Harira is a classic Moroccan lentil and chickpea soup with fresh herbs and loads of warm spices. This satisfying vegetarian soup is even better the next day, so it is the perfect make-ahead pot to feed a little crowd. I typically serve it with lemon slices and warm pita bread.
What is harira?
Harira soup is a hearty tomato-based Moroccan soup made with legumes like lentils and chickpeas, fresh herbs, and warm spices including turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. It is typically thickened with broken vermicelli pasta or rice. This tasty lentil and chickpea soup is served in Morocco and other parts of North Africa anytime of the year, but it is especially associated with the month of Ramadan and is served most often to break the fast.
Harira, pronounced hah-ree-rah, gets its name from the Arbic word حرير”harir” which literally means silk, a fitting description of its velvety texture. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Vegetarian harira
One of the things I love about this popular soup is that there are many variations of it, depending on what legumes you have on hand. I used a combination of green lentils, red lentils, and chickpeas (canned chickpeas are a great shortcut option). I took some liberties by adding things like celery and carrots (the carrots are a nice idea because they add a subtle sweetness). And in place of vermicelli pasta, I used long grain rice (or basmati rice) which makes this recipe gluten free.
Harira soup is not always vegetarian, many recipes incorporate small chunks of boneless lamb. I might try that option sometime, but like my black eyed peas recipe, red lentil soup, and many other bean dishes we eat on the Mediterranean diet, this is another dinner that is hearty and satisfying without the addition of meat.
This harira recipe is even better the next day when the flavors have had time to meld. It will get pretty thick as it sits in the fridge, but you can just add a little bit of liquid as your warm up your leftover harira soup.
The spices
The decidedly warm North African flavors in this harira soup recipe is what makes it different from another lentil soup or chickpea soup. Here are the spices I used:
- Ground turmeric
- Ground cumin
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground black pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne (Tip: you can skip the cayenne and stir in a little bit of homemade harissa paste. It’s next level delicious!)
How to make harira: Step-by-Step
(scroll down for the print-friendly recipe and complete ingredient list)
- Cook onions, celery, and carrots
Garb a large pot or Dutch oven (this is the one I use) and cook up the chopped onions, celery and carrots in a bit of extra virgin olive oil until softened a bit (about 5 minutes). Season with kosher salt and add the garlic and spices and cook another minute or so (your kitchen will smell amazing)
- Add the tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas
At this point, add in the tomatoes (crushed tomatoes from a can), tomato paste (this really amps up the flavor and gives the soup some good color), both green and red lentils, and drained chickpeas (I used chickpeas from a can). Add the chopped cilantro, and if you do end up using some harissa paste, this is where you stir it in. Add a pinch of kosher salt and give everything a good stir to combine. - Add the liquid and cook
You can use low sodium vegetable or chicken stock (7 cups, or more if you like it more brothy). Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover and let simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and very tender (about 45 minutes). Make sure to check the soup occasionally to adjust the liquid; it will get thick but you want to make sure you can still pour it (plan to add a little bit of water or more stock and adjust the salt as needed).
At this point, stir in the rice (or broken vermicelli) and cook another 15 minutes. - Serve with Lemon Wedges
Don’t underestimate that fresh squeeze of lemon to wake all the earthy and deep flavors in this soup up! Cut up one or two lemons into wedges and have those available next to the soup.
You don’t need much else to serve next to this hearty soup, but a little warm pita bread won’t hurt.
Leftovers
Allow the soup to cool off before storing. Pour leftovers in tight-lid containers and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Remember, this lentil and chickpea soup will thicken as it sits in the fridge; it is the nature of legumes. You can add a little bit of water to loosen the soup as you warm it through. Warm over medium heat, stirring regularly.
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Harira Recipe
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- Kosher salt
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 14- ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 14- ounce can chickpeas
- 7 cups vegetable or chicken stock, preferably low-sodium
- ¼ cup long grain rice, rinsed or ¼ cup broken vermicelli
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven, heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until softened.
- Add the garlic and spices and cook for a couple of 1 to 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, cilantro, lentils (both green and red), and chickpeas. Add a dash more kosher salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add the broth and raise the heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or until the legumes are fully cooked and very tender (check occasionally and plan to add more stock or water. The soup will be thick, but it should not be too thick that you cannot pour it. Make sure to adjust the salt as you add more liquid.)
- Stir in the rice and cook for another 15 or until the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- Homemade harissa paste makes a great addition to flavor this soup. If you have it, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons in step # 3
- Leftover and storage: Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer to tight-lid containers and store in the fridge. If stored properly, it will keep for 3 to 4 days. This soup will get pretty thick as it sits in the fridge, you can add a little water as you warm it through. Warm over medium heat, stirring regularly.
- Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including lentils, olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
looks good
What is your opinion of using Hawaij as a seasoning for the soup. I just bought a bottle of New York Shuk Hawaij and I think it would work well. However, I want an expert’s opinion.
Hi, Stuart. A lot of the spices in Hawaij are similar to what we use in this recipe, so I can see it working well here. It’s just not something we’ve tried ourselves. Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a go!
Absolutely delish! We included some beef for stew because my partner needs extra protein, but it is certainly not necessary for a delightful stew. In the past, I have made the mistake of using chicken broth in similar recipes, and the chicken flavor just overwhelms everything good here. Vegetable stock lets all the flavors stand out nicely. The only other change I made was to finish with a spoonful of capers instead of a squeeze of lemon. This recipe is immediately entering the KEEPERS file….. Yum!!!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Lindsay!
Delish!! Hits the spot.
I used 1/2 tsp chili flakes in place of harissa.
Thank you for this!
Great recipe but the time listed in the summary is very inaccurate. Cook time is actually 1.5 hrs not the 45 min that’s listed, needs to be updated.
Hi there!
Question about the harissa paste, when do you add it in?
Thanks!
K
Hello! You add it in with the tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas.
Well balanced and tasty. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this recipe following it exactly, and it came out way too hot (and I like hot/spicy food!)
1.5 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp cayenne set this dish ablaze. The taste is great, but the heat makes it almost inedible.
Tasty, but it had too much lentils for me. Didn’t taste the celery.
Also you did not mention at which step to add Harrisa paste. Is it instead of the tomatoe paste?
Also the cooking time noted in recipe required and extra 30 minutes.
It made quite a lot of soup. Next time will half it.
Can I freeze the soup? Thank you Deb
Hi, Deb. You can add the harrisa paste in the same step at the tomato paste if you’d like to include it. And, yes, it can be frozen.
Thank you
One of my favourite recipes! I pinned it months ago and have made it over and over. Decided it was finally time to leave a comment to say WOW, you really knew what you were doing with this one!! 👌🏻🔥
Awwww! Thanks so much, Stephanie!
SO GOOD. Basically everything I love in Mediterranean cooking. The spices are just so delicious and wonderful. I followed the recipe as is, except I used 2 cups green lentils because I couldn’t find red lentils, and I used about 2 oz (half a box) of rice noodles, which didn’t really require any cook time. I ended up adding 2 cups of water during the simmering process. For anyone tracking calories, it ended up making about 14.5 cups, with each cup being about 200 calories by my calculation. So so delicious, will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for sharing, Emily!
Hi Suzy, we made this as is and it was TERRIFICE. If one wanted to add a meat protean (chicken, etc) which would you recommend and how / when would you incorporate it?
Hello! So glad you enjoy this one. I have actually not tried incorporating meat with this one, so it’s a bit hard to advise. I feel like it’s soup is VERY hearty as-is. I prefer to serve it with a salad for a solid meatless dinner :).
Hi HeyJoe,
I love this dish and my family like to think there is some meat ! I cook it a bit slow ( sometimes in the slow cooker ) and add either an Osso Bucco or a lamb shank – I try to keep it mostly meatless so I just add one ( a largish one ) for a bit of meat and flavour.
The rice you’re stirring in at the end, is that pre-cooked or is it raw and then the 15 mins it simmers is the cooking time for it?
Hi, Alexis. The rice is not pre-cooked. Yes, it will cook as it simmers in the last 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Yet another fantastic recipe from The Mediterranean Dish! This has been my lunch at work for the past week. It really does get better the next day. I didn’t have cilantro at home so I used parsley instead. A perfect soup during these cold New England winter months!
This soup was amazing. It tasted wonderful and made my house smell even better! I served this with a hunk of whole grain bread and the only change I made is that I used Farro in place of the rice.
My only critique is that the cooking time is off pretty significantly. With the 45 minute simmer, 5 min boil, 5 min onion saute and 15 min rice cook. It’s closer to 1.5 hours of cook time.
That being said. Loved this recipe and will definitely make it again.
Thanks for the feedback, Todd!
Totally agree with this. Making it now and I was super disappointed when I saw 45 minutes of cook time and then dinner was ready 15 minutes late because of the rice. Smells amazing though!
This is delicious and really doesn’t take long to cook at all. It has the consistency of a stew or chili and I will make it again because its that good! I froze more then half of it because we are just two people here and will have it for lunch and supper! I didn’t have fresh carrots so I put half a bag of sliced frozen at the end while it came to a boil. That worked!