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.
How do the lentils in the photo keep their shape if the soup is put in a blender?
Hi! Some of the lentils will get blended, but not all of them if only blending suggested amount. I hope that helps!
This soup is easy to make and is super delicious! I used an immersion blender in a 4 cup measuring cup while holding a piece of paper towel over the top. Using the immersion blender alleviated the mess of cleaning up a blender, and the soup was perfectly thickened without using flour or cornstarch. The flavors and aroma of this soup is out of this world! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Nancy!
You only put a cup or two of the lentils in the blender then add that back to the pot.
As well as you could probably blend a lesser amount of maybe non if you prefer the lentil texture.. itll turn out different but probably still delicious
I’ve made this recipe twice now — I had never made lentil soup, or even bought lentils, before — and it’s a keeper! (The soups I make usually contain half as many ingredients, so that’s a high compliment, haha.)
I made some modifications based on ingredient preferences/tolerances/availability:
• I used half the amount of oil, or 2 tbsp. Because I made the recipe in a ceramic-coated pot, there was no problem with sticking.
• I don’t like onions and can’t digest them, so I avoid them when doing my own cooking. Instead I substituted two ribs of celery, with leaves.
• I *do* like garlic (very much!) but can’t digest it either, so I used 2 cloves rather than 4.
• I didn’t drain the diced tomatoes.
• We always have organic, low-sodium chicken broth on hand, so I used that instead of vegetable broth.
• Cumin: The first time I made the soup, the cumin seemed overwhelming when I first tasted it as it was cooling. By the next day, the flavors had blended more, and the soup had a nice tang. The second time I made the soup, I used 1 tsp. of cumin rather than 2… and I may go back to 2. Or maybe 1-1/2 tsp. will be a good compromise! ;-)
• I have a giant bag of a frozen, organic, spinach-kale blend, so I used that rather than fresh.
Such a good, hearty soup for the winter! Add some crusty bread… yum. Thumbs up!
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Lynn. I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
My ma is Egyptian, and lentil soup is basically the Egyptian national dish. So when it comes to lentil soup, I have been spoiled. If I’m feeling down – lentil soup. Sick? Lentil soup is the only thing I will be able to stomach. Just got dumped? Lentil soup will make it better. I never manage to recreate the exact taste of her lentil soup but was pretty proud of what I thought of as THE dish that I had down pat. For some reason, I decided to actually follow a recipe and landed on your page… Kate (and Cookie!) this is the best lentil soup I have ever tasted. I won’t be telling my ma that of course but wow! Thank you!
I’m making this soup yet again as I type this. I LOVE this soup. The flavors are so comforting and it’s easy peasy. You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make it and so it always works, and its also filling.
That’s great to hear, Sylvie!
Simply delicious.
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Nadia.
Flavorful, easy, and delicious! Great job!
Thank you, Melissa!
Fantastic! I didn’t have any curry and this was still delicious. Making another batch tomorrow and I’m looking forward to great meals all week!
I’m excited you enjoy it, Lori!
Hi there,
What can I substitute for the canned diced tomatoes?
Thanks
Hi, this is best recommended as written. Sorry!
Uncanned tomatoes
If you have brushed tomatoes I put in a bunch of those after peeling them. Probably need to add a little bit more liquid but that’s a pretty malleable thing in this recipe anyway. I don’t think anything but tomatoes would really do though.
I used tomatoes I had in my freezer from my garden harvest, worked great!
I make this all the time. It’s so healthy and delicious. Thank you.
Hi Kate – this is the BEST lentil soup ever!!!
Thanks for all your ideas, recipes, and thoughtful, funny posts!!
Love,
Dee
My first time making lentil soup and this was delicious. The lemon helped to balance the flavors. I cannot wait to eat tomorrow.
Delicious! My husband, grown daughter, and I all enjoyed this soup. I didn’t blend it to thicken it and I forgot to add the lemon juice at the end, but I mostly followed the recipe. Thanks! I will be making this on a regular basis.
I made in my InstantPot and pressure cooked for 15 min. I meant to release after 10 min but got busy making cornbread and forgot until 20 min had gone by. I also put my immersion blender right down into the soup (still in the IP) and ran it for a short bit along the bottom until some of the soup was blended, leaving enough texture of the veggies otherwise. It’s good! Even better on day 2! I did need to add more salt for my taste.
