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Turkish

Mercimek Çorbası (Turkish Red Lentil Soup)

A smooth Turkish red lentil soup with onion, carrot, cumin, pepper paste, and a bright lemon finish.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Mercimek Çorbası (Turkish Red Lentil Soup)

35 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Forty minutes, nearly all of it the lentils simmering down. Red lentils need no soaking.

Method

  1. Warm the measured olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, then cook until the onion softens and the carrot starts to look glossy.

  2. Stir in the tomato puree, Turkish pepper paste, cumin powder, and paprika. Cook briefly until the pastes smell rounded and no longer raw.

  3. Add the rinsed split red lentils, measured water, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the lentils and carrot are completely soft.

  4. Blend the soup until smooth, then return it to low heat. Adjust thickness with a small splash of hot water only if needed.

  5. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste once more and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

The finished soup should be smooth, lightly thick, and pourable, with no firm lentil pieces.

Getting it right

Tip

Cook the lentils until they collapse fully before blending; undercooked lentils make the soup grainy.

What to serve it with

Serve hot with lemon wedges, crusty bread, or a simple salad.

Common mistakes

The soup is grainy rather than silky.
Simmer until the lentils have genuinely collapsed before blending. Red lentils look done long before they are soft enough to purée smoothly, and no blender fixes an undercooked one.
It tastes flat.
The lemon goes in off the heat, at the end, and is not optional. Mercimek çorbası is built on that sharp finish against the sweet carrot and onion — served without it, the soup tastes of nothing much.

Substitutions

  • Tomato puree can be increased slightly if Turkish pepper paste is very mild, but the pepper paste gives the most authentic flavor.
  • Vegetable stock may replace part of the water if it is already salted lightly.
  • Use paprika plus a small pinch of chilli flakes only when a hotter soup is desired.

Storing and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and freezes for three months. It thickens considerably as it sits; loosen with hot water when reheating and add fresh lemon, as the first squeeze fades overnight.