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.
PrintBest 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.
Jill K
Wow this is delicious! I make a lot of lentil dishes and usually all need coconut milk. This one was fabulous! I think the olive oil gave it a nice richness.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Jill!
Angela Wezowicz
Thank you so much for this! My whole family enjoys eating this soup and I was able to bring it to another family as well…they also enjoyed it! Yum!
Fiona
Thankyou kate – fantastic soup! And so simple! I used leek and only 1/2 the onion; also added some celery and finished it off with fresh dill parsley and yoghurt. Best ever lentil soup!
Susan Nitka
My husband adores lentil soup so I am always on the search for a good one. I just made a pot. This is the best… I used baby kale leaves as the only sub…thank you!!
Kate
Baby kale leaves work too! Thanks for sharing, Susan.
Wendy Schlegel
Wonderful soup. My husband is not too fond of curry so I substituted the curry with 1/2 teaspoon each of Allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil and oregano. I increased the thyme to 1 teaspoon and did add a pinch of cumin.
I also as suggested by someone else used Fennel instead of Onion and added some chopped celery.
Increased the Kale as well. This was extremely flavorful and the lemon at the end really added to the soup. Will definitely be making this again
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Wendy!
Sekinat
This recipe is the bomb. I went vegetarian for a month and had to stop myself from only eating this soup! Eating it now as I type this
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I appreciate the review.
Hannah A
I have much better luck when I add tomatoes and other acidic ingredients AFTER the legumes have cooked.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Hannah!
Judy
OMG this is so good, nothing like canned soup (thank goodness for that, that other lentil soup in a can is so harsh). This is the first time I’ve made this and will make again for sure since I’ve sworn off any canned soup except for cream of mushroom or cream of chicken for cooking when needed. Thanks for a really good recipe!
Kate
I’m so happy to hear that, Judy!
Erin
Super excited to make this recipe this weekend! With 20 cm of snow in the forecast for the next two days, it’s perfect soup weather! Stupid question though, are the lentils that you use dry or have they been soaked overnight?
Ken Romanowski
Yes
Liz
Dry, they cook in the soup
Kate
Snow, snow go away! This soup is perfect for days like that. If using the ones recommended in the recipe, you don’t need to soak.
Emily
Hey Kate!
Do you think red lentils instead of brown/green would work with this recipe?
Cheers!
Emily
Kate
Hi Emily! I wouldn’t recommend them as they don’t retain their shape as well. You can use them, but you will want to adjust the cooking time and maybe slightly less liquid.
Sylvia
I have used the Red Lentils in the soup and didn’t use less liquid. It turned out great. I will also soak the red lentils overnight next time as this will help break down the raffinose. Lentils contain high amounts of a complex sugar called raffinose, which the body has trouble breaking down and causes gas!! lol
Amira
Hi, I’m so excited to make this today. I don’t like curry. Could I substitute cumin (same amount?) or something else, or just leave it out? Thanks!
Kate
You could leave it out, or add more of your favorite spice. Although, curry is really what helps to make this soup the best!
Amira
I really hate curry so I just simply omitted it with no other changes. It was delicious! My husband and I thought it was the best we’ve had and I make a lot of lentil soup!
Colleen Chatterton
Thank you. I was looking how to make a simple but delicious lentil soup. Your instructions were great and fun to read. I’m on the way to the kitchen now. A big thank you for sharing this. Best, Colleen
Kate
You’re very welcome, Colleen!
Marion
I already had my ingredients at hand, but hadn’t used lentils in soup, so found your recipe and followed it in principal. I made a lot of subs and thought some might be useful for your readers.
I hadn’t been able to find my Sharwoods medium curry powder for some time, so I used smoked Spanish paprika and turmeric, plus a little cinnamon. I put a little fennel seed in the olive oil, and later added some bay leaf and savory, which is reputed to aid in digesting legumes. Kombu seaweed is supposed to help too, but I never really noticed a difference.
I didn’t have veg broth, but I used a big can of tomato juice and a bottle of beer with a little chipotle sauce. I thought I’d save some of the olive oil to drizzle over at serving to preserve its fragrance.
