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: 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
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.
Juan Pablo
Just made this for my mom and grandma. I thought it was amazing — the flavor reminded me of Tom Yum soup broth, so much so that I’m considering throwing in some mushrooms next time. The feedback I got from the ladies was “Terrific” and “less tomato”. Maybe my tomatos were too acidic? Or maybe it should be tomato-ly powerful? Regardless I certainly enjoyed and will be making and experimenting with it further.
Kate
Thanks, Juan! Glad it turned out well. I’ve recently realized just how much the flavor of canned tomatoes can vary by brand. I definitely recommend Muir Glen brand if you can find it!
Marie-Laure
I can’t believe I have to share this soup with my friend, I already ate half of the batch…I’ll have to double it next time I make it :)
SO flavoursome and the lemon at the end is such a good addition.
Thanks Kate!
Kate
Thank you, Marie-Laure!
Connie
I cannot wait to try this! I love lentil soup. Have you had Aladdin Cafe’s lentil soup? It is my favorite! Best I have found in KC.
Kate
I have, and it’s really good! This one is heartier.
Katie
This is an awesome recipe! Can’t wait to try your others! My husband loved it too – total hit!
Kate
Yay, thank you, Katie! Hope you enjoy the others just as much!
Adrienne
This soup was SO good! I’m shocked at how easy it was and how amazing it tasted. I’ll definitely be making this a lot this fall, thank you for the great recipe!
Kate
Hooray, thanks Adrienne!
Grace
This was HANDS DOWN the best lentil soup I’ve ever had. I used a tablespoon of earth balance to give it richness and I added a 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes, corn, and spinach! I didn’t have cumin or curry powder so I used all purpose seasoning and it was just as good. My whole family devoured it and asked for seconds. This is my 3rd week on a vegetarian diet and your recipe just made it a whole lot easier! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)
Kate
Thank you, Grace! Delighted to hear it. :)
Ray
This recipe is DELICIOUS and the best part is, it just gets better and better as it sits for leftovers.
p.s. Adding a diced sweet potato in with the carrots and onions is yummy!
Thanks Kate and Cookie your blog is wonderful
Kate
Thank you, Ray! Love your sweet potato idea!
Jen
Thanks so much for sharing this, Kate! This is the tastiest lentil soup ever. I know I’ll be enjoying this many more times.
Kate
Yay! Thanks, Jen!
Madeline
Just made this and it is divine! My husband and I are HUGE fans of all your recipes :)
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Madeline!!!
Danielle
This soup is delicious! Added more kale to mine because I like the green taste, and used a jalepeno pepper to spice it up. Instructions were straightforward and accurate. Thank you so much. Loved it.
Kate
Thank you, Danielle! :)
Michele
Just stumbled on this recipe looking for a different lentil soup. This was the most delicious I have ever made and likely will be my go-to recipe. Thank you! I also added roasted acorn squash to it, yummy.
Kate
Thanks, Michele! Delighted to hear it.
Elizabeth
Thanks for the great recipe. It was delicious! The lemon at the end brightened up all the flavors wonderfully and it tasted great garnished with some sharp cheddar cheese. Maybe best of all, it was quick and easy to make.
Kate
Thank you, Elizabeth! :)
Laura
Hi kate! I just wanted to let you know that you are by far my favorite veg food blogger!!! I’ve loved every recipe you’ve made (and my husband has as well). This is my favorite soup. It’s sitting on the stove as I type and I’m debating sneaking a bowl before we sit down for dinner :)
Have you tried this recipe with fresh tomatoes? At the end of the week I always have a bunch of tomatoes I need something to do with.. If I made it next time with fresh tomatoes about how many do you think I’d need?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Laura! Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy my recipes. I haven’t tried making this with fresh tomatoes, but I bet they would be great. I’m not sure how many you’ll need to replace diced. I bet you could eyeball it, since this soup is flexible anyway.
Barbara
You made me look like a pro using curry and simply adding cumin powder… usually I tend to make my own curry powder.. and is not the same.
Great easy to make recipe. Thank you!
Kate
I’d say you are a pro! Thanks, Barbara!
