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Soups · Turkish

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

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Mercimek çorbası, the silky red lentil soup served across Turkey: red lentils, onion and carrot blended smooth and finished with a sizzling olive oil infused with pul biber (Aleppo pepper) and dried mint, plus plenty of lemon. Cheap, nourishing and ready in 35 minutes.

Recipe byitsvegan Kitchen
Oct 29, 2026
Gluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeOne-potBudgetMeal prepHigh-protein
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Prep10 min
Cook25 min
Total35 min
Serves4
LevelEasy

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and potato, if using, for 7–8 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the garlic, tomato or pepper paste, cumin and paprika and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
  3. Add the lentils and stock, bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 18–20 minutes until the lentils have completely broken down.
  4. Blend the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth, adding a splash of water if it is too thick: it should be pourable, like thin custard. Season well with salt and pepper.
  5. For the topping, warm the olive oil in a small pan over low heat, add the pul biber and mint and swirl for 20–30 seconds until it sizzles and turns red. Take it off the heat before the mint darkens.
  6. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with the spiced oil and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, a scattering of parsley and bread on the side.

Tips, storage & swaps

About the dish: mercimek çorbası (“lentil soup”) is one of Turkey’s most popular everyday soups, served in homes and lokantas and often eaten for breakfast or to break the fast during Ramadan. Restaurant versions are usually blended very smooth and served with lemon wedges and bread.

Authentic notes:

  • Pul biber (also sold as Aleppo pepper or Maraş pepper) is a coarse, mildly hot, slightly fruity red pepper flake. It is what gives the topping its colour; standard chilli flakes are hotter, so use half as much.
  • The traditional finish is butter sizzled with pul biber and dried mint. Olive oil makes it vegan and is common in the Aegean region; vegan butter also works.
  • A little potato, rice or bulgur is sometimes cooked with the lentils for extra body, and some cooks use Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) instead of tomato paste.

Tips: the lemon is essential, so do not skip it. The soup thickens as it stands; thin with water when reheating. Keeps for 5 days in the fridge and freezes well for 3 months (add the spiced oil fresh). Many stock cubes contain wheat, so check the label if cooking for coeliacs.

FAQ

Do I need to soak red lentils? No. Red split lentils cook quickly without soaking; just rinse them until the water runs clearer.

What can I use instead of pul biber? Use half the amount of regular chilli flakes mixed with a pinch of sweet paprika.

Is mercimek çorbası vegan? Many versions are made with butter or meat stock, so ask when eating out. This recipe uses olive oil and vegetable stock.

Every recipe on itsvegan is 100% plant-based: no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey or gelatin. Always check packaged ingredients such as chocolate, bread and wine for hidden animal products.

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Recipe from itsvegan.org — https://itsvegan.org/recipe/turkish-red-lentil-soup