Best Lentil Soup
This healthy lentil soup recipe comes together quickly with pantry ingredients. Simple spices, fresh greens and a squeeze of lemon make it the best! Vegan.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 3, 2024
This soup recipe was a long time coming! Over the years, I made some lackluster lentil soups that never saw the light of day on this website. No vegetarian food blog would be complete without a proper lentil soup, though, so I perfected one of my own.
Here it is. My lentil soup is made with mostly pantry ingredients but includes hearty greens and a squeeze of lemon for bright, fresh flavor. It’s seasoned with a few of my favorite spices and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Honestly, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.
The original title of this recipe was “Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup,” which is accurate, but a mouthful. With over 500 five-star reviews, I think it’s safe to call this the Best Lentil Soup. Period.
Whether you’re looking to lighten up your meals or warm up with a steaming bowl of soup, this healthy lentil soup recipe is for you! It’s one of my all-time favorites and I hope it becomes a staple in your kitchen as well.
How to Make the Best Lentil Soup
Five reasons to love this recipe:
- The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients, but tastes gourmet.
- This lentil soup has an amazing hearty texture that’s lightly creamy (yet there is no cream). The trick is to blend up a portion of the soup once the lentils are tender, and then pour it back into the pot. It’s like magic.
- This nutritious, well-balanced soup counts as a meal if you enjoy a generous portion. Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, iron and folate.
- Lentil soup packs well for lunch in a leak-proof container, and it tastes even better the next day.
- This soup freezes and defrosts well. Make soup now and enjoy it later!
Watch How to Make Lentil Soup
Please let me know how this lentil soup turns out for you in the comments. I’m always so eager to hear from you.
If you love this soup, check out my hearty vegetarian chili, favorite black bean soup and pinto posole. You can check out all my soup and stew recipes here.
Don’t miss my lentil minestrone recipe in my cookbook—if you’re a fan of this soup, you’re going to love it.
Best Lentil Soup
This simple vegan lentil soup recipe comes together quickly with mostly pantry ingredients. Be sure to have your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking! Recipe yields four large bowls of soup, or six more modest servings.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ to 1 medium lemon), to taste
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. One-fourth cup olive oil may seem like a lot, but it adds a lovely richness and heartiness to this nutritious soup.
- Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, in order to enhance their flavor.
- Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.
- Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Securely fasten the lid, protect your hand from steam with a tea towel placed over the lid, and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the puréed soup back into the pot. (Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.)
- Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
- Serve while hot. Leftovers will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for several months (just defrost before serving).
Notes
Soup recipe roughly based on America’s Test Kitchen’s lentil soup in The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, with reference to The First Mess’ favourite lentil soup.
Recommended equipment: I love my Vitamix blender and Le Creuset 5.5-quart Dutch oven (affiliate links).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m so so so obsessed with this recipe!! It is by far my favorite homemade (or not homemade!) soup, I just about make it monthly. I can eat it for days and I never get tired of it- actually, I look forward to it everyday! It’s warm and cozy for the winter season but in the warmer months, i love adding lemon juice on top for a good summery vibe.
We made this tonight and it was wonderful! My only adaption was I had a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes so I supplemented with 14oz tomato sauce. It was so good and healthy! Easy to make, too. Thank you! (Husband served his over rice, and the rest of us had rye bread with vegan butter with it.)
Thank you so much for the comment and review, Laurel! That sounds like a perfect, cozy dinner!
Easy, simple, and delicious. I doubled the recipe and kept the oil the same amount (still was great). I’ve made this twice already. Thank you!
Thanks, Maegan!
Sooooo good. This will be in regular menu rotation at our house! Really filling and enjoyed it every day for lunch this week.
Thank you for the comment and review, Dawn! I’m glad you enjoyed the soup.
Love this recipe! Made a batch ladt weekend and have been eating it for breakfast every day. I used spinach instead of collared greens (because that’s what was in my fridge), and skipped the puree steps due to laziness, but your suggested combination of flavors and spices is definitely a winner! Think I will be making more tomorrow.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment and star review!
I love this soup. Have made it several times…delicious! The lemon really kicks it up.
Hi, Donna! I am so thrilled to hear you love the soup. Thank you for the kind words, and I would always welcome a star review, if you’re willing! :)
Hi Kate, just wanted to say that I love your recipes! Everything I have done from here has been a success with my hungry husband and non vegetarian side of the family. Watching my dad have seconds on a vegetarian lasagna was priceless. Can’t wait to cook this soup for him. Best to you, thanks for sharing:)
Love this recipe. I have made it several times and it is so flavourful! I gets even better leftover! Making again this evening.
Making this tomorrow! Your enchilada sauce and healthy granola are my favourite recipes ever. We can’t get lemons here in Bogotá, Colombia, except for one month in December (and yes, it kills me) so I think I’ll sub with lime juice.