Without the kale, I used spinach. I also had zucchini and a red pepper. No lemons, but added a little buttermilk for tartness.
It smells great simmering–can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for sharing–
Marion
Kate
What did you think of it, Marion?!
Madelena
Love this soup. Followed recipe as written with one exception. I used spinached instead. Great flavor. It was the first time I made Lentil soup. I wii definitely make it again.
Kate
Thanks so much, Madelena! I appreciate the review.
brooke
Love this recipe. Easy to make, the aroma is divine and has a rich savory taste. The lemon adds a nice twist. This soup is like a warm hug on a cold day.
As I do in most recipes, I add the veggies (in this case carrots and onions) to the food processor and add a tbspn of marmite for umami flavor. I added 6 gloves of garlic and used 2 lemons, but otherwise, followed the recipe. This will be in my rotation! Thanks so much Cookie and Kate!
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy this will be in your rotation, Brooke.
patricia richardson
Could I use red split lentles instead
Paula
My daughter has turned vegetarian so my staple lentil soup with bacon is a NO! I have made lentil soup for years and always soaked the lentils overnight and then cooked it in the broth for three hours. Is 30 minutes enough time for the lentils to soften and do you need to soak over night?
Kate
With this soup and the recommended lentils, it will work great with the cooking time.
alicia
This recipe was really fabulous! I didn’t have carrots so I substituted with sweet potatoes instead. I also have a hand blender so that worked really well for this recipe. I doubled the recipe and will freeze several portions for later. Thank you!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Alicia! I’m happy you liked it.
Colleen Chatterton
Thank you. I’ve been housebound with a cold for a week, with my fridge fairly depleted by the end of the week. I was able to use your recipe. Luckily I still had most of the ingredients. I substituted cabbage for kale, because that’s what I had at hand. It was absolutely delicious. Note: Because I’m vegetarian and down with a cold, it’s easiest for me to make a one pot meal, so I also added 6 TBL of quinoa (some light and dark colored quinoa) and it worked very well to give some added protein, while not affecting the consistency of the soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It is now my “go to” recipe for vegetarian lentil soup.
Kate
Oh no! That is the worst. I’m glad you were able to make this soup to help comfort. Thanks for sharing, Colleen and feel better!
Julia
My FAVORITE soup recipe. Have already made this 3 times and eaten for many meals. Fool proof!
Kate
Thank you, Julia!
T Bell
This is the best soup I’ve ever made, thank you. It would be great if you would specify the color of curry when adding it as an ingredient. I’m new to Indian spices. Also, I added a chopped up sweet potato to this to give it a little more bulk and it worked well. I have also frozen and reheated this soup with fantastic results. I do wish chefs would give a measurement of garlic cloves, as in 1 Tbsp, etc., instead of measurement per clove. Cloves come in many different sizes and for the beginner cook, it would be helpful to have an exact measurement instead of guessing between 5 or more different sizes of clove.
Kate
I love hearing that, T! Thanks for sharing.
Renee
It’s funny when people leave comments that go “I loved this recipe… I only changed… *goes and changes half the recipe and ingredients*… and it was great!” Haha.
I made this exactly as written, and it’s amazing. Wouldn’t change a thing, thanks for sharing. :)
Kate
Thank you for trying it and leaving a review, Renee!
Lydia
I’m with you Renee! I think to myself, “You’ve changed it so much, it’s not ‘this soup’ anymore!” Nothing wrong with a substitution or two, but my motto is that I’m making it as closely to the recipe as possible the first time – then make adjustments and understand that it’s not the same recipe anymore!
Kasia
Delicious! Even my husband who usually have to have meat in his soup loved it!
Kate
That’s a win! Thanks, Kasia!
cynthia
i’ve alre made this soup twice and everyone loved it! thank you so much for creating a recipe with ingredients that are easy to find in my pantry and easy on the wallet!
Kate
You’re welcome, Cynthia!
