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Home » Vegan Lebanese Recipes

Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)

Published: Oct 16, 2019 · Modified: Nov 23, 2021 by Janelle Hama

Jump to Recipe

My family’s favourite (and authentic) Lebanese lentil soup (shorbet adas) is made with orange lentils, rice, vegetables and spices. The is the best Arabic lentil soup recipe.

lebanese lentil soup in a white bowl with a spoon
A delicious wholesome bowl of Lebanese lentil soup

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Jump to:
  • Why you’ll love this recipe
  • ✔️What You’ll Need
  • Ingredients
  •  Instructions
  •  Pro Tips
  • ✔️Variations
  • ❓FAQ
  • Other Vegan Lentil Recipes
  • Related Recipes
  • Best Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)

Lebanese Lentil Soup is a staple soup in my family - it features several times in my menu over the cooler months.

It's comforting and nutritious, just like Molokhia - another ultimate comforting Lebanese dish.

This soup is called 'shorbet adas' (or shorbat adas) in Arabic, and it's one of my top two favourite soups - I always want to lick the bowl dry afterwards.

Shorbet Adas which literally translates to 'Soup Lentil' has so many things going for it.

I have been making this Lebanese soup since my 20's, originally it wasn’t a vegan soup, however now that I have switched it over, the difference is negligible.

My family also loves to eat air fryer corn ribs with this soup, it's such a great combination.

Before we get into it, I want to mention another Arabic lentil soup recipe called Lebanese lemon lentil soup.

It's completely different, it has chunky bits of vegetables and uses brown lentils instead of orange lentils. It’s worth checking out and adding this soup to your list.

Lentil Soup in a white bowl topped with parsley

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • It's super tasty, kids and adults love it.
  • This vegan lentil soup is healthy - packed with nutrients and is nut free, gluten free, corn free* and soy free.
  • Very easy to make, ready in around 35 minutes.
  • You can change the consistency - can be made as a thick or thin soup

I promise you, you'll be pouring yourself a second serving and maybe even a third.

✔️What You’ll Need

shorbet adas base ingredients on a white bench
fresh produce laid out on white bench for arabic lentil soup

Ingredients

Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients, and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Olive oil is used to sweat the onions and garlic in the spices at the start of cooking this soup.

You can omit the oil if you prefer a vegan and oil-free soup, use spoonfuls of the vegetable stock in place of it.

Brown onion, carrot and celery - this shorbet adas only uses these three vegetables which complement each other well. Chop them up into small pieces.

Garlic - use freshly crushed garlic where possible, otherwise frozen or garlic flakes can be used.

Red lentils (visually when we look at these they are orange lentils) are the hero of this Lebanese soup.

They can be placed directly into the pot as they cook quickly. No pre-soaking is needed.

Short/medium grain rice helps to thicken this soup up.

Vegetable stock adds flavoring and brings this soup together. No additional salt is needed.

Since I switched my diet, I now use a good veggie stock* to make this a vegan lentil soup. Please check the veggie stock for gluten, corn, soy or nuts.

The soup consistency can be adjusted through the number of cups of vegetable stock added.

Anywhere between 8 - 10 cups work well. The photos within this recipe show 8 cups, which is a thicker style soup.

Lemon should be freshly squeezed and added at the end, once the heat is turned off.

Additional lemon in the form of wedges can be served with this Lebanese lentil soup. 

Ground turmeric* is wonderful for adding a vibrant color along with the health benefits that come with this spice.

Ground cumin* is a key flavor, do not skip this spice.

Flat-leaf parsley is finely chopped and added into the soup at the end but is also used as a garnish.

Divide the parsley into two portions.

two white bowls of shorbet adas garnished with parsley and lemon pieces

 Instructions

Here's how to make Lebanese lentil soup

Step 1 - In a large pot heat olive oil on med-high heat. Add onion, garlic and spices, sweat until the onions have softened.

Step 2 - Add lentils, stir through until coated in olive oil.

Step 3 - Add vegetable stock and rice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

Step 4 - Add celery and carrot and simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid on.

Step 5 - Turn heat off and stir through half of the chopped parsley and the lemon juice.

Blend with an immersion (handheld) blender* until soup is part smooth, part chunky. 

Step 6 - Garnish with the other half of parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon. 


Immersion Blender
An immersion blender is used to create the correct texture of this Lebanese lentil soup.

VIEW PRODUCT

 Pro Tips

You can omit the lemon if you're not a citrus fan. Though I do not recommend this.

Only use red lentils (orange lentils). This is what gives this Arabic lentil soup its distinctive taste and color.

Avoid other types of lentils as it will change the look and taste of this soup. 

Storage - allow this vegan lentil soup to completely cool down and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

✔️Variations

Blending is only done until the soup is semi chunky, however as all the ingredients within this crushed lentil soup are cooked, you can opt to not blend.

Whilst it is not traditional to add leafy greens to lentil Lebanese soup (such as spinach or kale), this can be done. You may need to adjust the amount of stock.

Add some heat - I always leave this as optional, but you can add some chili flakes or a good amount of black cracked pepper, I personally love black cracked pepper this in shorbet adas. 

an empty bowl of lentil soup with leftover lemon pieces

This Arabic lentil soup is totally satisfying - I could eat a few bowlfuls.

❓FAQ

Can I freeze Lebanese lentil soup?

Absolutely. Once fully cooled, store in a snap-lock bag and place bag flat in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost as required.

How to cook shorbet adas without veggies?

If you don't have all the veggies, no problem. I have made it before without some of the veggies and it tasted fab!

