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 made this soup and my husband and I liked it very much. For the liquids I used a can of beef broth, a can of chicken broth, a can of undrained chopped tomatoes and jalapenos, and no water. The lentils cooked quickly and it was pleasantly spicy while not overwhelming the other flavors. I left out the Kale too.
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
Yet another winner! So,so good :) Thanks for all your hard work Kate.
Thank you, Jennifer!
I have 7 kids and usually double my recipes. I am always afraid to overspice. Would u double the spices?
If everything is doubled, this should work just fine.
I’m just about to make this soup a second time. It couldn’t be more true: This is my far – really by far – the best lentil soup ever. Thanks so much!
Love it, Annette! Thanks for your feedback.
I’m just about to make this soup a second time. It couldn’t be more true: This is my far – really by far – the best lentil soup ever. Thanks so much!
Love it! Thanks for your comment, Annette!
I LOVE this recipe! I follow it exactly minus the curry. I make it at least 1xmonth!
Love that, Jennifer! Thanks for your feedback on how much you loved it.
This soup is very easy to make and tastes amazing! Thanks for creating quick, healthy and delicious recipes!!!
You’re welcome!
Do you soak the lentils overnight before cooking them?
Great question, Cassie! You don’t need to for this recipe with the type of lentils used.
Thank you for another delicious recipe! I made two portions so I could freeze one and enjoy the other. The soup made for a great lunch on a snowy day!
Best Lentil Soup indeed!! Because I love veggies, I added half a zucchini and some cabbage, plus a extra carrot or two. I didn’t end up pureeing it because I loved it so much as it was! But I think that’s a great idea as well. I’m glad I found you when I searched lentil soup! I’ll be trying more of your recipes as well. Thanks Kate!
I’m glad you found it too, Emily! Thanks for your review.
Made this recipe tonight. I added 1 potato and some butternut squash cubed. Very, very tasty. Will definitely be making it again. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing your variation, Susan!
Hello from Denmark, Kate (& Cookie!)
I’m a hopelessly poor cook from the UK, and your awesome recipes are really making me look good! The ‘Best Lentil Soup’ – OMG you’re right – it’s DELICIOUS! And like all your recipes, simple enough for someone as average as me in the kitchen! So thank you!
I will share this HUGE dollop of food, along with the Lentil Bolognese & Marinara Sauce (which was my first try-out of yours) with my new Danish neighbours and win some more friends – thanks to your amazing recipes! EVERYONE – try out THIS recipe – you won’t regret it!
(I recommend it with some Ciabatta and a nice red, or perhaps something sharper & fruitier, to drink).
THANKS KATE! x
Hello! I’m so glad you love this soup and are giving it such rave reviews. I appreciate it, Tim!
I love this soup, I just made it and I’m going back for another bowl it’s just so good! The spices are just right although I did add a bit more salt at the end and also added extra kale. It’s a keeper and just perfect for this time of year. Thank you Kate!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your feedback, Kayrita.
Super delicious.
Didn’t know what to cook today. We are having really nasty weather, windy and raining. Well just stumbled on that recipe and decided to give it a try since I had all the ingredients on hand.
Glad i did. My Hubby loved it and told me this yummy delicious soup is definitely a keeper
Thanks for sharing
Great soup for a rainy day! Thanks for your review, Angie.
Made this for my husband, absolutely the best he’s ever tasted. Thank you for sharing. Will definitely make this again.
I’m happy you liked it! Thanks for your review.
Did you make a change to the recipe? You used to have garbanzo beans, but I can’t see them now. Also, the old link was this: https://asset-flow.pro/2015/vegan-lentil-soup-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Thank you!
Hi! I have updated it slightly with new pictures. I didn’t have garbanzo beans previously in this one. You might be thinking of another soup?
This is absolutely delicious. I made it last night and followed your recipe exactly. My husband was a little dubious when I told him what we were having for dinner, but he loved it too!
Hi Kate,
I was wondering what seasonings I could use instead of vegetable broth. I don’t have access to it and don’t have the patience to make my own!
