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
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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: (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.
Ellen Martinez
Delicious soup! I serve it often for guests, and just ourselves, with some crusty bread and salad. Everyone loves it, and I have passed it on to many friends and family. Thank you, Kate for wonderful recipes!
5*
★★★★★
Ana
I make this soup all the time. It’s really the best! The trick with blending portion of the soup makes a big difference for me.
Bridget Rockliffe
Yes love your soup recipes,all very lovely,
Do you have chocolate brownies recipe please.
Very grateful to all,Thankyou.
★★★★★
Pamela
Hi there. Could you possibly give alternative metric quantities in your recipes as I live in the uk. Many sites now have this option which makes it easier for us to try out recipes from countries that use cup measurements. Many thanks.
Kate
Sorry to disappoint, Pamela. I don’t provide conversions at this time. I know others use online converters or have bought US measurements.
Rich
Here is the conversion:
Carrots, peeled and chopped: 2 carrots
Garlic cloves, pressed or minced: 4 cloves
Ground cumin: 2 teaspoons
Curry powder: 1 teaspoon
Dried thyme: ½ teaspoon
Diced tomatoes, lightly drained: 1 large can (about 795 grams or 28 ounces)
Brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed: 190 grams (1 cup)
Vegetable broth: 950 mL (4 cups)
Water: 475 mL (2 cups)
Salt: 1 teaspoon, more to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed: 150 grams (1 cup)
Lemon juice: 15 to 30 mL (1 to 2 tablespoons, from ½ to 1 medium lemon)
Claudia Krucher
Excellent! I’ve made this soup more than a dozen times. My family and I love it. Thank you for sharing this yumminess! I will note that this is a very forgiving recipe that doesn’t seem to mind substitutions here and there based on what’s in my kitchen, (especially after a grocery store miss – ugh). I’ll also give a shout out to the cauliflower soup on this site – big rewards for little effort – another favorite soup! Thanks again.
★★★★★
Caroline
This is truly the BEST lentil soup. It’s become a staple in our rotation. Sometimes we add sausage for a smokey flavor. Very versatile…acts like medicine-tastes wonderful, levels out my bloodsugar for the rest of my workday. Thanks kate…you’re a gem. ( just ordered a cookbook – so many of your recipes are favorites here )
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Caroline!
Kristen
Absolutely delicious! I got distracted and forgot to turn the temp down to simmer so mine ended up closer to a thick stew but still so tasty with the perfect spice blend. I think I found my new meal prep recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kristen!
Marissa-Jean
Love this recipe!! I added potatoes to make it a little more hearty. I love that I can use what I have on hand and it will turn out just as good! I’m going to try acorn squash next. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Marissa!
Barbara Harris
Wow, acorn squash would be awesome. Let me know how it comes out.
Gab
I made this and it was super yummy, and very restorative on a gloomy, chill fall day. I virtually tripled the amount of lentils because I wanted a really thick and hearty soup. I also used a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pot after the vegetables (to add some acid) and also added a healthy amount of tumeric powder. Finally, I threw in some chopped spinach for added benefit.
I think if I were to do this again I would try adding in even more fall spices to match the season, like nutmeg.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Jo
Great idea! I’ve made this twice now (I omit the curry powder and carrots), but next time, I’ll at least double the lentils. That will make it perfect for me!
★★★★★
Mariana Lobo
★★★★★
Abby S
I had a bunch of veggies to use up before I leave town for a few days, and used this recipe as a starting point for a delicious lentil stew! I used red onion and fresh (not canned) tomatoes, added a sweet potato and zucchini, French lentils, and used ras el hanout instead of curry powder. I also left out the water and just used four cups of homemade broth for a thicker stew. It was delicious, and I know any leftovers that I can’t finish before my trip will freeze well!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Abby! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Yvette Deas
I’m making this LENTIL SOUP once again. My family loves it! Only difference is I add chickpeas to mine as well. To thicken it up I smash the chickpeas before adding to the soup rather than take lentils out to blend.
Traci
This was so good, I couldn’t believe I made it! I’ve had a tiny jar of curry since I got married and it looked like none had been used. I won’t tell you how old it is! I didn’t have kale so I used some diced zucchini-of course kale would’ve been so much more interesting. My family loved every bite-thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Traci!
