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.
Great recipe! I made it last night with pantry items and homemade veg broth. I only had a can of 14 oz. tomatoes which I thought was perfect. Seems like the larger can would be too much. I added more like 1-1/2 c to 2 c of kale too. The lemon is a must and delicious!
Hi Lannie,
My husband is low sodium also. I made my own vegetable stock with onion, garlic, celery, carrots, cabbage so no salt there. I used a smaller can (14 oz.) of low sodium tomatoes, so that helped too. No added salt. The lemon juice in the end helps make up for missing salt.
WOW!! I’ve made many different lentil soups looking for one my whole family likes. This one knocked it out of the park! So flavorful and filling. I added a small potato and sweet potato with the diced tomatoes, and it turned out amazing! Great recipe.
After seeing all the high ratings I was a bit disapointed. Maybe the cumin was a bit to strong for my taste
I’m sorry to hear that, Sophie. Thank you for your feedback!
I made this soup this evening loved it! I added a bit of red curry paste as well as some potatoes. I also added more of the red pepper flakes.
Thank you!!
Hi Kate… can i use Jamaican curry powder to make this? Love your recipes
Hi! You can, but the flavoring may be different.
Uh… best lentil soup ever?
500, 5-star reviews?
Are you cherry picking the reviews and comments you allow to see the light of day on your blog?
Made this recipe with the best ingredients and followed the recipe. It was “meh” at best. I love lentils, I love veggies, and I love the spices called for. This just wasn’t great. I would have given it 2-3 stars, but I feel like I have to counterbalance all the 5 star reviews a little.
Hi Claire, Comment Policy can give more information. But I don’t cherry pick reviews. I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed by this recipe and seem frustrated by the reviews. This may just not be the recipe for you. I hope you try other recipes an enjoy them.
Wow. I don’t normally comment on recipes (especially not on comments left by a commentators) but, who who rates a recipe lower than they feel it actually deserves, just to “counterbalance” the fact that a lot of people loved the recipe and gave it 5 stars? This is laughable, but also weird and a little rude.
I agree with you Rachel. She probably didn’t follow the recipe properly because I can’t imagine not loving this, especially since she’s mentioned that she enjoys those ingredients.
I doubt you even made it. I am Greek, I have made lentil soups from all parts of the world including Greece (which I thought was the best), but this is absolutely the best, hands down.
The only thing ..meh… is your comment.
I made this recipe exactly as printed and loved it. I just saw your post because I was looking up this recipe to make it again. Why the snarky tone? Just say you didn’t like it.
Thank you for the recipe. I love this so much that I make it once a week! I added a small amount of potatoes and a little barley too. A very satisfying meal and a great lunch with leftovers.
The best lentil soup I’ve ever tasted!
Excellent! I’ll say the thing I don’t like in other reviewers- I didn’t make this exactly according to the recipe because I didn’t want a soup. I had been looking for a lentil & white bean recipe. But except for only using enough broth to cook lentils and halfing the tomatoes, I did everything else as per directions. Very flavorful and nuanced! A definite keeper
I make this once a month at my husband’s request. His favorite foods are wings and steak so you can imagine my surprise when he told me this is his favorite soup…ever (I am secretly converting him to at least one vegetarian meal a week ;). I personally love it and make it according to the directions exactly every time. Never disappoints!! Thank you for another amazing recipe.
I love that! Thank you for your review, Danielle.
Wow, this was really good. Very pleasantly surprised. Glad to have another yummy soup to my rotation. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Brenda!
Can I substitute the curry powder with th Eric? Or just omit the curry? Not a fan of that flavor
Hi Lala, I highly encourage you to try it in this soup. It does really set it apart. Or, you can omit if you like.
This is without a doubt the best lentil soup I have ever made or had! Lentil soup can be kind of one note and bland, not this one. I am eating more vegetables and amping up legumes. Just had some for lunch. Looking forward to having some for dinner. The curry powder makes it!
Tried this recipe for my husband’s lunch today, I never tried lentils before but i love this soup to bits. Thank you for the great recipes! :)
A, and I cannot emphasize this enough, mazing. Awesome recipe.
Thank you, Gabriel! I appreciate your review.
Can you make this in an instant pot? How long to cook without everything getting mushy?
Sorry to disappoint, I recommend this on the stovetop and don’t have instant pot directions for this one.
Hey Kate thanks for your response. I ended up risking it and tried on the instant pot. Sauted all the veggies with the spices as written, then added the broth, tomatoes, and lentils and cooked on high for 5 min. Added the kale and lemon afterwards. Came out absolutely delicious! Tasted wholesome and hearty, but not too heavy. Thanks for a great recipe! Will be adding in my regular rotation. Definitely 5 stars!
This was a hit with my husband and two boys. Served it with baked potato and raw veggies for dinner. Thank you.
I love this so much! I have used this recipe for two years. I always add any veggies I have left over in my fridge, I add bay leaves, coriander seeds and chill powder. Prefect with some nutritional yeast on the top two cannot speak highly enough, I come back to this recipe every winter season :))
This is the BEST lentil soup I’ve ever had. Even my husband liked it & he says he doesn’t like lentils. Made it without the greens.
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Joanne.
