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 excited fo try this recipe today. It’s in my lunch and smells delicious. Any idea on nutritional content? It would be super helpful for me as I’m tracking this. Many thanks and keep the recipes coming!
Hi Shelly! You can find the nutritional information below the recipe notes. Make sure you allow cookies in your browser and give it a second to load. Let me know if you have issues!
I have made this 3 times so far! Gets better each time. The best lentil soup ever. Sure lives up to it’s name. This recipe is a keeper and I’m going to share it. I have to say though, I have not tried it with the lemon yet.
Yes you can use spinach. I made it with spinach today!
Is it possible to use spinach for the greens?
Sure!
this soup was so good! I made most of it in the slow cooker and added extra pepper flakes… spicy!!! Used red lentils because I didn’t have anything else. lol YUM 10/10! Thank you!!!
Thank you, Jen!
Leftovers will keep well for about 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for several months (just defrost before serving).
I have to say I’m simply stunned that you would insult your readers by writing “just defrost before serving.” Really??
Hi Karina, I’m sorry you are frustrated by this. It’s not meant to be insulting, but helpful as I get a lot of questions on freezer meals.
I thought it was funny! If you are taking the time to cook, of course you know to defrost! I imagined someone sitting there with a big rock of frozen soup wondering why it is so hard to eat! cracked me right up!
Some people are beginner cooks. Some people simply need detailed instructions. Not everybody is on the same level, on many levels. Be more tolerant, please.
Wow! Made the “Best Lentil Soup”, and it was delicious. A wonderfully FRESH taste to it, and just spicy enough without being overwhelming. It IS the best vegan lentil soup I’ve had!
I have to admit I was skeptical when I read the title of the recipe, but after making it last night I can say you were not kidding…this is the BEST! I swapped out spinach for kale but otherwise followed it to a T and it is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Sounds delicious! Do you think I could add in some potatoes as well? Looking to use up the veg in my pantry.
Sure!
I did it!!! Thank You for this, it really was the bomb(dot)com!!! My friends said it should be called “Amazing” Lentil Soup!!! ❤️ I agreed ✖️
I just wanna jump up and kiss myself now that I can finally make lentil soup worthy of bragging rights!!! Thank You for this WIN & for making it easy!!!
Wonderful, Noel! Thank you for sharing.
This is seriously the best soup I’ve ever had! I make it all the time and even the serious meat eaters like it. I made it with fresh tomatoes instead of canned the other day and it took it to another level.
When vegetarian friends come for dinner, I make the soup just as directed, but then just before serving, I add sauteed sausage to half of it. Either way, it’s excellent, and works for both meat eaters and vegetarians alike. I’ve made this soup many, many times and everyone loves it. Don’t forget to add a few squeezes of lemon for even more zing!
Had this soup at a wedding this weekend – immediately asked where the recipe came from. Delicious!
Followed your recipe although I did not have diced tomatoes so I used crushed tomatoes and about 2 cups of the kale. The soup is delicious and the lemon gives it such a nice bright flavor. Another successful recipe from Cookie and Kate!
Just have to say, I was skeptical about this. I’m trying to cut back on meat and was looking for good alternatives. I cant really believe how much I like it! My husband the carnivore said it was tasty. The lemon is probably what seals the deal for me! Love it, very filling
10/10
Wonderful to hear it was a hit, Leslie!
I almost never comment on recipes or articles…but this is simply THE BEST lentil soup recipe ever. It will be a go-to recipe this winter and years to come. Thanks for sharing it!
I LOVE this recipe. Thank you so much! I changed a few things.. subbed veggie to chicken stock, omitted water & lemon juice, as well as the blending step. I also added chicken thighs.
Can this be frozen??
I believe some readers have frozen it with luck! Thanks for your review, Victoria.
Do you have any suggestions what to replace tomatos with? My daughter is allergic. Thanks!
Wonderful lentil soup!
Just wondering, do you have a favorite way of quickly making vegetable stock?
I’m going to make all 17 of these soups. Perfect time of year for them.
