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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
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- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.9 from 3387 reviews
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.
Scale
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: (affiliate links) I love my Vitamix blender and Le Creuset 5.5-quart Dutch oven.For more of my favorite cooking tools,shop my kitchen essentials.
▸ Nutrition Information
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.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.
By Kathryne Taylor
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Amy Young
Very tasty!!!
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Lynn
Delicious soup! My husband and I each had two servings and there’s still lots left.
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Sandra
I make this lentil soup at least once a month. I love it.
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Great to hear, Sandra!
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Katherine
Absolutely my favorite lentil soup recipe. I make it at least once per month and my whole family loves it.
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Allison P.
Kate, this soup is absolutely divine! I can’t stop eating… (:
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Allison P.
Kate, this soup is absolutely divine! I can’t stop eating… (:
Subbed spinach for kale and added 79 more lentils.
<3 ALlison
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Thank you for sharing, Allison!
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David
I tried the best Lentil Soup recipe and have to agree. This is the best soup ever!
I now make it every week love the rich flavors. Thank you!
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Terrance
Good tasting soup
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Paul
I love this soup! In fact, I love it so much I am bringing it to a gathering on Sunday. To make a larger than usual batch is it ok just to double all the ingredients?
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Yes, you can double this just make sure you have a large enough pot.
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Geri
This is my favorite lentil soup and I make it often. I add cilantro along with the kale. Delicious!
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Great to hear, Geri!
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KM
Love this recipe. Our changes after making it several times are to cut the amount of tomatoes in half and double the greens. And add a squeeze of lemon!
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Trish
Can you sub in canned pumpkin for the tomatoes? Thanks!
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I don’t think that will get you the results you want, sorry!
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Emily T
I made this 2 years ago and funnily enough I remembered this recipe after a picture of my meal popped up in snapchat memories from 2 yrs ago today. So glad I was able to find this same recipe so I could recreate it! It’s fantastic!!! The flavors truly sing!
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Donna Swartz
This was far and away the best lentil soup I’ve made!! I added fresh cilantro and sprouted my lentils and threw in a green pepper and zucchini for good measure because why not?? also used homemade bone broth which made it super nutritious! But the spices and the lemon finish were the pies d’aresistance
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Megan
This has literally been a staple for me over the past few years. I make this every couple of weeks, split into jars, and then freeze. I take it with me to work, on trips, etc. literally the best soup I’ve ever had. I even had a friend ask me to make her a lot for Christmas! I have made a few changes over the years. I cut out the onions and add a bell pepper and celery instead (I just really hate onions). I also cut the cumin in half and add a teaspoon of chili powder and double the greens (I always use kale bc it maintains its shape and firmness even after freezing and reheating). Thanks so much for this recipe!
See AlsoWhat Are Lentils—and Are They Healthy?Why Are Lentils Bad for You? Nutritional Benefits of LegumesRee's Creamy Carrot Soup Is Ready in Under an HourImmune Boosting Soup: Carrot Ginger Soup BenefitsReply
Nicole
This lentil soup is so good and I make it often. Sometimes I make veggie stock from scratch but if I don’t have time or use boxed stock if I don’t feel like making it from scratch. I’ve made it with and without kale or used frozen or fresh spinach if that is what I had on hand. Sometimes I top it with sliced ripe avocado.
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Linda Collazos
This is the best lentil soup ever! I follow the recipe exactly except for adding a bit more collard greens. I highly recommend it.
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Chisomo
Do you have to soak the lentils overnight before cooking?
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No need to soak. I hope you enjoy this soup, Chisomo!
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Lucia
SO GOOD! My partner and I both had seconds, the chilli flakes made all the difference! I over-blended and I was sad there were no loose lentils but it was PERFECT!
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Tiffany
I love this soup I added fresh Jalapenos and shrimp and it added an extra kick, my kids even loved it.
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That’s great to hear, Tiffany!
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Rita Gerstner-Fuentes
It truly is the best lentil soup! I’m making it for the second time by special request from my family. Thanks from Albuquerque NM.
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You’re welcome, Rita!
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Lauren
Hi! I only have red and black lentils- which do you think would hold up to this recipe? Thanks!
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Black would work better than red. However, I know others have used red. It just requires less liquid and cooking time.
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Ma4ie
One of the BEST soups I ever made…I’ll be making g it again, many times…thank u
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Vicki
This soup is aptly named, it is the BEST! Thank you
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You’re welcome, Vicki!
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Geneva
I LOVE this soup and have made it many times, but I want to make it for a friend who can’t have tomato or lemon! I can leave the lemon juice off at the end, but is there a good substitute for the diced tomatoes?
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I don’t have a good subsitute for the tomatoes. I would suggest just to omit them.
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Chelsea Green
This is, without a doubt, my favorite soup recipe. I’ve been making it at least twice a year for at least 6 years. Sometimes I sub out the greens for spinach, depending on what I have on hand. Definitely recommend!!!
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Audrey
One of my go to STAPLE recipes! I make it all of the time and for friends its such a hit! I LOVE the flavors in this.
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That’s great to hear, Audrey!
