This hearty, nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especially cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. Video!

Check out our 20 Amazing Quinoa Recipes and our25+ Delicious Lentil Recipes!

This Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is made with simple ingredients, easy to make and full of delicious flavor! Make this in an Instant Pot or stove top. #lentilsoup #veganlentilsoup #vegansoup #quinoasoup #moroccansoup #redlentilsoup

Enter with love the temple that is your own heart.~ Ramana Maharshi

This simple nurturing soup is so easy to put together and made with very simple ingredients. That being said, the flavors don’t disappoint. Infused with fragrant Moroccan Spices, this Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is not only vegan and healthy, it is cozy, warming and comforting.

Using quick-cooking split red lentils and quick-cooking quinoa, this soup only takes 5 minutes of pressure cooking in an Instant Pot or 10-12 minutes on the stovetop. SO FAST!!! And that is why you see them paired here together. They take roughly the same amount of time to cook!

Make it ahead for the busy week and feel comfort in knowing you have something healthy in your fridge, at all times. It’s really a nice feeling. This week I had it for lunch, then once for dinner, and then as a midnight snack (instead of reaching for chips). It was a good diversion, and suprisingly satisfying.

Moroccan Lentil Quinoa Soup | Video

How to make Lentil Quinoa Soup

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. 

It starts off with ingredients you probably have. Split red lentils and quinoa and fresh veggies.

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. 

Today I’m using colorful carrots I found at the farmers market.  Other root veggies would work well here too- sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips,  celery root.

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. 

I added a chili for a little kick of heat, but feel free to leave it out.

Here I’m using the Instant pot for quick and easy preparation, but this also works well in a pot on the stove.

It’s the fragrant spices that turn this Red Lentil Soup into something magic. This reminds me so much of the frugal meals my parents would make growing up. Just very simple humble ingredients, but turned into something special with the spices. Very economical.

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. 

Once the ingredients are in the Instant Pot, pressure cook for just 5 minutes! How easy is that?

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. 

Then just serve it up with something fresh on top. I love crunchy radishes and fresh herbs like cilantro, mint, parsley or even dill.  Scallions are nice too. A drizzle of olive oil is delicious and if you want extra richness, a swirl of yogurt is nice too.

For those of you who like a bit of sweetness, feel free to toss a few raisins into the pot- sooooooo good!

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. #vegansoup #redlentisoup #quinoasoup #moroccansoup #moroccanstew #veganstew #instantpotsoup #instantpot

 

This hearty nourishing Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is vegan, easy to make and made with simple everyday ingredients. Flavorful and aromatic, the warming spices are especialluy cozy. This can be made in under 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop and keeps well for midweek meals. #vegansoup #redlentisoup #quinoasoup #moroccansoup #moroccanstew #veganstew #instantpotsoup #instantpot

I hope you give this Moroccan Red Lentil and Quinoa Soup a go this week!

More Favorite Lentil Soup Recipes!

xoxo

Sylvia

I love seeing all your cooking on Instagram! Make sure to tag @feastingathome so I don’t miss it… and so I can repost!

 

 

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This Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is made with simple ingredients, easy to make and full of delicious flavor! Make this in an Instant Pot or stove top. #lentilsoup #veganlentilsoup #vegansoup #quinoasoup #moroccansoup #redlentilsoup

Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 119 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
  • Category: soups, vegan, gluten free
  • Method: Instant Pot, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Moroccan

Description

This Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup is made with simple ingredients, easy to make and full of delicious flavor! Make this in an Instant Pot or stove top.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • one onion, diced
  • 56 garlic cloves, rough chopped
  • 3 carrots, diced (2 cups) ( or sub other root veggies- yam or sweet potato, parsnips, celery root, sunchokes)
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 poblano pepper, diced (optional, for a subtle heat)
  • one 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (or sub 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with juices)
  • 4 cups veggie broth (or chicken broth)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or add a few bay leaves)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup ( or honey)
  • 3/4 cup red lentils (split lentils)
  • 1/4 cup quinoa
  • optional addtions: 1/4 cup raisins

Garnish: fresh cilantro,parsley, scallions or mint, a squeeze of lemon or lime, a drizzle of olive oil (or swirl of yogurt) or even sliced avocado.


