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.
So I’m eating this soup right now… it’s amazing. I have to say that I normally don’t like curry but it really just works in this recipe! So good!
I’m glad you tried it knowing you don’t like curry and loved it! I think it’s really the combination of it all. I appreciate the review!
Just wondering why the lentil soup became very gelatinous…does it have something to do with age of the lentils or maybe because I didnt rinse them before using? They’ve been a glass jar in the cupboard.
Hi Barbara! That is really interesting. I can’t think why it would be like jelly. I will have to think about that one!
This soup is delicious. Have made twice now.
Hi kate,
I made the soup for tonight’s dinner. My only change was to add a little splt peas to the green lentils. Everyone here liked the soup.
Best regards to cookie.
Marvin
Thanks for sharing, Marvin!
Kate,
What would you recommend using to replace tomatoes in your recipe?
Hi Susan, I don’t know about a replacement. You could increase the carrot volume by some. Tomatoes add nice depth to the flavor.
Is this soup spicy? I want to make this for my family but a few of them are sensitive to spice.
The soup is not spicy. Red pepper flakes are optional. But if you have a sensitive stomach the curry powder may effect that.
I have this soup simmering on my stove right now, and it smells and tastes wonderful! Thank you!
Sooooo yummy! Especially in this negative degree winter weather. Warmed us right up! Thank you! :)
Amazing!! The flavors are on point, we will definitely do it again. Thank you!
Super recipe. I switched out the curry for allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon for a middle eastern touch. Whole family loved it.
Great to hear, Cynthia!
Am addicted to this soup! So good, thank you!
Wonderful, Marley! Thanks so much for your review.
This soup is the bomb! Family loves it. The spices bring it up a notch from my regular lentil soup.
Thank you, Leeann!
Thank you so much for this!!!
I used it over Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix then added half cup of macaroni pasta. Other than that, I followed everything stated in your recipe and it turned out awesome! It was so good we ended up eating just this for breakfast! And yes…my husband and my son are requesting it for our next meal!
You’re welcome, Laz!
Has anyone tried this with quinoa added or do you think that’s doable?
I haven’t, but I really love quinoa! Please let me know how it works out if you try it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Just made this – really delicious – will be making again – looking forward to taking to work for tomorrow’s lunch.
The leftovers are even better! Thanks for sharing, Charlie.
This is the BEST lentil soup that I have ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
I made the lentil soup, with a few changes that meet our tastes, but the spices were the same as yours. It is definitely delicious and recommend it to others. Hope you don’t mind, but I recently purchased two of your “Love Whole Foods” and donated them to two of our small county libraries. Looking forward to making the Chili recipe.
Thanks for purchasing them! That’s a great idea, Mary.
Hi Kate!
I love your website and this is the second time I have made this soup and second time delicious! I will be trying more of your recipes!
Wonderful, Rhonda! Be sure to let me know what you think as you continue to try recipes.
My husband and I love this recipe. Best lentil soup ever!
Great to hear, Nicole! Thanks for the feedback.
Hi there! Would love to know what to do if I don’t have a blender?
I forgot to blend a few cups before tossing in the greens and decided to just skip it, and it turned out just fine. It’s really just a texture thing.
I forgot to blend the 2 cups before adding the greens, so I just did it AFTER adding the greens and it turned out awesome!
Do you have a food processor? You could use that or omit this step.
I made this yesterday—You are right. This is the best lentil soup I have ever had. It will definitely make it into my rotation!!
Thank you–I love it!!
You’re welcome, Julie!
Thank you!
I followed the recipe to the letter, except I didn’t drain the tomatoes and I skipped the extra water.
My brother doesn’t like lentils, kale or any dish that doesn’t contain meat in general – he used profanities when describing how much he liked this soup. We all loved it.
Ha, that’s great Kari! I’m glad this soup worked on him.
As a vegetarian college student, I really struggle to find easy, delicious recipes. This fit the bill and more. I made it twice in a week (doubling the recipe the second time) and was so excited each time I got to eat it. New favorite recipe! I’m looking forward to checking out your other recipes!
It’s simmering away right now. I didn’t realize I was to drain the tomatoes until I read someone’s comment. I added too much chili flake and I had to add at least two cups of water to dilute the spice. I didn’t have any greens to add and don’t think I will blend part of it. It’s tasty as it is and I’d recommend it.A nice soup for a cold winter’s evening!
Oh no! I’m glad it still worked well.
I made this soup using split orange lentils which are available from Trader Joe’s, because I figured they would cook a little faster. The soup was absolutely delicious! My husband has already asked me to make it again. My friend made this recipe using brown lentils and hers was delicious too. Thanks Kate! You have a winner here!
Thank you so much for this recipe, you did an awesome job creating it. It’s now one of my firm favourites that I cook pretty regularly, and my grandparents, who can be really picky and don’t often like what I like (I do most of their cooking,) really enjoy it too. So you made my life simpler as it’s at least one time that I don’t have to make multiple dishes. Thank you again and all the best.
This is a great recipe!! I made it exactly what the recipe called for and it’s delicious!! I’ll definitely make this again!!
