Hungarian Red Lentil Soup Recipe (2024)

October 24, 2018 By Melissa Huggins / 21 Comments

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This hearty bowl of Red Lentil Soup will be on your table in no time. It's so easy to make and calls for simple, easy-to-find ingredients. It's gluten-free and oil-free too!

This Red Lentil Soup Recipe is directly from the pages of The Vegan 8 cookbook by Brandi Doming. It's a new family favorite!

If you haven't heard of Brandi's blog, The Vegan 8, you're in for a real treat. She has mastered the art of keeping recipes simple, yet satisfying, and full of flavor.

She uses no more than 8 ingredients for her recipes(not including water, salt & pepper)and they're easy-to-find. Her recipes are all dairy-free and are mostly oil-free, gluten-free, and nut-free too.

Brandi's recipes make it easy to eat healthy even with a busy lifestyle. Plus, they are designed for the whole family to enjoy. You'll have a lot of happy campers at the table.

What's inside?

Inside you'll find 100 easy-to-make recipes that are simple and delicious. Each recipe accompanies a beautiful, drool-worthy photo too. It's a total coffee table book!

The cookbook is broken down into 9 scrumptious categories: Breakfast, Snacks & Appetizers, Lunches, Sauces & Dressings, Easy Entrées, Soups & Stews, Sides & Dips, and Staples.

You'll find mouth-watering recipes like Pumpkin Pie Crepes, Easy One-Pan Red Curry, Teriyaki Patties, BBQ Bean Ball Sub, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Creamy Cajun Lemon Sauce, Skillet Mexican Corn, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Showstopper Chocolate Cake, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Candy Bites, and this Hungarian Red Lentil Soup.

I've already made a handful of Brandi's recipes and I didn't need to change a thing. The flavors and textures were all on point. I'm so excited to make some more!

How to make Red Lentil Soup

STEP 1: Simmer the onions, garlic, and carrots until slightly tender (about 8 minutes)
STEP 2: Add the red lentils, Hungarian sweet paprika, tomato paste, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

STEP 3: Add the lite coconut milk. Cook on medium-low for 5-10 minutes until soup slightly thickens and lentils are tender, but still firm.
STEP 4: ENJOY!!

Looking for more cozy soup recipes? Here are my faves:

Instant Pot Yellow Split Pea Soup
Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Vegan Ajiaco (Colombian Potato Soup)
Roasted Tomato Soup

I’d love to hear from you

If you make this Hungarian Red Lentil Soup Recipe, let me know what you think by★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me onInstagramand share your creation with me. Just tag me@veganhuggsand hashtag#veganhuggsso I don’t miss it.

📖 Recipe

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5 from 12 votes

Red Lentil Soup

Author: Brandi Doming / The Vegan 8 - Dinner doesn’t have to take forever. This recipe comes together fast, thanks to red lentils and easy ingredients. The Hungarian paprika, dry mustard, and tomato paste give this simple dish a wonderful depth of flavor.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time23 minutes mins

Total Time38 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Hungarian, Vegan

Servings: 5

Calories: 223kcal

Author: Melissa Huggins

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup yellow onion , diced
▢ 3 carrots , cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices
▢ 3 cloves garlic , minced
▢ 1 cup dry red lentils , rinsed well with cold water
▢ 6 tablespoons tomato paste
▢ 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
▢ 1 teaspoon dry mustard
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 1 cup canned “lite” coconut milk , well shaken
▢ 3 ½ cups water , divided

Instructions

Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and 1 cup (240g) water to a medium pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring a couple of times during, or until the veggies are tender but not overly so.
See Also
Ninja Foodi Recipe ~ Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bake Our 41 Top Vegan Dinner Recipes Vegan Tex-Mex Style Stuffed Peppers Recipe - KNI - Kidney Nutrition Institute Tomato-Free Pasta Sauce Recipe | thegerdchef
Remove the pan from the heat, and add the lentils, 2 1⁄2 cups (600g) water, tomato paste, paprika, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the milk, and increase the heat to medium-low; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender yet still firm, and the soup thickens some. Stir often, and do not overcook, as you don’t want the lentils to become mushy. Taste and add more salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Make sure the paprika you are using is not hot paprika. For the milk, it is important to use a creamy milk like cashew or “lite” coconut milk here for best results. The “lite” coconut milk is very creamy but yields no coconut taste. Almond and rice milks don’t do well, and definitely don’t use full-fat coconut, as it is too rich and thick and will ruin the flavor.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Follow me @veganhuggs and mention #veganhuggs!

