This Detox Soup recipe is the kind of comforting meal I crave when I need some extra nutrients in my life. It’s so hearty and delicious, I could eat it practically every day!
What Does a Detox Soup Do?
Let’s be clear: You can’t eat something and instantly “detox” your body, but you can take daily actions to naturally support your body’s detox organs, like the liver and kidneys.
This detox soup is a hearty and filling way to squeeze more anti-inflammatory foods into your day, without taking any drastic measures. You don’t have to eat it every day to see results, either, but you can, if you love it!
Here’s what you’ll love about this soup:
- It’s properly combined. Following food combining principles may help to streamline your digestion and reduce bloating, so it can leave you feeling more energized.
- This soup is low in calories. Since this is a broth-based soup, it’s low in calories, but is also loaded with fiber to help keep you feeling full.
- The ingredient list is simple. No need to shop for specialty ingredients! All you need is fresh veggies and herbs, affordable dry lentils, and some spices you probably already have on hand.
This soup recipe is also flexible, so if you don’t have all of the ingredients listed, feel free to swap them for what you do have. Zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, and more, will all be delicious in this soup.
Detox-Friendly Soup Ingredients
Why do I call it a detox soup? I’ve loaded this recipe with detox-friendly ingredients, to give you as much nutrition as possible, while also making it totally delicious.
Here’s what’s inside:
- Garlic. In one 12-week study, a daily garlic supplement was shown to significantly reduce cold symptoms by nearly 70% compared to a placebo group. Other studies suggest that garlic supplementation is also helpful with lowering blood pressure.
- Ginger. Ginger is thought to aid in digestion and reduce bloating, and research suggests that it may also help to lower blood sugar levels.
- Turmeric. Turmeric contains curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant that is thought to fight inflammation.
- Cilantro. Also known as coriander, this powerful herb may help with removing heavy metals from the body. Research suggests it may also help to improve memory and manage anxiety.
- Lentils. Lentils are rich in polyphenols, which may help to improve blood sugar. Lab tests also suggest that the polyphenols in lentils may help to slow or stop skin cancer growth.
- Lemon. Lemons are a source of vitamin C, providing about 31mg per lemon. (That’s about 51% of the reference daily intake (RDI).) Vitamin C may help to lower the risk of stroke and promote heart health.
Paired with flavorful veggies, including onion, celery, and carrots, this soup makes a delicious meal– one that even my 4-year-old daughter loves! (Although, she does pick out the cilantro pieces.)
How to Make It
The prep work on this detox soup is pretty minimal. Simply chop a few veggies, and you’re ready to start cooking it. I always start with the onions, carrots, and celery so they can start to soften up, then I add in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and thyme.
Garlic can burn quickly, so you’ll only need to stir the herbs for about 1 minute, until they smell fragrant. Immediately add in the water after that, so nothing will burn.
Add in the lentils and salt, and then bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover the pot with a lid.
You’ll want to cook the soup until the lentils are tender, which takes about 30 minutes. (If you add more salt, it can take longer for the lentils to cook, and if you omit the salt all together, they can cook a little faster.)
Once the lentils are tender, season with additional salt, and stir in the cilantro and lemon juice.
The herbs will wilt quickly in the hot soup. Adjust any seasoning to taste, then serve warm.
Ultimate Detox Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 carrots , chopped
- 3 celery stalks , chopped
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 inches fresh ginger , minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary)
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup dry green or brown lentils
- 2 teaspoons fine Himalayan salt , divided
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste)
Instructions
- In a large pot (I use a 6-quart one), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, and celery, and stir until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and thyme, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Immediately add in the water after that, so the garlic won't start to burn.
- Add in the lentils, 1 teaspoon of salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and let the soup cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
- When the lentils are tender, add in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, along with the cilantro and lemon juice. The cilantro will wilt quickly in the hot soup. Adjust any seasoning to taste, and serve warm.
- Leftover detox soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Need More Detox Recipes?
- Detox Juice
- Classic Detox Smoothie
- Blueberry Detox Smoothie
- The Best Detox Salad
- 2-Ingredient Detox Spaghetti
If you try this Detox Soup recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite go-to recipe when you want to feel better fast?
This soup was quick to prepare, had a lovely flavour and was a hearty, satisfying meal.
Flavorful and filling, I really enjoyed this soup. Next time I will cook the lentils longer though. Had it with some sourdough toast.
The cilantro is a must. It give a slight acidic flavor that is perfect. Great soup.
It can be done quickly and very flavorful.
The broth on this soup is so tangy and delicious. However, most of the broth was soaked up by the lentils. I do feel the lentils needed more flavor as I got bored eating them. Still a soup I would make again with maybe a few additions.
No lentils at store, so did not use lentils. Tasty, easy, healthy, so happy! Will make again! Felt light afterwards, not heavy. Was enough on it’s own for dinner, but I like light dinners. Thank you for recipe!
This soup is warm ahd comforting and would be a perfect sick day soup. I can see a few more pots of this in my future this winter.
Really nice blend of flavors, the ginger is just lovely!
