in the sweet potato, lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk, water and salt.
3. Simmer. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until the lentils have broken down and a cube of sweet potato mashes easily against the pot.
4. Finish. Stir in the lime juice, taste, and add water if you want a thinner curry.

Per bowl: about 322 calories, 46 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein, 11 g fat and 432 mg sodium. Shake the coconut milk can before opening, since the cream and water separate. A different can or brand changes the fat.

Make it your own: stir in a handful of spinach at the end, or serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt if you eat dairy.

Best red lentil soup recipes? Soup, dal or curry, which one first

Easy red lentil recipes: the dal is the quickest to cook and has the fewest ingredients to cut: one onion and a bag of spinach. Of these red lentil recipes, it suits a weeknight best. If you have one pot and 25 minutes, make that one. The soup suits a cold day and the curry makes the biggest meal.

Red lentil recipes by the numbers: where the fiber and protein come from

USDA FoodData Central lists 100 g of raw pink or red lentils at 10.8 g of fiber and 23.9 g of protein. Each bowl here holds 48 g of dry lentils, a quarter of the 192 g in the pot, which works out to about 5.2 g of fiber and 11.5 g of protein before the other ingredients are counted. MedlinePlus lists lentils among foods with soluble fiber and gives the fiber recommendation for adults and older children as 21 to 38 g a day, so one bowl is a useful share, not the whole day.

Safety: gas, fiber and a gentle start

NIDDK lists legumes, a group that includes beans, peas and lentils, among foods that may lead to excess gas. MedlinePlus says that adding fiber to your diet slowly, rather than all at once, can help reduce gas or diarrhea. If lentils are new to your plate, try a half portion first and build up. If gas or other digestive trouble is regular, NIDDK suggests talking with your doctor, who may ask you to keep a food and symptom diary.

For other ways to build up fiber with real food, see our high fiber foods guide, which includes full recipes with 8 to 11 g of fiber a serving. If constipation is the reason you are looking, our high fiber recipes for constipation covers the foods with trials behind them. More ideas for a high-protein dinner are in our healthy crockpot recipes for weight loss, which includes a slow cooker red lentil and chickpea curry.

Storing and reheating lentil soups

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. It says they keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer, with frozen leftovers losing moisture and flavor if kept longer. To reheat soups, it says to bring them to a rolling boil, and in the microwave to heat leftovers to 165°F (73.9°C), measured with a food thermometer. Lentil dishes thicken in the fridge, so thin them with a splash of water as you reheat.

Where the numbers come from

• Nutrition: USDA FoodData Central, per recipe and ingredient, using raw weights: red lentils, crushed tomatoes, carrots, vegetable broth, sweet potato, coconut milk, baby spinach. Garlic, ginger, turmeric and pepper are not counted, and the onion and cumin use documented weights, so every total is an estimate.
• Studies: PubMed searches on November 11, 2026 for meta-analyses and trials on lentils and pulses with satiety, blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol. I read the abstracts of the three studies cited.
• Institutions, read on November 11, 2026: MedlinePlus, Fiber; NIDDK, Eating, diet, and nutrition for gas in the digestive tract; USDA FSIS, Leftovers and food safety.