RB
Ridiculously good- second time making this stew! First time my curry powder was old, but the stew was still good. This time I have a new high quality curry powder (and added 2 gold potatoes since I had them on hand) but the made recipe verbatim otherwise and WOW- what a difference fresh spices make! Definitely a keeper. Love!
Kate
I’m glad you are loving it! Yes, fresh spices are huge. Thanks for your review, RB.
Linda
Made it twice and am about to make it again. Maybe my favorite soup ever. The first time I was “in process” and realized I had no cumin. So I substituted garam marsala for the curry and the cumin. I may have used a little too much but I LOVED it. The second time I made the recipe as directed (after buying a big container of cumin as I use it in many recipes) and LOVED this batch too. For the third batch…well…we shall see. I also used homemade chicken stock instead of the veggie broth so mine was not vegetarian but it was certainly delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I’ve made several of your recipes and all have been wonderful.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for the review, Linda.
Kristin
Yummy. I can’t seem to follow a recipe exactly. But I used this as my base and it was great. Scallions, cuz no onions, no celery cuz had none. More carrot cuz had some. Way more curry and cumin cuz I think in TBS, oops not tsp. Used bottled lemon, it’s what I had. Threw in Parmasean rind cuz it was there and I heard it was a good thing to do with what otherwise would be trash. Left out the greens, fridge was barebones. All to say, it turned out great and don’t be afraid to work with what you have and don’t fret about what you haven’t. Great recipe, will return to this time and again.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kristin.
Heidi
Oh my goodness, this was soooo good! Followed the recipe exactly, I was unsure about the lemon juice so I started with just 1 T lemon juice and ended up juicing the rest of the lemon for it as well. It really does make the soup “sing”! It brought out the curry and tomato and the hint of heat from the red pepper, making it all dance across my taste buds. It was so lovely that I delivered a quart sized mason jar of it to a friend for dinner lol. He spends a lot of time in rough conditions/terrain and I thought it would be the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter evening.
Kate
A great soup to warm up with! Thanks for the review, Heidi.
Eva
Fabulous recipe. A great go to when I don’t have lots of time to cook. I have substituted other greens like spinach and it still tastes great. The lemon added at the end brings the soup to life. Yum!!
Kate
Thank you, Eva!
Aaron Keener
My mom always made lentil soup…
I tried your recipe and absolutely loved it, so did my mom. Definitely a keeper in my recipe stash.
Kate
Great to hear, Aaron!
joan
YUM! Curry powder and other spices gave a kicked up flavor over other lentil soup recipes. Easy, cooks up fast, and with ingredients largely on hand — except the kale which I was skeptical about, but even that worked well. Thank you for a keeper recipe I will make again many times.
Kate
I’m glad you like this recipe, Joan!
Chipo
I made this soup twice already and I love it! Healthy, delicious and filling.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Chipo! I appreciate the review.
Jo
I made this recipe WITHOUT the 1/4 cup of oil (sauted my onions & carrots in a little water) and this recipe turned out AMAZING!! The oil is 100% unneeded to make this the best dang soup I’ve ever had! Definitely worth making ! I almost didn’t when I saw you had to blend two cups at the end but trust me it’s so worth it!
Sylvia
That is good to know Jo. Removing the oil will make it a Zero point food under Weight Watchers!
Kathy
I made this in February, 2019. Instead of fresh collard greens, I used a can of low sodium collard greens and drained all the juice out before adding to the pot. I had my doubts about this soup because I have several lentil soup recipes that I’ve made and enjoy. Your version is absolutely delicious! It is my #1 lentil soup & the easiest to make!
Kate
Thanks for trying it, Kathy!! I’m happy this one is a keeper for you.
Maggie Unzueta
This dish looks SO deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
Kate
Thank you, Maggie! I appreciate the review. Let me know if you try it!
Lori
Made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. Definitely a keeper.
Kate
Thanks for the review, Lori!
Toshia
So I must say I was skeptical when I read the title. You often see the best this or that and then the recipe comes up short. This is NOT the case with this recipe. This is by far the best lentil soup I’ve ever tasted! I officially have a new recipe to take to the vegan potluck
Kate
I’m really glad you agree, Toshia! Thanks so much for your review.
