This lentil and sweet potato soup uses fridge and pantry staples and comes together in about 40 minutes — hearty, warmly spiced, and finished with a squeeze of lemon.
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 👩🍳 Recipe Tips | 🥗 Serving Suggestions | 📝Full Recipe Card | 🍽 More Soup Recipes
At A Glance
- ⏱ Ready In: 40 minutes (15 min prep, 25 min cook)
- 🍽 Serves: 4-6
- 🌱 Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
- 💪 Nutrition Highlights: High in fiber and plant-based protein
- 🥕 Main Ingredients: Brown lentils, sweet potato, onion, carrot, celery, lemon
- 🔥 Flavor Profile: Hearty and savory, a little sweet from the sweet potato, earthy lentils, brightened with lemon
- 🧊 Meal-Prep Friendly: Keeps 4-5 days in the fridge and freezes well
- Best Served With: A thick slice of sourdough or high-protein bread
This is the soup you make on a weeknight when you don’t want to think too hard about dinner but still want something that actually fills you up. It’s built almost entirely from fridge and pantry staples — canned lentils, a sweet potato, some vegetables you probably already have — so there’s no special shopping trip required.
The sweet potato breaks down slightly as it cooks, giving the soup a little natural creaminess, while the lentils add that earthy, savory backbone. A squeeze of lemon at the end cuts through the richness and keeps it from tasting flat.
It’s loosely inspired by Turkish and Middle Eastern lentil soups, with the sweet potato swapped in for extra body and a gentle sweetness that plays well against the smoked paprika and cumin. Serve it with a piece of good bread, and you’ve got a properly satisfying, protein-and-fiber-packed dinner without much effort.
👩🍳 You might also like these lentil recipes: chicken lentil soup, curried coconut red lentil soup, Mediterranean chickpea soup, vegetarian Stroganoff (lentil & mushroom), lentil mushroom bolognese, or tuna lentil salad. You might also like my white bean and chicken soup.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this lentil and sweet potato soup recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Onion, celery, carrot – the classic soup base; finely dicing them helps everything soften evenly and build flavor early
- Sweet potato – adds natural sweetness and a slightly creamy texture once it breaks down; peel and cube it so it cooks quickly
- Garlic – for depth; add it after the vegetables have softened so it doesn’t burn
- Cumin, coriander seed powder, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme (or oregano), pepper – this spice mix is what gives the soup its warm, savory character; smoked paprika in particular adds a lovely depth
- Brown lentils, canned – the protein and fiber powerhouse of this soup; using canned lentils keeps things quick, but you could cook your own from dry if you prefer
- Tomato passata (or canned diced tomatoes) – adds body and a little acidity to balance the sweetness
- Vegetable stock – the base liquid; use a good-quality stock or stock cubes for the best flavor
- Lemon zest and juice – stirred in at the end, this is what keeps the soup from tasting heavy or one-note
- To serve: sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro or parsley, chili flakes for a bit of heat
How To Make Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here’s a quick overview of how it comes together.
- Peel and dice the onion, celery, carrot, sweet potato, and garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy pot and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery with salt over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until nicely softened.
- Add the garlic, sweet potato, spices, and herbs, and stir for a minute until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, tomato passata (or canned tomatoes) and stock.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer until the sweet potato is soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and a little extra salt to taste.
- Use a potato masher to break down some of the sweet potato and lentils — this gives the soup a slightly creamy, mushy texture without needing a blender.
- Serve as is, or with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro, and a pinch of chili flakes.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the mashing step. Even a few passes with a potato masher makes a real difference to the texture, giving you that creamy, hearty consistency without any blending or cream.
- Layer the salt. A pinch when you sauté the vegetables, then adjust again at the end after the lemon goes in — this builds better flavor than salting once at the finish.
- Swap the herbs. Dried oregano works just as well as thyme here if that’s what you have on hand.
- Storage: Keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer-friendly: Cool completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of stock or water if it’s thickened up too much.
- Make it your own: Stir in a handful of spinach or kale at the end for extra greens, or top with crumbled feta if you’re not keeping it vegan.
Serving Suggestions
A thick slice of sourdough or high-protein bread is really all you need alongside this soup — something to mop up the bowl with. A dollop of sour cream or yogurt on top adds a nice tang and creaminess, and fresh cilantro (or parsley, if that’s what you prefer) brightens it up. If you like a bit of heat, a pinch of chili flakes on top goes a long way. This also makes a great meal-prep lunch — just pack it into containers and reheat when you’re ready.
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Ingredients
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 celery rib finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 medium sweet potato about 270 grams / 9.5 oz, peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced or minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cans brown lentils 14 oz / 400 grams each, drained
- 1 cup tomato passata, or canned diced tomatoes 240 ml / 8 oz
- 4 cups vegetable stock 960 ml / 32 oz
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon) 30 ml
- Extra salt to taste after cooking
- To serve: Cilantro or parsley sour cream, chili flakes for extra kick
Instructions
- Peel and dice all the vegetables and the garlic.
- In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with the salt, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until nicely softened.
- Add the garlic, sweet potato, spices and herbs, and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, tomato passata (or canned tomatoes) and stock.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potato is soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once cooked, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and another ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt, to taste.
- Use a potato masher to break down some of the sweet potato and lentils, giving the soup a creamy, slightly mushy texture.
- Serve as is, or with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, fresh cilantro (or parsley), and a sprinkle of chili flakes on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Really enjoyed this one, especially with the smoked paprika. Do you think butternut squash would work as a swap for the sweet potato, or would it change the cooking time much? Might try it next time I have one on hand.