A staple recipe in our family, this inexpensive yet flavor-packed Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup is my go-to recipe whenever I have to feed a crowd. It feeds a ton of people and even tastes better the next day as leftovers!
This red lentil soup is everything you'd want in a fall meal: it's hearty, creamy, full of plant-based protein and DELICIOUS! It was inspired by the most amazing soup my sister-in-law made for us way back in the day, which I ended up putting my own spin on by adding pumpkin.
Pair this soup with some crusty whole wheat artisan bread, Homemade Italian Bread or Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins!
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Why I Love This Recipe!
- This soup requires one pot to make. Hello easy clean up!
- It tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge, making it a great meal-prep option.
- Paired with some crusty bread, it makes for a hearty, balanced meal full of veggies and protein.
- This Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup can easily be doubled to feed a crowd!
- While this recipe is the perfect vegan soup for fall, I'd eat it all year round.
- Lemon juice brings this soup to life. Please, do yourself a favor, and don't skip the lemon juice!
Ingredients
- Tomato paste - buy a tube of this and it lasts forever in the fridge!
- Cayenne or chili powder - I love a kick to my food, but you can omit this all together!
- Vegetable broth - to make this recipe even cheaper, I love to use veggie bouillon cubes instead of a carton of vegetable broth.
- Pumpkin - look for pre-cut pumpkin (or butternut squash, which would work fine too!) in your produce or freezer section to make this recipe super simple.
- Red split lentils - I love to buy red split lentils from my local Indian market.
- Lemon juice - don't leave this out! Adding some acid from lemons is really what makes the flavors in this soup pop!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Split red lentils are great for this recipe as they cook really quickly, but you can also use whole red lentils. You'll just need to add a little extra liquid and some extra cooking time. I personally don't use green lentils in this dish as they change the texture and flavor of the dish AND take a lot longer to cook.
- If you don't have lemons on hand, try to add either lime juice or apple cider vinegar. The acid really enhances the flavors in this soup.
- Any kind of hearty squash should work find for this recipe, such as butternut or acorn squash. If you like a smooth soup and plan to puree the entire batch, you could even used canned pumpkin or butternut squash puree.
- I personally love when this soup has some texture so I only puree half of the soup, but you can make it completely smooth by fully pureeing the soup, which may be more kid-friendly.
How to Make Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup
Step 1: Preparing all the vegetables. Chop up your onion, mince the garlic and cut the pumpkin and carrots into small cubes.
Step 2: Heat a little oil or water in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Next, Add in the tomato paste and spices and stir everything to coat. Allow the spices to cook for a couple minutes to bring out the flavor.
Step 3: Stir in the vegetable broth, water, cubed pumpkin and carrot and red split lentils and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and allow the vegetables and lentils to cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 4: Using an immersion blender or regular blender or a food processor, purée half of the soup then add it back to pot. We love keeping a little texture in this soup!
Step 5: Squeeze in the juice of ½ a lemon (plus more to taste--I add lots!). Taste the soup and add more salt if desired.
Step 6: Scoop the soup into bowls and garnish with more lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and freshly ground black pepper. For a little kick, add red chili flakes as well!
Expert Tips
- I actually love to make this soup the day before I want to serve it. The extra time in the fridge makes this soup taste even better. Your friends will all want the recipe!
- Serve this soup with some Homemade Italian Bread or Crusty Whole Wheat Artisan Bread to amp up the "wow" factor.
- After your portion the soup into bowls, squeeze a little more fresh lemon juice over the top to really bring out those flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Thanks to the lemon juice, this soup should last about a week in the fridge.
This soup makes for a great freezer meal. Simply place the cooled soup into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Lime juice, apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar make great substitutes for lemon juice.
More One-Pot Soup Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
📖 Recipe
Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup (Vegan and Gluten Free )
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne or chili powder optional
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups finely cubed pumpkin
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 ½ cup red split lentils
- juice of ½-1 lemon or to taste
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil or water until soft.
- Once the onions are transparent, stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne or chili powder. Sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Add in the vegetable broth, water, pumpkin, carrot and red split lentils lentils. Bring everything to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils and pumpkin are soft, about 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Using an immersion blender or regular blender or a food processor, purée half of the soup then add it back to pot. We love leaving this soup somewhat chunky.
