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.
The best indeed. I’ve made it on several continents to general acclaim. It freezes and thaws well too if you don’t want to eat it all within a few days of cooking.
This is my new favourite soup! I double the amount of lentils, and also double the amount that is emulsified and returned to the pot. It makes for a very hearty delicious meal. Thanks!
Hooray! I’m happy to hear that, Edith.
I made this lentil soup recipe for the first time. I didn’t make any changes except I didn’t drain the tomatoes. Lots of good juice there. It is very good and full of flavor.
Thank you for sharing, Ann!
I don’t like thicker greens like collards and kale so I substituted chopped fresh spinach and it’s still my favorite soup ever! My friends love it. My family loves it! It’s a big hit!
Delicious soup. Did a couple of changes but still nice.
I had no vegetable broth so added 3 chicken cubes. Also added a bit of celery since I had no kale. Had no peeled tomatoes so added about 5 cheery tomatoes blended in the Ninja and about 3 tb of tomato paste. Also added 1/4 of aborio rice.
Was delicious, thanks for the recipe.
This soup has quickly become a favourite and staple in our household! I have made a few different versions with different vegetables and always turns out super yummy! Perfect hearty soup for winter:)
Can I replace diced tomatoes with tomato powder?
Hi Jeyi, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry to disappoint!
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written. The taste was phenomenal and perfect; there’s absolutely no need to modify this recipe! Another perfect recipe by Cookie + Kate!
Thank you, Lea! I appreciate your review.
Absolutely delicious! I worried the curry and cumin would be overpowering, but not the case; instead, they give the soup a deeper flavour. I used whole tomatoes and crushed each one as I placed it in the pot. Versatility is the name of thw game in my kitchenm so lacking collard greens, i used chopped frozen spinach, Also, always great to see recipes that use acid (lemon juice in this case) to add complexity to the flavour. Bravo!
That’s great! Thank you for leaving a review, Kathy.
Great recipe. Our neighbors loved it too. I did low sodium chicken broth since the veggie broth I had was high in sodium, and it worked well. Didn’t have the right greens so I want to try it again and include them.
So simple and absolutely delicious. It’s one of those recipes I refer to time after time.
We discovered this soup a few months ago and have been making it over and over, with spinach, with other greens on hand.
It’s is so delicious, you must make it for yourself and see. Thank you
Hearty and soulful. Perfect for Melbourne winters. I added celery as well. Everyone in the family loved it. Thanks for the lovely recipe x
Loved that soup. You can eat it for a few days in a row, and you still enjoy it!
That’s great! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made a lot of lentil soup recipes but this one really is the “Best Lentil Soup” Healthy, easy to put together, and delicious! Thank you for sharing.
This soup is outstanding. We’ve made is 3 times already. It’s made it onto our dinner rotation list.
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Kristen.
This recipe is so amazing! I make this almost every week. Such a staple.
I love that! Thank you for your review, Henessy!
Absolutely delicious!
I have never EVER left a comment or review on a recipe I’ve used, but this soup is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth so I figured it’s worthy of a comment. MAKE THIS SOUP and stop looking for other recipes. This is the one!
Thank you for the review, Audrey!
So good. I have made it with fresh lentil and can lentil. Also froze it and keeps perfect. It is one of my impress them recipes!
Hi, just trying to work out, does the recipe call for 1 cup of dried lentils or 1 cup of pre soaked. Ta.
Hi, dried lentils. I hope you enjoy it!
I love this soup. I used baby spinach instead of kale, but otherwise followed the recipe. It’s a favourite in my home and with friends and I love that it freezes so well. I freeze it in portions, making it a quick yummy meal available when not in the mood to cook. Thank for providing this recipe!!
I’ve never had lentils. I made this today. Couldn’t be more delicious and satisfying! My husband has been eating it all day. I just ordered your cookbook!!! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kay!
This lentil soup recepie is the BEST. A little bite to the flavor that intensifies over a couple days. Please explain why the sodium content is so high – 5296 for the whole batch when the only sodium is in the tomatoes and the broth. I am trying to find recepies that are gluten free and low sodium. I enjoy it for 3 days and then freeze a container for a treat a couple weeks from now. It is a KEEPER. ginny from Maine
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! I prefer more liquid so I add the tomatoes with the liquid and I don’t blend any of the soup, but it’s amazing! The flavors are perfect.
just tried this out in my kitchen from Denver, co. very very, very good!! thank you :)
I’ve made this at least ten times. You are a genius. I’ve begun substituting the vegetable stock with bone broth. It turns this into even more of a superfood after long walks and work outs, with the protein and collagen content enhanced by the magnesium in the lentils. With the nutrients & fiber from the veggies/greens to the antioxidants from the lemon juice, this soup is a life changer for reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol and risk of diabetes, improving heart health, maintaining bone density, supporting joint function, promoting weight loss, building muscle tissue, optimizing gut health and so much more. This is all the food you need and will forever be a staple recipe in my life.