Thank you for sharing! I know others will find this helpful.
I’ve never used an Instant Pot before, can this lentil soup be made without the olive oil in an InstantPot ?
THANKYOU so much for this recipe, it’s now a staple. I love collard greens but get a little bored of the sane ole’ saute etc. The mild curry, tangy tomatoes and warming broth is just perfect for any day of the week. It’s also budget friendly. I’m grateful.
You’re welcome, Jemma! I’m glad you love it.
So good! My whole family liked it, including my son who normally declares that he “hates” soup. I doubled the carrots and used more collard greens than the recipe called for because I am always trying to sneak in more vegetables. I will definitely make this again.
What is the amount of a serving? Nutritional info just states 4 servings . Thank you . Oh yes and delicious soup
Hi! One serving is roughly 1.5-2 cups. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Love love loved. Great taste and so nutritious. Thanks for the recipe! Trena
Oh my! I enjoy lentil soup when I travel but I’ve never made it in the past. Simple to make (took me an hour b/c of the boil) but it was wonderful! The lemon at the end was perfect, I’m glad it makes a big batch so I will have left overs.
Really good soup! I followed the recipe to the T (1 tbsp of lemon juice) and the only thing I would alter is the salt. I’ll go down to a half tsp of salt next time.
Very satisfying meal. Thanks!
This soup is one of my favorites. Last time I made it I used crushed tomatoes because I didn’t have the diced ones. It made the soup thicker and I found I didn’t need to do the blender thing.
Can canned lentils be used?
Thank you!
Sure, you will just want less liquid and not to cook as long.
It absolutely lives up to its name. This is truly the Best Lentil Soup. Super easy to make and loaded with flavor. I only modified the recipe slightly by adding celery to the onion and Savory seasoning. I used lots of fresh kale. This is a going to be a staple recipe I make often!
Wonderful! Simmering now, and even in this early stage the flavour is amazing. I used frozen spinach as I had it on had, and only a tiny amount of cumin since I don’t like it usually. Thank you, it’s quick, inexpensive and tasty, and cheap!
Absolutely fabulous! I have made lentil soup several times and this is the absolute best recipe I’ve ever had. The curry!
I did use my immersion blender and blended it into a puree. For those that like a little bit of meat I sliced an andouille sausage in my food processor so it came out very very thin and added it to the soup at the end.
I love spice so I added extra red pepper flakes and topped my bowl with a dollop of sour cream (I used plain Greek yogurt)
I omitted the greens as I didn’t have any.
Thank you for sharing, Connie!
We love this soup, it is absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. :)
You’re welcome, Kristina! I appreciate your review.
Soup lives up to its name. It is truly THE BEST! Could not get enough. I used a block of frozen spinach instead of kale and red lentils which cook quicker. Great way to get my husband to eat veggies. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Janet!
I absolutely love this soup! It has become a staple during winter! I do wonder how many calories a cup of soup is though…. I tend to take 2nd and 3rd helpings lol
I made it according to directions, but it came out kind of bland. Added more salt and Parmesan on top, but not much flavor.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it as it. I appreciate your feedback.
Hi! Can red lentils be used instead?
Thank you!
Hi Liane, That may work. You will want less liquid and less cooking time. Reference my How to Cook Lentils
I’m watching my sodium so I used tomatoes with no-salt added, low sodium vegetable broth, and half the salt. I doubled the carrots and greens (I used beet greens). Flavorful and delicious, thank you!
I love this recipe so much!! I have made it many times and it is always a favorite. Thank you
I made this recipe and froze the leftovers. It is so yummy. I even enjoyed it one night over some leftover mashed potatoes which was excellent. I would definitely make this again in the future.
That’s great, Margaret! I appreciate your review.
question. would this work with frozen spinach instead of fresh greens?
It would be different, but you could try it. You would want to thaw it and maybe squeeze out some moisture. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Delicious! I didn’t use water in mine I used all broth and I used baby kale because that’s what I had on hand. It absolutely delicious!!
Absolutely incredible soup, and the fragrance through the house while making…divine! Thanks for the fabulous recipe, it is definitely a keeper!
