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 blend the veggies with the diced tomatoes so that my kids will eat it. It tastes delicious!
After so many lentil soup recepies, I found THE ONE. Thank you!!!!
This soup was delicious. I replaced the veg stock with chicken stock as I was out of veg. Loved the hot bite of it…very nice indeed. I need another one of your recipes to try now please :-)
Hi Maria! I have a ton of great recipes on the blog. You can search by category, ingredient, etc. :) Let me know what you think of the next one!
Just made this today while hunkered down in my Chicago apt. It’s fantastic and so comforting. I doubled it so it will get us through the week! Thank you for your thoughtful vegan/vegetarian recipes :)
DELICIOUS!
Without hesitation, the best lentil soup I ever had!
Thank you Kate for this amazing recipe!
Perfection!!!
We loved this recipe. I did a few things different. I think it’s okay to put your own spin on soups and this recipe is very flexible! I added celery. I’m not vegetarian so I used chicken bouillon. I used an extra cup of lentil, and 2 cups of water. I also used loomi! My husband is middle eastern so I’ve had the privilege of learning about their special spices and herbs. Loomi replaces the lemon by boiling/simmering the loomi ball with the soup.
I also used fresh spinach because that is what I had on hand.
My flat loved it! Will make again
Great to hear, Jessica!
Love this! It is so easy and tasty! I might try it with cabbage also although it was delicious with greens.
This has become our favorite soup. My husband made the following changes to the recipe:
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Do not drain the tomatoes
1 1/4 cup lentils
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 pinches of res pepper flakes
This recipe is simply delicious. I made a pot today and shared with my neighbor. My husband, my neighbor, my daughter -everyone loved it. I feel good because I know it is simply good food…
This is the best lentil soup I have had / made, ever. My omnivore, is-usually-the-one-who-cooks bf loved it, too. We’re making it again today and going to split it at the point of adding greens and add some left over meat to his. I feel like the spice / herb mixture, this recipe is very forgiving to whatever you have in your kitchen – varying kinds of stock or bullion, some celery if you’re running low on onion, using up the baby spinach you have for something else instead of kale, etc. We usually top w/ a little cheese and serve w/ fresh, local bread and butter.
This is absolutely delicious, a new family favorite!
Great to hear, Kirsten!
Made it twice already!!! It was so delicious and easy – even for me!
I forgot the garlic the first time and the lemon the 2nd time but it was still delicious!!! My family loves it!!!
Wonderful, Janice!
Great recipe! Easy and the best tasting lentil soup I have had in a long time. Spices give it so much flavor and the lemon juice really makes it perfect. I did not have vegetable stock so I used additional water and a small can of tomato sauce. I also added red bell pepper and a little coriander. It is delish! (Blending the 2 cups of soup transforms it – 1st lentil soup I have made with perfect consistency)
Thank you for sharing how you were able to work with this one with what you had on hand, Angela! I appreciate your comment and review.
Just wondering if I could red lentils…. all i have in this lockdown:(
Hi Fil! We’re in the same boat. Yes, you could use red lentils. They will not retain their shape as well as regular, but I think your soup will be good. They will cook faster than the 25 to 30 minutes specified in step 4—just cook until the lentils are tender, and proceed to step 5. Please report back if you give it a try.
I always use red lentils with this recipe because I like the taste better. I also put in potatoes! Best soup recipe ever!!! I make it at least twice a month in huge batches!
This is indeed the best lentil recipe! The whole family is happy, even my 5y.o daughter.
Delicious and hearty! Play with the recipe a bit to give it your personal touch… my family enjoyed it with celery, spinach, and more curry.
I’d like to make this tonight but only have red lentils… will that work anyway?
Hi Christine, I don’t love red lentils in this one. But, you can use that if that is all you have. Be sure to follow this guide on cooking time etc: https://asset-flow.pro/perfect-lentils-recipe/%3C/a%3E. For red, they take a lot less time.
Hearty. Tasty. Wholesome goodness. Thank you Kate, this was soul-satisfyingly good!
Did you use dry or canned lentils??
Hi Sarah! Dried lentils
Love this recipe!! It is my go to soup these days….very comforting!
WOW!! I just made a huge pot of this to drop off some soup to loved ones during self isolation in these crazy times. It’s a small way to show my love and what better way than with lovingly made delicious food! The spices really make it so yummy and I love the freshness of the lemon too. I doubled the recipe so I can share with my loved ones and I hope they all love it just as much as I do! Thank you kindly for sharing and wishing everyone out there safety and wellness in this scary times. Much love Kirstin.
Hi, I’m making this now, will it be just as good if I blend the whole lot as my daughter and husband will more likely eat it !
