8 Moroccan Soups to Keep You Warm This Winter

When the weather turns cold in Morocco, the soup pot comes out. Harira, bissara, barley soup, lentils, a simple rice soup with milk: they’re cheap, filling, and most of them are made from things already sitting in the pantry. Many are eaten for breakfast as well as dinner.

Here are 8 Moroccan soups that get families through the winter, what goes into each one, and our recipes where we have them.

Moroccan soups at a glance

Soup	Main ingredients	When it’s eaten	Meat-free?
Harira	Tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, herbs	Ramadan, winter evenings	Can be
Bissara	Dried fava beans or split peas, olive oil, cumin	Breakfast, lunch	Yes
Hssoua belboula	Barley grits, water or milk	Breakfast, light dinner	Yes
Chorba dchicha	Cracked wheat or barley, tomatoes, ginger, pepper	Dinner	Can be
Rice soup with milk	Rice, olive oil, milk	Breakfast, dinner	Yes
Lentils (l’adas)	Lentils, tomatoes, garlic, cumin	Lunch, dinner	Yes
Loubia	White beans in tomato sauce	Breakfast, lunch	Yes
Vegetable soup	Carrots, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin	Dinner	Yes

1. Harira

The queen of Moroccan soups. Tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas simmer with fresh cilantro, parsley, celery, spices and usually a little meat, and a mix of flour and water goes in at the end to make it thick and silky. It’s the soup that breaks the fast in almost every home during Ramadan, served with dates, boiled eggs and chebakia, but it’s just as welcome on a cold winter night. Ramadan 2027 is expected around February 8, so winter is a good time to practice.

Make it with our Moroccan harira recipe, and read more about its history on Wikipedia.

2. Bissara

Dried fava beans or split peas, cooked with garlic until they fall apart, then blended until smooth and finished with a good pour of olive oil, cumin and paprika. In the north of Morocco it’s sold as street food on cold mornings. At home it’s breakfast, lunch or a light dinner, always with bread for dipping. It’s cheap, filling and naturally vegan.

Our bissara recipe shows you how, and Wikipedia has a bit of background on the dish.

3. Hssoua belboula (barley soup)

Belboula are barley grits, and hssoua is the smooth, porridge-like soup made from them. The barley simmers in water with a little olive oil and salt until it turns creamy, and some families finish it with milk and a knob of butter, others with more olive oil and a pinch of cumin. It’s the soup people make when someone has a cold or an upset stomach, and it’s a common winter breakfast.

4. Chorba dchicha (cracked wheat or barley soup)

Dchicha means cracked grains, usually wheat or barley. For this soup they cook in a tomato broth with onions, herbs, a little meat or none at all, and plenty of ginger and black pepper, which gives it a gentle warming heat. It thickens as it sits, so leftovers need a splash of water when you reheat them. “Chorba” is the word used for this kind of soup across North Africa (here’s more on chorba).

5. Rice soup with milk

This one is simple and very comforting. Rice cooks in water with olive oil, salt and pepper, then a little flour thickens it and milk goes in at the end so it turns soft and creamy. Kids love it, and it’s great for breakfast on a cold morning.

Here’s our rice soup recipe.

6. Lentils (l’adas)

Moroccan lentils sit somewhere between a soup and a stew. Brown or green lentils cook slowly with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin and paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil goes on top. It’s one of the cheapest and most common winter meals in Morocco, eaten straight from the pot with bread.

7. Loubia (white bean stew)

Like lentils, loubia is more stew than soup, but it earns its place here. Small white beans simmer in a spiced tomato sauce with garlic and cumin until they’re soft and saucy. A lot of people eat it for breakfast at little neighborhood shops before work. Our loubia recipe is vegan and very easy.

8. Vegetable soup

Most Moroccan homes also have a simple vegetable soup in the rotation: carrots, potatoes, zucchini, turnips or pumpkin, simmered with onion and herbs and then blended smooth or left chunky. Some families add a handful of vermicelli. It’s the soup for using up whatever vegetables are left at the end of the week.

Tips for making Moroccan soups

• Olive oil goes on at the end. A drizzle of good olive oil on top of bissara, lentils or hssoua makes a big difference. Add it after cooking, not before.
• Keep cumin on the table. Many people sprinkle extra cumin on their bowl, the same way you’d add pepper.
• Grain soups thicken as they sit. Harira, hssoua and dchicha all soak up liquid. Add a splash of water when you reheat them.
• Make a big pot. Most of these soups keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge (see the FoodSafety.gov storage chart) and bean and lentil soups freeze well. Soups with milk are best eaten fresh.

What to serve with Moroccan soup

Bread, always. A round of khobz is the classic, but msemen is a treat with harira. With harira you’ll also see dates, boiled eggs and chebakia, especially during Ramadan. Many of these soups are also part of a winter Moroccan breakfast.

Moroccan soup FAQ

What is the most popular soup in Morocco?

Harira. It’s served every evening during Ramadan and all through the winter, and almost every family has its own version.

Are Moroccan soups vegetarian?

Many are. Bissara, hssoua, rice soup, lentils, loubia and vegetable soup are usually meat-free, and harira and chorba can easily be made without meat.

Do Moroccans eat soup for breakfast?

Yes, especially in winter. Bissara, hssoua and leftover harira are all common breakfasts. Here’s what Moroccans eat during Ramadan too, when soup is the first thing on the table at sunset.

Can I freeze Moroccan soups?

Bean, lentil and tomato-based soups freeze well for about 3 months. For harira, freeze it before adding the flour and water thickener if you can. Soups made with milk don’t freeze as well.

Which Moroccan soup is easiest for beginners?

Rice soup or bissara. Both need only a few ingredients and very little prep.

Pick one, make a big pot, and have bread ready. That’s winter in Morocco. For more ideas, see our list of famous foods in Morocco.