Root vegetables, spices, chickpeas, and lentils come together beautifully in this Moroccan-inspired Harira soup, a nutritious and filling, and one-pot meal. Vegan and gluten-free.
Harira is a warm and comforting tomato-based soup that we absolutely adore! We've created our own vegan version of the popular dish, adding extra veggies and a hint of heat, just to spice it up a little bit! It’s a lightened-up version that’s still plenty filling thanks to lentils and chickpeas. We included all the fresh herbs and bright spices that Harira is known for! Serve it by itself or with warm bread for a dish that always has us going back for seconds.
What is Moroccan Harira?
Harira Soup is a Moroccan soup filled with lentils, chickpeas, warm spices, and fresh herbs. It’s traditionally made with meat (beef or lamb) and has a tomato base. It’s a favorite of ours year-round! It’s one of those recipes that makes excellent leftovers, so we love having it on hand for lunch.
Harira Soup Ingredients
We added TONS of delicious veggies into this dish, so it’s bursting with color and texture! You’ll find it’s plenty hearty even without the meat. It also has the best spices, so it’s a bit spicy and filled with flavor. Our recipe has parsnips, celery, carrots, chickpeas, lentils, and tomatoes for the veggies, and it’s flavored with cilantro, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and coriander.
How to Make Harira
This is a really easy one-pot meal that comes together faster than you think. Start by cooking the garlic and cilantro, then the heavier root veggies that take longer (carrot, parsnip, and celery). After a few minutes, you’ll add water, bring it to a boil, and add lentils and chickpeas. These need about 25 minutes to become perfectly tender before being joined by tomatoes and the remaining spices. See? Easy!
What to Serve with Harira Soup
Since it’s filled with veggies and lentils, and chickpeas this vegan soup is also a meal that can stand on its own. We especially love it as a filling lunch! You could also serve it with a pita or a thick, crusty slice of bread.
What Makes this Vegan Soup Great?
- It's a one-pot meal
- It's a hearty soup that can be served as a satisfying lunch or light dinner
- We loaded the soup with healthy root vegetables, chickpeas, and lentils
- The delicious warming spices add a pop flavor
- It's low calorie, yet filling
- It is absolutely delicious
- It is customizable, add your favorite veggies to suit your taste
Other Moroccan Recipes
- The Best Moroccan Carrot Salad
- Moroccan Vegetable Stew
- Moroccan Cinnamon Cookies
- Moroccan Harissa Raw Carrot Salad
- Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous
- Quick Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas
- Moroccan Lentil Soup
Did you like this Harira soup recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe or do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
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Moroccan Harira Soup (Vegan and Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 18 cups 1x
Description
Root vegetables, spices, chickpeas and lentils come together beautifully in this Moroccan inspired Harira soup, a nutritious and filling and one pot meal. Vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 medium-size bunch cilantro, thoroughly washed and chopped (about ½ cup, chopped)
- 2 large parsnips, diced (about 2 cups, diced)
- 1 medium celery root, diced (about 2 cups, diced), you can sub for regular celery, 2 turnips or one medium rutabaga
- 3 large carrots, sliced (about 2 cups, diced
- 8 cups water
- 1- 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup dry green, brown or red lentils, rinsed
- 1-28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1-28oz can tomato puree
- ½ tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and cilantro and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the diced parsnips, celery root and carrots, and cook for another 3 minutes
- Add the water, bring to a boil and add the lentils, chickpeas and salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, cumin, turmeric, coriander, black pepper and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to a quick boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for another 15-20 minutes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 162
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 446
- Fat: 3.6
- Saturated Fat: .5
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 7
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: harira, Moroccan, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, soup, spices
Seagoat Carter says
Reblogged this on Seagoat Carter.
Seagoat Carter says
Reblogged this on Seagoat Carter and commented:
Can't wait to make this
yassine says
my mom make a yaaaaaaaaaammy harira in marrakech, morocco
Vicky & Ruth says
It's great! Let us know how her recipe is different than ours. We are curious to know!
Pam says
Sounds yummy. We have sprouted lentils at the farmers' market, I would use those instead of dried lentils.
Joanna says
I just made it and it's out of this world! Thank you for posting it. I made some modifications: I used lamb meat broth instead of water, doubled the garlic, and used fresh blended tomatoes (about 5 I think).Oh, and added a pinch of cinnamon. It's funny how the recipe just popped on Facebook posted by naturalnews, it's just what I needed... quick check of my fridge for the ingredients and the soup was ready in 3o min! I love middle-eastern cuisine and absolutely love your blog girls. Lovely logo!
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Joanna, we love the changes you made to the soup!
Philip Fuscielllo says
Looks delish. Making it tomorrow! Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth says
Great! Let us know how you like it!
Laurie says
no onions?
Jorge says
What's the calorie count on this?
Vicky & Ruth says
We don't have a calorie count for this recipe but you can easily calculate it on http://nutritiondata.self.com
HS says
I have made this soup so many times over the last couple of years. Absolutely love it!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
We are so happy to hear that!! We love hearing when people try and love our recipe! 🙂
Mehal says
Hey
Amazing one pot dish. I tried it tonight. A must try and practice for dinners. 10 on 10
Vicky & Ruth says
🙂
Kiera says
What size pot did you use to make this?
Vicky & Ruth says
You can use a 12 cup pot or larger. Let us know how you liked the soup.
Robin says
I have a head of cauliflower and its time to be eaten . Can I use that as well
Vicky & Ruth says
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Donna Peemoller says
I made this soup tonight and it was a hit with my family who all had seconds. It was hardy without being rich, satisfying but not giving that stuffed feeling. The colors and favors are bright and fresh and the seasonings are just right. This recipe is a keeper.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Donna, we are so happy that your family enjoyed our Harira Soup Recipe.
Fareeda says
Okay, this soup is very delicious. I did not cook the coriander leaves, but used it as a garnish. I used fresh tomatoes, added some diced fresh ginger and a splash of fresh lemon juice. We ate it with slices of pumpernickel bread. The soup was even better tasting the next day. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much for sharing the changes you made to our Harira soup recipe. We love to see how our readers make our recipes their own.
cindy Faust says
Making it now for my Detroit family, best soup ever!
★★★★★
Latia says
This recipe is amazing, I have made it at least 5 times already. Thank you!
★★★★★
Rebeca says
I love one pot meals. This soup is so comforting and filling. Dont need anyrthing else to enjoy your dinner. Really satisfying.
★★★★★