Day4: Tasty, light, easy and nourishing one. Made it for dinner tonight. The only change i made to recipe was, i added roasted cumin powder to it and replaced water with veggie broth.
Super easy to make on any busy day.
The cilantro adds a fresh taste to a hearty soup that satisfies.
Great recipe!
Easy, delicious soup. The lemon peps up the flavor in the end.
Great soup!! Love all the flavors
So filling, easy to make. Great add to my soups
The soup in itself is filling and satisfying .But the name detox I am not completely convinced.Thats why four stars. When it comes to flavor nothing can beat ginger and turmeric.
I absolutely love that the soup is an anti inflammatory and helps digestion it also tasted good but I feel like it need another ingredient or two to add to the flavor other than that it was excellent.
Awesome, family loved it.
Like every recipe of yours that I try, this is solid! But also flexible enough that you can easily modify with what you have on hand. I prefer a little less broth, a little more ginger, and the addition of some hearty greens right before serving. This really hit the spot!
Thought this soup was just alright, but I forgot to add cilantro and lemon juice, so maybe it would’ve added more flavor?
Love this soup. easy to make. Never thought about how “food combining” as a principal to good nutrition. And the fact you can add other veggies to it as well. I think some fire roasted tomatoes would be a good item to add to to the mix.
Really, really good! Will definitely make this again!!
A delicious and very hearty soup
Loved this! Even my picky eaters liked it. Will definitely make this again.
Great taste. I like having the ginger in there, I never would have thought to put ginger in a recipe like this. I only had split green peas, so had to use that. Worked fine.
Really great soup. Filling a keeper
I was surprised that I liked this one, but I did! Found it very comforting, with the following changes: broth instead of water and double garlic.
Just like the name says— detox soup. It was very mild flavored, which is exactly what I needed to give my tastebuds a reset. The lemon was nice, but I liked adding pesto even more.
My family and I loved this soup! My adult stepson, a junk food junkie, rated it 10 stars then came back and said not 10 but 12 stars!
It went together fast and easy, especially since I put it in the Instant Pot. I sauteed the onions, carrots, and celery then sealed the valve and set it for ‘soup’. It was convenient and so good! I topped it with the pesto as suggested.
I loved this soup, especially the kick from the garlic, turmeric & ginger.I have some issues digesting lentils, so my dietitian recommended sprouted lentils. I also used vegetable broth.
Loved it. Super delicious
The soup was a surprise. It is delicious and with a hint of spice. My husband is not a fan of lentils but this soup won him over. Highly recommend it. It’s doesn’t taste like a detox sou, it’s a delicious soup.
This soup was just delicious! I used water, but could see how broth would be extra tasty. I used a drop of essential oil instead of fresh cilantro, which I didn’t have. Also I didn’t have enough Thyme, so added a drop of essential oil there, too. I added a spoonful of pesto before serving and that really took it over the top! I just loved it!
Excellent! I can’t believe how much flavor, with no canned (etc.) broth. I will be making this often.
Love this soup! So simple, yet the flavors are really complex.
Love it
Delicious! Thanks for the information on this soup. I will make this again. Easy to make and so good.
This soup satisfied me and I felt very healthy eating it. Will definitely make it again.
Delicious. It hit the spot and has so many healthy ingredients. This will definitely be added to the rotation.
5 star. Slamming good. With the fresh cilantro there is no need to mix in the topping of vegan pesto. Lovely fresh taste.
My husband just gave this a 97% rating, which sounds like 5 stars to me. He keeps a very clean diet, but not a clean as mine. For me I added chunks of butternut squash. For him, I added rotisserie chicken. It wasn’t that the recipe needed it; I just had things in the fridge to use up.
It is uncanny how such a simple recipe can be so very good for us and taste so “husband friendly”.. There is no doubt praise due is for a genius recipe artist.
Amazing flavors. Light yet warm and satisfying for a cool fall or spring day. Loved it.
I just couldn’t do the cilantro. I tried to convince myself but 1 cup seemed like a lot. Maybe one day I’ll build up the nerve.
I really liked this soup. It reminded me of a barley vegetable soup. I really liked the texture and the lemon & cilantro really brightened it up. Might add some parsley and a pinch of cayenne pepper next time I make it to add some more detox benefits.
Yummy! The lemon and cilantro make this soup!
The best detox soup I’ve tasted yet, love the cilantro and lemon,so good, definitely will be a permanent soup recipe in me kitchen. Thank you!
This was delicious and very flavorful!! I didn’t have dried thyme or fresh ginger, so I used high quality, food-grade essential oils. It was a total winner!!
Delicious recipe! I love how it is so light and refreshing. I made it with veggie broth instead of water for a little boost.
Love this detox soup! Even my toddler approved! I didn’t have the green lentils so I threw in a mixture of red and brown lentils as well as green and yellow split peas. I love the addition of lemon juice as vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron in this soup! Great recipe
Awesome- loved this soup!
I LOVED this soup. It had really great, fresh flavor. It was one of my favorites so far in the soup challenge.
I loved this soup; it was so delicious you wouldn’t realize how healthy it is!
Loved the flavors, the only thing was the texture of the lentils. They tended to get mushy.