Instructions

See notes for the stovetop.

  1. Set Instant Pot ( Pressure cooker) to saute function and heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes, stirring until fragrant. Add the carrots, bell pepper and optional poblano and stir 2 minutes.
  2. Add the diced tomatoes (and juices) and broth. Stir in the salt, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, thyme, and maple syrup.  Stir in the split red lentils and the quinoa. You will be tempted to add more but don’t. 🙂 Give a good stir. At this point, you could also toss in 1/4 cup raisins (or add after).
  3. Set instant pot to high pressure for 5 minutes. Manually release (cover the spout with a kitchen towel).
  4. Taste, adjust salt if needed. For a bit of acid, a squeeze of lemon or lime is nice. The stew will thicken as it sits.
  5. Serve this up with fresh radishes and herbs. Add a drizzle of olive oil  (or for extra richness and a swirl of yogurt).

Notes

Stovetop directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes, stirring until fragrant. Lower heat to medium, add the carrots, bell pepper and optional poblano and stir 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the diced tomatoes (and juices), broth. Stir in the salt, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, thyme, and maple syrup.  Stir in the split red lentils and the quinoa. You will be tempted to add more but don’t. 🙂 Give a good stir. At this point, you could also toss in 1/4 cup raisins (or add after).
  3. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat so it’s gently simmering. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  4. Taste, adjust salt if needed. For a bit of acid, a squeeze of lemon or lime is nice. The stew will thicken as it sits.
  5. Serve this up with fresh radishes and herbs. Add a drizzle of olive oil  (or for extra richness and a swirl of yogurt).

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1.6 cups
  • Calories: 265
  • Sugar: 8.8 g
  • Sodium: 759.7 mg
  • Fat: 7.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 42.1 g
  • Fiber: 8.5 g
  • Protein: 10.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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Comments

  1. My husband and I really enjoy the ingredients in African recipes. This is a real winner as we love lentils and quinoa. I did add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter which was suggested by another commentator. Several African recipes I have do have peanut butter in them as well as yams or sweet potatoes. I did not use the poblano. Sensitive stomach. Other than that I followed the recipe as written. It made enough for a couple of meals each. Dinner in a bowl with homemade cornbread. YUM






  2. Our family loved this instant pot Moroccan Lentil Quinoa Soup! One question–the bread in the photos of your blog post looks so delicious and complementary–do you have a recipe for that bread on your blog? Or what type of bread is it? Thank you!






    1. I think I just used what I had on hand- a baguette? And yes, a recipe for the baguette is coming out this week.

    2. Just made this and it was delicious! I heated some naan brushed with olive oil and zaatar and it was great. I think any bread would work well, but especially dipping bread or rolls.

  3. This was a very good recipe. I used avocado oil instead of olive oil and I only had fire roasted tomatoes so I used those. The spices are wonderful and wow this cooked so quickly in the instapot. I am eating this on a very cold and snowy midwest afternoon, such a perfect, hearty dish to warm you up!






  4. I love lentils and make soups/stews. This was my family’s favorite. I added a can of Rotel for extra spice. Before serving stirred in small container of plain yogurt. Delish!

  5. Made this recipe last night using parsnip, onions, carrots, red pepper. Added chili flakes in place of poblano. Added raisins. For a Moroccan flair I might add dried apricots next time. Also added a can of chickpeas towards the end. Used chopped mint and parsley for another Moroccan touch. Pomegranate arils would be good too. Did it on the stove top. Excellent recipe. Enough for 6 but served over couscous would go further. Thank you.






