Red Lentil Soup Recipe (10g Net Carbs)
Turkish mercimek corbasi (red lentil soup) rebuilt for a low-carb kitchen. Honest carb count: 10g net carbs per serving. Ready in 25 minutes, serves 6 with 220 calories, 12g protein, and 8g fat each. Finished with a sizzled paprika butter that gets poured into each bowl at the table. Built for low-carb eaters (not strict keto) and vegetarian eaters who want a Turkish restaurant-style soup at home. If you are running under 20g carbs total per day, one bowl uses half your daily budget.
Why This Works on Keto (and Why to Read the Carb Count)
Straight talk: red lentils are a legume and carry roughly 20g of carbs per dry 1/4 cup. Split across 6 servings with additional vegetables (carrot, onion) and a stock base, you land at 10g net carbs per bowl. This is not a strict keto recipe.
It is a low-carb, vegetarian, high-fiber soup that fits into a moderate carb day (50g target) or as a splurge on a keto plan.
What earns its place here is nutritional density: red lentils bring 9g of fiber per 1/4 cup dry, plus iron, folate, and plant protein that pair well with the paprika butter finish. For anyone eating strict keto, halve the lentils and double the cauliflower for a modified version at 5g net carbs.
If you want to go deeper, we have a separate guide on 1400 calorie low carb meal plan.
For more on this topic, check out our guide on dukan diet plan.
Law Carb Red Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 tbsp. red lentil
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp. turmeric
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup broth
- Water enough to cover the lentils
- Salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 1 tbsp butter
- Paprika to taste
Instructions
- Take 9 tablespoons of red lentils in a strainer and wash thoroughly with lukewarm water. Set it aside to drain the water. Peel 1 large garlic clove and cut it in half. In a medium or small deep pan, fry red lentils, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and garlic to them and continue frying. Finally, add a little less than 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and fry briefly. After finishing the frying process, add 1/2 cup of broth to the ingredients. Then, add enough water to cover the ingredients. Add salt and pepper at this stage and let the soup boil.
- When the lentils turn from red to orange and are fully cooked, mix the soup with a hand blender until it has a smooth consistency. Boil the soup for another 3-5 minutes, mix for the last time and turn off the stove.
- In a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of butter to each bowl of soup. So add 4 tablespoons of butter for the soup for 4 people. Add about 1 tablespoon of paprika to it and fry briefly, being careful not to burn the paprika in the butter. Share the soup in bowls. Share the paprika butter sauce on the bowls as toppings and serve without mixing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredient Notes
Red lentils (kirmizi mercimek) cook down in 15 minutes and thicken the soup without pureeing. Do not swap in green or brown lentils; they hold shape and change the texture entirely. Rinse lentils in cold water until it runs clear.
Use a small dice of yellow onion (1/2 cup, 6g carbs total across the pot) and 1 small carrot (5g carbs total). For the paprika butter finish, use European-style butter and Turkish pul biber (Aleppo pepper) or sweet Hungarian paprika. Skip smoked paprika here; it changes the character.
Vegetable or chicken stock, low sodium, no added sugar. Cumin (whole seed toasted then ground beats pre-ground). Fresh lemon at the table for finishing. Skip mint garnish which is a Greek variation; Turkish tradition uses only lemon and the paprika butter.
For related tips, check out our full guide on low carb keto diet plan.
Tips and Variations
Sweat onion and carrot in 2 tbsp olive oil for 6 minutes. Add 1 cup rinsed red lentils, 6 cups stock, 1 tsp cumin, salt. Simmer 15-18 minutes until lentils dissolve and the soup thickens. Blend with an immersion blender for a smooth finish or leave rustic.
For the sizzled butter, melt 3 tbsp butter with 1 tsp Aleppo pepper in a small pan until foaming (30 seconds), then spoon over each bowl at the table. Do not pour the paprika butter into the pot before serving; the flavor disperses and loses impact.
For a lower-carb version, cut lentils to 1/2 cup and add 2 cups cauliflower florets during the last 10 minutes of cooking. This drops carbs to 5g per serving.
For higher-protein, whisk in 1 egg tempered with a ladle of hot soup at the end for a Greek-style avgolemono effect (add 6g protein per serving). For a vegan version, use olive oil in place of butter for the paprika sizzle.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate up to 4 days in a sealed container. Soup thickens as it sits; loosen with stock or water on reheat. Reheat over medium-low on the stove for 8 minutes, stirring. Skip the microwave for large portions; heat unevenly. Freezes cleanly for up to 3 months in individual portions; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat with a splash of stock.