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Shannon
Really yummy! I’ve made it lots of times! I found if you use some red lentils, which have a nuttier flavor, it’s taste a bit like tortilla soup!
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Autumn
Do you know how one would make this in an Instant Pot?
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Felice
Yes, best lentil soup – cooked exactly as directed and now cook it on repeat:)
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LaToria
Can I use chicken broth if I don’t have vegetable broth?
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Sure, others have tried it and didn’t mind the results.
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Shannon Morris
My family loves it so much- I’ve had to start tripling the recipe!!! ❤️
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Great to hear, Shannon!
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alexander
Can I use red lentils? I’ve got a lot of them and am looking for a good recipe to use them up.
thanksReply
Others have and didn’t mind the results. You will need less liquid and cooking time.
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Laura
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except that I used some leftover calabasa squash in place of the carrots. I’m a bit skeptical about the nutritional information, because this is one of the healthiest things I’ve ever seen!!
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Elizabeth
This soup looks delicious but where is all the fat and sodium coming from in the recipe? I am looking for low fat/ low sodium recipes and I thought vegetable lentil soup would be perfect but it has 15.5g fat and 1324mg of sodium per serving. Daily recommended intake for sodium is 2000-2300mg. If it is the canned tomato and stock – then I can use low sodium. Please let me know – this looks great but we can’t have all that fat and sodium. Thanks!
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Hi Elizabeth, more on my Nutrition Disclaimer. These are estimates. You can use low to no sodium ingredients and adjust the added salt too.
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Mike Rogan
Kate – so delish! Easy to follow, great recipe. Thank you.
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You’re welcome, Mike!
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Kat Carlsen
Hi! I have another lentil soup recipe I love but I am going to make yours today! Curious why brown or green lentils vs red?
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Hi Kat, I find they hold up better in this soup.
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Rosa
I have cooked this for the first time years ago and it has been a regular meal in our house. Everybody loves it. Thank you! I usually add spinach instead of kale and a can of chickpeas, too. Feta or vegan feta, bit of naan or pitta bread…Great!
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You’re welcome, Rosa!
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Katie
Best lentil soup of all time
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Thank you for your review, Katie!
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Katie
You’re welcome! I actually love many of your recipes and come to you as a trusted source quite often :)
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Martha
I had a friend come into town who is vegan and I was looking for some soup recipes to create for her. Found this recipe and we absolutely loved it! They didn’t have collards or kale at the store so I subbed in baby spinach. The only mistake I made was adding the whole bag of lentils instead of the two cups, but honestly, it still turned out delicious. Will definitely be making this again once we go through what I froze! 5 stars!!!
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Thank you for sharing, Martha!
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Meg
This soup is absolutely delicious thanks to the terrific spice blend. I wish I could give it more than five stars. I didn’t have a lemon, so I substituted with white vinegar (for similar acidity), and it was perfect. I did not drain the tomatoes. I will be making this often in the future!
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That’s great to hear, Meg!
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Kim
I have found my new favorite lentil soup recipe! I love that it is not only very flavorful, but comes together so quickly as well. My husband (who usually doesn’t get excited about lentil soup) loved it too. I only had red lentils on hand and they were perfect in this recipe. Thank you Kate! Your recipes never disappoint.
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Great to hear, Kim!
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Rebecca Morgan
I just made the best lentil soup. Completely enthralled with all the flavors in this healthy and delicious soup.
Thanks Kate, another great soup for my rotation.
:}
RebeccaReply
I love to hear that, Rebecca!
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Marcia
Can you make this in the crockpot?
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I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have and didn’t mind the results. I would check comments and see what others suggest.
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Fee
This is the best Lentil soup I have ever tasted. It’s creamy, flavoursome and very filling.
My vegetarian daughters will also love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.Reply
You’re welcome, Fee!
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Rebecca Finch
Best lentil soup recipe ever. I adapted it for the Instant Pot and it is terrific, full of flavor. Added hard wheat berries to kick up the fiber. Thank you for the recipe.
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You’re welcome, Rebecca!
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Olivia Whitley
Personally, this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever had. You think it’s delicious right out of the pot, but second day reheat is almost bursting with more flavor. I add pan browned deer sausage (sliced links). And leave out one can of the tomatoes for my anti tomato husband. But wow, this recipe is a keepsake.
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Tobias
Cooking now, hopefully delicios.
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Trina
Best and easiest vegan lentil soup! Thank you for the recipe!
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You’re welcome, Trina!
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Jessica
Can you sub red/orange lentils? Will that change any of the timing ?
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Yes, you can try it. You will need less liquid and cooking time. I am not sure how much.
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Al Plaza
I have been vegan since my heart attack in 2018. I came across your BEST lentil soup recipe 2 years ago. I have been making it vegan since then because it IS the best lentil soup. I eat it every day for breakfast instead of oatmeal; to me it tastes better than oatmeal and I do not get bored of it! I tweak it every morning with some additional kale, ground flax seed, lemon, raisins; whatever is around. I freeze large batches ( 20+ quarts at a time) of this recipe and room defrost a quart at a time. By the way sticking to a vegan life style, thanks to you helping with a great delicious recipe, my cardiac blood chemistries are way below normal. Thanks for putting some added variety in my daily cuisine and adding years to my life!
