Moroccan harira

Harira is the thick Moroccan soup of tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, a little meat and fresh herbs, thickened at the end with flour and water. Many Moroccan Jewish families break the Yom Kippur fast with it, and Muslims in Morocco eat it every evening of Ramadan.

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Dairy freeMeatAllergens:GlutenCelery

Updated

HariraIllustration
Time2 h 30 minCook 2 h · + Soak 12 h
Pot10 bowls3.5 litres
Per bowl315 kcal17.9 g protein · a 350 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪78for the pot, about ₪7.8 a bowl

The story of Harira

Harira is one of the soups most tied to Morocco, and it comes to the table when a fast ends: for Moroccan Jews on the evening after Yom Kippur, for Muslims at sunset on each day of Ramadan. The pot is cooked before the fast begins and reheated when it ends, with dates beside the bowl.

In Israel harira arrived with immigrants from Morocco, and on the night after Yom Kippur its smell drifts through many neighbourhoods. Every family keeps its own version, with or without meat, with noodles or rice, thickened with flour or egg, but the tomatoes, legumes and coriander stay.

What makes Harira itself

Harira is neither a tomato soup nor a legume soup but both at once. Tomatoes give acidity and a red base, lentils and chickpeas give body, and coriander, parsley and celery bring green colour and a fresh smell. What really defines it is the tadouira, a flour and water mixture poured in at the end that turns the soup velvety. Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper give gentle warmth without heat.

Harira for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
3.5litres in the pot
5Pot to use, litres
₪78Cost of the pot
₪7.8per bowl
315kcal per bowl
17.9g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
Meat and legumes
Lamb shoulder in 1.5 cm cubes (or beef chuck)400 g₪48
Dry chickpeas, soaked overnight200 g₪3.3
Brown or green lentils150 g₪2.4
Olive oil30 g₪1.6
Water2.5 l
Vegetables and herbs
Onions, finely chopped250 g · 2 pcs₪1.5
Celery stalks with leaves, chopped120 g · 3 pcs₪2.4
Chopped coriander40 g₪2.0
Chopped parsley40 g₪2.0
Ripe tomatoes, grated, or crushed tomatoes800 g₪9.9
Tomato paste40 g₪1.4
Spices
Turmeric4 g₪0.4
Ground dried ginger4 g₪0.1
Cinnamon2 g₪0.3
Black pepper3 g₪0.4
Salt20 g₪0.0
Thickening and finish
Broken vermicelli80 g₪1.2
Plain flour60 g₪0.4
Cold water for the tadouira400 ml
Lemon juice, to serve40 ml₪0.8
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Harira? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Harira has 90 calories per 100 ml. A 350 ml bowl made with our recipe has 315 calories: 17.9 g protein, 9 g fat and 33.6 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 225 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 400 g64 kcal per serving
  • 200 g73 kcal per serving
  • 150 g51 kcal per serving
  • 30 g27 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 3 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 40 g1 kcal per serving
  • 40 g1 kcal per serving
  • 800 g26 kcal per serving
  • 40 g6 kcal per serving
  • 4 g1 kcal per serving
  • 4 g0 kcal per serving
  • 2 g0 kcal per serving
  • 3 g1 kcal per serving
  • 20 g0 kcal per serving
  • 80 g30 kcal per serving
  • 60 g22 kcal per serving
  • 40 ml1 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Harira

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1
A side cup of cooked rice, about1823.50.3

How to make Harira

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas soaked overnight.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the meat, onion, celery and half the coriander and parsley, and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring.
  3. Add the turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and pepper, stir for a minute, then add the chickpeas and 2.5 litres of water.
  4. Bring to a boil, skim, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the chickpeas begin to soften.
  5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils and salt and cook for 45 to 50 minutes more, until the legumes are completely tender.
  6. Add the broken vermicelli and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Make the tadouira: whisk the flour with 400 ml cold water until smooth, then pour it in a thin stream into the simmering soup, stirring constantly.
  8. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring, until the soup thickens, turns velvety and loses any taste of flour.
  9. Add the rest of the herbs, adjust the salt and serve with lemon on the side.

The science of Harira

Kitchen science

Tadouira: how flour thickens soup

Starch granules in flour absorb water and swell from about 60 to 70 °C, forming a network that thickens the liquid. Dry flour dropped into hot soup swells on the outside at once and seals dry flour inside, which is how lumps form. Mixing it first with cold water separates every granule so they swell evenly.

Kitchen science

Why the flour cooks 10 more minutes

Undercooked starch leaves a raw flour taste and a grainy feel. A few minutes of simmering after the tadouira completes the swelling and removes the taste. Very long cooking starts to break the network down, and the soup thins a little.

Kitchen science

Chickpeas, tomatoes and acid

Legume cell walls are held together by pectin. An acidic environment like tomatoes slows the softening of pectin, so chickpeas that go in with the tomatoes may stay hard. That is why they cook with the meat for 45 minutes first.