Ruth
I made this soup tonight for my husband and me. He usually groans a bit when I say a meal is vegetarian. The only groaning that happened tonight was over how delicious this soup is and how much he wanted some more. I already passed on the recipe to my mother-in-law and two friends. Outstanding recipe. Will definitely be making it again.
Kate
Winning! Thanks for sharing, Ruth. I’m so happy it was a hit.
Praveena Ravikumar
Hi Kate,
I am going to try this recipe for my family today. Can you please tell me what brand of lentils did you use for this one and also the vegetable broth if it is a store bought one?
Kate
You can use any brand of lentils, as long as it’s the recommended type and your preferred vegetable broth will do! I don’t typically have a brand preference here.
NHakim
Delicious, delicious, delicious!!!! It was husband, and 3 boys approved. That makes me one happy momma. Thanks cookieandkate!!
Kate
You’re welcome!
Debra
We thoroughly enjoyed this delicious recipe. It was thick, hearty and very satisfying. I had no red pepper flakes so I substituted ground red pepper instead. And the bunch of collard greens that I purchased to go in it produced a little over 3 cups chopped. I have boiled the remainder in a few cups of vegetable broth to freeze and save for the next time I prepare this.
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Debra! Thanks for your review.
Steven Senet
Wonderful taste and texture, but no way I could prep this in 10 minutes! It also took longer than usual for the lentils to soften even though I presoaked them for a while. I believe it may have been due to cooking them along with the tomatoes. I learned the hard way that acid seems to inhibit a bean’s ability to absorb water. The soup tasted even better the next day!
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Steve!
Punita Bhansali
The instructions on this are very clear, easy to follow, and the soup is flavored so well. I’ve made it for my parents, in-laws, friends, and they’ve all loved it!
Kate
I’m happy to hear that, Punita! Thanks for your review.
Gary
This is really good. Instead of the spices in this recipe, I used the South Coast spice blend from Seven Happy Seeds. It gave a really rich flavor to the soup. My 10-year-old son had 2 bowls of it.
Kate
Thank you, Gary!
Marylou Palmer
Excellent! I didn’t have the greens so I used a box of power greens. Worked out of course.
Kate
Great substitution, Marylou!
Nicki
This is one of my go to soup recipes to make. Thanks for bringing it into my life!
Kate
You’re welcome, Nicki!
Stephanie
This is a delicious soup! Thank you for sharing the recipe! (It was even a hit with my meat-eating relatives…husband, dad and brother.) I’ve already made it twice!
Kate
You’re welcome, Stephanie!
Judy
made this today – was in the mood for some comfort soup on a snowy day. it was amazing!! so easy to make and so delicious. one of my new favorite recipes now.
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review, Judy
JEANETTE
This is hands down my favorite lentil soup recipe ever! I love lentils – all types and cooked in all forms – but never seem to find an interesting enough brown lentil soup. I’ve finally found it. Though I love the recipe as is, omitting the red pepper was the perfect meal for post oral surgery healing. Thank you! Excellent job on this soup!
Kate
Love to hear that! THanks for sharing, Jeanette.
Christopher
This was amazing. Great recipe, will absolutely make this again. Going to try the posole recipe next. Thank you.
carl carley
which vegetable broth you used? i haven’t made this yet and want to get the basics right!
carl hampshire uk
Kate
Thank you, Christopher!
Angie Perales
You’re right. This is the best lentil soup that I have ever made. Just amazing. I didn’t have any collard greens but improvised with spinach and it taste great. The only tweak that I made to the recipe is I added two more cups of vegetable broth at the end.
Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this :-)
Kate
I’m happy you agree, Angie! Thank you for your review.
Cortny
Mmmm this is so good! Its pretty well a traditional East Indian dish, aside from a few steps in the beginning. I think I will do it that way next time: toast whole cumin seeds in the olive oil before adding the onion. I love that really strong East Indian flavour :) This is a fantastic recipe that can be tweaked in lots of ways and still be awesome! I’m eating this at work as I type this and I am so in love! Thank-you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Cortny!
