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.
Is it 1 cup of raw, dry lentils?
I believe so! You don’t have to soak dried lentils (I didn’t know that until yesterday)
Yes, raw lentils!
Hiya, I’ve made a batch of this and it is delicious!! Is there anyway it can be frozen? Thanks, Naomi x
Yes, it freezes and defrosts well.
I agree completely, best lentil soup I’ve ever made, and only cost me about a quid! ($1.50) I only blended about 1.5 cups and that worked for me. Thanks !
Made this soup tonight and it was wonderful! My husband 1 yr old and 2 year old loved it as well. I have super picky eaters in my home so this is a real treat. I don’t usually like Indian style recipes but made this as I had some lentils in the panty I wanted to use. The reviews were great so I gave it a shot. I will add even more Kale as it was so good in this soup. The only thing I changed was I used 1.5-2 tsp of white vinegar instead of lemon as my little guy can’t have citrus. This is so good I’m making it for my dad tomorrow! Trying your Red curry with Vegetables tomorrow! You are becoming a favourite of mine. You make it easy to be vegan. Thank you!
My husband and I are on the hunt right now for new recipes! We are excited to try this one out!
Thank you for the delicious soup recipe. It turned out great and everyone raved.
Hooray! Thank you, Robert.
Absolutely delicious, and even better the next day! My “I hate lentil soup” boyfriend could not get enough, he loved it- we both did! I served it with fresh hummus and pita bread on the side -mmm mmm mmm! Your recipes have become a household name for us. I follow quite a few vegetarian blogs now, but you are our personal favorite! Can’t wait for the cookbook announcement!!!
Thank you so much, Shana! So glad you both enjoyed it.
Has anyone tried freezing the soup? Not sure how the lentils will thaw and reheat.
It turns out great!
Hi,
I just wanted to say thanks for an awesome recipe! First time making soup from scratch, and it was easy. I used spinach instead of kale, and I added potatoes bc I like the texture and taste. I also added some chickpeas
Very delicious!
Thank you, Jane! So glad you enjoyed it.
What are the yellow chunks in the picture? Look like yellow peppers which are not on the list of ingredients.
They’re carrots.
Oh yum, this has solved my question as to what to make for dinner this evening. The dreaded 5:2 day requires tasty soup to pep it up! This will fit the bill, though it will have to be red lentils, because that’s all I’ve got in the cupboard and I can’t manage a trip to town in nearly 40 degrees – I may keel over from heat exhaustion before I get to the soup!
I hope you love the soup, Jayne!
Great lentil soup recipe. Have made this twice, adding celery to the base vegetables both times and the second time adding zucchini. Flavor is well-balanced, spicy without being overheated. Thanks, Kate, for posting this.
Thank you, Mitch!
Thank you for this delicious recipe , I followed exactly apart
from forgetting to add the lemon at the end and using dried mixed herbs as I did not have thyme on its own , the spices are perfect
for my taste and I will definitely make this flavoursome soup again
Thank you, Anne! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Made this today and it was amazing so much flavour. My pot is empty! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)
Hooray! Thanks, Marika.
This was soooo good. I have never made a homemade soup before and I don’t know why. But I was seriously craving a lentil soup and I found this recipe and made it and it was GREAT. I modified it a little—I used more lentils and less water and added a little almond milk, I didn’t drain the tomatoes, and I also didn’t use curry powder (I didn’t have any) but I put in a little paprika and garam masala, as well as some liquid aminos, and just left out the lemon juice and carrots cause I didn’t have those. But it turned out really delicious and looked beautiful. I ate it with some rice cause I eat everything with rice.
And also this recipe was CHEAP and I love that cause I’m in college. I can’t believe what a blessing lentils are. I think it cost around $6 to make this batch of soup and I’ll be able to eat it about five times. (PS it tasted just as good when I reheated it for breakfast today.)
Thank you, Heather! So glad you found my recipe. :)
This was so wonderful. Great recipe – I can’t wait to make it again and share it others.
Thank you very much, Alexandra! I appreciate it. :)
The perfect flavor profile for deep, rich flavor. The lemon is a great add!
Thank you, Jacyn!
Could this be cooked with a slow cooker instead? if so, what are the adjustments?
I’ve heard that it turns out well in the slow cooker if you sauté the onions first. I haven’t tried it myself, so I’m afraid I can’t offer any specifics beyond that.
Just made this soup and wow. Full of flavour. I was looking for something different than plain old lentil soup and thus was just magic. I blended all of mine with a blender as I ain’t a fan of chunky soup just tastes as good as it did chunky. Will definitely be saving this recipe. Even my 15 month old baby girl ate a whole bowl of this! Amazing. Well done Kate x
Thanks, Samantha! So glad you both loved the soup.
Hi Kate! I love your recipes! I’ve been travelling for almost 9 months and am always scouring your blog for yummy recipes that are easy to prepare. How do you think this would be without blending a portion? (Sadly, a blender is a luxury I rarely have while travelling)
Thank you! That’s great to hear. You can totally skip the blending step; I just like that it makes the soup a little thicker.
Just tried this tonight – absolutely delicious!! A new favourite for sure. I made it just exactly as the recipe said – spices were perfectly balanced, texture was great. Have never tried kale in a soup before but I am sold.
Great! Thanks, Jen.
Made this twice already. So good!
Yay, thank you!
Just delicious ! I’m trying to change over to a whole food plant based diet and thought I’d have t eat tasteless boring foods. This recipe is so good, I could eat it daily. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Betty! Whole foods make the tastiest meals. :)
I have to agree with the 653 other people; simply divine. It’s a keeper! Thank you for such a delicious, healthy recipe!
Yay, thanks Annie!
I made this but I only had organic chicken broth so I substituted and although not vegetarian it is delist! Next time organic veg broth can’t wait!