Katie Egervari
Actually, most “curry powder” blends have cumin already in them, it’s just only a percentage of the total mixture. By adding so much more cumin to the dish compared to the total combined spices of the yellow curry powder, you’re going to get a lot more cumin flavour compared to the flavours from turmeric/hot red pepper/anise/coriander, which have to be very carefully balanced for the dish to turn out well. 1 teaspoon of curry powder wouldn’t really be that many red chilis, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, etc. flavour. Usually recipes that call for “curry powder” do so for at least 1 tablespoon, and possibly many tablespoons to ensure you get many teaspoons of the individual spices (like cumin).
Jill G.
Great recipe, Kate! I had a bag of black beluga lentils and substituted them for the green or brown. Turned out great! Thanks for posting such delicious, easy-to-follow recipes. Keep up the good work!
Hugs from Seattle,
Jill
Kate
Thank you, Jill! So glad you’re enjoying my recipes. :)
Nick
I googled “lentil soup recipe” and looked at the results.
allrecipes…. boring
foodnetwork.. blah!
martha stewart… um, no.
cookieandkate, now that’s a proper blog. yes, please!
Thanks for a great recipe that’s easily made by even the most inexperienced bachelor chef.
Kate
Woop! Thanks, Nick! :)
Kyra
I swapped the regular diced tomatoes for fire-roasted and added corn and diced green beans. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Sounds like great subs to me! Thanks, Kyra!
Lisa
Thank you Kate for this great recipe! I used 3 ribs of celery instead of carrots, and used a smaller can of stewed tomatoes instead of the diced, and cooked it in a slow cooker after frying the onions and spices. It turned out amazing and was a huge hit! Thanks again!
Kate
Thanks, Lisa! Happy to hear it!
Val
How long did you put it in the slow cooker? I’m really looking forward to coming home to this after work :)
Artesia
Best lentil soup is no lie!!!! I’m food cleansing (as I do a few times a year) and always resolve to not enjoy my dinner options when I do. This soup has completely changed my approach to cooking while cleansing. THANK YOU!!!
Kate
Wow, thanks Artesia!!!
Maria
As a food enthusiast, I cannot wait to try this recipe…Im so glad I found your blog <3
Lori
Just made this soup again for the second time. One of the best lentil soups I’ve ever had. My husband loves it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kate
Thank you, Lori! Happy to hear that!
Alicia
I just tried your soup recipe this week and it was delicious! It is a beautiful dish for a chilly Fall night. I chose to serve it over basmati rice for some extra heartiness :)
Thanks for the great meal and check out my blog post here!
http://thetravelingbean.com/2015/10/spiced-lentil-soup-over-basmati-rice/
Kate
Thanks, Alicia. Glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa
i love your recipes!!! I’m wondering if this soup would still be delicious if I made a day ahead?
Jenna
Yep- I’ve had it for left overs all week and it was just as tasty :)
Kate
Oh yes, it’s even better the next day!
Jenna
As a frequent lentil soup maker, I figured eh, this will just taste like all the other batches I’ve made (which have been good!). Well… this recipe blew all other batches out of the water! WOW! Sososogood.
Kate
Woohoo! Thanks, Jenna!
Emily
This is my new go-to soup! So hearty and delicious, and I love that it’s completely vegan. I was out of curry powder, so I substituted chili powder and it turned out great – very rich! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Kate
Thanks, Emily!
elizabeth
I loved the recipe! I thought it was missing something so i added nutritional yeast, Yum!
Kate
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Brenda
I made it over the weekend and it was hands down the best soup I’ve made to date. The second night, I added a small amount of corn, peas and a cut up potato, and my husband thought I had made beef stew (minus the beef, of course)! This recipe is so versatile, it will be made over and over again!
Kate
Thank you very much, Brenda!
Marianne
Just made this soup as I was searching web for recipe to use up the lentils in my pantry. I had everything in the kitchen to make, except the lentils I wanted to use up were red so gave it a shot. This soup came out amazing!! The best lentil soup I have ever tried!! I am on my second bowl!! So so good!!
Kate
Thanks, Marianne! So glad you loved the soup!
Patricia
Can I use spinach instead of kale, etc. Thanks.