Thank you!
I use this, it’s great and in most supermarkets: https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/products/seasoned-vegetable-base/
I found the taste to be a bit overly strong with the cumin and curry flavor, so think I’ll make another smaller batch to dilute it and freeze it. It’s a matter of taste I guess, that others may find delicious.
I have been making this soup for YEARS! Love it and so does my teenage son. :)
I follow the recipe with a few variations but I always skip the blending. The soup is great without the extra step… which is great because I’m that lazy.
Sometimes I’ll use chicken stock or bone broth and I never drain the tomatoes…why waste that yummo juice?!
Awesome soup. My son asked me to make it for dinner tonight.Thought I would write a review while I make it.
Thank you!
This was a big hit! My 11 year old loved this soup, and having it in a thermos for school lunches! His only addition was some peri-peri sauce
What a great recipe—just delicious! Like lots of soups, we thought it was even better the next day. Even my six year old grandson loved it!
I made this recipe last year and made it again when soup season started. It’s great!! I didn’t have carrots but did have zucchini so I added two zucchini instead. Also works great with red lentils. Thanks for g rear soup recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Suzanne!
I made the lentil soup tonight and my fiancé and I really enjoyed it. I added ground turkey for extra protein and habanero hot sauce for an extra kick. We thought it was great. Thanks so much for sharing!
I don’t have a blender :( think this would be just as tasty without blending?
Blending some really makes this soup sing, but it should still be delicious without it!
Love this soup. Along with most of these recipes. I can’t get enough. I don’t know how I stumbled upon your recipes, but I’m so happy I did! Just purchased your cookbook too! Can’t wait to try more and more :)
I’m really curious about this – I’m trying to incorporate more veggies and less carbs into my diet. But the sodium level is a bit high for my taste – where is all that salt coming from? Did you use a no salt vegetable broth?
Hi Megan! This is just an estimate. You can adjust the sodium by how much salt you add, ensuring no salt added vegetable broth, tomatoes, etc. I hope this helps!
I LOVE this soup! I’ve been making a batch almost weekly and enjoying it throughout the week. I add two small sweet potatoes with the carrots, and have used kale and baby spinach for the greens. Extra curry powder and plenty of red chili pepper! I use my beloved immersion blender on the whole thing, so it’s really creamy. I also reduce the olive oil to two tablespoons and it’s still delicious. Usually have with a fried egg on top. Have even served this to guests… it’s really a great recipe! Thanks :)
I’ve been looking for a good lentil soup recipe since having an excellent soup in Turkey. As a neophyte cook, I found the recipe easy to follow and the results outstanding. I added about 1/4 tsp of pepper flakes and used spinach instead of your recommended greens but except for those minor changes everything else was identical.
This was a delicious recipe. I made it in crock pot so I skipped sauteing the vegetables. Had to use fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce as I discovered at 11pm I had no canned tomatoes! Added a bay leaf, and only used 1/2 of curry powder d/t my 5 year old. I had for lunch today and was delicious. Will add more curry powder later, since it was def not spicy. It is very thick and chunky and I didn’t have time this morning so I skipped pureeing some, may do that later. Thank you for this recipe!
Loved the recipe! Thank you.
The pictures shown are not pureed. I’m wondering how pureeing the soup would improve it?
Hi Chelsea! I recommend blending roughly 2 cups of the soup for a better texture/consistency. I hope this helps! It also gets the flavors to really sing.
Literally the best lentil soup my family has had!!! It is delicious!! My children are picky eaters and they loved it!! Thanks!
Can this be made with red lentils also?
I don’t recommend it as they don’t seem to hold their shape as well.
Your recipes look fabulous … but when I click on nutrition info, nothing comes up other than your disclaimer. I blog in the Type 1 diabetes community … we live and medicate by nutrition info. Is the link broken or just not available? Thanks … joanne
Hi Joanne! I’m sorry for the frustration. We are currently working to fix a bug and will have it corrected asap.