I didn’t add the mixture to a blender and I added a generous amount of fresh ginger (highly recommend). Delicious!!
Thank you for your review, Elise!
I’ve made this stew TWICE now, and each time it’s been delicious! Such a staple recipe to have on hand, especially if you are two people, not wanting to cook two different dinners for a few nights!
I see comments on other recipes that red lentils go mushy, however that’s what I have. Will the recipe work with red lentils?
Hi, You can try it. I would suggest less liquid and shorter cooking time. Reference my How to Cook Lentils.
So good! I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times were delicious! The first time I made it I forgot to add the lemon and man, what a difference when added!
Both times rather than a can of tomatoes I substituted with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and I won’t make it any other way. Also, instead of curry powder I used paprika, cumin, coriander, thyme, oregano, and chili powder. Thank you for this inspiration. It’s a staple in my home now!
You’re welcome, Denise!
Made it, loved it! Missed the part to add lemon juice. Also used tortilla strips as a garnish. Thanks for the recipe. You can go a lot of ways with this base. Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Vince!
So delicious
This soup was my New Years Day good luck soup. Eating lentils on Jan 1, according to my Italian frien,brings good luck in the New Year.
Minor modifications…28 ounce can of Crushed Fire Roasted tomatoes, Chk broth instead of Veg Broth..and fresh spinach instead of Kale.
I’ve made it again…and now it’s my fav soup! It truly is a great combo of flavors!
As for the Luck…we shall see!
This is, by far, the best lentil soup recipe ever. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it. This recipe is a keeper! By the way, I also love vegetables and dogs. Thank you!
I don’t have a blender on hand….any suggestions?
You can skip this step if you don’t have one. I hope you are still able to enjoy it!
Great recipe, thank you. I added a few extra carrots and used the power greens I had on hand. I was too lazy with a cold to go to garden and find thyme, so left it out. Also added an extra clove of garlic, just because I could.
Thank you for this recipe my son is a very picky eater and will almost never eat a dinner, this is one recipe I can rely on that he absolutely loves, as I do too
I make this all the time. Healthy and hearty.
Thank you for your review, Mari!
Such an amazing lentil soup recipe. like others, i had to make some modifications. I used a heaping tbsp of curry, and only about a 3/4 tsp of cumin. I chopped up 8 or 9 cloves of garlic and added a bit of crushed marjoram. i did not strain the tomatoes because the juice is the best part! i also used fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor. i didn’t realize it called for collard greens until the end, all i had was bok choy, so i added it right at the end and it was a great healthy addition. i also forgot to add water but i had enough liquid from broth and the canned tomatoes. i also served this over white rice like a curry, with some flatbreads, it was great and people wanted seconds! i am surprised how quickly the dry lentils softened up, and i’m excited to use the rest of them in another recipe.
Thank you for sharing how you made this one, Elizabeth.
After combining the blended portion with the rest of the soup, I did not have high hopes. Boy was I wrong! Trust the process! Add the lemon and you will taste the soup’s soul! Added some more salt, black pepper, and a sprinkle of cayenne. Originally was going to add spinach as I didn’t have kale on hand but ended up not adding any greens. This will be part of our regular rotation now. Thank you :)
I made your recipe tonight and it was spoon licking good! I added 1 small russet potato and 1 small sweet potato for a thicker stew consistency. My neighbor asked what was smelling so good when he walked his dog past my house. Thanks for sharing!!
So when a recipe says it’s “the best”, I’ve gotta try it…and this was no lie! My husband is a major carnivore & almost always turns his nose up at vegan/vegetarian dishes I make. Not tonight!! I’d already cooked our meal for the evening (zucchini soup with Italian sausage) so he was fed & happy…then I started making the lentil soup for tomorrow night. Oh my word, the aromas, the flavors…when the soup began to simmer & the aroma filled the house, the carnivore was in the kitchen hovering!!I got the kale added and let that cook & the smell, the taste, and the beauty of the dish just thrilled us! What a lovely dish, and so tasty…cannot wait to share tomorrow night & see how much more the flavors have melded!! Thank you for sharing this!!
I’ve always put Italian sausage in my lentil soup. Not this time! Followed this recipe exactly as written and it is like an elixir! Today will be my second time making it!