Kate
Yes! Definitely. I just prefer kale and collard greens in soups because they retain some of their texture instead of getting soggy/stringy.
Jessica
Just made this lentil soup and it is truly amazing! Wonderful flavors. (Used chicken broth bc that’s all I had…and added celery with the carrots). Thanks for sharing!
Kate
Thanks, Jessica! Glad you enjoyed it!
Margot D
Ha I see I’m not the first Margot to love this recipe ;) I made a pledge to be as vegan as possible this holiday season and stumbled on this recipe. New to lentils, but motivated by being plant-based, I found you because I wanted something with great spices and flavor. Home run! SO GOOD! I’d post a pic, but it looks just like yours and I’m not on Instagram. New fan!
Kate
Thank you, Margot! So glad you enjoyed this one! :)
Margot D
Just finished leftover serving number 3! It finally cooled down here in San Diego and this soup really hits the spot. Browsing your recipes for something to make this weekend, got my eye on that red Thai curry ;)
Kate
Thank you, Margot!
Elyse
I’ve already made this soup twice in three weeks – it is SO tasty and nutritious :) I found that Swanson veggie broth makes the best tasting broth.
Kate
Thanks, Elyse! I’m partial to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods’ store brands of broth.
Marisa
We have so much root vegetables from our farm share and needed new ideas for sweet potatoes.i made this adding a sweet potato, a turnip, and green beans. I didn’t have spinach so I omitted that and the lemon. It came out so good! Definitely a recipe to save and make again! :)
Kate
Thanks, Marisa! I bet your soup was especially tasty with all those fresh ingredients!
Loraine Mazzolini
Hey Kate (and Cookie)
Yep hands down fabulous soup. You and all the comments were right. The only change I made was I used my sticker/immersion blender and pureed the entire soup right in the pot. It is way easier then moving to the blender and it coaxed the picky eaters in the family to at least give it a try. They couldn’t even complain about it. :) It reminded my Italian husband and I of a italian dish we use to refer to as “Johnny Marzeti” To make it even a heartier dish try it over quinoa or brown rice!! This dish will now be a staple in our rotation.
Kate
Thanks, Loraine! I’m so glad it was a hit in your house.
Denise
Making this soup for the second time. It’s definitely a keeper.
Kate
Thank you, Denise! So glad you’re enjoying it!
Susan
I am always looking for new vegetarian recipes and very happy I found this one. We love it!
Matt Fletcher
Great recipe! My blender is tiny (it’s like a dip one), so I just blended the kale separately and left the rest as is. Mixed in some red lentils too.
Would be nice to see the measurements in a non US-centric scale (cups) too, because to us brits it’s like saying “pour in a handbag of lentils, add a dog’s year of tomatoes, four large inhalations of carrots” etc etc :P
Asako
I have the same lost-in-translation moment with many recipes (I’m out here in Australia ;-) ) but since most of the recipes I follow are American, I’ve just gone ahead and bought a set of cup cup measures, and have some handy conversion charts on my fridge for temperatures. My digital scale measures in imperial and metric, so that helps too.
So I realise the American cup are a tiny bit different to the metric ones… which is one of the stupidest things ever as they are only SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT… so I just ignore it and go ahead with my standard 250ml cups lol.
Joe
Just made this soup this morning and ate my first bowl. Really good! The lemon juice really adds a fresh flavour to it. I used almost a full head of kale (3 or 4 cups instead of 1).
Alyssa
I’m a beginner in the cooking realm and was looking for something nourishing and comforting and I’m so glad I found this recipe!! A great hot bowl of soup can turn any bad day a little better. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kate
Happy to hear it, Alyssa! I hope you find some other recipes to enjoy here!
Linda Murray
I have searched for years (no kidding) for a good lentil soup recipe. This soup is fantastic. I’m so glad I found it. Thank you!!!!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Linda!
Kate D
I am a vegetarian who has been in search of some good high protein recipes. I need a little extra protein these days, because I’m pregnant.
I made this soup last night (used fresh tomatoes instead of diced, and added some celery and cauliflower just because we had some we wanted to use). I told my husband it’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever made and he agreed. He wanted to make sure I saved the recipe.