I commented but forgot to leave a review/rating. Amazing!
Thank you for coming back to review, MJ!
This sounds delish! Can I use red lentils for this instead? I know they break down a little more but I don’t know if that would mess up the recipe.
Hi, I know others have. I would just be sure to use less liquid and less time since they don’t require as much. My How to Cook Lentils post should help!
Love your recipes! Would red lentils work for this soup?
Hi Jane! I’m glad you are loving my recipes. Red lentils may work, but require less liquid and cooking time. I haven’t tired it, but I would suggest How to Cook Lentils for guidance.
Absolutely love this recipe. I added 1 diced Potatoes some diced Pumpkin and Red Kidney Beans, for a heartier meal. At home I serve it with rice. I generally cook it for a weeks worth of lunches at work. Its become a staple in my diet.
delish! Thanks for the recipe:)
I’m glad you loved it!
Would nappa cabbage work in the place of collards or kale?
Kale is a great option!
This turned out great. I doubled the carrots and kale for more veggies. Will be making again!
That’s great to hear, Amanda! Thank you for your review.
This really is the BEST lentil soup recipe ever! I followed it exactly and took the option of adding more red pepper becauseI wanted it spicier. It was delicious! Bonus that it was pretty easy and made enough for leftovers. This will definately be in my normal menu rotation going forward. Thanks!
I’ve never left a recipe review before but had to here because I LOVE this lentil soup! Made it for myself and my mom for lunch one day One bowl fills you up but we both had to go back for seconds. Added a dollop of Greek yogurt and some diced avocado for toppings. Been making it about once a week since. Superb! Thank you! Looking forward to your book, as well.
Such a great recipe! I substituted salt for chicken bouillon and add a bit more kale, but it really is the best lentil soup. Highly recommend! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us :)
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
SO GOOD! This recipe is amazing.. Had picked up a bag of lentils last year when I was unemployed from a church food giveaway and had no idea on how to cook them. I doubled this recipe using what I had on hand. In the 1st step of sautéing I used onions, carrots and 1 large Jalapeno and at the end of the simmer I added about 6 cups of of spinach leaves then served it with slices of Avocado on top.
It’s so good I had to make my 1st time ever comment on a recipe post.
Still have plenty of Lentils leftover and will make this again and will be sharing this recipe.
Thanks for your help.
Jason.
My father found this recipe about 4 years ago and has been making it for my oldest daughter since she’s been a baby and he now makes it for my youngest daughter and they both absolutely love it! It is and always will be known as “poppy’s soup” in our house. Thanks so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Kayla!
Wow, this was delicious! I used a couple Tbsp bacon grease (I know) and a couple Tbsp olive oil for the oil. Put in a stalk of celery and one huge collard green from my garden cut into small pieces-added it at the beginning because those collard greens take a while to cook for my liking (it was more like 2 cups fresh greens). I used about a cup of leftover tomatoes that I had frozen, and added tomato puree because that is what I had on hand. Used chicken broth for veggie broth. Chopped up a little red jalapeno from my inside aerogarden for the perfect spiciness. Otherwise followed your delicious recipe to a tee! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you, Theresa! I’m excited you loved it.
It’s an oversight on my part that I’ve never reviewed this soup. It’s the recipe that brought me to this blog, and I don’t know how many times I’ve made it. It’s my absolute go-to, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t usually follow recipes for soup!
This has become my favorite soup! So delicious and comes together quickly! I didn’t have curry so subbed tikka masala spice mix and the flavors worked really well!
Am I using dried lentils?
Yes, I hope you love it!
I made this Best Lentil Soup and , of all the lentil soups that I’ve ever tried, this one is absolutely the very best. Outstanding! I do not love to cook, but I do love to eat well. Thank you!
Same here, awesome plenty for the freezer I hope lol,I made it early this morning and haven’t stopped sampling . Thanks
This was an instant hit! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Mcfry.
I used fire roasted tomatoes, smoky pepper flakes and tossed in a parmigiana rind. Whoa.
This soup was delightful!
Perfect recipe!…and easy!!!
YUM!
Absolutely delicious recipe for a winters day, thank you!
You’re welcome, Eve!
Your butternut squash chili and this are some of our families favorites. They are in pretty consistent rotation for meals around here.
I have subbed out the kale for spinach a few times, as thats what I had, and both work really well!
The best soup, love it!
This soup really is amazing! It is often requested at my house and blending some of the soup is key to an amazing texture!