Alex
Yummy yummy in my tummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe, it was delicious :-) :-) :-)
Kate
You’re welcome, Alex! Thank you for your review!
Anne
Wow, this is truly the best lentil soup I’ve ever made — and I’ve been making lentil soup about once a week for two years! I followed the recipe almost exactly, though I had to cobble together a curry powder after realizing I was out of my pre-made stuff. The flavors are strong but balanced and the kale is a wonderful touch of texture and flavor.
Kate
Fantastic, Anne! Thank you for your review.
Simon D
I’ve made this soup a couple of times now. One of the recipes I’m using as I convert from heavily carnivorous eating habits to more plant-based ones.
Really like this soup. Spicy and tasty. Some recipes you just keep coming back to. This will be one of mine.
Simon
Canberra, Australia
Kate
I’m glad you like it and you will keep coming back to it, Simon! Thanks for your review.
Savannah
The title is right–this truly is the best lentil recipe I have ever had. Passing this along to all of my friends! Thanks for the delicious recipe, Kate!
Kate
I’m excited you are sharing it with friends, Savannah! Thanks for your review.
Kathryn
THANK YOU for the ‘Jump to the Recipe’ feature. Sometimes a reader just needs to get to the point.
Kate
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks so much, Kathryn.
Blackjack13
Wonderful recipe. I think what pushes it up from lunch table to linen tablecloth is the addition of the lemon juice. I’ll definitely make this again.
Kate
Great! Thanks or trying it and for your review.
Heather
So yummy, perfect lentil soup,thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Heather! Thank you for the review.
Diana
Phenomenal! Thank you for another amazing recipe Kate!
Kate
Thanks for letting me know you loved it!
jerry
nutrition info would be useful…a rough guesstimate would be good.
i use low sodium pacific veggie broth.
Kate
Hi Jerry! The nutrition information is below the notes of the recipe. You need to click to expand and make sure you allow cookies on your browser.
Mike
Might be a dumb question, but is there a reason we can’t use the liquid from the drained tomatoes and add enough water to make two cups? Acidic juice or something? Definitely making this soup this weekend for lunches this week.
Lydia
I wondered about that, too Mike. An earlier comment said that acid prevented the lentils from absorbing the water, so I bet you’re right.
Mike
Well, that’s what I did. I let the lentils cook until they decided they were done (rather than the timer), and then threw in a ton of kale (because I love kale). I loved this soup every day this week! Will definitely make it again and again.
Kate
Hey Mike, you can do that! Not sure you’ll be able to taste the difference in the end product, but that would put the liquid to use.
Connie
I had lentil soup once before and enjoyed it so thought I’d try to make it. This recipe was very easy to make. I really loved this soup!
Kate
Thank you, Connie!
Melanie Lacy
Sorry…not a fan! :( This was my first attempt at Lentil Soup, and I thought I would try the “best”… because, well, why not? If this is the “best” Lentil Soup, then I guess Lentil Soup is just not for me and my family of 6. :( It was WAY too Tomato-y…and I LOVE Tomatoes! And I was so excited about this recipe because it has Curry…I LOVE Curry! The flavors just didn’t seem to compliment each other, in my opinion. So sad! I had really high hopes for this soup to go into my meal rotation, but unfortunately not one of us liked it. I might try your Curry Red Lentil Soup, though. We’ll see… I have to give my family some time after making this recipe last night until I’ll try to feed them a Lentil Soup again. ;) Thanks for sharing your recipes, though, nothing personal, It just wasn’t for us! ;)
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, but appreciate your feedback.
Claire
This really is the best lentil soup! As a non-vegetarian, I used to only like lentil soup if it involved bacon. But the spices in this soup lend such a great flavor that I don’t miss it at all.
Kate
That’s great, Claire! Thank you for trying it. :)
Nanami
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I substituted Kale with Spinach and it worked well!
Kate
Great to hear, Nanami!
