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.
My one son needs a liver transplant and we really, as a family, have to cut down on meats. Being Polish it’s a problem as pork is a staple of Polish cooking. But we are trying vegetarian recipes to eat healthier. Thanks so much for this recipe. We loved it and will take the place of one of our meat-based winter soups.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Jerry! I hope he gets what he needs. Send your family good thoughts!
I’ve been trying to find healthy recipes. I made this one and have never even tried lentils before. I’m not crazy about this recipe. I think maybe a cup of dried lentils is too much and too much cumin. It taste kinda like chili but something is missing. So it was ok but probably would not make it again.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback, Tracey!
This soup is delicious!
My only suggestion is to use the tomato juice in the can and cut back on the water if necessary. Add more carrots if you like.
Well done.
Love this soup, rich flavor, nutritious veggies and pantry staples. Excellent!
Great to hear, Colleen!
Pretty good, but I threw in a roll of breakfast sausage. Really sent it over the top!
Can this recipe be adapted to an Instant Pot pressure cooker?
I haven’t tried it, sorry!
WOW! That’s a lot of sodium! How can I cut that down? I haven’t made it yet.
Thanks,
Kathie
More on my Nutrition Disclaimer. You can always omit the salt and add no-sodium added canned ingredients.
This is undeniably the best lentil soup ever. My husband is not a fan of soups but asks me to make this for him all the time. Thank you for converting my husband into a Soup Nutzy.
Delicious!! I’m not a huge fan of lentils, nor is my husband, due them being mushy. I followed the cooking instructions and voilà. I used brown lentils which, from research, are less mushy than red. I added sweet potatoes like another commenter suggested. Will be adding this to our regular menu!! Trying to eat less meat, but still intake protein. Love that you added the nutritional facts!!
Wonderful to hear this one was a hit for your family, Teri! I appreciate your review.
Love this recipe! Make it frequently. Always add 1/3 more cumin and curry than you call for as we like a little more “ kick”. And no garlic as my husband hates it. Thank you Kate for creating these dishes!
Thank you for sharing, Alice! That’s great to hear.
Love this recipe so much….. family and friends love it. Big success each time. I added 4 cups of spinach instead of kale and the juice of two lemons. Served with bread ….DELICIOUS !
Thank you
I’m a soup lover and this one was delicious. Very minor changes based on personal taste. I upped the kale to probably 2 cups and did not blend. I thought the thickness was just right without blending. Another great recipe from C+K!
Our family’s favorite with one minor addition: after blending add 2 small sweet potatoes (diced) and simmer for 10 min before adding greens. Sweet potatoes add a nice texture and flavor contrast to already perfect soup. Thanks for the recipe!
Even my “I don’t like lentils” family members loved this soup! Yay! After rave reviews from all the family my kids asked me, “Are you going to leave a review?” Of course! I googled “best lentil soup recipe” and I found it. Thank you, Kate.
This is definitely the BEST lentil soup ever!!!
Thank you, Joanne!
I love this recipe. I followed the directions the first time (unusual for me) and it was amazing. I have made it several times since then just kinda winging it in the spirit of the recipe (my more usual style) and it has been delicious every time. Today I used red lentils and, apparently a little too much hot curry, and once again loved it. The tomato-cumin-curry combination is perfect.
Wonderful to hear, Mary!
Great!
7.2 bites
Loved it. I made it in the morning before work, had no lemon juice and no time to juice a lemon. Next time I’ll be sure to add the lemon juice as I’m sure that would’ve complimented it well, but it was already delicious without. Worst part was leaving for work with a piping hot container I couldn’t eat until lunch!
Another one of your recipes to become a staple. ❤️ Just skipped the blending.
Can this lentil soup be made without the olive oil ?
Hi Susie, I recommend this recipe as written. I do believe some have tried it without oil and didn’t mind the results.
Hello! I want to make this dish heartier and keep it vegan. Could you tell me, if I wanted to add potatoes, at what point you would put those in, and if you would make any other changes?
Hi Anissa, I would add them at the same time as the other vegetables.
I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I can’t stop thinking about it lol. Seriously one of my favourite dishes of all time!! So flavourful and delicious. I could eat it everyday.
That’s great to hear, Mallory!
Oh Wow! And I didn’t have any lemons. I literally cannot wait to try for lunch and dinner tomorrow with the lemons I will definitely pick up at market. I was planning on making a fancy dinner for guest coming in from out of town tomorrow….I’m sticking with this!
Really liked the soup. The cumin overpowered the soup. Next time I will add less cumin and more curry.
This is the best, excellent lentil soup, thank you!
Hi Kate! In the past I’ve always made traditional Lentil soup or stew with bits of ham. Well this is my new favorite Lentil soup!!! I’ve made it 3 times this winter. I love the flavors and the fact that it’s more brothy…my husband can’t eat curry so I leave it out but otherwise this is my new go-to Lentil soup!! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Francesca!
Delicious. Truly the best lentil soup!
why no celery?
I find this best as written. I hope you try it!
Oh yeah, this was delish! I used/substituted some ingredients for what I had on hand – dried lentil trio (red split, black, and green lentil mix), store bought tomatoes, chopped (instead of canned diced), less onion, added chopped celery to make up for lack of onion, garlic powder instead of fresh (I was somehow out of fresh)…still very yummy, thank you! I also rinsed and soaked my dried lentils while at work all day because I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do with most dried legumes.
