This Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup called Harira is hearty, full of protein and loaded with nutrients. Warming, fragrant spices make this healthy one-pot meal deeply flavorful! Vegan and Gluten-Free adaptable. Video. Looking for more? Check our 25+ Best Lentil Recipes & 25+ Incredible Chickpea Recipes!
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Carol Hegedus
Richly spiced, full of deep flavor and hearty texture, this Harira recipe is so satisfying. As many soups do, it just becomes better and better after a day or two in the fridge. It is a perfect wholesome meal to make ahead and glean from all week. Nothing better for me than to open the fridge to an already-made lunch just waiting to be reheated! Tucking some away in the freezer for a future convenient meal is also always a good thing.
In our meatless version of Harira, red lentils create a rich-bodied broth as they break down quickly, fusing with the tomatoes and broth. Brown or green lentils and chickpeas give hearty texture. Spices infuse the soup with warmth and rich flavor. Fresh cilantro and parsley are added to simmer with the broth and also at the end to add fresh zest and brightness. Pasta is added near the end and just makes it that much more enjoyable to eat! (Feel free to use gluten-free pasta.) Served with a fresh squeeze of lemon. It is common to enjoy this soup with dates on the side. I highly recommend it!
Harira Soup | 60-Sec Video
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So healthy AND satisfying! The flavor is rich and deep. The lentils and pasta are homey and nourishing.
- It is adaptable! Keep it veggie or add lamb or chicken. Use gluten free pasta or swap pasta all together for rice.
- It freezes well! Tuck some away for a ready made dinner down the road. You will thank yourself!
Ingredients In Harira
Ingredient Notes in Harira
- Legumes: Chickpeas and red lentils, or substitute green or brown lentils.
- Spices: These are what create the delicious flavors- ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon stick and saffron.
- Broth: We use vegetable broth, but feel free to swap for chicken or lamb broth.
- Pasta: Whatever you want! Wheat, rice, chickpea- your choice.
- Honey: A touch of honey balances the flavors, however, leave it out if you prefer- it will still be yummy!
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice makes this soup sing.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make HarirA
Step One– Prep your veggies, gather spices, chop fresh herbs.
Step Two– Saute onions for 5 minutes in olive oil, over medium heat.
Step Three– Add celery, garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne stir for another minute.
Blooming the spices in the oil, deepens the spice flavors bringing out the complexities.
Step Four– Add broth, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, saffron, salt, red lentils, brown lentils, half of the cilantro and half of the parsley.
Step Five– Bring to a simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 30 minutes.
Step Six– Add chickpeas and pasta and cook 5-10 minutes more. Until pasta is cooked.
Expert Tip: If you plan to save the soup for eating later or plan to freeze some of it, cook the pasta separately and add it in per serving. Especially good for some of the gluten-free varieties of pasta that tend to break down.
Step Seven– Add remaining fresh herbs.
Serve with lemon wedges, a swirl of yogurt and dates on the side.
Harira FAQS
Harira is a traditional Moroccan comfort soup made with lentils and chickpeas in a fragrant tomato broth, infused with Moroccan Spices. During the fasting month of Ramadan, where no food or drink is consumed between dawn and dusk, Harira is often eaten to break the daily fast after sunset. Loaded with fiber, protein and nutrients this soup is very sustaining and satisfying. There are many many variations of Harira, soften including a type of meat, lentils, chickpeas, pasta, or rice in a richly spiced tomato base.
Yes! Use vegetable broth and substitute in your favorite sweetener for the honey (if needed). Swirl in vegan yogurt for added creaminess!
The next best would be yellow lentils, and then also green lentils, or brown lentils will do.
Harira Soup Variations
- Throw in chard, kale, spinach or other greens
- Use cooked rice instead of pasta
- Use orzo pasta instead of broken capellini
- Add seared lamb, beef, or chicken if you want a meatier version.
More Lentil Recipes Soups!
- Red Lentil Soup
- Moroccan Kale, Chickpea & Sweet Potato Salad
- Minestrone Soup with Spring Veggies & Chickpeas
- Moroccan Carrot Soup
- Healthy Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- African Peanut Soup Recipe
- Harvest Vegetable Soup
Hope you enjoy!
~ Tonia
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Harira Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Category: soup, stew, vegan
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Harira is hearty, full of protein and loaded with nutrients. Warming fragrant spices make this healthy one-pot meal deeply flavorful! Vegan and Gluten-Free adaptable.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, inner leaves are fine, chopped small
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 6 cups broth, vegetable or chicken or water
- 1 28 ounce canned, whole or crushed tomatoes
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- a tiny pinch of saffron (optional)
- 1–2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 cup red lentils, dry
- 1/2 cup brown or green lentils, dry
- 1 1/2 cups (1 15- ounce can) chickpeas (garbanzo beans) cooked
- 2 teaspoons honey (if needed)
- 1/4 pound capellini pasta, broken into approximately 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, stems are great
- 1/2 cup parsley
Serve with lemon wedges, a swirl of yogurt (if desired) and dates on the side.
Instructions
- Saute onions for 5 minutes in olive oil, over medium heat.
- Add celery, garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne. Stir for another minute. Sautéing the spices allows them to bloom and deepen in flavor.
- Add broth, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, saffron, salt, red lentils, brown lentils, half of the cilantro and half of the parsley. Bring to a simmer, cover with a vented lid, for 30 minutes.
- Add Chickpeas and pasta cook 5-10 minutes more. (see notes)
- Add honey and remaining fresh herbs.
