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.
I added one can of roasted tomatoes along with a can of the diced tomatoes and this added a super nice flavor to the soup – this is a great recipe and I had GREAT reviews from my guests! All wanted your recipe !!!
Thank you, Ari!
Love this soup!
I recommend trying it with a couple of smoked pork hock and spicy sausages on a snowy day.
It’s fabulous!
Alex
Thank you, Alex!
Easy and delicious for this frigid winter night with my fresh baked sourdough. It reminds me of a cross between a good veggie soup and mulligatawny. I tweak the spices a bit spicier for our taste.
So so good! We’re trying to eat more plant based meals. This will stay on the rotation for sure! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome, Joy! I appreciate your review.
I rarely leave comments on recipes, but I had to on this one. I have been wanting to make lentil soup forever, but it always seemed too intimidating to me. I made this, and everyone cannot stop raving about it. It is SO yummy and will be a regular in my house now. The only thing I did differently was substitute oregano for thyme just due to not having any, and I added ground Italian sausage. This is honestly the best soup I have ever had.
I love to hear that, Rene!
I’ve now made this soup several times with rave reviews. It’s a fun recipe to experiment with. I’ve tried adding kale to the blender step (i don’t recommend because it makes the soup turn green-ish) and added edamame (more protein), corn (fiber and looks nice with the edamame) and sweet potatoes (super food along with kale). I also taste tested the blended version against the unblended version and actually liked the the un-blended better (a bit more tangy). I also taste tested a batch that had been in the refrig for a few days against a fresh batch. The refrig version was by far better with a richer taste. Great job with this recipe. 5 stars. Keep them coming!
I’m very excited to try this recipe, but I don’t love tomatoes. If I omit them, will I need to add something else (particularly something liquid) to replace them? Thank you!
OMG delicious. Not a vegan, we added 1/2 lb of ground sausage, browned well, and served it over rice. Next will be over pasta, perhaps the small tubes like dinatili, but this is definitely a superb recipe. Add some baked crusty bread and enjoy! Thanks for the great dinner!!
Best lentil soup I have ever tasted! Followed the recipe exactly.
Love this recipe! Delicious and very forgiving. I often toss in extra veggies I need to use up, and I usually forget to drain the tomatoes. Delicious every time.
Thank you for your review, CJ!
Dear Kathryn,
This so IS the best. I make lots of soup, and I’ve made this one two times now, and was blown away at the flavor. I did increase the curry a bit, but I love curry.
Thank you for sharing this piece of art with us. Really… thank you.
Happy souper, Lori
You’re welcome, Lori!
this was indeed a most tasty lentil soup, but definitely NOT Mediterranean on account of the spices. Would also like to try a real Mediterranean lentil soup (even if it doesn’t taste quite as delicious as this one!
This soup is so tasty and is easy to make. I am happy with it
My girlfriend says making this recipe over and over is my beige flag.
I have been making this soup for 5 years. It is one of my favorites. So healthy and so comforting. Very easy to make and there is a lot!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times. First time I followed the recipe exactly. The second time I had no carrots so substituted celery. Both times delicious.
This is in my top 3 favorite soups and we make it all the time! I love C+K recipes because they’re always so well tested. Follow the recipe exactly and it’ll turn out perfectly!
That’s great to hear, Laura! I appreciate your review.
How critical is the curry powder to this recipe? I’m not a huge fan of curry, nor do I have any on hand. Is there a spice you’d recommend in place of or should I wait to make it when I get some? Thanks!
I find it really sets this soup apart.
This is a winner soup. Of course lentils are a favorite of mine any way I can get them. This soup is way over the top, however. I am not very fond of collard greens or kale, sonI substituted spinach and that suits me well. Also I didn’t use so much water and kept the juice that was in the tomatoes. Worked just fine. Added just a bit more curry too. Thanks a bundle for this recipe. It will become a staple for me.
Rev. Aaron Peters, OSB.ra
This soup has become a standard in my home. I make a pot and freeze a few individual portions. When Vegetable broth is not on hand I have used chicken. Makes no difference and is still good. Thank you for the recepe
Great recipe – and i will definitely make again. This was my first time “draining” a can of diced tomatoes – but I thought it worked well as the tomatoes might have overpowered the other flavors.
This recipe was quick and easy to make. It tastes delicious and is super hearty and filling. I followed the directions exactly as written…well, almost as written; I did add extra red pepper and I did not drain the tomatoes…and it turned out perfectly. I used spicy Thai curry which gave it even more of a kick. Overall, this recipe is a keeper. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Great to hear, J-Med!
Delicious flavor. Excellent soup. Added other vegetables I had on hand and was very happy with the results.
Fantastic soup!!! Rich and hearty. Will make again!
Hi Kate,
Are you using already cooked lentils? I want to use fresh and soak over night…will that be okay? Or will they break apart based on the cooking time in your recipe. Thanks
This uses dried lentils, no need to soak. I hope you try it!
I’ve made this recipe twice, and I’m about to make it again tonight. I’m somewhat of a picky eater and my partner is vegetarian so it’s hard to find recipes we both like. That said, I LOVE THIS RECIPE. It’s so easy and so delicious. 5/5 stars for sure
Can you use red lentils?