Kitchen science

Why harira keeps thickening

Brown lentils keep their shape but release some starch, which with the noodles and flour keeps absorbing liquid after the heat is off. As the soup cools the starch re-forms into a tight network, so harira is almost solid in the fridge.

Harira in every kitchen

With lamb or beef

The classic: small cubes of lamb or beef shoulder that cook with the legumes from the start.

Vegetarian harira

No meat, olive oil and an extra handful of lentils, for homes that want a parve soup.

Egg-thickened

Instead of flour, eggs beaten with lemon juice are drizzled in at the end and set into fine threads.

With rice

A handful of rice instead of noodles, added 20 minutes before the end, for an even thicker soup.

Algerian

Algerian versions sometimes use frik, cracked green wheat, and some leave out lentils altogether.

Common Harira problems and how to fix them

My harira is lumpy

The flour went in dry or too fast. Whisk it smooth with cold water and pour in a thin stream while stirring. Existing lumps can be sieved out or blended with a stick blender.

The chickpeas stayed hard

They went in with the tomatoes, or the chickpeas are old. Next time give them 45 minutes before the tomatoes. If they are still hard, keep cooking before adding the tadouira.

The harira turned to porridge

Lentils, noodles and flour keep absorbing liquid. Add boiling water half a cup at a time until the soup runs off the spoon again, then adjust the salt.

The harira tastes of flour

The tadouira did not cook long enough. Simmer and stir for 5 to 10 minutes more.

The harira burned on the bottom

After the flour and noodles the soup is thick and settles. Stir from the bottom every minute or two over medium heat. If it already tastes burnt, move it to a clean pot without scraping the bottom.

Storing, freezing and reheating

4 days

In the fridge

3 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Harira thickens a lot as it cools. Reheat over medium heat, stirring, and add boiling water until it is soup again.

Nutrition of Harira

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 350 ml bowl31517.99.033.611.3
Our recipe, 100 ml905.12.69.63.2
Typical Harira, 100 g976.80.79.97.0

What the ingredients of Harira cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Lamb shoulder in 1.5 cm cubes (or beef chuck)₪119 per kg₪48Butcher
Ripe tomatoes, grated, or crushed tomatoes₪12 per kg₪9.9Supermarket
Dry chickpeas, soaked overnight₪16 per kg₪3.3Supermarket
Brown or green lentils₪16 per kg₪2.4Supermarket
Celery stalks with leaves, chopped₪6.9 each₪2.4Greengrocer
Chopped coriander₪4.9 each₪2Greengrocer
Chopped parsley₪4.9 each₪2Greengrocer
Olive oil₪53 per litre₪1.6Supermarket
Onions, finely chopped₪5.9 per kg₪1.5Greengrocer
Tomato paste₪35 per kg₪1.4Supermarket
Broken vermicelli₪15 per kg₪1.2Supermarket
Lemon juice, to serve₪20 per litre₪0.8Supermarket
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Plain flour₪5.9 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Turmeric₪86 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Cinnamon₪140 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Ground dried ginger₪35 per kg₪0.1Greengrocer
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Harira a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Harira

Serve in deep bowls with a lemon wedge and dates on the side, as at the end of a fast. Pita or soft bread completes the meal.

The cuisine behind Harira

Moroccan

Moroccan cuisine

Harira is one of the soups most tied to Morocco, and it comes to the table when a fast ends: for Moroccan Jews on the evening after Yom…

Moroccan cuisine

Harira in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 350 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
258.81₪194
50181₪388
100352₪775
200703₪1,550
5001757₪3,876

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Harira

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Harira

Order Harira for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

Why do Moroccan Jews eat harira after Yom Kippur?

It is a widespread custom: a hot, thick, gently spiced soup that suits the first course after a day of fasting, cooked before the fast and reheated after it.

What is tadouira?

A mixture of flour and cold water, sometimes with a little tomato paste, poured into harira at the end to thicken it.

Can I make harira without meat?

Yes. Leave out the meat, cook with olive oil and add another handful of lentils, and the soup is parve.

Can I thicken harira without flour?

Yes, with eggs beaten with lemon and drizzled in at the end, or with a handful of red lentils that dissolve as they cook. With rice instead of noodles it can be gluten free too.

Which lentils go into harira?

Brown or green lentils, which hold their shape. Red lentils dissolve and thicken, and some cooks add a few.

How long does harira cook?

About two hours: 45 minutes for the meat and chickpeas, 45 more with the tomatoes and lentils, and 20 minutes for the noodles and tadouira.

What is the difference between harira and Libyan shorba?

Harira is thickened with flour and full of lentils and chickpeas. Libyan shorba is lighter, with small pasta, dried mint and lemon.

How many calories are in Harira?

A 350 ml bowl of Harira made with our recipe has about 315 calories and 17.9 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 90 calories.

How much does it cost to make Harira at home?

A pot of 10 bowls costs about ₪78 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪7.8 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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