*Delish
Oh and wow on the lemon! Love this soup!
Added potato. This soup is the best
Thank you so much for sharing such a tasty recipe – I just love how part is pureed at the end but part is not, leaving just the right texture! I just returned home from Iceland where I had a fabulous lentil soup and was searching online for something to try at home myself. This was a gem of a find. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Normally I never comment on pages…I felt the need for this recipe. Spot on! I have tried many lentil soups that have been lackluster. This is my new go-to soup from now on! Thanks for perfecting this recipe and sharing with us!!
The soup looks very good. But I have to ask, is that a picture of a bat? Top far left next to the greens? I had to ask, its unnerving.
That’s my dog!
Oh dang. I had to go back and look! Sorry!! LOL
Love your recipes!
Hehe, she does look a little bat-like there. :)
I just made this (with a few modifications) and it was delicious! I didn’t have any thyme so I used a premixed blend of spices and added cumin and more pepper. I also used baby spinach instead of kale, and used 4 carrots instead of 2. It tastes amazing and was the perfect way to warm up on a cold night! Thanks for a great recipe!
Super duper tasty! Left out the salt & used low sodium broth to make it diabetic friendly! Will definitely use the juice from the tomatoes next time, and maybe even add more tomatoes as I feel it sweetens the mix! I also added more garlic and a chopped scallion at the end…yum! Thank you for the great recipe! ♡
Hands down the best lentil soup that I have made. I accidentally left out the thyme and it still tasted great. Thanks for sharing this.
Awesome! Thanks, Elizabeth!
Hei! Can you write, pls, how much it is in gramms. 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained.
Thanks in advance :)
Hi Marina, a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes is about 800 grams. I am not sure how much less it will weigh once it’s drained.
Could I add a ham bone?
Made this soup twice! Excellent. I love your recipes. I made my own vegan broth, had no thyme either time and subbed with basil(my fave herb). Im not vegan nor vegetarian but the guy im dating is. And since i love 2 cook i figured one day a week will dedicated 2 this awesome healthy lifestyle! I so appreciate it
Jp, glad to hear it! Thank you!
I LOVE this soup! I have made it several times now only swapping out freshly chopped tomatoes for the canned. DELICIOUSO!
Thank you so much, Judy! Your fresh tomato version sounds amazing.
It was delicious! thank you for a flavorful vegan soup recipe
Thank you, Angela!
I agree every veggie should have a go to lentil soup. This was great. I added a celery stick and left out a carrot. Also added baby spinach and coriander (cilantro) instead of kale.
Thanks, George! Your version sounds great!
I just made this today. It is fantastic! Very flavourful. I added enough hot pepper flakes for just the right amount of heat. I didn’t drain the tomatoes and used red lentils because that is what I had. So yummy. Thanks!!
Thank you, Michelle! I’m glad you enjoyed the soup!
Made the lentil soup this morning. Easy to make and delicious. Used drained liquid from the tomatoes as part of the water since I didn’t want to waste it. Yummy!!
Thank you, Janet! I’m glad you enjoyed the soup.
Wow! I made this today and this was the best soup my husband and I have had in a LONG WHILE. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I forgot to drain one of the diced tomato cans so I added 1 and a half cups of water instead of 2. It still came out perfectly!
Hooray! Thank you, Candace!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I absolutely love it, so does my family and everyone else I’ve served it to – including bunch of students who were so delighted about it they posted a message on FB – has raved! When I’m in a hurry, I use two tins of lentils – works really well too – and I generally add even more kale because it’s the divine in this soup.
Thank you so much, Marie-Louise!
Your recipes are our favorite now. Thanks so much!
What are the chances that you add nutritional data points to your recipes. This recipe looks great – but hard to tell if it’s substantial enough.
Can’t wait until your recipe book is available.
Thanks, Wendell! I’m happy to hear that. I’m going to try to add nutrition facts to my recipes soon. It’s going to be a massive project! Lentils are high in protein and fiber, so a big bowl of this soup should keep you full for a while.
Hi.Just seen your recipe for Lentil Soup.
Not sure of the cup measurements as i live in England we do everything in pounds and ounces.
Could you tell me how much is in a cup.
Thank you
Kind Regards
Margaret Yeoman
I’m new to cooking and LOVED this recipe! Super delicious and packed with nutrition. Even my picky boyfriend liked it! Thank you so much for sharing :)
This is a great recipe. We just had it for supper. I used 28 oz of fresh tomatoes as I have them ripening so fast this time of year. I used 3 cups of vegetable broth and 3 cups water to try to lower the salt. I used fresh thyme and the rest is by your recipe. I will definitely make this soup again and again! Thanks so much, Lin
A perfect fall-day warm you right up kind of soup. Great for all eaters too. I’ve never cooked vegetarian so this was a perfect introduction. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your first vegetarian venture, Jill! I have tons of recipes for you, if you’d like to try more. :)
Absolutely LOVE this recipe! My parents recently visited me in Reno, NV from the UK: a very long journey. I had this ready for them after their long, tiring, junk food-ridden journey and it was just perfect. Hearty, wholesome, tasty and nutritious. My tips: add a can of chickpeas (Garbanzo beans to you Americans!), and there’s no need to blend. Just enjoy the lovely texture of the unblinded soup! Thanks a lot for this recipe :)
Thank you, Amy! I bet this soup would be extra delicious after such a long trip.
This is SO delicious! Even my meat eating husband enjoyed it!
Thank you, Lyndsey! Glad to hear it!
I just made some lintel soup based off of your recipe, and it turned out very good! I didn’t use some of the spices you suggested, but managed to use some other items in my pantry to great effect. Thank you!
Thanks, Justin! Glad to hear it!