Sure, but you will want less liquid and cooking time. I recommend my How to Cook Lentils.
Made this soup today. I could have eaten all of it. So good!
That’s great to hear, Barbara!
I only had yellow lentils but the soup turned out fine. Really delicious and easy to make.
Thanks for this Kate! This has become one of my go tos and is pretty fail safe, I think it may even be one of the recipes that has helped my very carnivorous husband become more sympathetic to a more plant based diet.
I make it in the Instant pot mostly, but stove works too (why wouldn’t it), and tweak it depending on what I have available: pasta sauce and or fresh tomatoes if I don’t have canned (or enough of it), I also tend to use whatever veggies I have on hand (butternut and pumpkin work particularly well, but I’d say most fall gourds would work, and celery of course). I do also add potatoes or sweet potatoes on the odd occasion especially when I know it’s going to be feeding more hungry souls than I originally anticipated (just be sure to be more generous with the spices and broth if you’re adding more bulk).
Last little tidbit, a splash (or a whole cup when you’ve run out of broth) of wine is not a bad addition.
My point is, this is a great and forgiving recipe. It tastes great, is easily adjusted, and can be thrown together very quickly.
Just made this soup today .It’s absolutely delicious ! Made it exactly to the recipe although I did use lime juice as I didn’t have a lemon and it was perfect . I think it’s important to add the lemon juice as it adds another delicious layer to the taste . So hearty , filling and warming. You can add as much or as little heat as you prefer . Thank you Kate !
You’re welcome, Hayley!
I love your recipes. I have the book and am hoping you’ll come out with another one. Question – can the hearty lentil minestrone be frozen?
This makes a great freezer option!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup! I’ve made it several times and it’s always delicious!!
I can’t wait to make this soup. Do you use a specific type of curry for this soup? I have had such different spice profiles of curry powder wondering if you would share your go to brand?
I have used Simply Organic or Frontier Co-op and both are delicious!
This was the best lentil soup. Next time I’m making enough to freeze.
Thank you for your review, Maryam!
Done the Lentil soup recipe over a dozen times now, it just gets better. Not once as it received nothing but praise. The BEST Lentil soup really is the perfect title.
Devoured on the same day or a couple of days later, same results, delicious.
Thanks
I made this recipe for my church’s Soup Sunday and it was a big hit. I left out the hot peppers and did not blend any of it. People raved about it.
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Pam! I appreciate your review.
Had to come back to this recipe because I want to make of again tomorrow. I followed the recipe as is the first time, just added a bit of Cajun seasoning, and it was fantastic. I’m sure this will be a lifelong recipe I keep coming back to.
Thank you for your review, Alexis! I appreciate your review.
Hello. This is one of my go to soup recipes by far. In an earlier posting of this, there was a pairing suggestion of a large green salad with an amazing green dressing that included fresh basil, parsley, olive oil, balsamic…it was out of this world, but I cannot, for the life of me, find it. Could you share this again?
I love to hear that, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
I’m making the soup and the broth is so tasty. I have fresh baby mustard. Can I add that?
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure how it would impact the taste.
I’m not vegetarian or vegan but I want to make this but I would like to add another protein source to bump it up. Do you think chicken breast (shredded) would be good or maybe like a chicken sausage ? Or something else ?
How big is a serving size?
Hi Theresa, Roughly 1.5-2 cups is a serving.
Thank you!
I love this recipe! I always add a sweet potato but otherwise make as is. It’s my favorite!!
Absolutely the best lentil soup! I finished in a crockpot, and doubled the kale for added goodness. The lemon juice is a must! I served in an oversized cup over homemade jalapeno corn bread and topped with a small dollop of sour cream. Everyone loved it!
That’s great to hear, Jaci! I appreciate your review.
This is the most delicious soup! My mom made amazing lentil soup with a beef broth base that was delicious, but she never used a tomato base, and this is amazing!!
Great to hear, Peggy!
Hi, I can’t wait to try this recipe and incorporate this into my health journey. Are you using dried lentils? If so, do they require soaking prior to cooking? Thank you!
These are dried lentils. No need to soak. I hope you love this recipe!
Needed to try something new and this hit the spot! I am not a big cumin fan so I did 2 of curry and 1 of cumin instead. Hard to find collards here this time of year but it was just as tasty without.So good!
We made this soup and it was lovely, but way more than 4 servings. We cut the veggie stock in half and added an extra 1/2 cup lentils. We also made it with a nice spicy kick. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Sara!
Enjoyed making this over the weekend. Solid recipe. Blending a portion of the soup is key. My one modest quibble is the diss on the ribs of greens. More love for the “back bone” of cooking greens! Just chop them smaller and boil slightly longer in the soup. Shame to waste them. And with swiss chard and beet greens, the ribs are my favorite part!
Thank you Kate Taylor, this recipe is UNBELIEVABLE. So much flavor. It’s one of those recipes that also spreads by word of mouth because as soon as you share it with someone, they have to have the recipe, then they make it and share it, and so forth.
I love it with extra red pepper, lime instead of lemon (lemon is also great I just love lime), and buttered crackers!! This recipe also works well with red lentils amazingly!! It doesn’t get mushy and I don’t adjust the cook time. Also I add do two cups of lentils for a denser soup. It’s also really good with spicy arugula instead of kale.