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Moroccan · Maghrebi · Algerian

Harira

Non-vegetarian

الحريرة · al-ḥarīra

A thick soup of lamb, tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas fragrant with ginger, cinnamon and fresh herbs, silkened with a flour-and-water slurry. Traditionally served to break the fast in Ramadan.

Harira is a Moroccan soup from Morocco, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with lamb shoulder, canned tomatoes and green or brown lentils. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Harira
Photo: Kattusa24 / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 20 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
242

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the lamb lightly. Add the onion (opens in a new tab), celery (opens in a new tab), spices and half the herbs and cook for 5 minutes.

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomatoes, tomato paste (opens in a new tab), lentils and water. Bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered until the lamb and lentils are tender.

    • 50 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Simmer until the lamb is cooked through and tender.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the chickpeas (opens in a new tab), salt and vermicelli and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vermicelli is tender.

    • 10 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour with 200 ml cold water until smooth. Pour it into the simmering soup in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook for 10 minutes until the soup is velvety. Stir in the remaining herbs.

    Keep stirring after adding the slurry so it does not catch on the bottom.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Serve in bowls with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges and dates (opens in a new tab).

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Maghreb, Morocco · Commonly attributedMost closely associated with Morocco; versions are also made in Algeria.Also popular in AlgeriaMore food from Morocco
Dish
Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, tangy, herby
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Carb-conscious
With the listed swaps: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Batch cooking · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Lamb shoulder · Canned tomatoes · Green or brown lentils · Onion · Celery · Ground ginger
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, dried pasta
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, dried pasta
  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

242 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 420 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 38%
  • Fat 43%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy242 kcal58 kcal
Protein11.8 g2.8 g
Carbohydrate23.8 g5.7 g
Net carbohydrate18.4 g4.4 g
Sugars4 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.4 g1.3 g
Fat11.8 g2.8 g
Saturated fat3.7 g0.9 g
Trans fat0.4 g0.1 g
Cholesterol19 mg4 mg
Sodium755 mg180 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
449 mg
Calcium
84 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
39 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
49 µg
Vitamin C
15 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: dried pasta, lemon, dates.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Some cooks add a beaten egg in a thin stream at the end for extra richness.

Common mistakes

  • Pouring in the flour slurry all at once without stirring — it forms lumps.

Serve with

  • At iftar with dates, hard-boiled eggs and chebakia (sesame-honey pastries).

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently, stirring and thinning with water — it thickens as it stands.

Variations

  • Vegetarian harira: Omit the meat and use vegetable stock.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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