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.
Do you think this would still be good without the greens? I want to make tonight and that is the only ingredient I do not have. I don’t even have spinach or kale to substitute. I have parsley, cilantro, chives, and lettuce…lol.
I prefer it with the greens. You could omit and increase some of your other vegetables. I hope this helps!
Wow. I made this soup to kick of my New Years diet. I roped my husband into doing it with me. When I said I was making lentil soup his face changed, not in a good way!! The result of making the soup is everyone loved it including the kids. This will be made frequently from now on. The only thing I did differently was adding less extra virgin olive oil. (I made a big batch) This was really delicious, I was never a fan of lentil soup but I am now.
I’m glad everyone, husband and kids, loved it! I appreciate your review, Ann.
You’re so right. It IS the best lentil soup ever with many different layers of zingy flavour. Wish I’d made more and will have to do so very soon.
Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Lesley!
Servings? Nutrition?
Hi Carolyn, The nutrition information is below the recipe notes. Click to expand and ensure you allow plug-ins. :)
This soup turned out amazing!! I’ll be having this for lunch all week I added some vegan parm and made some crusty bread and I’m in heaven..thank you!
You’re welcome, Tracy! Thank you for your review.
LOVE this recipe! I’ve probably made it a dozen times, and it always gets compliments, even from my picky 11yo. The recipe is very forgiving. If I’m missing an ingredient, no big deal. Also, I don’t stock curry powder; instead I use 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon coriander. I could add some cayenne pepper for spice, but I’m not a fan of hot spice, so I leave it out. Also, I usually don’t have fresh kale on hand, but it’s still good without. Sometimes I throw in a little bit of potato with the carrots. Also, I’m lazy, so I never bother with the blender step. I love how I can make this anytime with nonperishable ingredients I keep in stock. And it’s *SO* delicious!
Can this be made with red lentils? Any modifications needed if so?
Hi Cheryl! It can, but I find them to be more delicate and not hold up as well. I would suggest less cooking time and likely cut back liquid as they don’t typically need as much.
Loved it! And this is the first time I’ve left a review or comment, but since I’ve discovered your website, I’ve made several things and loved everything. It’s safe to say I’m a big fan.
Thanks,
Lauren
Our go-to during the colder months — hearty, nutritious, and absolutely delicious! Thank you for this gem, Kate :)
I’ve modified the recipe a lot to use up leftovers in my fridge so instead of tomatoes there’s pumpkin puree and frozen spinach instead of kale, I also added less water. Even though, it’s still hands down the best lentil soup I have ever tasted!
Absolutely delicious!! Made with chicken stock, no thyme on hand and a bit less canned tomato including the canned juice. Lemon at the end makes the soup. Healthy, delicious and nutritious! Myhusband who hates lentil soup loved this! Another winning recipe, this site NEVER fails! Thank you!
Just made this soup today, exactly per the recipe. It’s delicious!
Thank you for an amazing recipe – this was a hit with the vegans and carnivores in our family. It was even better the second day. This was my first recipe from your site – I can’t wait to try more.
You’re welcome, Shirley!
Absolutely delish!!
A most delicious and super flavourful meal. Thank you!
I’d like to double or possibly triple this recipe for a vegan crowd. Do you recommend I also double the amount of olive oil? Thanks!!
Yes, if you double, double all ingredients.
Thank you! Sounds great I plan to make it this weekend.
What kind of vegetable broth do you use?
Hi Larissa! I buy organic when I can. I have used Pacific Organic in the past and Whole Foods organic too.
Great recipe! I made it thicker (More lentils, carrots and kale) and served it as a stew with naan. Heart warming on a cold canadian winter!
Loved this one–a perfect pantry soup! I added 1/2 C bulgur to make it extra hearty. Definitely going into the rotation.
My goodness. It’s been about 6 months since I made this, and I can’t tell you how excited we were eating it! We went to one of the fanciest hotels in Dallas about a week ago, and paid $10 a bowl for a lentil soup and it was adequate, but it just made us want this one again! This is in my top 3 recipes of all time, thanks so much for your efforts!