Lori
Love this soup so much and thought I had lost the recipe! So happy I tracked it down again and will be putting it in my favorites binder.
Kate
I’m so happy you tracked it down again, too! Know you can always search by ingredient or course, etc in the menu :)
Liz
I can’t eat chunks of tomatoes. Do you think crushed tomatoes would work? Or if I omitted them completely, would I just add more liquid?
Kate
Tomatoes add flavor for sure, but I’m not sure about crushed in this soup. Maybe leave out and increase the other vegetable you like.
kae Campbell
Wow!!!!! Soooooo yummy !!!!! Thank You <3
Kate
You’re welcome, Kae!
Faith Ballard
I’m making this RIGHT now. It’s literally simmering on my stove. I’m renaming it Super Fantastic Soup though, so that there will be some chance my kids will eat it. it smells fantabulous.
Kate
What did you think, Faith?!
Paloma
Just made this last night and it’s SO good!! I don’t think I can ever go back to canned lentil soup after this ^_^
The only thing I didn’t do was blend some of it and used baby kale but it’s still great :)
Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Paloma! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Monica
Hello. I’m a little confused. If 2 cups is put into the blender what happens to the remaining lentils???
Kate
The two cups of the soup help give it a creamy consistency. The rest of the soup remains that same. Does that help? The process pictures tend to help!
Shar Tatum
This soup is incredible! It is just what I needed for today! Yes, best lentil soup ever! Thanks for the recipe!
Star
Kate
You’re welcome, Shar!
Donna
I have made this soup so many times now…it is absolutely delicious.
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Donna!
Mary Beth
I first made this soup a couple of months ago and we eat it at least every other week. I love how it uses ingredients I always have on hand. Plus it is so delicious and quick! Every friend I have served it to has requested the recipe!
Kate
I do love that about this dish as well, Mary!
Brittany
First, I would like to say, I have never written a comment on any blog site but I had to submit one today(that’s how excellent this dish was). Second, Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I cannot believe how good this was. I made this last night for dinner and my husband cannot stop raving about it. I even woke up this morning and had another bowl for breakfast (great way to begin the day)! I forgot to pick up thyme, but had the other ingredients so I just went with it and hoped for the best. These flavors were perfect together- the curry and lemon added such a great flavor. I definitely will make this recipe again. Thank you!
Kate
I’m so happy you tried it and commented you loved it, Brittany! Thank you for your review!
Andrea
Does this soup get better the next day? During cooking I found it to be very blah. It tastes watered down. I added more curry and cumin but it still feels like it’s missing something. I followed the recipe but added a couple of potatoes and white wine (I was short a half cup of veggie stock). It’s spucy because of the curry powder I use but it’s just blah. Any suggestions to give it more depth?
Kate
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love it. I do think it’s better the next day. It could be the add-ins didn’t help the overall depth. It’s hard to say as I haven’t tried it with those add-ins.
Andrea
I did find it better the next day, once all the flavours sat together. But I’ve got a good base to start with and tweak it with a few things the next time I make it.
Sam
This was amazing I loved it. Super easy to make . Thanks for sharing, all the way from my kitchen in Dubai
Kate
Hello! I’m so glad you loved it, Sam.
Veronique
It is for real the best lentil soup I have ever made! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe, I’ll put it in my favorite!
Kate
Love that it is now a favorite! Thank you for your review, Veronique.
Rima
Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for your review, Rima.
SUSAN HARRISON
This soup is fantastic! I heated it up at work and someone asked for the recipe based on the lingering aroma alone! Now lots of people are making it.
Kate
Love to hear that, Susan!
Aimee
I must have made this soup 20+ times by now! It’s perfect for when I’m out of ideas / ingredients. And is delicious every time! I don’t eat onion so I leave that out but follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Kate
That’s a lot of soup! I love it. Thanks, Aimee.
Lelly
Hi cookie andKste
On my list of favorites for sure.
Make it once every couple of weeks and everyone raves an out it.
Cheers from Montreal, cansda
Kate
I’m glad this is a regular for you, Lelly!
Jessica
This really is the best lentil soup! I don’t really even like lentils that much, but this is really good.