This really is the best lentil soup recipe! For that matter, it is not on one of my go to favorite soup recipes!!!!!
Hello, can we use red lentils instead?
Hi, You can but they tend to be more delicate and you will likely need less liquid and cooking time. Refer to my How to Cook Lentils for guidance.
Will do! Thank you!
I was looking for a different take on my typical go-to lentil soup recipe and decided to try this out. The spices and lemon (I substituted with lime) made a difference! Delicious and may just become my new go-to. Thanks!!
I swapped out the curry for smoked paprika and this made the best lentil soup I have ever had! I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, Kate. Would this work with black lentils?
Hi Cynthia! Yes, it should. The time may vary slightly though. Let me know what you think!
I made this recipe exactly according to the recipe. OMG, it is delicious.
Delicious and easy to make! Will be making more again soon.
That’s great, Anne!
You’ve done it again! I am a college student on a budget, and I absolutely love your recipes for meal prep. This was simple, filling, and super delicious, using spices that everyone has in their home! Love your website :)
I made this an added two potatoes Tony Sacheres seasoning and fresh parsley instead of kale… oh soo yummy
Okay I have made many different types of lentil soup before and it is always a favorite of mine, but HOLY COW this is BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!! I love that it has a little bit of spice, and sooo much flavor but they all seriously go soo good together! I am not typically someone who even writes reviews, but I was eating the soup so amazed and I knew I had to come back and write something! BEST LENTIL SOUP!!
I’m glad this was your favorite!
This soup is amazing. Have made it 4-5 times now and it is an absolute crowd pleaser. Highly recommended and thank you for posting it!
I assume you can substitute red lentils? Haven’t made it yet but it sounds and looks delicious!
I love your Mango Salsa recipe!
Hi! I know others have and they reduced the liquid. I’m not sure by how much and cooking time will vary.
This is my favorite soup! Healthy, hearty, and delicious! It’s perfect as is- no alterations needed.
A-maz-ing. Easy and just yum. I added Sriracha for a kick!!
Delicious! I didn’t bother using the immersion blender since I’m fine with a brothier soup. So simple and tasty!
The Best Lentil Soup is not only the best lentil soup it is the best soup I have ever made! Or tasted! I used red lentils because that’s what I had on hand. I also used some dried tomatoes slices that I had dehydrated from my garden. They added an incredible sweetness to the soup. The flavors are so intense and the addition of the lemon juice does give it that extra zing! Thank you for another great recipe!
I have made numerous recipes for lentil soup, this is my fave. I added extra lemon juice and omitted cumin (I just don’t love cumin) and the soup is fabulous. Fresh, healthy and delicious. I made cornbread muffins to pair – thank you for sharing!
Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. Didn’t change thing.
I’m just now enjoying my tasty, delicious, healthy lentil soup! I love it and followed your recipe exactly!!!
Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
Great lentil soup….wonderful, warm and so flavorful. I’ve had lots of lentil soups, but this one reigns supreme! thank you!
This soup was my first time ever eating lentils. I have made this recipe countless times with whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Always add celery, bell pepper and bay leaf. Today had a small half head of cabbage that I used instead of kale. Lovely!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love it so much, it’s healthy and delicious and I’ve eaten it for lunch 5 days a week for nearly 2 years now! Also great with dark greens like spinach! Would very much recommend :)
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Sarah.
This is a great recipe that is very easy to tweak to fit your flavor preference! I add red chili flakes, less curry and extra garlic. Its a great and easy recipe, especially if you have an immersion blender!
Thank you, Rachel!
This makes for one good hearty soup !
It’s a great recipe, but you can definitely make some minor changes based on what you like or have. I added some diced zucchini and green peppers for veggies, a little more spice, 14oz diced tomatoes and baby spinach for the greens. It turned out much better than I expected :)
The dish is tasty, satiating, and amazing to have on a cold day for sure. I made a big batch and will be storing it. Will definitely make again, thanks for sharing !
We are doing meatless Monday and I discovered this recipe. Delicious!! So much flavor!
This turned out incredible! I’ve always hated lentils but can appreciate how nutritious they are. This recipe made me love lentils! I followed the instructions exactly and it was perfect.
Hiya! I found this recipe last year and have been making it at least once a week since then. I’m absolutely obsessed with this soup, literally the easiest, heartiest and yummiest thing ever. I sub in different veggies depending on what’s in the fridge and it’s always delicious.
That’s great to hear, Francesca! Thank you for your review.
Hey there-could I blend all the soup up for a chunky-ish finish for baby? Will it be as nice? The boy is mad for the spices!
Hi Fiona, if that’s what works best for you, then sure!
Wonderful soup thank you! I spilt the salt – it was still delicious :-)
Hello, There is a disconnection between Ingredients and Instruction.
The Instruction called for “Pour in the lentils, broth” (Step 4). The is no lentil broth listed as the ingredient. Should lentils be cooked before combining with other ingredients, or it is an item from the Supermarket shelf?
Will be appreciated your advice.
Hi Irina, Sorry if that doesn’t seem clear. You add the lentils, then add the vegetable broth that is listed in the ingredients. Does this help?
Wow i love this soup cant wait to make it again
Awesome Soup !
Lentil soup is one of my go to meals but this recipe is one of the best by far that I have ever made. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Suzanne!