Cardamom and Tea

Lemony Red Lentil Soup

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Bright, lemony, and big on flavor, this red lentil soup comes together with super basic ingredients and cooks in under 30 minutes (with very little active time). Known as shorbat adas in Arabic, it’s the kind of recipe you can take in a few different directions. Traditionally, it’s served silky smooth, but you can totally leave it textured. You can blend your own spices or spice it simply with store-bought curry powder. Any way you slice it, the result is always far more delicious than the effort you put into making it.

If you’re ready to hit the ground running, jump to the recipe, or read on for some helpful tips for success.

shorbat adas / lentil soup
shorbat adas / lentil soup
shorbat adas / lentil soup

Tips for for making the best red lentil soup

1) Taste your stock before salting.

Stocks vary, but any will work here. Some stocks are intensely salty, others totally sodium-free. Start with less salt, taste, and adjust as you go. Better than bullion or even stock cubes will all work great here, as long as you season it to taste. At the end of the day, what really matters in shorbat adas is that bright, lemony finish.

2) The spices are flexible—use curry powder or blend your own.

A jar of supermarket curry powder is more than enough for this recipe. But if you feel like it, you could blend your own curry powder. Or you could just use the spices in the notes at the bottom of this red lentil soup recipe to make a quick version of curry powder.

3) One non-negotiable: use fresh lemon juice, not bottled.

This is the one non-negotiable. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is what gives shorbat adas its signature lift. And that’s true for just about any Middle Eastern lentil soup. It’s totally fine to use store-bought stock and a very average curry powder, but make sure you use fresh lemons.

4) Make it ahead or meal prep it.

Red lentil soup holds up really well in the fridge for at least 3 to 5 days (depending on how salty and lemony you make it). If it thickens too much, just add a splash of water or stock when reheating. It also freezes well. Just make sure you batch it in single or double servings to make for easy reheating.

shorbat adas / lentil soup
shorbat adas / lentil soup
shorbat adas / lentil soup
shorbat adas / lentil soup

more fun ways to use red lentils

Got red lentils left over after making this red lentil soup? Here are some other ideas for using them up:

  • Mai from Almond and fig uses red lentils to make a really, really creamy hummus-ish dip.
  • Alemtshaye Yigezu’s misr wot (Ethiopian red lentil stew) is another stew that uses red lentils, but in a way that is completely distinct from shorbat adas.
  • Izzah from Tea for Turmeric has a famous masoor dal recipe that you’ve got to try.

ideas for using other varieties of lentils

If you’re looking for more ideas for cooking with other varieties of lentils, my two favorites are my mom’s lentils and rice for an easy weeknight meal or mujadara for something a bit fancier.

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Lemony Red Lentil Soup

shorbat adas / red lentil soup
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  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 large carrots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed through a press or finely minced
  • 3 Tbsp [20 g] yellow curry powder*
  • 1 1/2 cups [260 g] red lentils, sorted and rinsed
  • 2 quarts [1.9 liters] stock or broth**
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup [60 g] lemon juice (from about 1 to 2 lemons)
  • Optional: parsley or cilantro for garnish (fresh or dried), extra lemon wedges, and rice or bread on the side

Instructions

  1. Heat a stockpot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil, onion, and carrot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, but not caramelized (about 8 to 10 minutes).
  2. Push the onions and carrots to the side of the pot and add to the center about 1 Tbsp olive oil as well as the garlic and curry powder. Stir the center for about 1 minute over medium heat, and then stir everything together.
  3. Add the lentils and stock to the pot and bring everything to a boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, taste the stock and add some salt if necessary.*** Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the lentils are still whole, but very soft and slightly falling apart. Optionally purée with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender using this technique) until silky smooth.
  4. Stir in the lemon juice right before serving. Optionally, garnish with parsley or cilantro, and serve with lemon wedges and rice or bread on the side.

Notes

* Instead, feel free to use 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 Tbsp turmeric, 2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek.

** Use either chicken stock or vegetable stock.

*** If your stock has a lot of salt already, you may not need to add much (or any at all). If it is low sodium, you may need to add quite a bit. It all depends, so keep tasting while you season.

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2025 updates (recipe originally published 14 Feb 2018):

  • This red lentil soup recipe used to call for individual spices with the option to substitute a pre-made spice blend. Since publishing this recipe, I realized that home cooks are more likely to have the spice blend than each individual spice. So I flipped things so that the spice blend is in the body of the recipe and the individual spices are given as an option for substitution in the notes.
  • I used to say “3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup lemon juice” but I’ve since made 1/4 cup the default. 1/4 cup is really the bare minimum amount (with more added at the table). Shorbat adas is supposed to be tangy and lemony.
  • I also changed it to slicing the ingredients instead of finely chopping them. If you blend it, it doesn’t matter, but if you don’t blend it, the chunkier veggies are more aesthetically pleasing than finely diced ones. (I prefer blending it)
  • Finally, I tested the recipe with metric weight measurements and added metric system measurements as an option.
  • Oh and I rewrote the info before the recipe to be more relevant, updated the photos because the old ones were uglyyy (sorry to 2018 me) and added a video.