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Tina
I’ve been making this recipe for my family for years. Recently my aunt has been receiving chemo to extend life. She can’t eat much. This soup is one of the only things that she has willingly eaten in the past few months. I make her a batch each week and it is something she can actually still enjoy and feel nourished. Thank you for sharing this nurturing and flavorful recipe.
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I hope your aunt is able to find comfort, I’m so sorry to hear that. Thank you for sharing, Tina.
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Carla Adams
5 stars. I made some modifications like cubed baking potato instead of tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of curry and 1 tablespoon of cumin, plus 1 teaspoon of onion powder and garlic powder. 1 stalk of celery and a dash of red pepper flakes. AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS
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I love to hear that, Carla!
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Laura Bennetts
This soup is very fresh and flavorful! I made it for a large graduation gathering, so I used 3x recipe. I made the soup 2 days ahead and held out the water until day of serving when I reheated it in microwave and added to a crockpot. One of our guests has allergy to cumin, so I substituted ground coriander for the cumin and left out the curry powder. Everyone loved the soup which we served with basmati brown rice in rice cooker. I put red pepper flakes out for added spicing. It was the perfect meal for a gathering since I set it up and just added more soup as needed after reheating in microwave. There were no leftovers, so I am making the soup, 1x, again this week with cumin and curry powder!
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Pam
Excited to try this today. In reviewing, the ingredients say 3/4 cup olive oil but the directions say 1/4c. What am I missing?
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Hi Pam! You may have the 3x recipe selected. A single recipes calls for 1/4 cup. I hope this helps!
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Jeani coleman
I love lentil soup and look forward to making your recipe. What are the nutritional elements of this recipe? I don’t see them on the page. I’m working with a dietitian and I need to be careful with carbs, protein mainly. I’m a vegetarian. Thank you
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Hi Jeani, They are listed below the note section of the recipe. You will need to click to expand. Let me know if you are still having issues!
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Martha Hooper
Just finished making this. Let my fussy husband taste test…..and he loved it. I was looking for healthier soup recipes and this fit the bill.
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Great to hear, Martha!
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Catherine Kelly
Divine soup, well thought out recipe, thank you for sharing
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Grant
One of the most bland recipes I’ve ever made. Doubling the spices couldn’t even save it.
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I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe, Grant. I appreciate your feedback.
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Sandra C
This soup is amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe. This will be a recurring dish for me.
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Nicole
This is one of my go-to soup recipes! It’s also one of my favorites to drop off for friends recovering from surgery, who just had a baby, just need a meal, etc.. Sometimes I add a pound or so of sausage to this recipe too (right after cooking the onions and carrots) – just as good without though for a vegan/vegetarian friendly option!
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I love to hear that, Nicole!
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AS
This is truly the BEST lentil soup recipe! I double the quantities and it stores very well. Also, my extremely picky young daughter loves this soup – which really says something! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
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Russ
Excellent recipe! This has become a household favorite and leftovers save great. We ran out of curry, so I substituted turmeric and actually liked this version a little better.
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I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Russ!
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Maureen McTiernan
I have a question….I was making two of your delicious soups at the same time..and I accidentally added 4.5 teaspoons of cumin to the lentil soup instead of 2 teaspoons. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix it? Should I add more lentils?
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Oh no! What did you decide to do?
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Maureen McTiernan
As of right now, I separated portions in containers and put them in the freezer. I researched that lemon will help cancel out the cumin. I think some crackers will help too.
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Brenda Lee
Just tried this recipe for the first time ever and it is amazing! A KEEPER!
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Bernadine
Awesome soup! Thank you. My new favourite. (I added some diced potato, and will do again)
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Linda M
This soup is delicious!!!!!! I forgot to add the greens, and I used chicken broth instead of vegetable. That’s what I had in the pantry. It still tasted amazing. My husband liked it too. This recipe will definitely be a keeper!
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Vi
Hi-I love your recipes! Planning on making this for a group including several kids who don’t like chunky tomatoes. Can I substitute puréed Pomi tomatoes? If so do I need to change the amount of tomato/add more broth? Also if I want to make it less tomatoey in general, can you suggest any modifications that will still keep the overall flavor?
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You could omit the tomatoes or use less. If you don’t use diced and something more liquid you may want to decrease liquid overall.
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Mary Mack
I love this lentil soup. I use more lentils than the recipe calls for, and I add diced celery for more vegs and a whopping tablespoon of the Magical spice blend from another website, and I add in a dollop of plain yogurt for a protein boost.
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Megan
This was so good! I tripled the kale and lemon just because I love both, and it was still so so tasty:) thank you for this recipe
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K
This was delicious!! For something a little extra I might try adding a little coconut milk or cream next time but absolutely perfect as is! Will make again.
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Ken Zilliox
I just made this soup and it is the BEST soup I have ever had. Your recipe is honestly something I would expect in a 5 star restaurant. As I am typing this, my daughter & boyfriend are devouring it. Take a bow, you deserve it!
Ken Zilliox
Edmonton, AB CanadaReply