Shar, from Canada
My go-to-recipe for lentil soup has been from “Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking” cookbook (1989). Yesterday I made your ‘Best Lentil Soup’ for lunch and it was truly delicious — fragrant, satisfying and warming on a cold, rainy day. Had to have another bowl for supper! Just added some frozen corn and peas to up the vegetable content. Needless to say, this will be my go-to-recipe from now on. Thanks for such a delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Catherine C Sylva
Fantastic soup especially for a cold day!
★★★★★
Taylor D
I’ve made this recipe so many times over the years and it always turns out amazing! I don’t change anything except a little bit of extra kale, only because we looove kale. Absolutely delicious.
★★★★★
Annette
This was so delicious! I made a few changes I used half the salt and I also used all bullion and no water, added 3/4 cup of extra kale, half of a larger, chopped yam, a quarter pound of leftover ham, chopped, and at the very end, when the soup is complete, I added 3/4 of a cup of cream of chicken, concentrated soup and probably half a cup of milk… super yummy!
★★★★★
Diana Walker
What a delicious soup! It was perfect for this cold weather. Even my husband who doesn’t like lentils enjoyed it. My three kids also asked me to add it to our meal rotation. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Diana!
Mary Farrior
Awesome recipe!!! We added Italian sausage to get more protein. It was a hit
★★★★★
MTONGA ISAAC
I want more recipe they look nice,it can change life
DT
I’m curious, what’s the rationale for draining the can of tomatoes but then adding water? Doesn’t this lose some of the flavor and nutrition of the canned tomatoes, swapping it with tasteless water?
Kate
You can add the liquid if you like. I preferred it without here.
Hiro Hashimoto
Agree — this is the best lentil soup. I’ve made it half a dozen times now. For fun I scrolled through the comments to see who DIDN’T give five stars, just to see why. I couldn’t find any, and gave up after four or five pages! Thanks for sharing, Kate!
★★★★★
Anne G Carter
I make this recipe regularly, usually doubling some of the ingredients, resulting in quite a few servings for the freezer. I add celery along with the carrots, and I use frozen chopped spinach instead of the kale. It’s a huge winner!
★★★★★
Gabe
Very hearty and satisfying.
★★★★★
SHANNON
Could I make this in a slow cooker?
Kate
I know others tried it and didn’t mind the results.
Gabi
I LOVE this recipe. I was sent this recipe from a coworker like 5 years ago and since then I’ve made it dozens of times and recommended it to so many people, and made it for my elderly clients.
It is a great soup for bread bowls!
I just recommended this to an old high school friend who is eating vegetarian mostly also.
Very hearty and delicious!
★★★★★
Jude
Someone from the rancho gordo FBpage recommended this recipe. It exceeded my expectations. I used the last of my fresh tomatoes and local spinach, onions and carrots. I loved the blending of some of the lentils. And I so appreciate your adding the national information. If you are going to claim you make healthy food, let us see! It’s helping me to eat healthy and lose weight. This one is a keeper.
★★★★★
Laura Kataja
This popped up as I searched for a lentil soup. Obviously the blender trick was what makes this special! I had to replace some ingredients (e.g. using tomato pyre and water instead of canned tomatoes, and searching for random greens (it was bell pepper celery leaves and parsley) in the fridge, and didn’t have olive oil (used basic cooking oil), still getting a tasty soup. Hmmm. I’m obviously a glutton. Took a hearty portion and had two moderate portions left for freezing…
I’d join the choir for metric units instead of those antediluvian ones … Needed pencil and paper to make out how much tomato was meant… and did you know that there are FOUR different units called “cup”.
I could guess you used US cup: 235 ml. Then there is imperial cup (280 ml if I remember right), standard cup (meant for soft transition to SI?) 250 ml and then Scandinavian “coffee cup”, 150 ml…
★★★★
Candy Evans
This soup was great. Have made it many times. It’s so easy and delish. Thank you for always having great recipes.
★★★★★
Carole
★★★★★
Kelly
So delicious! My new favourite soup recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Kelly!
Nia
Absolutely wonderful!! Followed recipe and the soup turned out perfectly!! My husband and daughter both loved it!! Definitely will make the “favorite soups” list!!! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Nia!