I actually doubled the recipe so we’d have some leftovers for lunch this week. Thanks for this! I’m excited to look through other recipes here and see what other favorites we can find.
Kate
Thanks for commenting, Kate! I’m glad you found my site and enjoyed this soup! I have tons of well-balanced recipes for you. Hope you enjoy the others just as much!
Valentina
I just made this. I’m absolutely in love, the spices blend perfectly together and the lemon juice is a genius touch to an already delicious meal. I think I just found my new favourite recipe and my new favourite blog. Keep up the good work!
Kate
Hip hip hooray! Thank you, Valentina. I’m glad you found my blog!
Michelle
Late to the game here, but this soup is incredible and easy. Blending the two cups makes it thick and a little creamy without adding any additional junk. This is a new go-to soup in my rotation.
Kate
Thanks, Michelle!
Gillian
This is so good, and it’s pretty quick and easy which is also a bonus! My 18 month old daughter and her little friend just loved it too, and it’s always nice to find something healthy the little ones will eat.
Kate
Thank you, Gillian! I’m glad your little ones enjoyed the soup, too!
buck sawyer
Great recipe. I’ve made it several times and it’s a go to now.
Kate
Thank you, Buck! Glad to hear it.
Jan
This soup is amazing! What are the calories per serving? I could not find that information. Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Jan! I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutritional breakdowns for my recipes because I offer so many substitutions, etc. Feel free to run this one through a nutritional calculator like myfitnesspal.com.
SarahMac
I’m pretty much a carnivore, but was cooking for a couple of friends who are vegetarian. I loved this soup. I improvised a little by adding garbanzo beans, colorful potatoes ( I just needed to use them) and a splash of coconut milk per bowl served. I turned out so tasty. The collard greens and kale (I added both) made the texture wonderful. I added the juice of one lime instead of a lemon ( that’s what I had on me) and it was still tasty as all get-out. I ended up with a royal heck-ton of soup which was great because all my friends live off of dorm food and so they were able to keep a significant amount of leftovers. I also opted out from blending any amount in a food processor as my buddy’s dorm kitchenette didn’t have one. It is getting mighty nippy here in Portland with pounding rain and sloppy leaves to boot. This soup warms the body and feed so he mind. Yum yum. Lecker lecker! Sehr köstlich.
Kate
Thank you, SarahMac! Your version sounds fantastic to me. Glad your friends enjoyed it, too!
Robert Briffa
Hi Rob from Adelaide Australia:
I just have to say a huge thank you to Gillian and the staff of this site for this recipe. Tried this recipe 2 weeks ago and WOW!, absolutely wonderfully delicious. I even spilled too much Thyme into the mix but it did not matter. This recipe is spicy and wholeheartedly yummy beyond belief. It holds pride and place on my weekly recipes list now and forever will be my number 1 Lentil Soup. Bookmarked and loving it.
Thank you very much and keep up the great work.
Kate
Thank you, Robert! Glad it turned out well. :)
Robert Briffa
Huge apology Kate, for some reason i wrote Gillian.
Please forgive my mistake.
Danica
Wonderful!! This is the second recipe I’ve tried from this site and it is just as fantastic as the first. I’m usually hesitant to try blog recipes, but your recipes all make sense to me, are healthy, flavorful, and utilize ingredients I already have in my pantry. Good job and best of luck with your blogging and cooking career.
Kate
Thank you very much, Danica! I’m so glad to hear it. :)
eat&read
I made this soup on the account that it was raining in KC on Thanksgiving week. I tested the puréed portion on my 2 year old, and he ended up eating two cups with some crusty bread. He kept saying yummy! His idea of beans until now was licking hummus off pita bread. Now I have a new bean soup to add to his rotation.
Thank you!
Kate
KC has been dreary lately! I’m so glad you both enjoyed this soup. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Sara
This recipe looks amazing and I am so excited to make it! We don’t love cooked tomatoes, do you think I can replace the can of tomatoes with tomato paste? How much would you recommend? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Sara! You’ll lose some bulk if you omit the tomatoes, so you might need to add another cup of water or broth. I’d just eyeball it as the soup cooks. Tomato paste is a good idea—I’d say 2 tablespoons should do it. I’d add it with the garlic.