:-)
What are the other two recipes in your top 3, Joe? :)
1. Cookie and Kate’s Sweet Potato & Green Rice Bowls
https://asset-flow.pro/vegan-sweet-potato-green-rice-burrito-bowls/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
2. Soul Hummus
http://soulhummus.com/recipe/
Thanks, I’ll try the burrito bowl next!
We made this today and it really is the best! We didn’t change a thing, made it as written. Thank you for yet another great recipe!
My husband and I have decided to go meat free in January. I stumbled upon your website and have used one of your recipes every night for dinner. I thought going vegetarian would be a challenge but you make it so simple for us with all of these easy and delicious recipes. We have yet to find something we don’t love. I made this Lentil Soup recipe last night and it’s by far the best lentil soup I’ve had. Thank you for sharing all your recipes. We are buying your cookbook today!
I’m excited you are loving so many recipes! I appreciate your review, Lori.
Has anyone made this in a slow cooker?
I would suggest searching comments for other reader recommendations. I still recommend you saute to get maximum flavor
Delicious!!! Followed recipe for the most part. I added 1 diced fresh jalapeño for the spice factor (didn’t want to add crushed red peppers AT ALL, because the only ones we can find in the stores here also have the seeds and they get caught between my teeth).I also added a bit of warmed HWC, then blended the soup in the pot with my immersion(stick) blender. Such a tasty recipe!! And so easy to prepare! Thanks so much for sharing!
Delicious!!! Followed recipe for the most part. I added 1 diced fresh jalapeño for the spice factor (didn’t want to add crushed red peppers AT ALL, because the only ones we can find in the stores here also have the seeds and they get caught between my teeth – yeeeow!).I also added a bit of warmed HWC, then blended the soup in the pot with my immersion blender. Also, didn’t have a lemon, so instead I added a splash of white balsamic vinegar and it was really fantastic! Such a tasty recipe!! And so easy to prepare! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this soup and it was delicious! I want my wife to be able to enjoy this, but she has to eat GERD friendly. What do you suggest I can use instead of tomatoes?
I have a no meat eating friend. imo got to stay and I wanted to make lentil soup but I usually make it with a ham hock. So I googled for vegetarian options and found this recipe. I made this soup today and it is amazing! I used red lentils and yellow split peas which gave it a bit more texture but the flavours are incredible. Definitely add the lemon juice, it leaves your mouth watering for more.
Have made this recipe many times and am always amazed at how delicious it is, including the leftovers! I soak the lentils beforehand (this makes them less gassy). I add extra kale and carrots. I also place a piece of avocado inside the soup and use some Cholula sauce.
Made it for my SO recently and she loves it too. Thanks for the recipe!
Ok – this is amazing! so moreish
This was AMAZING!!!!!! I threw the kale in the blender with the 2 cups of soup, because I have one son who when he sees kale picks around it. He didn’t even know it was in the soup and LOVED it. I also used crushed tomatoes instead of diced simply because I didn’t have enough diced. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Great to hear, Brenda!
Just made this and wow!!!! Love all the warm flavours and lemon juice really gives a nice punch at the end! Can’t wait to have again for lunch tomorrow!
This is simmering away on my stove and smells amazing! I can’t wait to eat it. I added celery and zucchini, and used chicken stock as that is what I had. Also I’m going to use fresh spinach instead of kale, because that’s what’s in my fridge. But it smells great, all the flavours I love!
This is incredible. I’m always skeptical of lentil soup, as I grew up working in a Mediterranean restaurant with a handed-down family recipe for homemade, lentil soup. This is the closest I’ve found and is so delicious and filling. I love that it’s vegan! I used spinach instead of kale, and red lentils (that’s what I had on hand). Incredible.
Yup, best lentil soup ever. Hands down! I went a little lighter on the spices but followed all directions and my 4 year old and husband each had two huge bowls. Thank you!!! This will become a staple ♥️
Thank you, Lauren!
This is good. I eat a lot of soup for lunch in the winter and I will be adding this to my rotation. Keeps me pretty full too. I decreased the curry powder because sometimes it’s overpowering for me, but I think I will try the full amount next time. The only thing I didn’t like was the blending, once I added it back in I wasn’t a huge fan of the texture of the broth anymore. I think next time I will skip that part, the thinner broth doesn’t bother me at all. I did use an immersion blender instead of a regular one, but I blended it a lot and it seemed to get very smooth, but maybe it would have turned out differently with a regular blender.