Absolutely delicious. It has the perfect blend of spices and flavors. I’ll definitely be making this soup on a regular basis. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Dru! Thanks for your review.
this is a well named soup, it simply is the best lentil soup I’ve ever made and my husband loves it too. Thank you for posting.
I’m glad you agree, Margaret!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I just made it and it turned out so well!
I made a couple of small alterations, mostly just to reflect what I had on hand. Most significantly, I substituted a minced habanero pepper for the red pepper flakes, which I added along with the onions and carrots in Step 2. I also used some chopped baby spinach instead of kale, because I happened to have it in the fridge. Everything turned out great, and I just served myself seconds. I really appreciate your taking the time to develop and share this recipe!
Thanks for your feedback, Dan!
Great recipe! I made it in my instapot mini. For my family I used smoked paprika for the curry, oregano for the thyme and celery instead of kale—still delicious. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
I made this yesterday, and it’s so good I’m trying another batch today! I followed the recipe except for adding some turmeric, zucchini, and large macaroni noodles. I obviously had to add more veggie broth, which was needed because I went a little heavy on the cayenne. I wanted to make something healthy, but it ended up backfiring because I ate 4 bowls throughout the day! My husband, who is not vegan like myself, and usually complains, was eating it out of the pot and raving how this was his favorite of all of the soups I make, which is saying a lot because I make a lot of very good ones! Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!
Thank you, Carey!
Best decision in my life to make this just before a PNW snowstorm! It’s amazingly rich, flavorful, and colorful – perfect on a wintry day. I’m so in love with the balance of tangy lemon and smoky lentil flavors. I had to sub fresh thyme and sambal uelek powder for dried thyme and curry powder because that’s what I had in my pantry, and it still turned out wonderful. Ok, getting myself another bowl now..
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Meg.
This was the first soup I ever made and it was amazing! Thank you, I’m going to try the minestrone next
Great to hear, Laura! Both great choices.
Delicious! I added a cup of cauliflower rice and a half of a sweet potato. Will make it again.
Thank you for sharing, Theah!
Hello Kate, I made this soup today and it’s delicious. Everyone in my house loves it!! My daughters enjoyed it, and we are planning to make it again very soon. Yummy :)
Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, Nadia!
Delicious! Second time this month making it. This time, I substituted garam marsala for the curry powder and spinach for kale. I will go back to this recipe again and again. Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome, Mary! Thanks for your review.
Could baby spinach be substituted for the other greens? I have never actually cooked with baby spinach leaves before so I dont know how this would turn out. (I am snowed in and only have spinach leaves for my greens this week).
Spinach could work too. I believe others have tried it and liked it.
Loved this soup, even better the next day. Didn’t change a thing.
That’s great, May!
Ok. So-I am NOT a cook. This recipe was so easy. And, it tastes amazing! I feel like a gourmet chef. It’s the best soup I ever had. Thank you!
I’m glad you still tried it, Heidi! Thanks for your review.
Ohhh emmmm geeee!! I was so hesitant to try this as I’m newly plant based. My mind is blown, my taste buds have exploded and I’m in love. Everyone must try this recipe. I’m keeping it in the freezer at all times. *drool*
I’m so happy your tried it and loved it, Christy! Thanks for your review.
Made a double batch of this soup, for just the two of us. We ate it everyday for a week and were so sad when it was gone! I started to mix it up a little bit by adding some cooked elbow macaroni one day, roasted cauliflower the next. The texture of the broth is perfect, and the spiciness is sublime. We were luckily to unexpectedly meet Kate in New Orleans, and I’m so glad I discovered her blog and her recipes!!
Way to get creative, Barbara! Thanks for your review.
This was hands down the best soup I’ve ever made. And I make a lot on soup. I followed the recipe closely aadded 3T ground flax seed and a bit of tumeric. Awesome! THanks!
You’re welcome, Becca!