This lentil soup recipe looks amazing! I’m going to try it tonight. Quick question – do you have to puree it? The pics accompanying the recipe make it look like it wasn’t pureed. I ask because I prefer a chunkier soup, and I recently made a lentil bolognese sauce which was supposed to be blended. It was delicious pre-blending and then turned into a thick chunky paste after blending, so I’m now wary of blending lentils. Thank you for your reply in advance!
I just made 6x this recipe for a big crowd. It was so easy and a big hit. I added spinach in addition to kale at the end just because I needed to use some up and didn’t use as much canned tomato because, well, that’s a lot of canned tomatoes x6 and I just didn’t have enough. I also added some preserved lemon, which is also easy to make and keep in the back of the fridge and I like to try adding it to savory recipes like this. I served it with a green salad and crusty bread.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing Joe. :)
Delicious soup, definitely a keeer! I did not have curry on hand but improvised with turmeric, paprika, and more cumin.
Great to hear, Paula! Improvising works great and those sound like great ways to still get the spice. Thank you for your review.
made a double recipe! And, ohh it is perfect. I used Rosemary instead of tyme. Will make agaon and again :)
Having leftovers is the best! Thank you, Lisa for sharing.
You weren’t kidding about this being the Best Lentil Soup! I put it in my Instant Pot for 15 minutes, and then added the greens, and it was perfect!
Great! Thanks for sharing how this worked in your instapot.
OMG; BEST LENTIL SOUP EVER!!!! My new favorite winter soup to make!!! Spices are amazing and simmering them really enhances the flavor! So grateful!!! Yummy!!!
This made me smile how excited you are about this soup. That’s great! Thanks for your review.
Made this soup tonight–a very cold night in Boston! Another recipe from your blog that did not disappoint. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Lauren. And thank you!
I love a recipe that is simple and yet so flavourful and satisfying! Thanks for this one. I doubled the spices and omitted the greens because I didn’t have any on hand – turned out delicious with lots for leftovers (my fav). I’ll be sure to make again.
The leftovers are the best! Thank you, Morgan for sharing.
I have made this several times and it’s easily become my favorite soup ever! I can’t get enough of that delicious broth. I use half regular and half hot curry powder since we like it spicy, and sometimes I’ll throw in black beans or chickpeas. Thank you SO much for this amazing recipe!!
It’s a classic one! You’re very welcome. I’m glad you really like it!
This recipe is amazing! My son ate it without any complaints. Thanks for sharing
Hooray! That is great, Beata.
Thanks for the help. I’m sad my soul didn’t come out as brothy as I’d hoped. But it’s delicious!
Hmm… interesting! Maybe the lentils soaked up a little extra broth. You can always add just a little more liquid if you like.
I have recently transitioned to a mostly vegan diet and don’t normally like lentils, but this soup was the best lentil soup I’ve had yet! It has a wonderfully deep and complex flavor profile (i.e. salty, sweet, sour, and something else I can’t quite pinpoint). Been enjoying a bowl for breakfast every morning :)
Wonderful to hear, Andrea! I haven’t thought about it for breakfast. I might need to try that! Thanks for the review.
Made a slightly altered version of this today after finding your recipe on duckduckgo search engine and it tasted divine. Added your book to my Amazon UK wishlist on the strength of it and I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes soon, thank you!
I’d recommend guiding people through making a home made veggie broth (or linking to a recipe for it in this one if you’ve done so already) as it tastes so great that way!
Thanks for sharing, Tony! I will take that under consideration for sure.
Hi Kate,
I’ve made this soup twice now, and we really do love it. I do follow your recipe (except I use canned, fire-roasted, diced tomatoes). And the lemons come straight from my garden right into the soup pot (meyer-improved lemons) and give it just the right amount of tanginess. My husband texted me earlier to say he was taking a lunch break and enjoying his lentil soup.
Thanks for the recipe.
Fresh garden lemons! I’m jealous. I’m glad you both enjoy it, Regina!
My husband and I loved this soup! For the canned tomatoes and vegetable broth we chose low sodium or no salt added. The 1 tsp of added salt was perfect. We don’t like it spicy so left out the chili flakes. We added twice the amount of kale at the end and used the juice of a medium Meyer lemon from our tree. My personal “secret ingredient” is real Vermont maple syrup, so I added 1 Tbl toward the end. Also, we like chunky texture so did not blend a portion. We both agreed the soup hit all the taste points; it was super-satisfying. And leftovers…!
Oh, secret ingredient. Love it! Thanks, Nadenia for the review.
This soup is AMAZING! So easy to make and the flavors come together so well. I love adding the lemon at the end because it just adds that perfect finishing touch. Will definitely be making again!!
Lemon is key, I think! Thanks, Haley for the review.
Very tasty, and super easy to make. Will definitely make this one again! Delish!!