I’m a meat lover, but my dad eats a plant based diet, so I cooked this for him while I’m visiting home. Super easy and tasty, and we found it very filling with a side of crusty bread!
Great to hear, Rin!
Hi Kate!
Finally commenting after so many delicious & refreshingly simple recipes from you. For this soup I adjusted out of necessity the following with excellent results . Just 15.5 oz of crushed tomatoes with juice, no water ( to compensate for the missing 15.5 oz of tomatoes) just veg broth . My kale was way past its prime BUT I had beet greens which totally rocked it into the stratosphere !
Making it again today .
Thank you so much for your knowledge & expertise.
Frani
I’ve made this soup three times and I’m working on the forth. My husband and I both absolutely love love love it! We split it up in soup containers I found on line. One of the containers is just right for the two of us, so we have soup for the week for lunch. Thank you so much for the recipe. I don’t change a thing.
That’s great to hear, Chery! I appreciate your review.
This is a delicious recipe! Thank you very much for all the probable research and tinkering that you do before posting such a winner of goodness. I will definitely be making this again.
Great to hear, Janet!
Loved this recipe so much! The flavors and spices are perfect. I used canned brown lentils because that’s what I had on hand. Have you ever tried this soup with coconut milk?
I haven’t, sorry! I’m glad you enjoy this version.
This is definitely the BEST lentil soup recipe. The end result is a delicious and warm treat with plenty of spice to it, to keep anyone warm on a cold day.
Great to hear, Jerome! I appreciate your review.
I made this and it was delicious!!! I don’t have an immersion blender, so I took a cup and mashed it. I offered my father some and why did he eat the ENTIRE LEFTOVERS!!!! I was a little annoyed, but hey, he is 80 years old so he needs to eat healthy. Just went to the grocery store to make again!!! Btw, I followed the recipe, but I didn’t use lemon.
Have made this numerous times. Very easy to assemble and the fragrance from the spices are exceptional. I have served this to friends and family and everyone loves it. So happy I found your recipe.
We eat a LOT of lentils! This is my go to lentil soup recipe because you can tinker with it. We don’t eat onions due to digesting issues, so I dice up some fresh red pepper. Adds some color to this soup. I use celery along with the carrots. I use Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base for the liquid. I use spinach since I always have a bag of that on hand. Baking some homemade cornbread right now and looking forward to a warm comforting dinner on a very soggy southern California day.
This soup is so easy to make and it is scrumptious! I’ve made it several times now and only modification I did was last time when I didn’t have kale/collard greens, I used baby spinach instead and that was fine! Love this soup so much!
Great to hear, Christine!
This soup is delicious – I added a cubed delicata squash and nutritional yeast, doubled the greens and omitted the cumin (only because I was out). Perfect for a chilly winter Sunday evening. Thanks!
This was the perfect dinner tonight. My family loved it. The only thing that I did different is I used Nusalt instead of salt as my husband needs to have lower sodium, I also added a little Monk fruit to help balance the tomato taste. (I always add a little sweetener to my tomato based sauces, such as spaghetti sauce.) I agree that it is the best lintel soup I have ever had.
I am on a severely salt-restricted diet so I can say that this is very delicious, even without salt. I had a can of whole tomatoes instead of diced and used the entire contents, breaking up the tomatoes in the pot with a spatula, and substituting the liquid that was in the can (about 1 cup) for a cup of the water. I also used a combo of homemade chicken broth (I had just made it) and vegetable broth for the rest of the liquid, with good results. I had spinach on hand so I used that instead of the kale, but I would splurge on the kale next time as the spinach, while tasty, doesn’t hold up as well as kale. Spice quality is key to this recipe and I use Penzey’s.
I googled lentil soup and this popped up first. I had everything so I decided to make it. It was simple, very easy to assemble and cook. I just turned the pot off and tasted it. I added the lemon juice after turning off. It is delicious! I do meatless Mondays and it a cold rainy day. This is perfect. I cant wait to serve myself a bowl. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
This was sooo good! Thank you!
This is my third time making this soup, me and my family absolutely love it! Have actually only just spotted the lemon juice addition at the very end so can’t wait to add that once it’s cooked now.
My second time I made it with 1/4 of a butternut squash because I didn’t have any carrots – which I cut up very small and it cooked through in the half an hour. Butternut squash also squishes easy which was a nice added texture.
Also I didn’t blend any of the soup because I don’t have a hand held blender and didn’t want to cause a big clean up. Still super delicious!! Thanks for this recipe it’s now a family fave :)
This has been my favorite soup recipe for years! Its my go to! I love it and I tell all my friends about it. Thank you C+K!
Wonderful, Jenavieve!
It really is the best lentil soup!
I made it according t the recipe, you can use either chicken, beef or vegetable broth. After cooking, I used my immersion blender in the pot to partially blend it to make it thicker but still leave some of the lentils whole. I used Italian stewed tomatoes and added a little roasted garlic/basil tomato sauce to it, and just a little sugar to cut the acidic It was delicious. I lowered the salt a little, added a little bit of turmeric in with the cumin and a dash of oregano, because I use a lot of herbs in my cooking for the medicinal benefits! The soup was d delicious and a hit, everyone loved it! I served it with hot garlic bread.
I often add spinach and kale mix to my lentil soup and less tomatoes but didn’t this time. (Carrots will provide sweet to the soup.)
Absolutely delicious.
Make this Quite often Absolutely delicious.