Otherwise, the recipe is the same as it ever was! These are mostly small changes for convenience and better options.

Olive Oil Banana Bread

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This olive oil banana bread is tender and balanced. It’s not too sweet and it’s perfectly soft. And the olive oil? While this dairy free banana bread is made without butter, that’s not done as some sort of a health swap. Olive oil makes the loaf impossibly tender and adds a richness that somehow tastes more buttery than butter itself. The result is a soft, even crumb and a straightforward banana flavor.

Jump to the recipe if you’re ready to bake, or read on for some tips for success, including instructions on making this a vegan banana bread.

olive oil banana bread
olive oil banana bread
olive oil banana bread, sliced
olive oil banana bread

How to bake a fantastic loaf of olive oil banana bread

1. Use overripe bananas

This olive oil banana bread doesn’t have a ton of sugar in it. It gets some of its sweetness from the granulated sugar you add, but it gets a lot of it from the bananas. Overripe bananas are a lot sweeter, so using fresher bananas won’t yield as tasty a loaf. Make sure they’re not just speckled but actually starting to darken. Check for any signs of mold or decay and discard if they have started to actually go bad.

2. Don’t overmix.

Over-mixing is one of the main causes of dry, stale-tasting banana bread. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients together, bring them together with as little mixing as possible. This is a good lesson for most cakes, muffins, and the like.

3. Flavorings, mix-ins, etc.

You can absolutely flavor this loaf with cinnamon, vanilla extract, or your flavoring of choice. I kept it simple while developing this recipe, so it absolutely stands on its own. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add a handful of chopped walnuts, pistachios, or chocolate chips. Dry mix-ins and a small amount of flavoring shouldn’t affect the texture of the bake.

olive oil banana bread, sliced

4. To cool or not to cool: that is the question!

My recipe recommends waiting 30 minutes before digging in. If you dig in early, all future slices will be a bit drier and less pretty. That might be worth it, depending on how much you like warm banana bread. If you can’t help yourself, I recommend letting it cool for a bare minimum of 5 minutes. But if you want your slices to have longevity, patience is a virtue. Waiting yields a really clean slice and perfectly-textured loaf. They’re also great toasted if you want the best of both worlds.

Why stop at dairy free banana bread? Here’s how to veganize it!

This dairy free banana bread is already halfway to vegan banana bread—the only thing standing between you and a plant-based loaf is the egg. Simply swap the eggs out for a vegan egg replacement. You can use a store-bought one, but you can also make your own. The following makes 2 vegan “eggs”:

  • 1/3 cup [80g] soy milk
  • 2 tsp [10g] olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp [15g] chia seeds (1 Tbsp for blending, 1 tsp for mixing in)

Combine the soy milk, olive oil, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds in a high-power blender. Blend on high until it turns gray and thickens. If you do not have a high-power blender, blend them with whatever you have, letting them sit halfway through to soak for about 10 minutes before blending fully. Mix in the final tsp of chia seeds in at the end.

No chia seeds on hand? Try my eggless banana bread recipe that simply uses more flour and banana.

olive oil banana bread, sliced
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Olive Oil Banana Bread (dairy-free)

olive oil banana bread
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5 from 2 reviews

Ingredients

  • 1 cup [240 g] mashed banana from about 3 very overripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup [105 g] extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs*
  • 2/3 cup [130 g] sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups [200 g] all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ripe banana, split lengthwise (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F [180° C].
  2. Grease an 8 x 4 inch [20 x 10 cm] loaf pan.*
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the mashed bananas together with the olive oil until very well combined. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt, and whisk together until completely incorporated.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.***
  5. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Do not over-mix (stop mixing as soon as there are no dry pockets of flour).
  6. Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan.
  7. Place the banana halves cut-side-up on top of the loaf (if using).
  8. Bake for about 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the loaf. If it comes out with batter, it needs more time, but if it comes out with just some crumbs, it’s ready to take out.
  9. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

* See note above recipe on turning this into vegan banana bread.

** To make this into muffins instead of a banana bread loaf, place 9 muffin liners in a muffin tin (homemade parchment liners or store bought paper ones). If using parchment ones, drizzle them lightly with olive oil. Evenly distribute the batter between the 9 liners, then top each with a 1/2 in [13mm] banana slice. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*** If you want to save on dishes, place a fine mesh sieve over a paper towel and add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the sieve. Sift the dry ingredients directly onto the wet ingredients (and don’t forget the dust that filtered onto the paper towel too).

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20 October 2025 edit: Since originally posting, I’ve tried making this with a homemade vegan chia egg and it worked great, so I added that note to the notes before the recipe. I’ve also since made these as muffins, so I added a note about to the recipe card.

27 October 2025 edit: I also tried making this with just extra banana and olive oil in place of the eggs, which also worked great, so I added a note to the veganize it section.