It’s been one week since fully switching over to a plant based diet. Before making the transition, I already knew about your site and loved it. I gathered a few recipes of yours for the week and the transition has been so smooth thus far.
This soup however, my oh my, absolutely fantastic. I grew up on Lebanese lentil soup as a child, but your recipe is absolutely so perfect I changed nothing. I didn’t understand why only 2cups had to be blended….but once I tasted it, I immediately knew and loved that it was not all mushy and still had body texture to the soup.
Thank you so so much Kate.
May the universe keep blessing you with creativity in all aspects of life!
Cheers.
I would add a note about lentil type difference – cooking brown lentils without soaking them in water for several hours before makes the cooking time much longer and undercooked lentils are really difficult to digest. In the salty water it is almost impossible to soften them. Red lentils on the other hand take just 10 minutes then they start to be mushy and there is no need to even blend it… otherwise, nice recipe
Hi Lukas! Thank you for your comment. That’s why I specified type of lentil in the recipe with proper cooking instructions. :)
Hi! Just wondering if I have to do anything differently if I use canned lentils? I have a can I’m looking to use up. Thanks!
Hi! I would omit the water and possibly less cooking time. You could add a little water as you see fit and want it more soupy.
This soup was absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
I was doubting this recipe because I’ve never tasted a lentil soup that taste better than okay, but this is a great soup. The flavour is amazing and it’s cheap and easy to make. I’m going to eat this every day until spring. The only slight complain I have is that my soup got kinda muschy but I probably overcooked it a little bit so just watch out for that.
I don’t normally comment on recipe blogs but I’ve got to say, I’ve been making this for about 2 years and I seriously love it! I share it in any cooking group on fb that asks for a good soup recipe! Making this soup is on my to do list for this week again.
So good and so easy to make. I used 8 fresh tomatoes instead of a tin of tomatoes. Will definitely make again.
I make lentil soup pretty frequently and this is the best recipe I’ve tried – it was a hit with my whole family!
Omg was this amazing!! I doubled the recipe. Chopped 2 large tomatoes up because I only had one 28 oz can. Omitted the curry ( I thought I had it but didn’t). My meat loving family LOVED it!! Heart healthy & comfort food rolled into one. Well done! Keep those recipes coming!
Thanks for your comment Kellie! I don’t have curry powder either and I qas wondering if the flavor of the soup would be tasty. So glad you confirmed it was!
I had high hopes but this soup had a familiar taste. I guess I was hoping for something different and phenomenal. My Husband did not enjoy this soup at all but that aside, I do like it and my 3 year old finished it up, lentils and kale too! So it’s a big for me. Thanks for the recipe. If you’re not vegetarian and love lentils, you could try mutton and lentil curry soup (mutton dalcha). It’s awesome.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one for everyone!
This recipe does not disappoint – it definitely is the BEST lentil soup! Made it for the first time tonight, following the recipe exactly, and it was delicious. This one will be a part of my regular rotation for sure.
Very tasty dish. (Thank God) I had made a very large pot full, doubling recipe to use entire bag of Lentils then tweeking at the end before serving of the different seasoning,
For my taste, it was more thyme and Lemon to get the soup to my taste. I also used a couple tablespoons of butter instead of oil to quiet the acid from tomatoes (I was out of olive oil) I will try that oil next time. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Perry!
I loved this soup recipe! So easy and so yummy!! My husband thinks he has to have meat and even he loved it!!
This is good! instant pot 10 minutes high pressure plus 10 manual release. Chopped the collard green spine/stems and threw in for the cooking then the chopped greens when cooking finished.
Different flavor profile than my usual lentil soup…. yum
I just made this and it really is perfect. I made it on my Instant pot, high pressure 18 mins, NPR
Thanks for sharing!
OMG!!! Yummmmmmmm This lentil soup is definitely requested by my kids and husband at least once a week. Followed the recipe as is, adding 2-3 tsp red pepper flakes(we love spicy) it comes out perfect every time! We enjoy this soup with a nice baguette. Thank you for sharing!
Yummy! Easy delicious and hearty