Also, this is probably the first time a recipe I made has looked exactly like the picture! Not sure if I am finally figuring out how to follow a recipe, or if you are the only food blogger that posts true, un-super-photoshopped pictures :)
Hooray! I’m glad it tasted and looked great.
Absolutely amazing! This will definitely be part of our weekly rotation! An extra squeeze of lemon and topped with cilantro before serving!
Thank you for your review, Jonna! I’m glad this will be a regular.
This lentil soup earns its name, it is simply the Best! I’ve been making lentil soup for a long time and decided to try something different when I saw this recipe. I don’t normally follow recipes exactly, but I did with this word for word! Let me start by saying I love the way the recipe is written; so easy to follow and I really like the explanation for why you’re doing something (“to enhance the flavor”). And let me tell you the flavor is phenomenal! Puts my original recipe to shame! I will never use another lentil recipe ever again! I have found the standard in lentil soup! Thanks for making this lentil lover very happy!!
Thanks for your detailed comment and praise of this soup, Lisa!
Hands down the best soup I’ve ever made! I don’t like tomatoes so I subbed some tomato sauce. I’ll be making this over and over! Thanks so much for all the awesome recipes!!
Wonderful, Kelly!
I add a bag of pumpkinchuncks at the beginning and a vegan sausage in small pieces at the end. Love it.
My go to lentil soup! This time my husband requested I add a couple of diced potatoes to make it a bit heartier on this bitter, cold Winter day. Tasted wonderful!
Hello! I’m going to try this soup today in an effort to make more meals from scratch for my vegetarian daughter. I enjoy using my crock pot during the winter. Can this be made in a crock pot too? I was thinking of adding potatoes too and glad to see another reviewer did the same!
Thank you,
Jill
I haven’t made this in the crock pot, but I believe others have. I still recommend following the saute step.
Just made this soup today, Day 1 of trying to go vegan. It was so delicious and it did not cry out for a bit of chorizo or any type of meat. I was a little worried when I saw that curry was one of the ingredients, but you don’t even taste it specifically; the melange of flavors really blends so well. I only had one questions about the portions. It seems that the huge pot of soup would feed 8, not 4. Thank you for sharing this recipe and I look forward to trying more of them!
What type of curry is used for this soup? I see different kinds like red, green, etc. I don’t know anything about curry, what is the difference?
Hi Karla! Curry spice like Frontier. You can choose what you like, if you have a strong preference. I hope that helps!
You really weren’t bragging when you named this recipe the Best Lentil Soup. I came across your website looking for vegetarian or plant-based recipe to try to incorporate more veggies and less meat in my diet, so I decided to try this one. Not actually a fan of lentils nor kale but this recipe convinced me! I added some celery in the soup just because it was there in my fridge and extra veggies never killed anyone and was using fresh tomatoes because I didn’t have canned one. Otherwise I won’t change a thing about this recipe, oh DO NOT skip the lemon juice. It really added the oomph to the dish.
Thank you so much for this recipe, Kate!
I’m happy you think so! Thanks for your review, Josephine!
Hi! I would like to make this receipt but I don’t like curry or cumin. Can I just omit those two spices? Thanks!
Hi Margie, both those spices are pretty important for the overall flavor of this soup. You could try to omit, but wouldn’t expect the same result.
Hi Kate! Thanks for the reply. Do you happen by chance to have any other recipes for lentil soup that don’t require those spices? If not, I’ll try it anyways & see how it goes. :)
I made a batch of this to have for lunch at work, and I’ll definitely be making it again. I added some diced potato also. Very warming a filling, perfect for a wintry day.
I’d love to try this and I’m curious if it could be done in an Instant Pot?
I haven’t tired it, sorry! It’s a rather quick recipe once all ingredients are combined.
This was easy to make and delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Alex!
I made this recipe because I’m trying to go meatless a few meals a week and I LOVE it! I added more spices after cooking to fill out the flavor for my liking, but a fantastic base recipe!