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.
Kate Ray
So tasty and easy to make! Thanks so much!
Darryl
Wow! This soup is fantastic. I am mainly an carnivore but I can’t get enough of this soup. My girlfriend was well impressed and loves it too as does my adult daughter. It is fun to make. While the onions an carrots are cooking I measure the next set of ingredients into a small bowl. When I drop that in the aroma is intoxicating. Thanks for the great recipe!
Quinn
This is amazing it’s the first soup I’ve ever made and I love it!! I hadNo lemons so I used apple cider vinegar and it was great! Thank you so much
Marlena
This is my favourite recipe which I go back over and over again, simply because it’s great pretty much all year round. It’s super easy and very quick to make. You also get a good portion of your daily veg intake :) not to mention that my toddler just loves it!
Patricia Mcaslan
I made this soup yesterday for my boyfriend who really doesn’t eat lentils. We both loved it. Nice flavor. I used frozen spinach instead.
Amy
Thanks for posting. I was reading the comments to see if frozen spinach would work.
Patricia Rae
Made with fresh diced tomatoes as I didn’t have a can. Amazing
Mimi
The best and most flavourful lentil soup I’ve ever made! Thanks!
Nicki G
Really good. I had to use one can diced tomatoes with green chilis, because thats what I had, so I left out the red pepper flakes. It worked well in it. Very hearty and filling. Thanks!
Erika
Delicious! To think this was a pantry clean out. Really good.
Carmel
Great soup, quick and easy to make and very tasty. It was a hit with the family.
Imy
This really is the BEST lentil soup!
Rosemary Harradine
Delicious!
I left the oil out and, because I am in the UK I don’t know what red pepper is so I used cayenne pepper but it’s gorgeous.
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Rosemary! Thank you for your review.
Melissa
It’s capsicum!
Nicole Carlos
Indeed, the best lentil soup full stop. Thank you thank you absolutely amazing.
Megan
This was so so amazing and really didn’t take much time either ! For sure will make again and share with everyone
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Megan! Thank you for your review.
Mary Doyle
The lentil soup recipe has a scary amount of sodium in it.
Dana
The nice thing about making your own soup… you can salt it as you please :) I thought it was perfect!!
Dave
Can I use red lentils instead ?
Kate
Hi Dave! Sure, you will need to adjust your cooking time and liquid. Red lentils aren’t quite as sturdy and get mushy quickly. Follow my perfect lentils post for guidance.
Dave
Ty so much for the reply! I will check out the post. Have a great one!
Marisa G.
So delicious and satisfying!
Marie Boyle
I made the lentil soup yesterday and have to agree that it’s “the best”. I’m glad that found the recipe and your blog.
Kate
I love when we can agree, Marie! :) Thank you for sharing!
Lori
Made this soup for dinner today. It was seriously the best lentil soup I’ve made to date. It was easy and delicious. It will be in our regular rotation! Thank you!
Carrie
I made this recipe once and really liked it! Making again tonight and considering a coconut milk addition. Thoughts? Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Kate
Hi! That sounds interesting and could be nice. I recommend possibly adding it to a bowl and going from there on how you like the taste.
Carrie
I did put a bit in! It was somewhere between 1/2 cup – 2/3 cup… I could probably add more. Very nice addition, I thought!
Sophie
I have made this recipe countless times and to countless friends and everyone always asks for the recipe. Easy, attainable, delicious, real good food. Everyone can and should make this!!!
Alice
I’m chopping carrots and onions for this soup. I make it at least 1x a month and am doubling this time to share with friends! So glad to have your recipes, especially now when cooking at home is so important!
Patricia Jones
I had never made lentil soup before this. It was so easy and I had every single ingredient on hand! I doubled the carrots, used green onions that were on the verge of wilting, added celery, used 3 soft tomatoes plus a can of stewed tomatoes, and 2 cups of lentils instead of 1. That caused the need for more liquid plus more as the soup simmered. My partner said it’s the best soup, as well as one of the best meals, I’ve ever made! I agree!