Denise T
Wonderful to hear, Denise!
This was absolutely AMAZING! Whole family loved it. Thanks so much, will definitely be making this again.
This was AMAZING! Whole family loved it. I used fennel instead of onions and it was SO delicious. Will definitely be making it again.
Thanks a lot for your yummy recipes!
You’re welcome, Wendy!
Delicious soup! My daughter who can not tolerate any spice loved this and had three bowls! Even my meat and potatoes son loved it. I am making for second time this week if that tells you anything.
I’m glad the whole family could enjoy, Kim!
This soup is delicious! We added celery and extra kale. Love spice so added a little extra red pepper flakes. The spices together make a wonderful flavor! I can honestly say I’ve never made a recipe that I didn’t like. Made the transition to vegetarian quite easy thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Cinde!
I have tried numerous lentil soup recipes but this 1 is the very best, delicious!
This soup is exceptional. I made it last night for dinner, and I am looking forward to having some more tonight. Quick and easy yet the flavors are incredible. Thanks!
This soup is exceptional. I made it last night for dinner, and I am looking forward to having some more tonight. Quick and easy yet the flavors are incredible. Thanks! Will definitely make again. Shared the recipe with my mom.
It is great as leftovers! Enjoy, Jeni. Thanks for your review!
I LOVE this version of lentil soup! I add red potatoes and about a cup and a half more of the kale. Thank you!! This is my third time making the soup this winter.
Great additions, Amaya! Thanks for your review.
I have not made this soup yet , but was surprised at the nutrition stats for sodium.
Is it really 1375.5mg of sodium per serving?
Christy
Hi Kate! Just made this soup for my grandparents and myself-we love it!
Can’t wait to try another recipe!
Thanks!
Wonderful, Nathan! Thanks so much for your review.
Hi Kate, could you use red lentils in this recipe instead (I have oodles), and if so what tweaks would need to be made to the steps/cooking time? Thanks so much.
Hi Nicole! I wouldn’t recommend red. They won’t hold up. If you have to use them, maybe add halfway through the suggested cooking time. Use the package directions as a guide.
This soup is AMAZING! I love to cook, and today we have -45 degrees outside in a city that hasn’t seen cold like this in over 25+ years… so the kids and I decided to make a hot lentil soup to stay warm, never expecting it to taste as good as this recipe.<3 We added extra garlic (8 cloves) and extra Red chili pepper flakes, the curry powder and cumin give it such a warm taste on one’s palette- with the first mouthful your eyes widen and your tastebuds sing! I used chopped kale and fresh lemon at the end, I also chopped two small Celery stalks which were sautéed with the onions and carrots at the beginning. Using our immersion blender, we blended the “bottom” of the soup while it was in the pot- enough to make some portion of the pot thick, while leaving lots of lentils and veggies whole… afterwards is when I added the kale and lemon juice and mixed everything well. Thank you for creating such a delicious recipe!! This will be made again soon… again and again.:)
Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy you love this soup, Heidi.
Made this today! yum. I doubled the curry powder and added stuff I had in my fridge like yellow pepper and a bit of zucchini. Will definitely make again. Quick and easy recipe with good flavour.
Thanks for sharing, Susan! I like the creativity with the produce.
I love this soup. I haven’t made it for a while so will make it today. It’s fabulous, full of flavour and nutrition. It’s a main meal for me.
Thanks for coming back to say how much you love it, Julia!
I didn’t drain the tomatoes. Big mistake . Too much tomato flavor. And next time I’ll add more lentils.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Thanks for sharing.
This was so dang good. I doubled it and still have leftovers to feed an army (despite my 3 helpings!). Served it alongside avocado, radishes and cucumbers and roasted some local (legit) sourdough bread in the oven. YUM! Thanks for a nutrient-dense, absolutely delish recipe! Folks in the midwest need the warmth of this soup PRONTO! =)
You’re welcome, Natalie!
AMAZING! I made a pan for us to take to work as an alternative to the usual salads and my lord! Very easy to prep and love how creamy it goes after you add the blitzed part. The lemon juice just adds a lovely tangi-ness making this soup stand out from others. Got 5 decent portions and will definitely be making it again.
Thank you for sharing, Ashley!
Loved it! Used imported Indian curry powder and added a can of coconut milk. Added depth and more nuance of flavor.
I’m glad you love it, Ted! Thanks for your review.
Thanks! This turned out exactly how I hoped a lentil soup could taste! Savoury, spicy yet simple!
I’m so happy you thought so Wayne!
How could this recipe be adjusted to make a stew consistency?
You could increase the amount of lentils. It will soak up more of the liquid, or use less liquid.
This soup is really good! I added squash and a potato, then used a potato masher to smush it up right in the pan. My husband had 4 servings and never kissed the meat. I will definitely make this again.
That’s great, Rita!
Solved the lentil soup. It was very flavourful and the best lentil soup I’ve had.
Fantastic, Adele! Thank you for the review.
I made the soup for dinner. Is delicious and easy to prepare. I love it!
Happy to hear it! Thank you, Claudia. :)