Mexican Red Lentil Stew is an easy recipe that’s always a hit, and this delicious red lentil stew is vegan and gluten-free! Of course lentils have some carbs, but they also have fiber so if you check the nutritional information this might be lower in net carbs than you’re thinking.

PIN this tasty Red Lentil Stew to make it later!

This amazing Mexican Red Lentil Stew is a dish I made regularly when I used to have a soup party every year, and everyone would gobble it up and go back for more. And even though I didn’t mind the original photos for this dish, recently I was glad to update them with better ones when I had the chance.

When I looked at the notes for the original post, I noticed the soup was adapted from this recipe from Budget Bytes, who adapted it from Andrea Meyers, so you can tell the recipe has had a lot of fans!

I love red lentils in soup because they cook quickly and dissolve into the soup more quickly than regular lentils, and in this soup the lentils are seasoned with turmeric, ground cumin, and chile powder. Those spices plus the combination of lime and cilantro makes this soup a winner for me.

I eat mine with a dollop of sour cream, but if you skip the sour cream this tasty soup is vegan. I hope you’ll try it if you like these ingredients!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Can you use other types of lentils for this lentil stew recipe?

I encourage you to use red lentils for this stew, both for the flavor but also for the way they dissolve much more quickly than regular brown or green lentils when they’re used in soup. But if that’s just not happening at your house, I’m sure regular brown lentils will still be tasty.

What gives the Mexican flavors in this Red Lentil Stew?

Ground cumin, ground Ancho chile peppers, Green Tabasco Sauce, and lime juice all give this lentil stew a Mexican vibe!

What if you don’t want cilantro in the Red Lentil Stew?

I do understand that cilantro doesn’t taste good to some people, and if you’re someone with the anti-cilantro tastebuds I would use thinly-sliced green onion instead.

How to Make Mexican Red Lentil Stew:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. The recipe starts by bringing the lentils and water to a boil, then letting the lentils sit covered for 30 minutes.
2. While the lentils are pre-cooking in the hot water, saute chopped onions and celery in olive oil for a few minutes, then add Minced Garlic and cook a bit more. Add ground Turmeric, ground cumin, and ground Ancho chile and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
3. Then add the vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, and hot sauce, and let simmer.
4. When lentils have cooked in the hot water for 30 minutes, add the softened lentils and water to the soup pot and cook about 15-30 minutes more, until lentils are soft.
5. At this point the soup isn’t too much in the looks department, but your kitchen will be smelling wonderful.
6. Taste and see if you want to add salt, pepper, or any more hot sauce.
7. While soup cooks, chop up a good-sized bunch of cilantro. (I used a whole cup of chopped cilantro, but you could get by with less.)
8. When lentils are soft and starting to dissolve into the soup, add the lime juice and cilantro (or thinly-sliced green onion) and cook about 5 minutes more.
9. Serve with more limes to squeeze into the stew if desired. This is good with a dollop of sour cream or vegan sour cream substitute.

More Soup or Stew with Lentils:

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Mexican Red Lentil Stew recipe is a great main dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although dried beans and lentils are limited to a small serving for Phase One. It’s a bit high in carbs for a traditional low-carb diet plan, but lentils do have some fiber so the net carbs might be lower than you think; check the nutritional information above.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup and Stew Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This red lentil stew with Mexican flavors was first posted in 2010. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

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Moroccan Chickpea Stew is a recipe that came from a reader named Paula, and it’s a meatless dish with chickpeas, red lentils, and spices. I don’t know if Paula’s chickpea stew recipe is authentically Moroccan, but it’s definitely delicious!

PIN Moroccan Chickpea Stew to try it later.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew is a recipe I got by e-mail from a reader named Paula B.  And the minute I read the recipe, there was no doubt I was going to make it. Not only did it sound like a perfect combination of flavors, but two of my favorite meatless ingredients are chickpeas and lentils. And I’d just gotten a big bag of red lentils from Whole Foods, so it seemed like an omen when the recipe arrived.

Paula called this a Moroccan stew although I’m not sure if it’s an authentic Moroccan recipe. But it’s aromatic and spicy with a blend of interesting ingredients that come together perfectly.

Paula said she eats the Moroccan Chickpea Stew with a dollop of sour cream (again, probably not Moroccan, but highly recommend it!) I ate mine over brown rice, and this was one of the best meatless dinners I’d had for a long time.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

Are red lentils a must for Moroccan Chickpea Stew?

If you’re thinking of using brown lentils for this, please try to find the red lentils. Not only are they beautiful, but they’re much softer than other lentils and dissolve more easily to make a perfectly thickened stew. If you do need to use brown lentils, they will need to cook a bit longer.

Is this Chickpea Stew an authentic Moroccan Recipe?

I’ve actually been to Morocco which was such a fascinating place, but I still can’t say for sure if Paula is correct in calling this a Moroccan recipe. When I googled it I did find similar recipes called Moroccan all over the web, but I’m not claiming it’s an authentically Moroccan dish.

Is Moroccan Chickpea Stew a healthy dish?

Lentils and chickpeas both have some carbs, but they also have fiber so this tasty stew with Moroccan flavors has about 23 net carb (and about 10 grams of protein) per serving without the brown rice.

How to Make Moroccan Chickpea Stew:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot, then gently saute the onions, garlic, ginger, and ground turmeric for about 7 minutes.
2. Then add chopped celery, garam masala, ground cardamom, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin and cook 3-4 minutes more, or until spices become very aromatic and celery is just starting to soften.
3. The beautiful red lentils that dissolve into the stock become the base of this stew. They turn more of a yellowish color when they’re cooked.
4. Add chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can chickpeas, and the red lentils, and let the stew start to simmer.
5. Once it starts to bubble, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover pan, and cook 45-60 minutes (or even a bit longer, depending on how fully dissolved you’d like the lentils to be.) I wanted to keep some texture, but cooked mine for about 60 minutes so the lentils were about half-dissolved.
6. Serve Moroccan Chickpea Stew over rice or brown rice if desired. I love this with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt as well.

Make it a Meatless Meal:

If you eat the Moroccan Chickpea Stew with brown rice, it could easily be a one-dish bowl meal. But if you want to add a side dish, this would taste good with Roasted Pepper Salad, Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad, or Broccoli Salad with Feta and Almonds.

More Tasty Chickpeas or Red Lentils:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Moroccan Chickpea Stew has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you eat Moroccan Chickpea Stew plain (without rice) this dish would be approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. I ate mine over brown rice, which would make it phase 2 or 3 for South Beach.  This is probably too high in carbs for a stricter low-carb eating plan, although chickpeas and lentils both have quite a bit of fiber.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stews for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
A reader named Paula sent me this recipe for a chickpea stew with Moroccan flavors, and it was posted on the blog in 2009! It was last updated with more information in 2025.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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