Hi Kate, I’m making this soup today got all ingredients in my kitchen. This is a good healthy dish to help fight my colon cancer too.
Thank you. Deadra
Let me know what you think!
It is absolutely delicious. I’ve been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will be making it again and again. I was able to freeze two large bowls.
Thank you so much Kate for such a warm inviting healthy recipe.
I simply loved the way this soup turned out! I am not a big fan of lentils to be honest, but the combination of spices and veggies really brought out the flavors – we finished the whole pot of soup! I forgot to add the kale and the lemon, even then the soup was par excellence. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Hooray! That’s great, Meena! I appreciate your comment and review.
1st time I have ever commented on an Internet recipe and 1st time for lentil soup, and all I can say is. Fantastic, amazing, wonderful and yummmmmmmy. For sure it’s going on my menu. Xx with love. Natasha xx
I’m so happy you did! Thanks for your feedback, Natasha!
Had a bag of lentils, my frozen garden tomatoes and frozen garden steamed butternut squash in mind, as I went looking for a soup recipe. I found yours, and adapted it by doubling the recipe, using 2 cups of my frozen squash and adding water making up your broth and water measurements. It was AWESOME, as your spice/lemon juice flavor profile was spot on. This is now in “my” looseleaf home cook book, with additional notes-to-self: “Add water to thin a bit upon reheating, tastes great serving & stirring in a dollop of sour cream.”
Thanks for sharing, Joan! I’m glad you loved it.
Absolutely delicious! Better than any lentil soup I’ve ever had! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the review.
i’m making the lentil soup as i write for the second time. this time i know will be even better tasting. the first time i made it i added spinach this time collard greens. my kitchen even smells better each time i make it. thank you bunches for giving the receipe for us to try. luc manzella
Thank you for sharing, Lucy!
Delicious. I’ve made this soup three times and made some revisions to put more focus on the lentils Vs.tomatoes. I’ve added 50% more brown lentils and puréed approx. half the soup to give it a creamier texture. I also use beef stock for a richer taste (I’m not a vegetarian).
Thanks for sharing, Val! I’m really glad you liked it.
I made the best Lentil Soup recipe and loved it, you don’t miss the meat at all, over did the red pepper flakes so toned it down with a bit of soy sauce and the lemon juice also helped.
Oh boy! I’m glad you were still able to make it work and a little toned down, Wilma. Thanks for the review.
Made this last night and I think it is the best soup I have ever made. Made just a few small changes to the recipe. Added celery with the carrots and onions. Used chicken broth instead of vegetable. Was very generous with the curry and red pepper so it is spicy and full of flavor as a result. I also used a full lemon in a doubled recipe. As far as blending it, I just used my stick blender right in the pot for a few minutes and then a bag of frozen chopped kale at the end. So delicious!
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Megan. I appreciate the review.
Love it!! I used canned lentils and omitted the water. My picky eater gobbled up three bowls declaring it the best soup ever! Thank you!
Wonderful, Michelle!
Doubled all the seasonings and it was fantastic. I’ve never been a fan of lentil soup until now!
Thanks Kathleen for your review!
I have tried many lentil soup recipes and this one is delicious. The only change I made was to substitute spinach for kale.
That works great! Thanks, Penny.
Could I use red lentils instead of the brown or green ones suggested in recipe? I have a giant bag of red ones that need to be used.
I personally don’t love red lentils as they don’t retain their shape and tend to get mushy. If you need to use them, just monitor your cooking time and you might need or want slightly less liquid.
Thanks for your response. I had a feeling that was the case.
I just made this soup for this first time this weekend and it’s the bomb! This is definitely a soup I’m making again, your recipe is amazing!
Thanks, Erin! I’m glad you loved it.
I made this recipe today and I love it! I added golden potatoes, and I used only 1 cup of water (instead of 2) and that made it more like a stew, that I served over rice. Great flavors and such an easy recipe to follow
Thanks for sharing, Kelly!
Whoops, posted twice – Kate if you could delete this comment that’d be great (didn’t mean for last name to be included)