More Vegan Soups and Salads

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Three Bean Salad
Vegan Cauliflower Soup

About Melissa

I’m Melissa Huggins – the creator of Vegan Huggs. I started this blog to share delicious vegan recipes that everyone will love. Yep, that includes carnivores, too! Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

Adrienne Sz
January 26, 2021 at 10:40 am

I made this soup yesterday and it was very nice. Thank you, The only thing I have to say that this is not a traditional Hungarian food. Just because it has Hungarian sweet paprika powder as an ingredient it doesn't mean that it's Hungarian food. I'm proud to be Hungarian and I think it's better to clear this misunderstanding. Traditional Hungarian recipes doesn't contain coconut milk. Otherwise it's an easy to make delicious soup. I will make it again.
Reply
Erin
October 04, 2020 at 7:45 pm

Would this work with brown lentils? Turns out that’s all I have on hand. Thanks!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  October 20, 2020 at 1:38 pm
  
  I haven't tried it so I'm not sure how much longer it'll take to cook or if you'll need more liquid. Brown lentils are a bit firmer after cooking so the consistency will be different too. I'm sure it'll be delicious though. 🙂
  Reply
Elaine Wruck
February 01, 2020 at 11:35 am

Amazing ! ! I am transition to plant based! This recipe is another great easy peasy no fuss meal! Low cost , very filling and so good for you! Yummy too! I did add celery and more garlic! So good my family and Co workers love it too!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  March 07, 2020 at 10:39 am
  
  Hi Elaine, I'm so happy you liked it (your co-workers too). Thank you for giving it a try and sharing your feedback. 🙂
  See Also
  The Best Homemade Salt Substitute Seasoning Recipe
  Reply
Mauri
December 05, 2019 at 6:04 am

How much water is used in this recipe. I see one cup water and one cup milk. Please advise and thank yo
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  December 05, 2019 at 10:07 am
  
  Hi Mauri, it's a total of 3 1/2 cups of water. 1 cup is to sauté the onions and garlic. The rest goes in with the lentils. Hope this helps. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
  Reply
Natalie
November 14, 2019 at 12:33 pm

This recipe is amazing! I had some Hungarian paprika I purchased in Hungary a few years ago. I didn’t have dry mustard on hand. I substituted 1 1/2 tsp of English mustard. I had to cook the lentils a bit longer than the recipe stated. Other than that this was a super easy and really delicious recipe! Thank you!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  December 01, 2019 at 11:42 am
  
  Hi Natalie, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for making it and leaving your feedback 🙂
  Reply
Kinga
August 09, 2019 at 12:52 pm

I’m from Hungary and was happy to find a Hungarian red lentil recipe although I think the paprika makes it Hungarian. 🙂
I have one question: instead of coconut milk can I use cow milk? Whole or reduced fat or maybe cooking cream? Thanks for answering!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  August 09, 2019 at 1:04 pm
  
  Hi there, yes, you can use any milk you prefer as long as it's thick. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
  Reply
Jennifer
May 14, 2019 at 8:47 pm

This was so good and easy to make. Do you think I could use veggie broth instead of water, or would that alter the flavor too much?
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  May 14, 2019 at 9:04 pm
  
  Hi Jennifer, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you! Yes, you can use vegetable broth. I would use a low sodium variety, but if you use regular, just adjust the salt in the recipe. 🙂
  Reply
Jamie
April 26, 2019 at 2:24 am

I searched for red lentil recipes after buying a bag of them for the first time. Now they are all gone in 1 week. This recipe is so good and easy I've made it 4 times in a row. Great for a quick dinner when ur too tired to cook. It almost makes itself 😉
I subbed sweet paprika for regular and used a lite carton of coconut milk. Still came out good.👍
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  April 28, 2019 at 7:29 pm
  
  Hi Jamie, I'm so happy to hear this! It's a family favorite over here too. I love how easy and satisfying it is. 🙂
  Reply
Margaret
March 10, 2019 at 12:19 am

Love this recipe. So easy and tasty, I make it regularly. Always a winner to share with family/friends.
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  March 12, 2019 at 11:19 pm
  
  Hi Margaret, so happy to hear this! Thank you for making it 🙂
  Reply
Cap'n Dave
November 06, 2018 at 8:24 am

I made this last night and it was SO good!
I added a little Cabernet Sauvignon and changed out the coconut milk for vegan sour cream, diluted a little bit with some almond milk, increased the paprika since what I had wasn't the Hungarian Sweet but just your regular McCormick's variety, and touched it up with a tiny "splorp" of cayenne pepper sauce since even after ramping up the paprika, it was still a little "weak". (Next time, I'll order the CORRECT paprika online, since all anyone has around here is the dried colorant or the smoked.)
Even though I reduced the recipe to 1/3rd of its amount, I STILL have enough leftovers for lunch today!
Served it up with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts in vegan butter with "bacon"...a quite satisfying meal that stayed with me the rest of the night! This one's a keeper!!!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  November 06, 2018 at 8:39 am
  
  Hi Dave! This is so awesome to hear! Thank you for making it and sharing your modifications. It sounds delish with the vegan sour cream. I haven't found Hungarian paprika in local stores either. It really is the best!
  The Brussels sprouts with 'bacon' sound incredible too! Now I'm hungry! 🙂
  Reply
John
October 26, 2018 at 6:23 pm

This looks absolutely amazing and delicious. I am trying this recipe this weekend to surprise my wife, however, I am going to add some organic potatoes that I just bought. Thank you for all the great recipes.
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  October 29, 2018 at 4:55 pm
  
  Thank you, John! It sounds perfect with the potatoes! So nice of you to make this for your wife. Enjoy! 🙂
  Reply