Brittni F
This soup is amazing! I am truly in love with it! I have never been a fan of lentil soups, but then I found this one. I have made it a regular part of our dinner rotation, about every 2 weeks or so I make it. My husband loves it as well. And the true test to know its great? Even my 16 month old son will eat a whole baby bowl of it, and he usually doesn’t eat anything but baby food. This soup with a side of cornbread is in my top five favorite meals of all time! Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Kate
Thank you, Brittni! That’s so awesome to hear that you all enjoy the soup so much. Yay for your baby eating lentils!
Konna
I have tried many different lentil soup recipes and this is by far the best one! Thank you so much for sharing! Love the spices and even my husband liked the greens added!
Kate
Hooray, thank you!
Dew
I made this soup for dinner and it was a big hit. The lemon juice at the end took it to the next level. I will definitely be making this often. Thanks for the great recipe.
Kate
Thank you, Dew! Happy to hear it.
Deborah
Absolutely the best lentil soup I’ve ever had!! I will never make it any other way after tonight. I see more lentil soup in my future.
Kate
Hooray! Enjoy, Deborah.
Laura
Seriously RAVE reviews from the whole family and passing this recipe along to friends! I added a pound of exotic mushroom because they were on sale at the store! Great addition! Shiitake, bella, oyster, etc.
Thanks!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Laura!
Linda Tailford
Just made your lentil soup LOVED it ! Didn’t have curry so added extra black pepper and didn’t purée and definitely used kale DELICIOUS
Kate
Thank you, Linda! Happy to hear it!
Marianne
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!! It is truly delicious. This is the second time I have made it but this time I used red lentils instead of brown (some of them I had sprouted already) and I added 1 fresh (chopped) cayenne pepper than I grew that needed to be used. The vegetable broth was homemade that I made made earlier in the week. The tomatoes make it almost sweet, it is amazing! THANK YOU!
Kate
Thank you, Marianne! Your version sounds stellar!
Celes
Wow!! I made it tonight and it was fabulous!! I posted it on IG and hash tagged you :)
Sofia
Oh my gosh! So so so so soooooooo good! Couple things I did different: I tripled this recipe, I didn’t drain the can of tomatoes, I used canned carrots as it was all I had! I used fresh thyme. I used Swiss chard because that’s what was in my garden.
I will keep this recipe and make it often! Thank you so much! Delicious!
Sofia
Oh, and I used organic ingredients. :)
Heather
The best lentil soup ever. So much flavor and easy to make! Yum.
Kate
Thank you, Heather!
Bob
Finally a lentil soup recipe with flavor. If you have a vegetarian navy bean soup please pass it on. Thank you.
Kate
Thanks, Bob!
Michelelyl
I made this tonight because I am looking for great tasting recipes to freeze for my son and DIL for when they have their first child (due in a couple of days) I know that lentils freeze quite well when cooked. I also made a double batch for several lunches for me and my husband. I have to say this was easy and delicious. Thank you!
Kate
Thank you! Congratulations on your new grandbaby!
Nicola
I am one of several cooks at a local community “Food and Friends” dinner – it’s open to everyone. We serve between 120 and 170 dinners every Monday night. And we always like to offer at least one vegetarian hot dish. Last week this was it. I’m not a vegetarian, but OMG I loved this soup (and so did our all our community friends). Thank you so much – for me too, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve had.
Stig Bredsgaard
I have been making lentil soup for 40+ years, and now it turns out that I’ve been missing the 2 key ingredients: lots of good olive oil and lemon juice.
Thanks, Kate, this is truly agreat recipe.
I’ve already started to modify it, according to what I happen to have in the fridge. Last night I added tiny cauliflower florets.
It is the olive oil/lemon juice concept that makes it so special.
My wife absolutely loves it.
Kate
Thank you, Stig. You’re right, those two ingredients are pretty magical in this soup! Glad you both enjoy this one so much. Your cauliflower version sounds great.