- Squeeze in the juice of ½ a lemon, plus more to taste, and add more salt if desired.
- Serve hot, topped with fresh cilantro, black pepper and more lemon juice!
Notes
- Definitely don't skip the lemon juice at the end of this recipe. Lemon juice brightens up this simple soup and makes it delicious!
- Red split lentils are what I usually use because they cook very quickly, but you can also use plain red lentils. You'll just need to add more liquid and cook the soup longer.
Grace Tejero says
This is something I'd surely have especially because it's the Fall season 🙂 Love the comforting vibe of this recipe. We also made a lentil soup recipe before and it was so delicious https://veganglobetrotter.com/italian-lentil-soup-mediterranean-cuisine/
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes, definitely try it out Grace!
Mel says
Seems like a yearly cook of this soup! I made it today with brown lentils which made it a rather unsightly brown haha, but it tasted great as usual. Last year, Jasper ate a whole bowl and I took down two bowls. This year, Gil got through two bowls and Jasper .... Well, let's just say he ate had bread with soup rather than soup with bread. But Dan and I still had two bowls! Thanks for a fantastic recipe as usual.
Jamie says
Hey Faith! When y'all lived in East Asia, where were you able to find split Red Lentils? A friend recently sent me this recipe, but I didn't read the recipe (or Taobao) closely enough and accidentally bought a bunch of whole red lentils. Will this have a big impact on the texture of the soup? I was planning to make it next week for Thanksgiving, and am not sure if I'll have enough time to order more online.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Jamie! Funny story. We actually took a trip to Nepal and my friend brought me back a massive bag of split lentils that lasted me years! I'm sure the whole red lentils should work. You just may have to cook them a little longer and they'll probably hold their shape better/ add more texture to the soup than the split lentils would. Definitely still make it! I hope it turns out. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mel says
It's getting cold here in Sydney and I made this while the two little boys were napping this afternoon. It was excellent, thank you. But Jasper did look at me at dinner and said, "can I have rice please mama?" Haha, it is a thick soup that could pass as a lentil dahl that would go great with rice... At least according to the two and a half year old. Regardless, he ate a big bowl full and I took down two bowls. Delicious.
Faith says
I had to read this twice before I realized I know you haha! Glad you guys liked it. Mel. And I’m with Jasper...everything tastes better with rice. Enjoy the cooler weather! We’re sweating constantly over here!
Mel says
You sure do know me 🙂 Miss you! And making up for it by making your recipes!
Faith says
We miss you guys too!
Georgie says
I made this for the first time today. I think it's going to become one of my favourites.Tasty and filling!
Faith says
So glad you liked it as much as I do! Thanks so much for sharing Georgie!
eliz says
Thank you! This was so good! I used roasted butternut.
Faith says
So glad you enjoyed it Eliz! And I used butternut squash last time too. It really works great!
Michelle says
This is the best pumpkin soup I’ve ever had:)
Faith says
YESSSSS! So glad you like it too Michelle! It may be one of my favorite, most used recipes on the blog:) Thanks so much for letting me know!
Katherine says
This looks perfect for the cool fall weather we have been having here in PA! Do you think canned pumpkin would work instead of cubed? Just thinking if I could make this with ingredients I have on hand 🙂
Faith says
Ah, exactly Katherine! This soup is perfect for fall. Hmmm, you could use pumpkin puree I bet, but you'd miss out on a lot of the texture. I'm also not sure how much pumpkin puree to sub for 4 cups cubed pumpkin, but I'd say give it a go! That'd make this soup that much more simple! Let me know how it turns out!
Astrid says
Faith!!!! I love your recipes!!! We feel the love!! and so grateful I found you! Thank you so much! I use pumpkin pure 2 cups and was amazing!
Faith says
Hi Astrid! I'm so glad you like my recipes. Thanks so much for your encouraging comments and enjoy the soup!
Faith says
It's fate! You need to make this Natalie!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I was just watching a youtube vlog last night and in it there was a delicious looking lentil soup that has been on my mind ever since. And then BAM you show up here with a delicious easy lentil soup recipe right before my craving eyes ???? I love the addition of lemon juice at the end, perfect flavor balance. And I'm all about the super thick, borderline stew, chunky soups too 🙂