This Spicy Lentil Soup with chipotles is a warm & comforting hearty soup that’s perfect for chilly Fall days! Make this easy soup recipe on the stove or in your slow cooker.
This post was originally published in 2017. It was updated in 2022 to add new photographs.
This Spicy Lentil Soup is perfect to make ahead and then pack for lunches during the week.
It’s got a smoky kick from the chipotle pepper, a nice tang from a good squeeze of lime juice, and a creamy texture due to the fact that I blend it up a bit at the end.
The flavors are reminiscent of a great chili, but in my opinion, this chipotle lentil soup has a little something extra from the tanginess and creaminess. Plus, it’s totally vegetarian! I love to top my bowl with some fresh cilantro, avocado and sour cream…
Bonus?
Should you choose to go the slow cooker route, you can just pile all the yummy ingredients into your crockpot in the morning and you’ll come home to this beautiful, smoky chipotle lentil soup that’s just perfect for these chilly fall evenings that we’ve been having lately.
It’s warm and comforting and requires nothing from you after you come home from a long day at work… Meaning that all you have to do is pour the wine and decide which episode of Real Housewives you want to enjoy while slurping up this soup…
🛒 Ingredients Needed
- Lentils – Red, brown or green will work.
- Celery + Carrots
- Onion + Garlic
- Canned Tomatoes – I prefer to use petite diced tomatoes.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – You’ll find these in the Mexican foods aisle in small cans.
- Vegetable Broth – Or bone broth or chicken stock.
- Cumin + Oregano
- Salt + Pepper
- Cilantro
- Lime Juce
- Toppings – Avocado, sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos, cheese
📋 How to Make It
Stove Top Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin and oregano, and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the lentils chipotles and adobo sauce, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils are tender, 30-35 minutes.
- Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and let cool for about 15 minutes. Puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into pot. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Directions
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, lentils, cumin, oregano and chipotle peppers to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and adobo sauce.
- Cook on LOW until the lentils are tender, 8-10 hours. Or, on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and let cool for about 15 minutes. Puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
🕕 How to Make Ahead + Store
To Store: Store in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Gently reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until hot. You can also microwave the leftovers.
To Freeze: Store in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
🍷 Wine Pairings
- Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Malbec will stand up to the smoky heat in this lentil soup.
🥣 More Soup Recipes
- Tomato Bisque
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Fresh Dill
- Smoky Chipotle Potato Soup with Cheddar
- Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- Avgolemono Soup (Lemon Chicken Soup with Dill)
- Weight Loss Soup
Did you try this spicy lentil soup?
If you loved this chipotle lentil soup I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.
Spicy Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (if making on the stove)
- 2 cups lentils (red, brown or green, rinsed)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1-2 chipotle peppers (seeded & minced, plus 3 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can)
- 1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken stock or bone broth)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
For Topping
- Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
Instructions
Stove Top
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.Add the garlic, cumin and oregano, and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, chipotles, adobo sauce, vegetable broth, water and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils are tender, 30-35 minutes.
- For a smoother soup, transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into pot.
- Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, lentils, cumin, oregano and chipotle peppers and adobo sauce to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, water and diced tomatoes.
- Cook on LOW until the lentils are tender, 8-10 hours. Or, on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- For a smoother soup, transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until the mixture is almost smooth. Pour the mixture back into the slow cooker.
- Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
Equipment
I’m completely obsessed with soup lately! It’s just gotten cold here in upstate NY so its definitely time for lots of homemade soup = so I’ll definitely be making this! I actually just posted a Roasted Tomato Soup to my blog today in case you want to check it out!
I’m with you Christen – I’m ready for lots of yummy soup recipes this fall and winter! I’ll definitely need to check out your recipe!
Erin, this soup looks so perfect for fall! It sounds like the ideal soup to cozy up to by the fire and with a nice glass of wine. Can’t wait to make it!
I’ve got this recipe going in the slow cooker as I type! The recipe says to add Avocado to the blender, but the ingredient list doesn’t specify how much. So, how much did you use? Thanks!
Hi Nicole – Sorry about that. I’ve modified the recipe and it should be more clear now!
Okay, I just stumbled across this recipe and have all the ingredients on hand to make it! EXCEPT…a slow cooker. How can I adapt this to stove top?
Hi Nellie – I would bring everything to a boil and then let it simmer for an hour. Hope this helps!
Just wondering if you made this stove top and if so how it turned out?
This was very good! I like it spicy, so I added 3 chipotles with seeds! I also decided to blend all of the soup. Thanks!
So happy you liked it Robyn!
This was delicious! A really great twist on chili.
This was delicious! A really great twist on a chili-like soup.
I’m so happy you liked it Maddy!
I wonder how you would adapt it for the instant pot?
Hi Sandra – Here’s a similar recipe I have for
. It should be easily adaptable. I will work on creating an Instant Pot version for you!
Made this on stovetop – Awesome!! Will be making this often!
Maybe I missed it but it calls for 3.5 cups water. When do I add when cooking stovetop?
Thanks for catching that Lauren – I just updated the recipe.