Roni Jordan
This is a superb lentil vegetable soup! I tweaked the recipe only in the minutest way, using all broth instead of broth & water, and adding some celery along with the other sauteed vegetables. For greens, I had just the right amount of baby spinach in the fridge – a good stand-in for the kale. Have had this for lunch for the past three days and will definitely make it again. I also used my 5-1/2 quart Le Creuset dutch oven and my Vitamix. I loved the touch of curry – undetected by my husband who claims to hate that spice. Thanks Kate – this is a keeper. (also a dog-lover…2 miniature schnauzers)
Kate
Thank you, Roni! Always lovely to hear from a fellow dog lover. :) I’m so glad you loved this soup.
Cindy
Delicious! Perfect for yet another day/night of cold rain! The hint of lemon is really a pleasant surprise in the soup. Thanks!
Kate
Thank you, Cindy!
Linda l
Bravo! Simple. Delicious. Beautiful pot of affordable goodness! I have made it twice so far.
Kate
Thank you, Linda!
Towles
I made this soup for dinner tonight, and it was amazing! The spices were perfectly balanced. I used chicken broth, because it’s all I had, and added red potatoes to give it a little heft, and it was awesome. Thank you!
Melanie
Would this soup freeze well? I love to make huge batches of soup to freeze and take for lunch!
Kate
Yes, it certainly does freeze well! Enjoy!
Ann Marie Governale
Just made this delicious soup! Added 1 TBS sugar and a smidge of Better than Bouillion vegetable Bouillion base. Also added a potatoe…outrageously delicious. A definite keeper!
Kate
Thank you, Ann Marie! Your version sounds great!
Darby
I made this soup last night after seeing it on your list of top 2015 recipes. It is delicious! It will definitely be a repeated recipe in my home. Thank you!
Kate
Thank you, Darby! Happy to hear it. :)
Lauren
Fabulous!! This soup was so easy to create and delicious for our New Year’s Eve at home. We added a diced sweet potato and more lemon (juice from 1.5 lemons), and it was delicious! Thank you. I can’t wait to try more of your dishes.
Kate
Thank you, Lauren! I hope you enjoy my other recipes just as much. :)
Blair
Wow. I mean…wow. The may be the best soup I have ever had! So glad I found you Kate!
Kate
Thanks, Blair! Your name is my middle name. :)
Carol
This is delicious! Simple to make and wonderful flavor! Always looking for great vegetarian recipes. Thanks Kate!
Kate
Glad you enjoyed the soup, Carol! You are in the right place for vegetarian recipes. :)
Beth
Starting the New Year off with healthy recipes. We loved this! Only change I made was to use fire roasted tomatoes and loved the extra heat. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe.
Kate
Thank you, Beth! Love fire-roasted tomatoes.
Sharon Williams
While I was making this my four year old grandson says “Something smells delicious” and he was right. I loved every spoonful! I’ll be sure to look up more of your recipes as I’m new to vegetarianism. Thanks so much Kate and Cookie.
Kate
That’s so nice to hear! Thank you, Sharon. Glad you found my blog. You are in the right place!
Stephen W.
Made this to the T. for New Year’s Day. Was great! Everyone asked me for the recipe. Thanks!
Kate
Hooray! Thanks, Stephen!
28°South
This is a delicious vegan recipe Kate. A perfect way to end a cool, rainy day here in the subtropics in Byron Bay Australia. Thanks for sharing. Love your site and Cookie too!
Kate
Thank you! Glad it turned out well on the other side of the world. Cookie says hi! :)
Tracy Pezzella
I made this soup for my son’s vegan girlfriend and ate most of it myself! Hard to find a lentil soup recipe with this much flavor. No kale at the market, so I used baby spinach-delish…
Kate
Happy to hear it, Tracy!
Abbie
Just made this soup for the first time and as well as being full of goodness it tastes amazing! Some lentil soups are quite bland but this was great. I added a couple of teaspoons of Tabasco to give it that extra kick.
Kate
Thank you, Abbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Two thumbs’ up for more spice!
Nicole S. Arioso
Dear Kate,
You truly are a Goddess!! I have been making lentil soup for years and it has always come out “good” and on occasion “great!” After trying this recipe by you, oh my goodness! It is DELICIOUS!! I have already had two bowls and need to hold myself back so I can have some for the next few days.