Notes
If you plan to save the soup for eating later or freeze it, cook the pasta separately and add it in per serving. Especially good for some of the gluten-free varieties of pasta that tend to break down more easily.
Salt will depend on the broth used and the amount in canned chickpeas- so salt to taste.
Variations: Throw in chard, kale, spinach or other greens. Use cooked rice instead of pasta. Use orzo pasta instead of broken capellini. Add seared lamb, beef, or chicken.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 6.2 g
- Sodium: 340.2 mg
- Fat: 5.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.9 g
- Fiber: 7.2 g
- Protein: 13.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fantastic. Very rich flavoring and great texture. Whole family loved it.
So happy you enjoyed this Susan!
I made this per the recipe. Except, instead of pasta I added cooked brown rice. The stew turned out exceptionally well. I served leftovers to a friend who was visiting, and she raved over it. She said it was restaurant quality. The flavors are so lovely and different from what we are accustomed to. It was a nice change of pace. I served ours with naan bread.
Great to hear Hazel!
Help! do you use dried lentils? do they come canned? How do you cook lentils if I need to?????
Hi Katherine, Dry lentils cook right in the soup- I noted that in the recipe to clear the confusion! And just for future reference, lentils do come canned. 🙂
Easy and Everyone liked this!
I used potato instead of pasta so it could sit in a croc pot for a party. After tasting, I bumped up the spices 25%.
At first I thought it would need honey but after an hour of keeping warm the flavors were perfect.
Nice Marionette! Glad you made it to your preference.
Love this recipe! I had to make a few modifications based on what I had available but it worked fabulously. Paprika was not smoked, no saffron, fettuccine instead of capellini, forgot the honey at the end – you get the picture. It doesn’t matter. It’s great but I promise to try it true to form at a future date. Thank you!
Glad you made it work Tammy!
So good! I added the juice of one lemon right before serving, and it’s just perfect. Comforting, warm, nurturing. Wonderful recipe!
Glad you enjoyed Vera!
A new favourite and staple. Thank you.
Great to hear Elizabeth!
I love this soup too! Made it again for about the 5th time. It always goes down well
Thank you so much!
It’s become a staple in our home
Wonderful to hear Sandra!
This soup is so heavenly! I adore this website. This didn’t last long in my house. Truly delicious with such rich flavors. Cozy yumminess for the chilly fall nights.
Thanks Nicole, so happy you are here!
Excellent soup…I topped with a cilantro lime crema which was perfect.
Yum!
OMG this is soooo good!!! I added 1 tsp smoked paprika. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Glad you enjoyed this!
what is the serving size?
a generous 1 1/4 cups or 10 oz.
I’ve made it twice now. Beautiful flavours and a great meal for vegetarians. This is my new favourite soup recipe. Thanks feasting at home!
Wonderful to hear Kristy!
Delicious! So
Many flavors and really a full meal.
Great to hear!
What a great recipe! Loved the warm, comforting spices and texture from the lentils. Although I didn’t have any garlic, cilantro or parsley on hand when I decided to make this recipe, the soup was delicious! In place of the missing herbs, I added some chopped fresh mint. I served the soup with lemon, as suggested, which added a nice briteness. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So glad this worked out for you Pat Ann!
Loved it, I did not use pasta, I poured it over white rice.
Perfect Antonio- love the rice idea here!
Oh Mmy this soup is delicious!! I found myself craving for more after the first bowl.
I love the notes It helps when you have to watch certain spices or ingredients.
Thank you :o)
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!
One of my favorite recipes thus far! The flavors are so rich, hearty, and complex. Simple recipe that feels very healthy to eat. I used rice noodles and will probably use less noodles the next time.
So happy you like this one!
Best soup I’ve ever made!! Continued to be wowed by these recipes!
Great to hear John! Love it!
can you make this in an Instant Pot?
Hi Cindy-We have not tried this- but I don’t see why not? The only concern would be timing- pressure cook long enough for lentils to cook but not overcook the pasta- maybe add the pasta after?
Thanks for the reply, Went for it in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes high pressure and it came out perfect. No more store bought harira soup for me. 5 stars definitely.
Thanks so much Cindy, this is really helpful!
Hi Cindy, did you sauté the onions and spices and then add the remaining ingredients into the instant pot together (broth, veggies, lentils, chick peas, and pasta) and cook high pressure for 7 minutes?
Hello Hanaa,
Yes I did saute the onions, garlic and all the spices first before putting everything else in it. I must say I left out the pasta because i’m not always a big fan of pasta in my soup. Set it on 7 minutes on high pressure with natural release. And it taste even better the next day.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is by far the best lentil soup I have had…..and I have made multiple recipes, but will search no more! It made a generous amount and could have been easily halved but I chose not to. I made it as written with the exception of saffron and parsley which I did not have in the house. I did make my own veggie stock. I also cooked the pasta separately and we added some to our portions for dinner as we served it. Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow for more!
Thanks Mari, so great to hear!
Absolutely delicious
Thanks Bo!
Am I missing something? Are the chickpeas raw or from a can? How much? Can’t see the chickpeas on the recipe? 😊
Hi Jordarna, Sorry for the confusion, they are listed as garbanzo’s on the recipe. Updated to include both names.
This is a keeper, even my carnivorous grandsons liked it!
Wonderful!
I love this recipe have made it once on the stovetop. I am just wondering if I could get away with slow-cooking it? Would 8 hours on low work? Also, if I use overnight soaked chickpeas, would I need to cook them first, or would they cook during the slow-cooking process?
Haven’t tried the slow cooker, but I bet it would work. The chickpeas should cook in that amount of time, you may need to add a little more liquid.