  6. Great, easy recipe after a busy work day! One of those that works well with whatever you have in the fridge. I made it stove top in the dutch oven, and subbed jarred jalepenos for poblanos. Used mini potatoes and carrots for the root veggies, added celery that was about to wilt. Doubled the tomatoes because I had a 28oz can of diced tomatoes to get rid of, so my 3/4c of Lentils was generous since I had the extra liquid. Delicious! Feels like a bowl of healthy goodness on a chilly winter night. Thank you!

    Things on the list to try with this recipe:
    -Sweet potatoes and/or butternut squash instead of potatoes.
    -Tiny bit of peanut butter to add an undefinable richness (and keeps it vegan, though I’m not vegan)
    -Lacinto/Tuscan Kale (because I live in CA and it’s basically a law to eat it:-)
    -A few cardamon seed






  7. one of my frequent “go-to recipes” that I make from this site.
    Makes great use of all those veggies laying around the back of your fridge. 🙂

    When I don’t have the precise spices I do the following substitutions:
    Onion- Ive used yellow, white or red
    Chili powder sub with Harissa
    Tomatoes I’ve use fresh or a can of fire roasted or stewed
    Potatoes-white sweet potatoes, Stokes purple potatoes, yams, jewel sweet potatoes (cut small)
    Ground Coriander sub with whole coriander and ground in mortar and pestle
    Veg. broth sub for 4 cups of water, 1 onion diced small and half a celery stalk

    Have no fear…I have tried it many times and it comes out great every time.






  8. So good! Such an interesting pairing of spices. This is my first Moroccan dish to try and really enjoyed it! (My only change was omitting the maple syrup as I’m doing a partial fast and can’t have anything sugary. Syrup probably only heightens the flavor, but I’ll have to try it next time.






    1. The Moroccan cuisine is beyond fabulous. If you love lamb, as I do, you will be in .heaven. If you do get into this incredible cuisine, you may want to consider purchasing a Tagine. A specialized clay pot. Even if you cook the main dish in a separate pan in the oven, when done transfer to the tagine (or cook the meal in the tagine) Presenting the Tagine tableside is very impressive. Tagines come in several sizes and the painting and glazing of the clay is beautiful. So many wonderful Moroccan recipes to cook in a Tagine.
      Sorry for the length of this. Brevity eludes me!

  9. Delicious comforting soup. I’ve been searching for so long for a lentil soup that I liked enough to make again and this is it! Warm spices(I didn’t add chili) and the thickness added by the lentils and quinoa – what a hug in a bowl this soup is when we could all use a few more hugs! Thank you.






  10. This is a wonderful satisfying dish! The spice profile is fantastic. I followed the recipe almost exactly (only used 1tsp cumin) and used a sweet potato along with the carrots and red pepper. I added the raisins and loved every bite. Next time, I’ll add the poblano for a little heat. So good!






  11. One of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and my husband loved it too.
    We had a butternut squash that we baked on the side and it was a wonderful winter meal. Easy to make and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers.






  12. I just posted a comment but cant find it haha.
    My soup was delicious but came out a bit dry, im cooking on the stovetop. Any advice? I added 450g diced tomatoes with juices






  13. This is delicious but mine came out a bit dry, any advice? I used a 450g diced tomato with juices.

    I also love my carrot n sweet potato really tender and soft but mine were a bit crunchy afterwards. Ill be pre boiling them first from now on.

  14. I added red cabbage during the carrots portion because I had it leftover in my fridge and it turned out great! I also added cayenne, extra cinnamon and scallions as a topping. So good.






  15. Loved! I used sweet potatoes and garnished it with cilantro jalapeño cashew creme. I also added in garbanzo beans after and might toss them in next time while it’s cooking. Thank you so much for this! I can’t believe I cooked something that tastes this good






  16. Trying to incorporate more meatless, healthy dishes into our menus. It takes something very flavorful to keep my steak-loving husband happy, and this recipe definitely fit the bill. Used a yam instead of carrots, and garnished each svg. with cilantro, a spritz of lemon mint balsamic vinegar instead of citrus, and some leftover tzatziki sauce I’d made for another recipe. Delicious and very pretty.






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