Thank you for your cooking wisdom! I can’t wait to share it with my friends.
Be well,
Nicole A. :)
Kate
Thank you so much, Nicole! Delighted to hear that you found a new favorite. :)
Sam Voss
This was wonderful! I substituted spinach for the kale but other than that I followed to the letter and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
Kate
Thank you, Sam! Happy to hear it!
Lauren
This was absolutely perfect. The only thing I did was doubled the amount of greens just because I really like them. Deliciously wholesome fresh flavors. The lemon juice really brightened everything up too. Thank you!
Kate
Thank you, Lauren! Happy to hear it!
Tony
I just made this and it’s DELICIOUS! Instead of kale I had spinach on hand that was wilting, so I used it. As well I didn’t have a fresh lemon so I used RealLemon… which made it quite tart… was able to cut it down with 1 cup more water, and some black pepper. It’s soo good :)
Kate
Thanks, Tony! Glad you enjoyed it!
Serenity
I just made this soup for dinner tonight and not only was it easy, but it was totally delicious! I loved the complexity of flavors with the spices you added. I served mine with a garnish of parsley and a crusty sourdough bread. So yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Your soup sounds wonderful! Thank you, Serenity, for letting me know. Happy New Year!
Daniel Ruark
Dear Kate, Huge Kudos for your painstaking research that has yielded up the Lentil Soup of Life and Death. The variations that your devotees have tried were quite clever and demonstrate the soup’s yoga-like flexibility. Will I be thrown into VegPurgatory for throwing in some lamb chunks? Have a delicious year.
Daniel
Lane
If I died and went to heaven, I’d take this soup with me!!! I’m on week one of being vegan and this soup just hit the spot. I added a half cup of cooked bella mushrooms as well as a half cup of brown rice because I needed to get rid of both from my fridge. I’m wondering if you have tried freezing this recipe? I’d love to freeze it if possible since I’m the only one eating it!
Christine
Wow! I just made this and it’s amazing! I’ve never liked lentil soups because they were always so blah. But this… this is fantastic! I only had a can of spicy tomatoes handy so I ditched the pepper flakes, but it had just the right amount of kick, and definitely the flavor from the cumin and curry. Love, love, love this!
Poli
Just made it and it’s super delicious like many of your recipes. Will make it again very soon! Thanks for the recipe!
Queenjazzyj132
I have made lentil soup before, and it’s pretty good, but I must admit that this is the best lentil soup that I have ever made. It was easy as I had all of the ingredients..even had left over collard greens already cooked that I just threw into the soup. Delicious!
Lil Morgan
This recipe has become a favorite of mine. Adding lemon to a soup is new to me, but I really like it.
Karen
Absolutely delicious! I altered slightly by adding three red potatoes cubed toward the end, cut the water to 1 cup so I didn’t have to drain the tomatoes, doubled the collard greens and didn’t puree any of soup. Used Trader Joe’s small green lentils which hold their shape better than the brown ones. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Cookedmeatgan
Mine came out really oily and gross. :-(
Next time I’m just going to saute the stuff in a couple pats of butter in the pressure cooker, then dump the rest of the stuff in and pressure cook it.
Shamone
This soup was THEE BOMB.com!!!!! Holy Smokes! I love this soup, I only used 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water and it turned out just fine, also rosemary leaves instead of ‘s what I had in my pantry and man this is delicious! had 3 bowls yesterday, I’m making more this week! Thank you for sharing!
klaudyna
Hi Kate,
Is the reason why you put some of the soup in the blender so that it is less chunky?
Thanks
Klaudyna
Kate
Yes, so the soup is a little less chunky but also more creamy, without cream.
Roxy
I love, love, love this recipe! It is the best soup I have ever had! Highly recommended. I also tried your banana bread too, yum! Can’t wait to try more. Thank you for helping me make healthy food super tasty :) Roxy
Caroline
After eating your soup, I just told my husband that I will be making it all my life until I die or someone will need to cook it for me if I can’t. It’s simply the most amazing soup I was ever given the chance to enjoy. The flavour made me so happy. I strongly recommend this soup to anyone. Thank you so much Kate for sharing all of this goodness. Good vibs to you!