Wonderful! Thank you, Renee.
I’ve made this recipe so many times, I know it off by heart now! I discovered it about 3 years ago and have lost count over how many times it’s been made! Absolutely favorite go-to recipe.
Thank you!!
By heart, that’s great! It’s a great one to know by heart. Thanks for for sharing, Inara.
Why do you drain the tomatoes? Would the soup be too acidic otherwise? It seems like a waste of nutrition.
Btw, I hate most vegetables (my palette picks up bitter too readily) and ergo I hate most vegan/vegitarian recipes but this one was actually good. Thanks for posting it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the soup, Margaret! You can add the tomato juice from the can if you’d like. The soup will be a little more soupy, that’s all.
Kate,
I have made this soup a million times and it continues to wow me. Thank you so much for taking the time to produce+share thoughtful and healthy recipes. I refer all of my friends to your wonderful website. Currently enjoying a fresh bowl of this soup and wishing spring would come as soon as possible.
Cheers!
Sarah
You’re so welcome! I know. Come on Spring!
This soup is my absolute favourite! It is very simple to make, has amazing flavour and keeps well in the fridge. My partner has always said no to soup but after trying this he is in love!
I add chickpeas, the juice of a whole lemon and double the spices for extra oomph.
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
That’s great to hear, Breanne! I’m glad it won your partner over. :) I appreciate the review!
I made the soup today and loved it.
Thank you for sharing
Ale
You’re welcome!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious !!! Yummy !!!
Great, Brenda!
Delicious!
Thank you, Grace!
Are the lentils canned or from a bag?
I used dried lentils. Hope this helps!
I made this recipe last night for a group of 8 guests. The soup was absolutely delicious – very hearty and pleasing! The addition of the curry, cumin, and thyme created a very memorable soup that I am certain I will continue to serve to my family and friends. I made a few minor changes by adding 4 ribs of chopped celery (with their leaves) and doubled the garlic. Since I do not like kale, I used baby spinach. Thank you so much!
Great substitutions, Lisa! I love that you served this to a group. Thank you for your review!
So good! I added smokey hot sauce instead of crushed red pepper since I didn’t have any and I don’t regret it!
Oh, that sounds tasty! I like it. Thanks for your review!
This is without a doubt my favourite lentil soup recipe. I make it about once a fortnight, can’t get enough! Thanks for sharing it and making my life a bit now delicious.
I’m so happy to hear that, Tess! You’re welcome. I love hearing for you so thanks so much for the review.
Wow, this soup is delicious! It combines two of my favorite things: curry and homemade soup. Even the SO said it was one of my best yet. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Love to hear that! Thanks for trying it, Karen :)
I’m 62 years young and made a lot of lentil soup, and this recipe is my all time favorite!
Love that! :) Thanks for the comment, Debbie.
great recipe it was delicious. This is probably common sense but dont make my mistake of putting the mix in a ninja blender while piping hot, it was was obviously a mess. this soup is bomb though.
Oh yes! Be very careful. Thanks for the review, Jay.
When I walked the Camino in Spain, lentil soup was often served. When I returned home, I tried to find a recipe to make it myself. No success until now. This soup is just delicious! I will be making it again for sure!
Thanks for the review, Colleen! Sounds like a fun adventure.
My go to for lentil soup. Sunny and bright flavor.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe. It is the best lentil soup I have ever had and my family loves it too! I’ve made it at least once a month since I found it last year. I like to add a diced potato.
You’re welcome, Jackie! I appreciate for your star review.
Have made this soup a dozen of times and it is absolutely delicious!!!
Love to hear that, Morgan! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the review.
Literally the BEST soup I have ever made!! And the best soup I’ve ever tasted! So easy to make, so cheap, and so delicious. Everybody I’ve ever made this for loves it – both vegetarians and omnivores.
Well, thank you! It’s a good one Chloe. I appreciate the review.
Hi Kate, I’d like to use canned lentils and am assuming this works too. Do I need to rinse them first? Can’t wait to make this soup.
You can use canned, but I recommend dried and cook in the soup. Adds just a little more flavor. Yes, rinse them and omit the additional water. You also will want to decrease cooking time as you don’t need to account for lentil cooking time.
This is indeed delicious!!! I have two people in the house fasting for Ramadan and this certainly hit the spot at Iftar!!!
Was loved by all and was filling and healthy on top of it ; perfect soup to break the fast!!! A keeper for me; thank you very much!!!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the star review, Tania.
This is my go to for a yummy flavoursome hearty lentil soup! I’ve made it many times adding in a couple of different veges each time to change it up!
Great! Thanks for the review, Belinda.
This is a fabulous recipe. Hearty, warming and it impressed our guest as well as my toddler.
Wonderful! Thanks, Wendy.
I did not like the flavour and how do I fix it
I’m sorry to hear that! Was there something specific that stuck out?