Introduction

Thermomix lentil soup is a one-pot, all-in-one meal that uses the Thermomix’s built-in weighing, chopping, sautéing, and simmering functions to turn raw vegetables and dried lentils into a smooth, hearty soup in under an hour. Because the machine cooks and blends in the same bowl, there’s minimal cleanup and very little hands-on time. This guide covers the core recipe, the most popular flavor variations — including Lebanese-style and carrot and lentil versions — ingredient choices, nutrition, and troubleshooting, so you can make a reliable pot of soup regardless of which Thermomix model you own.

Quick Summary

Thermomix lentil soup is typically made by sautéing onion, garlic, and spices in the Thermomix bowl, adding red lentils, chopped carrot or other vegetables, stock, and tomato, then cooking on a Varoma or 100°C setting for 20–25 minutes before blending to the desired texture. Red lentils are the most common choice because they cook quickly and break down into a naturally thick, creamy soup without any added cream or flour. The base recipe is vegetarian, easily made vegan, and adapts well to Lebanese, carrot-forward, or extra-vegetable variations.

What You Need: Thermomix Lentil Soup Ingredients

A standard batch (serving 4–6) uses:

• 1 brown onion, halved
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1–2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1–2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup (200g) dried red lentils, rinsed
• 1 can (400g) diced tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 750ml–1L vegetable or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon juice, to finish

Red lentils are the standard choice for this recipe because they don’t require pre-soaking and soften fully during the cook cycle. Brown or green lentils can be substituted, but they hold their shape rather than breaking down, so the soup will stay chunkier and typically needs 5–10 minutes longer on the cook setting.

Red Lentils vs. Other Lentils: Which Works Best

Red (split) lentils lose their outer skin during processing, which is why they disintegrate as they cook and naturally thicken the liquid around them — this is what gives Thermomix red lentil soup its smooth, almost creamy texture without any dairy. Brown and green lentils keep their skins and structure, so they’re better suited to heartier, chunkier soups where you want visible lentils in the final bowl rather than a purée. If a recipe calls for a fully smooth result, red lentils reduce or remove the need for a separate blending step at the end.

How to Make Thermomix Lentil Soup (Step by Step)

1. Chop the aromatics. Add onion and garlic to the bowl and chop 3 seconds/speed 5.
2. Sauté. Add olive oil and spices, cook 3 minutes/Varoma/speed 1 to soften the onion and toast the cumin and coriander, which deepens their flavor compared to adding them raw.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Add carrot, rinsed red lentils, tomatoes, and stock.
4. Cook. Cook 20–25 minutes/100°C/speed 1, reverse blade direction if your model supports it, so the lentils and carrot don’t get mashed against the blades before they’ve softened.
5. Blend. Blend 20–30 seconds, working up from speed 5 to speed 8–9, until the soup reaches your preferred consistency — shorter for a chunkier soup, longer for a fully smooth one.
6. Season and finish. Add salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice, which balances the earthiness of the lentils.

Rinsing red lentils before cooking removes surface starch that would otherwise make the soup slightly gluey; skipping this step is one of the most common causes of an overly thick, pasty texture.

Lebanese-Style Thermomix Lentil Soup

Lebanese lentil soup, sometimes called shorbat adas, swaps some of the cumin-forward spicing for a base of onion, garlic, and cumin finished with a generous amount of fresh lemon juice, and it’s often paired with sautéed onions or crispy fried onions as a topping. Some versions add a handful of short-grain rice or small pasta alongside the lentils, which is added at the same time as the lentils so it cooks through during the 20–25 minute cook cycle. The defining difference from a standard version is the amount of lemon juice added at the end — added earlier, it can slow the lentils from softening, so it’s always stirred in after cooking.

Carrot and Lentil Soup Variation

Carrot and lentil soup increases the carrot quantity relative to lentils — typically 3–4 carrots to 1 cup of lentils — which adds natural sweetness and a deeper orange color while lentils still provide the thickening and protein. Because carrots take slightly longer to soften than red lentils, chopping them small (roughly 2cm pieces) before adding them to the bowl ensures they cook through fully in the same time it takes the lentils to break down.

Making It a Full Vegetable Soup

To turn the base recipe into a thermomix lentil vegetable soup, additional vegetables such as celery, zucchini, or spinach can be added. Firm vegetables like celery go in at the start with the carrot; leafy greens like spinach are best added in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking so they wilt without overcooking and losing color. This variation stretches the recipe further and adds fiber and micronutrients without diluting the lentil flavor, since the red lentils still dissolve into the base.

Is Thermomix Lentil Soup Healthy?

Lentils are a plant-based source of protein and fiber and are naturally low in fat, which is why lentil soup is frequently used as a lighter, filling meal. Because the Thermomix method typically uses only a small amount of oil for sautéing and no added cream or flour, the soup’s thickness comes entirely from the lentils themselves, keeping the fat and calorie content relatively low per serving. The recipe is naturally vegetarian and can be made vegan by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and gluten-free, since lentils and the standard vegetable ingredients contain no gluten.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

Thermomix lentil soup keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, since the soup’s thickness comes from broken-down lentils rather than dairy or flour, which can separate or change texture after freezing. The soup often thickens further after chilling; reheating with a small amount of added stock or water restores it to a pourable consistency.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Not rinsing lentils — leaves excess starch that makes the soup gluey.
• Adding lemon juice too early — can slow softening; add it after cooking instead.
• Using brown or green lentils without adjusting time — they need longer cooking and won’t fully break down like red lentils.
• Skipping the sauté step — spices added straight to the liquid taste flatter than spices bloomed in oil first.
• Overfilling the Thermomix bowl — soup expands slightly as it cooks, so stay under the maximum fill line.

Conclusion

Thermomix lentil soup is a flexible base recipe: red lentils give it a naturally smooth, thickened texture, while the spices, extra vegetables, and finishing touches determine whether it reads as a classic vegetable soup, a Lebanese-style shorbat adas, or a carrot-forward version. Once the core method — sauté, add liquid and lentils, cook, blend — is understood, it’s straightforward to adapt the recipe to what’s in the fridge while keeping the same reliable, creamy result.

FAQ

Do I need to soak red lentils before cooking? No. Red lentils cook fully within the standard 20–25 minute Thermomix cook time without pre-soaking; rinsing is enough.

Can I make this soup vegan? Yes. Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock; the rest of the standard recipe is already plant-based.

Why is my soup too thick or too thin? Thickness depends on the ratio of lentils to liquid and how long it’s blended. Add extra stock or water to thin it, or blend longer and use a higher proportion of lentils to thicken it.

Can I use canned lentils instead of dried? Canned lentils can be used, but they won’t break down and thicken the soup the way dried red lentils do, and the cook time should be reduced since they’re already soft.

What can I serve with Thermomix lentil soup? Warm flatbread or crusty bread, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil are common accompaniments, along with fried onions for the Lebanese-style version.