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, my family loved this lentil soup! Such a wonderful flavor – we have really enjoyed trying your recipes: lentil tacos, spinach and artichoke enchiladas, the red curry with vegetables (the list could go on). I have never consistently used as many recipes from a food blog as I do yours nor written a review. Keep the amazing favors coming!
Also – any thoughts on a wild rice and vegetable soup? Or a vegetable chowder?
Loved it!
This is phenomenal. The lemon is a perfect way to finish it off. I used beet greens in mine (because it’s what I had!) This recipe, and the lentil-chickpea burger recipe made me join your list. I took a massive bowl of this yummy lentil soup to work, and it was just as good on day 5, as day 1. I’m making my 2nd batch right now!
Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy.. I never check in/ come back to a website and take the time to say that I actually LOVED a recipe but now I simply must. This is what I will serve my non vegan friends to convince them vegan food can be lovely. This is the most smashing lentil soup I have ever had. Next time I will try with less oil to see how that tastes just somI can eat it all withoit feeling bad about the fat. Thank you! Thank you. Carolien Oosterhoff
New to your blog – made this soup last night – delicious and easy. Loved the addition of curry! Looking forward to more culinary adventures, thank you!
This is SO delicious, easy to make and cheap! I have made it for lunch at work and every day my colleagues have been saying how amazing it smells. Yum – i can’t wait to try some of your other recipes, thank you so much!
This soup is amazing!
I went searching for a recipe for lentil soup and stopped at this one because I happened to have all the ingredients (lazy at its best).
I am sad to say that I have eaten it for lunch every day this week and it is now gone. So sad…guess I’ll have to make more.
Can’t wait to make this again and again. Maybe try the crockpot version next time.
I love this soup so much. And every time I come back for the recipe I mistake Cookie and her little blanket for a bat. And EVERY TIME I wonder, what do bats have to do with this soup? ;)
It’s currently snowing in my part of little Iowa — so I’m cozied inside putting together my meals/grocery list for the week. Can’t wait to try this soup (I have a feeling it’s going to make this snowy Sunday a good one :)
To die for! It’s going in the signature dish pile for sure. Perfect for my vegan colleague, my carnivorous husband, and everyone in-between!
Thanks to those who suggested cayenne – it adds the perfect kick.
Thanks so much! This recipe has become a staple in my home.
would you happen ot have the nutrional info for this?
This soup is so good! Was searching for something to do with the glut of tomatoes we have presently growing in our garden in Australia. We’ve got frozen passata & salsa coming out of ears, so we were hoping for something else. And boy did we find it. Thanks so much Kate for the recipe. This beautiful spicy soup + crusty vienna bread = Bliss :)
I am making this soup and it is smelling delicous…..I had just harvested carrots from my garden…..chopped them up……I used fresh lemon thyme…..and am about to add some chopped flat leaf parsley from the garden too. I am thinking of adding cut up ribbons of varigated rodiccio for the greens….or the leaves of a brussel sprout plant that I harvested today (I have been told the leaves are like mild sweet collards.)
Thanks for the inspiration…..I am trying to be vegetarian for lent and maybe longer……no pressure or promises.
This is UNBELIEVABLE! I’ve never been a huge soup fan but I’ve really been trying to bring some excitement to my work lunches lately. I absolutely LOVE this!
This soup was very yummy and so easy to make – two requirements for a successful repeat-worthy recipe in my books!
I didn’t have any kale or spinach on hand so the only change I made was adding a touch of cilantro at the end to balance the acidity.
I look forward to trying your other recipes on your beautifully designed blog site, love the design and font selections!
Thanks Kate!
Excited to try this tonight! It’ll be the third recipe I’ve made off your blog this week — you have such great, simple, well-thought out options. I loved the citrus olive oil cake and cranberry orange granola that are happily in my tummy already:).
Thanks for your fantastic work! I love your blog!!
Carolyn
This recipe is absolutely delicious.
I just found your site- will definitely be a regular user.
Thank you so much I really enjoyed this soup and so did the rest of my family.
Jane
Hi, Kate. We recently went out for dinner, and I had a lentil soup. It was good, but I told myself there was better out there. I came home and googled ‘best lentil soup recipe’ and your recipe popped up. So I made it for lunch two days ago – it’s completely delicious! And it’s rumored I’m a food snob. The broth is just so yummy!!! The only thing I did different was added 1/4 cup of quinoa and an extra cup of kale. I do plan on making it again as is, however, I also plan to make it again and add potatoes, green beans, and corn. Thank you so much, this is a delicious recipe!
Made this lentil soup tonight. Yum! Nice kick to it – will make it again!
Amazing lentil soup recipe, perfect for Friday dinner during Lent and cold day! I love anything with lentils but my husband is a bit more discerning and he loved this! Only ingredient I added was celery and only because I bought it thinking it was an ingredient. Thanks for the great recipe and I can’t wait to try out others.
Thanks for the recipie, it was great. I didn’t have enough lentals on hand so I added some dried bean mix to make up the difference. Other than having to cook it a bit longer it turned out well. A good base recipie that can be adapted to what you have on hand, which is always what I look for when I’m looking for something new.
Thanks for this recipe. I had lentils on hand that I wanted to make. I came across this recipe on Pinterest so I gave it a try. This soup is absolutely amazing. So comforting on a cold damp night.
I have made this soup for four weeks straight now and eat it every day for lunch. It has really helped me become healthier and lose weight amidst a super hectic schedule! Thanks for such an awesome and easy recipe!