Thank you
Amanda
Thank you for this very tasty soup recipe. I needed to use 3 leeks and swiss chard in this recipe. hope you don’t mind. My soup came out brilliant. Love all the flavors. Here is South Africa we have complete Lockdown through this trying time. So happy I follow your website and receive your emails. Love this lentil soup recipe. Kindness Barbara
I’ve been making a modified version of this recipe for years now and whenever people try it, they’re always amazed at how great and different it is from lentil soups they’ve had before. I make a huge pot of this several times every winter and it never disappoints. I have even started a winter event that a couple dozen friends attend called Soupfest which consists only of all of us eating this soup. Thank you so much for bringing this joy into my life- I can never repay you.
My favourite lentil soup, even my husband, a picky eater, loves it.
Best lentil soup I’ve had! My husband liked it too, and we often have very different tastes. This will be my go-to soup recipe from now on!
Yep – it is also definitely the best lentil soup I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!
Delicious!!!!
Dry or canned lentils? Thanks!
This recipe calls for dried, but readers have used canned. You will just need to decrease your liquid.
Thank you. It was delicious!
Hi! I don’t have any spinach or kale, can I use chopped zucchini instead? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, you can add zucchini. But, that wouldn’t be a direct replacement for the greens. I would suggest to saute the zucchini with the other vegetables so it’s cooked through.
Just made this and it is absolutely delicious. My husband who is not a big fan of soups really did enjoy this. I added more of the red pepper flakes and black pepper to give it more of a kick. I would also add that the collard greens should be cooked for longer than 5 minutes to ensure it softens well.
The only soup that I regularly make in the winter and fall. I’ve tried quite a few vegetarian soup recipes and this one is by far the best. It’s hearty, delicious and keeps me full. It keeps well for about a week! Thanks for this recipe Kate :)
super good just as posted
I had no kale but would probably just as good or better
I’ve been making & eating lentil soup since the 1970’s. I love, love, LOVE it!! When I found this recipe I thought, “what more can you do to lentil soup than what I’ve done over all these years?” Well, I can confirm, this recipe is by far the best I’ve ever tasted!) Bravo Kate. So glad you posted this. You have new fan!
Marvelous!! Thanks so much, Eleni. :)
Wow! This is one of the best soups I’ve ever had or made. Will be making this again. I followed the recipe exactly, and it is superb. Thank you!
I love this recipe so much! I make it all the time.
Wow! No joke, this is the best lentil soup my family has had. It has well-balanced flavors, great texture and heartiness and the recipe can be followed exactly, which is not often the case with a lot of recipes. Thank you for spending the time to refine it and share it with the world. I look forward to trying your other recipes!
Best soup I’ve ever made. I love how simple and tasty it is .
Delicious!! My family loved it! I even added some potatoes and roasted corn to it! The corn added a sweetness to it!! Love this recipe and the next day it tastes even better!!
Wonderful, Alma! I appreciate your review.
Can garam masala be used as a substitute for curry powder?
Hi Diana, That might be interesting. I haven’t tried it, so can’t say for sure. If you do, I would be very interested!
Hi! I wanted to make this, but all of the stores have run out of canned tomatoes of any kind. Is it possible to use fresh in place of diced canned?
Thank you!
Sure, you can! The flavor might be different and may want to add more salt. Let me know what you think!
I made this a week or so ago and we loved it but I have to tell you I didn’t follow the recipe exactly but made it as I call it “Q style”. As I can’t run out to the store for one or two ingredients that I don’t have on hand I just follow a recipe as closely as possible and make substitutions. When all of this is over I will make it as written but even with my changes it was delicious.
I like that! Thanks for sharing.
I like to soak my lentils before using them to make digestion easier. How would you alter the liquids in this if I’ve soaked the lentils overnight? Thank you. Can’t wait to make this.
Hi Julie, I wouldn’t know without trying it. However, I know others have made this with canned and omitted the water. You may still need some water since they aren’t already cooked. However, I’m not sure on quantity. You can always add more as it cooks if you feel it’s absorbing too much.
I have made this soup so many times I’ve lost count. I prefer chunkier soups, so I add diced potatoes at the same time I add the lentils. Delicious!
I’m going to give it a try it sounds absolutely delicious and scrumptious all I need with it is some crisp bread to dip in the richness of this bowl and savor itThanks for sharing
Would I be able to use frozen kale in replace of the fresh kale!?
Looks delicious, I can’t wait to try :)
Sure! That’s a great substitution.
She’s right, everyone. This is truly the best lentil soup ever! So ridiculously easy, too. I didn’t have diced tomatoes, so I used crushed. I also subbed spinach for the kale, as it’s what I had on hand. Thanks Kate!
Love this soup! Made a few changes to use ingredients on hand. Beef broth, 1.5-2x onion and carrot, rounded measures for the herbs, frozen chopped kale without removing the ribs. The lemon juice really brightens the soup at the end. Just delicious!
Thank you Kate, for another yummy recipe. Your recipes have been so helpful especially now. This came out yummy! I followed the recipe exactly as is.
This is Unbelievable good! Absolutely DELICIOUS and veggie which is a bonus x