Tracy Furman
BEST.RECIPE.EVER! Knowing that the base recipe was from America’s Test Kitchen, and you improved on that, I knew this was going to be good. It was better than ‘good’ as it is company worthy, which is my rating scale. I made it exactly as stated, (other than using spinach instead of other greens) and did not feel it needed any adjustments or additional seasoning. This recipe is definitely a keeper-thank you Kate!
★★★★★
Sym
Made the recipe as written. Nothing short of DELICIOUS! It definitely deserves a 10. Thank you for this great recipe. It’s exactly what we all need in the upcoming cold days.
Many people adjusted the recipe by adding a variety of vegetables and spices. I appreciate comments and variety and will also try some.
★★★★★
Stacy
One of my fave soup recipes! I make it a lot in the colder months.
★★★★★
Debra
Has anyone tried canning this soup?
Kate
This isn’t designed for canning.
Aputnam
Made your recipe, and it turned out great with just a few modifications (because I didn’t have everything and I didn’t feel like shopping!). I added chopped celery and used spinach instead of the kale (because kale upsets my stomach). Also I only used a quarter of the garlic recommended because garlic also upsets my stomach. I didn’t have the curry but I put in all the other spices, including a dried lemon pepper mix that I had. Immersion blender was the best! It turned out hearty and tasty. Thanks for all the tips!
Kate
You’re welcome, Aputnam!
Allie Jessing
Cookie and Kate is my go-to recipe blog. Yours are by far the most reliably delicious recipes that always meet my dietary values I love this recipe and have made it several times. I just made double the recipe to bring some to my boyfriend’s mom who is Lebanese and it’s always cooking for me and sending him over to my place with tupperwares of food. I knew I could rely on Kate’s lentil soup to pay her back in kind. Last time I made it, I didn’t have any diced tomatoes, so I threw in a tablespoon of tomato paste and a cup of chopped cabbage that I had on hand. Having made it again today, I think I actually prefer it without the diced tomatoes, but it could just be that the ones from Costco are huge and they take up so much space in the soup. I also have started leaving out the water as some have suggested. I’ll keep messing around with it but the original recipe is divine
Kate
Thank you for your support and kind comment, Allie!
Nelly vazquez
you did not include diced tomatoes in the ingredients.
what size canned diced tomatoes do you recommend?
Kate
Hi Nelly, diced tomatoes are right below the spices.
V. Eastman
I made this recipe today. Let’s just say that we have a new favorite soup. This was amazing! Easy to make. Next time instead of using a blender (I made a mess) I’ll use the immersion blender.
★★★★★
Jules
really enjoyed this! added celery and beans to the soup as we had some in the fridge and it was yumo!
Mashaunda McBarnett
One of my good friends sent this recipe to me and it’s been in my favorites ever since. It’s so delicious, feels like a warm hug and I don’t feel guilty when I get seconds! My favorite way to spice it up is to put a fried egg on top; trust me, chef’s kiss!
★★★★★
Halexza
I always come back to this recipe, it’s delicious <3
★★★★★
Theresa Baca
What is the approximate serving size and calorie count for the best lentil soup? I’m trying to fit it into my fast mimicking diet and calorie counting is important. Thank you!!
Kate
Roughly 1.5-2 cups. I hope you enjoy it!
Afton
This was delicious and filling! Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Vida Wong
Thank you for this outstanding soup recipe. I have been making this soup for two years now, Our son has it for lunch everyday in his day program. I have substitute the vegetable pirtion with many types of leafy greens and added mushrooms as well. I used immersed blender and it works great. I got your recipe from “The Frsh-Pressed Olive Oil Club” report in winter 2021….. I just have to thank you for this great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Vida!
Sheila
Hearty and tasty! I also added red peppers and chopped squash to mine
★★★★★
Paige Oliver
This really is the best and simplest lentil soup! I make it twice a month in the colder months and enjoy for lunch all week. My husband and kids love it, too. Hearty and delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Paige! I appreciate your review.
Diane LaRoche
Spot on flavors! The only swap out I did was to use red lentils. Absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Ann
Love this recipe / it’s my go to starting in the fall cool weather.