Wicked good lentil soup! I loved the slight spiciness and the bit of blending gives it a great texture. Thank you for this great recipe! So glad I found this site.
I made this because my son is vegan and I’m trying to eat healthier. Amazing flavor combination. It took me a lot longer than 10 minutes to prep everything but I recently had hand surgery so I’m putting it down to my slower movements.
Made this last night and absolutely loved it!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I just fixed the lentil soup, however 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme was too much for my taste. It overwhelmed all other flavors. Next time I would use half of the amount indicated. I would warn others to add it carefully. Otherwise the overwhelming thyme taste ruins the taste of the soup which could have been delicious.
I usually do not write reviews, but in this case it was absolutely necessary.
I’m sorry you felt there was too much thyme in the recipe, Anelena. I haven’t gotten that feedback from anyone else, so I am guessing that either you had some potent thyme or you’re really sensitive to the flavor. Hope your next batch turns out perfectly with less thyme, if you give it another shot.
Maybe she used ground thyme? I too find ground thyme to be overbearing but I used dried thyme sprigs in this recipe and it turned out fantastic.
I used ground thyme and it was still awesome!
“Too much thyme on my hands.” ;)
Hi Kate!
I never comment on recipes, but I felt like I had to on this one. I’m 20 and just learning to cook on my own. This was so easy and delicious. My carnivorous boyfriend said this was the best homemade soup he’s had! I ate it for days. It was really great with toast and a salad and really made a hearty meal after work. Definitely saving this one. Thank you so much!
OMG! THIS SOUP IS AMAZING!! THE FLAVORS ARE SUPERB!
Loved this recipe! Super yummy and easy to make.
I followed the exact recipe and it is so delicious! The spices are perfect, the taste from the lemon juice is fresh, and I love the little bit of thickness from blending some of it. My own lentil soups have always been lackluster, so thanks for adding a new staple to my weekday lunches and dinners.
Yummy yummy. Since I am West Indian I added 2 teaspoons of mudras curry instead of one. I substituted carrots With one sweet potato, I had no onions so I used maybe about three tablespoons of fine powder onion, and I used spinach instead. It is delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!! Next time I’ll probably blend 3 cups to aim for a thicker consistency. Xoxo
I have been trying online recipes for a long but never bothered to give a review no matter how good or bad the result was…so this will review will be my first ever, and only because the soup turned out to be very good! Nutritious with balanced spices. So flavorful, yum! I didn’t have carrots and green collards so I used what I have – yam and spinach. Delish. Thanks for sharing.
I made this soup last week. My roommate and I ate it for three days in a row. It was that good. So glad I found your site.
Made this once with collards and fell in love, tonight I am making it with kale…already dreaming of dinner :)
Have made it last night for dinner! Glad I found this beautiful vegetarian blog that I adore ( I would also want to try other wonderful recipes here like Red Potato Herbed Salad and your best Quinoa salads).
The soup was delish…I follow the recipe pretty close and made just 4 little substitutions: chilli peper, sweet paprika, spinach and Apple cider vinegar.
The weather it’s just wonderful in CA but somehow I managed to get a little cold that’s why yesterday I was in a mood for cooking soups :)
I’ve been a vegetarian/ vegan since 2011 and I love the choices I’ve made ,definitely this is the road I want to go on.
Thank you for making the life easier for my fellow vegetarians and vegans everywhere.
Delicious! I’m neither a vegetarian, nor a vegan, but I choose not to eat meat every day. This soup was delicious and very filling. I added some extra carrots and three stalks of asparagus, as I had them on hand. Be sure to squeeze some lemon into your bowl as the heat from the spices contrasted with the tartness of the lemon is what makes this soup work.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be sure to visit the site again.
BEST SOUP EVER!!!! THANK YOU!
This soup is incredible! I’m a high school student trying to slowly introduce vegan food to my family – definitely won them over with this recipe! Thanks for sharing
This soup was so good I will be sharing a link (scheduled for 4/6/16) from my blog to your site! Hope that is okay.
I’d never made lentil soup before; considered it too “bland”! Ha! Your’s was wonderful!!! Spicy and warm and filling. Very tasty, indeed! I immediately made a second batch and shared it with a friend at work. She and her family loved it, too! I’ll be checking out more of your recipes, without a doubt. Thanks!
This is seriously the best lentil soup I have eaten!! I only doubled the curry other than that I stayed true to the recipe. Love it!! Thank you :-)
Couldn’t have been better!!! protein packed!
Perfect.
We are very fussy when it comes to soup in this household. Never seem to find something everyone likes, but this time we hit the holy grail! Everyone wanted seconds.
The taste was amazing, so much flavour and without having to buy a whole load of spices.
We ate ours with some toasted naan bread as it went so well with the flavours.
I replaced kale with parsley or spinach (depending what I have) and red pepper flakes with chili powder and it was absolutely AMAZING! Definitely one of my TOP 3 favorite soups of all time! I already made it a couple of times. Thank you for this recipe! <3
My friend made me this soup a few days ago and I just HAD to have some more so she gave me the recipe. I am currently enjoying a big bowl righy now. This soup is absolutely delicious! Super healthy and very filling.
Loved this recipe. I’ve made it twice already and it disappeared both times. I added some butternut squash cubes but kept the rest as is. Spices where perfect. Thanks for sharing!
This soup is absolutely amazing!!!! Making my second pot now. Even my boyfriend loved it!
My husband loves this,wants it every week.I fix it just like recipe great soup very healthy and great!