Other Vegan Lentil Recipes

  • Red lentils and rice called mujadara safra.
  • Mujadara Hamra - Lentils and bulgur topped with caramelised onion
  • Lentil Porridge - a savoury warming bowl of goodness
  • Mujadara recipe - An authentic lentils and rice pilaf from Lebanon
  • Lentils and pasta soup - it's one of my childhood favorites

Related Recipes

Another easy Lebanese soup is my vegan white bean soup or this Freekeh soup an ancient grain soup.

Try my light, low-fat carrot and celery soup or my tasty vegetable borscht or my deliciously creamy vegan asparagus soup.

For something with more starch, I recommend my vegan potato and leek soup or my oil-free low fat potato soup or a comforting bowl of yellow split pea dal.

For a very spicy soup try spicy cauliflower soup 

Something thicker? Try my popular curried barley porridge or for something different try my moghrabieh, Lebanese pearl couscous.

Did you enjoy making this Lebanese lentil soup? I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below and give me a rating. This will help me sustain Plant Based Folk. 

Alternatively, did you happen to take a photo of your crushed lentil soup? Tag me @plantbasedfolk on Instagram to be featured via stories. If you love sharing your vegan food pics, join the PBF community group.

If you’re into fast cooking vids, join me on Tiktok.

Janelle x

white bowl of yellow soup toped with chop parsley and slices of lemon

Best Lebanese Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)

My family’s favourite authentic Lebanese lentil soup (shorbet adas) made with orange lentils, rice, vegetables and spices. The best Arabic lentil soup recipe. Gluten free + vegan.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 1 large Brown onion diced
  • 2 medium Carrots diced
  • 2 small Celery stalks diced
  • 2 cloves Garlic crushed
  • 1 ½ Cups Red lentils dry
  • ½ cup Short grain rice
  • 8 Cups Vegetable stock or 10 cups (you can adjust the thickness of this lentil soup)
  • 1 medium Lemon juiced
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • 1 handful Flat-leaf parsley chopped
Metric - US Customary
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • In a large pot heat olive oil on med-high heat. Add onion, garlic and spices, sweat until the onions have softened.
    1 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 large Brown onion, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric, 1 ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • Add lentils, stir until coated in olive oil.
    1 ½ Cups Red lentils
  • Add vegetable stock and rice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
    ½ cup Short grain rice, 8 Cups Vegetable stock
  • Add celery and carrot and simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid on.
    2 medium Carrots, 2 small Celery stalks
  • Turn heat off and stir through half of the chopped parsley and the lemon juice. Blend with an immersion (handheld) blender until soup is part smooth, part chunky.
    1 medium Lemon, 1 handful Flat-leaf parsley
  • Garnish with additional parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon, which is then squeezed into the soup to suit your liking.
    1 handful Flat-leaf parsley

Video


Notes

Yield 5-6 servings.
 
You can omit the lemon if you're not a citrus fan. Though I do not recommend this as it adds a lovely sourness.
Only use red lentils (orange lentils). This is what gives this Arabic lentil soup its distinctive taste and colour. Avoid other types of lentils as it will change the look and taste of this soup. 
Storage - allow this vegan lentil soup to completely cool down and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Other Vegan Lentil Recipes
  • Mujadara Hamra - Lentils and bulgur topped with caramelised onion
  • Lentil Porridge - a savoury warming bowl of goodness
  • Mujadara recipe - An authentic lentils and rice pilaf from Lebanon
 
*Please check the veggie stock for gluten, corn, soy or nuts.
 
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use
 
-This post has been updated with new photos-
US cups and spoons measurements have been used. 1 cup is 240ml, 1 tablespoon 15ml, 1 teaspoon 5ml.

Equipment

pot
Handheld Blender

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1295mg | Potassium: 598mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4160IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 5mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


Tried this recipe?Mention @Plantbasedfolk or tag #plantbasedfolk

Are you looking for something sweet afterwards? Try making No Bake Gooey Chocolate Pretzel Slice recipe. You'll be licking your fingers!

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Garry Evans

    May 09, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    And how to authentically eat this authentic Lebanese lentil soup with the lemon pieces. Do you first squeese the lemon, cut bits off it and blend into your spoonful or what? And what is the lemon meant to add? No rating yet, cause haven't made it yet, still considering..

    Reply
    • Janelle Hama

      May 09, 2023 at 5:33 pm

      Serve it with a squeeze of lemon to suit your taste. It will add a lovely sourness, or not. Don't add it in, whatever suits you!

      Reply
  2. Angel

    November 05, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    5 stars
    I love lentils, and i always like to try new recipes, this lebanese lentil soup is super good and easy to prepare. A new one for me!! Can't wait to try more of your vegan recipes - I am trying to eat more plants!

    Reply
  3. Corrine

    October 07, 2022 at 9:07 pm

    5 stars
    My daughter is headed off to college soon and I've been collecting simple, nutritious budget friendly recipes for to make on repeat. This fits the bill perfectly! One she can make over and over and so yummy! Of course I made this myself and give it 10 stars!!!!

    Reply
  4. Lathiya

    August 23, 2022 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    Soup is always my go to comfort food. this lentil soup sounds amazing.

    Reply
  5. Shane

    August 23, 2022 at 1:27 am

    5 stars
    I am the fan of Lentil soup, I am going to keep making this Labenese lentil soup over and over again

    Reply
  6. Julie

    August 18, 2022 at 6:44 am

    5 stars
    I bookmarked this Lebanese lentil soup! It’s the first time I bookmarked a recipe. 😀 I can make this soup and it lasts me all week. I keep the leftovers in the fridge and just reheat what I need each evening for dinner. Its so delicious and easy to make, thank you.

    Reply
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Hello, I'm Janelle, a culinary enthusiast with over two decades of cooking experience and a keen interest in creating delicious vegan Lebanese recipes.

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