★★★★★
Lori
I made this soup for the first time today. It’s delicious and healthy. I didn’t change a thing and used the higher amount of lemon juice (2 TBS). I was looking for a way to eat lentils and have them actually taste good, and this is it!!! Thank you for the great details from someone who is not a natural in the kitchen when it comes to soups.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lori!
Lyn Carson
My sister made this lentil soup for lunch yesterday, it was so good I had to ask her for the recipe. Hence I am here, and will be making it myself this weekend.
Kellan McCleery
I made this the other night and was delighted with the results! I made several changes for reasons of ingredients lacking from the pantry and for personal tastes, but I am fairly certain that the soup was very near to yours. I did not have curry powder (can you imagine?) instead I used:
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp corriander
Marjoram in place of the thyme. I used canned lentils, but didn’t drain them. I used the canned tomatoes, but didn’t drain them. Instead, I used their liquids as part of the liquids you called for and adjusted the broth accordingly.I used an immersion blender to cream part of the soup and resisted blitzing it to bits. I simmered it for about an hour and a half. Much of it had disappeared by dinner time! I had to keep tasting just to be sure! It was delightfully aromatic, dense, and remarkably satisfying. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Pandora LiVecchi
★★★★★
Rhys
Just a note to be careful when scaling. The recipe changes from one 28oz can of tomatoes to two 56oz cans!
Laura L Bozeman
I made this tonight! It’s supercalifragilistic expealidocious!!! Wonderful flavor combinations. Thank you for sharing. I also made your Quinoa Vegt Soup–equally delicious (5 stars on that one too)! I even ate it for breakfast!
★★★★★
Carolyn Bell
So yummy and the flavors jumped out of my bowl. Easy to make and followed the recipe exactly and added smoked ham
hock meat chopped into small bits. It complemented the cumin and curry powder perfectly. Will become a winter staple
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Carolyn! Thank you for your review.
Karina
Wow that was the best! I used spinach instead of collard greens, and 2 TB tomato paste instead of 28oz can of tomatoes.
★★★★★
Deborah
Can I use split red lentils instead?
Kate
Sure, you will need less time and less liquid. I would suggest looking at my How to Cook Lentils post for timing.
Deborah
Made it with 3/4 cup split red lentils…turned out great. Wonderful recipe!!!!
Spices were perfect!
Evelyn Arteche
I’ve already shared this recipe with friends and my picky 23 year old daughter loves it. So in my book, it is a winner.
★★★★★
Adam
what wonderful flavors! love the lemon/cumin combo. i also added basil because it was the only “greens” i had on hand. and i subbed in potatoes for carrots, which worked well. definitely a keeper!
Rosemariestpaul
Definitely the best lentil soup ever
★★★★★
Michelle Williams
I’m obsessed! I’ve never had lentils before and this was the perfect way to be introduced to them. I’ve been auditioning vegan recipes for the holidays and this is the perfect dish. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Michelle!
Melissa
My partner and I have been working on healthier choice for our meals. I remember loving lentils as a kid, and decided to make a soup. I found this recipe and tried it! So amazing! We throughly enjoyed it. Definitely going to add more kale next time!
★★★★★
Nena
We LOVE this soup!
I just leave out the pepper flakes, so that my daughter can eat it too.
During my pregnancy it was our „balcony soup“ that we ate during the whole summer with baguette
Many thanks from Vienna!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Nena!
Robin Manoogian
Made it very good recipe and forgot the lemon added red dal too used zucchini instead of kale all good very good recipe
★★★★★
Ginger
This truly is the best lentil soup! Loved everything about it. Perfect dinner with a slice of homemade sourghdough.
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds like a delicious combination!
Bianca
This is the most delicious soup! It’s full of flavour and is super healthy. I make this all the time when my partner is away because he doesn’t like soup. And it turns out perfect every time. Thank you for a beautiful recipe
★★★★★
Rachel
Delicious! Used beef broth for more flavor and fire roasted diced tomatoes. Also added a sweet potato to make more hardy.
★★★★★
Cara Lewin
Huge hit and simple enough to make frequently! Thanks so much.
★★★★★
Carrie
I made this tonight exactly as written. DELICIOUS! I have made lentil soup in the past because I know it’s good for me but usually ends up tasting like earth. This is really yummy! Will make again and shared with friends!
★★★★★