Kate
Thanks, Jessica!
Elicia Martin
Can’t wait to cook this up this weekend. All the way from Australia!!!!!!
Sounds easy and delicious
Loana
This is my second recipe I tried on your site (Red thai curry) and they both were great! I am trying some healthier dishes for my family but they have to taste great and yours do. Looking forward to trying more.Thank you
Rachel
I’ve made a lot of vegan soup and this is definitely one of my favorites. I used avocado oil instead of olive which was delicious and all I had. Also, I did not blend any of the soup and love the look of all the whole ingredients- yum! This recipe will be a staple for my family. Thank you so much!
T
Made this tonight – turned out well though I had to make some substitutions due to pantry supplies.- I like the spice blend you have for this soup. I had only one carrot (it does need two as you say!) and had to use chicken broth because didn’t have vegetable broth on hand. I diced fresh tomatoes in place of having canned tomatoes (drained though as you said to). The blending a portion of the soup is a great tip. Served it with warm naan – super yum! Thanks!
Stacey
Hello! I have never been a fan of lentil soup. I found your recipe because a friend of mine loves it. I made it for her and she insisted that I try it. It was delicious! So much so that I made a batch for myself. Thank you for this excellent recipe. It is perfect just as you published it.
Kate
I’m so glad your friend insisted and that you loved it! Thanks for sharing, Stacey.
Annegret
I made this for my vegan friends, who displayed vehement approval. I personally liked it so much I made it again the very next day. Thank you for sharing!
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Annegret!
Aisy
I am making this recipe right now, and im wondering if beef broth would be okay to use instead of vegetable broth because i dont have any?
Kate
I am a vegetarian, so haven’t tried it. But it should work, but the taste will be different.
Pat
Delicious.
Kate
Thank you, Pat!
Willa Desousa
Both spicy and hot – great depth of flavor – seasonings are excellent – this is recipe i will use for lentil soup from mow on – thank you !
Kate
You’re welcome, Willa!
Kierra
My bestfriend introduced me to your recipe years ago! I wish I haven’t waited so long to make it. I just finished a bowl. It’s sooo good! I’m now sharing your ingredients with others! Thank you
Kate
I’m glad you finally tried to make it, Kierra! Thanks for your review.
Christina
My family loved it!! Great weeknight dinner, and leftovers for lunch!
Kate
It does make great leftovers!
Gail Johnson
Honestly, BEST lentil soup I’ve ever had! I will definitely make this again and again. Only change I made was using spinach as I didn’t have kale on hand, but, I’m sure they both interchange well.
Kate
I’m so glad you love it, Gail!
Vivian Morris
This is the BEST Lentil Soup. Thanks.!
Kate
You’re welcome, Vivian!
Raquel DeCamp
Absolutely delicious! You’re right, the lemon at the end makes it spectacular!
Kate
Great to hear, Raquel.
Anne Karakash
I made this tonight and it made a giant pot of soup that filled the house with delicious smells. I figured I would have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch and maybe Monday’s lunchbox. But my family LOVED this soup and they devoured it. Thank you so much!! –Anne
Kate
You’re welcome, Anne! Thanks for your review.
Abby
Thankyou so much for sharing this recipe! It has become a staple dish for me. However this time i forgot to rinse my lentils before cooking with them OOPS! I decided to go ahead does this matter if forgotten to much? Many thanks
Kate
You should be ok, Abby! It’s just a good habit and make sure everything is great before you start cooking. Thanks for sharing!
FOOD HEAL
I love lentils and I can eat them every day. I love your recipe and sure will try it out… kisses Katie…
Kate
Let me know what you think!
Elsa Bunting
Absolutely delicious! I omitted the salt and used salt free broth due to diet restrictions and still incredibly flavourful!
Kate
Great to hear, Elsa!
Katie
Fantastic!! Followed recipe exactly (as I do with all of your recipes) and I can’t get enough. My hubby is also a fan of everything I make of yours. Thank you for your time, your testing and your sharing!
Kate
Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Katie!