Werner Steyn
Fantastic, thanks. Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa.
Twyla
I absolutely love this soup! I am the only one in my household to eat vegetarian, I had plenty! I was able to freeze some for later. This will be my go to lentil soup!
Gabriella Fontes
This soup is amazing and so easy to make!! I’m the only vegetarian in my household, but the rest of my family loves it just as much as I do. It definitely lives up to it’s name as the best lentil soup.
Kate
Thank you, Gabriella!
Stephanie
This soup was absolutely amazing and delicious!!!! My daughter prepared this and what a treat to eat. With the meat shortage this really has me not even missing meat. Thank you for sharin
Pauline
Just made your lentil soup. It was to die for, thank you for sharing it will be a favourite in our house.
Pauline.
Kate
That’s great to hear, Pauline!
Nancy
Was a bit disappointed with it honestly ☹️
Rebecca Daughenbaugh
Amazing! I’ve made this a handful of times. It’s on rotation in my home! The flavors come together beautifully. And’s it’s incredibly hearty and filling.
Mary Cervini
I would need to leave out cumin . curry and thyme … would it still be okay . any suggestions for other seasoning ? Thanks , Mary
Kate
Hi Mary! The recipe will work without them, but won’t taste as interesting. Do you have ground turmeric, by chance? It’s a key ingredient in curry powder, so you could try 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. If you have ground coriander, perhaps 1/2 teaspoon of that would be nice in place of the cumin. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Lou Ellen
I made this tonight and it’s the first time I’ve had lentils, but have been eyeing this recipe for sometime. Oh my gosh! It smelled so good in my kitchen and the fresh ingredients with the fresh lemon juice made this so delicious! Yum! I will be making this regularly on rotation for my son and myself. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Angie
I have made this soup three times now and I absolutely love it! Thank you! Prior to this recipe my lentils never came out very tasty or the consistency was off. I stopped making them and bought canned lentil soup. This is so easy to make and you can play around with it. I have added red potato, zucchini, and other veggies. It tastes great with fire roasted tomatoes. I agree with everyone that the blending of some of the lentils and adding the lemon juice in creates a very flavorful soup. I will never buy canned lentil soup again. This recipe is awesome.
Jodie
Yes it is the best lentil soup! Love, love, love it! Made it last week, winner! Huge hit! Making it again now to enjoy tmrw on Mother’s Day so I don’t have to cook!
Will definitely be a regular winter warmer
cheryl wigmore
mine was awful!
I don’t usually make soup in a dutch oven on the stove, but I trusted you because you hyped the recipe up so much.
It stuck to the bottom of course
It smells dreadful and I just am throwing it out now, and continuing to make soup in my slow cooker. Thanks for nothing
Emilyn Davies-Mingo
Babyyyyyyyy this lentil soup is everything and more! Thank you so much for sharing it is absolutely delicious
Stephanie
I am not sure if this is the best lentil soup I’ve encountered in my 65 years, but it is definitely in contention for the title. I made a double recipe, twice as many lentils, with some qualms about what I would or would not double in adjusting the remaining ingredients. The amount of tomatoes seemed excessive for lentil soup, but I put them in. I did not have thyme so I subbed in some rosemary, and it was good. A real find.
TL HOLLY
Well then just as you substituted the ingredients we will have to substitute your review, if you didn’t follow the recipe with the correct ingredients then you should not feel entitled to review & comment… I think anyway.
Deney
Just made it tonight and was amazed! Even the hubby who classes soups as an entree only and dinner is not a meal without meat, went back for second helpings. That is a ringing endorsement :)
Angelica
Amazing! I love this recipe. I don’t do well with a lot of oil so I only used 1 tsp of olive oil, and I also only had 1 large can of whole tomatoes and spinach so I cut those up, and it came out so delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Jessica
If I made this in an instant pot how long should I cook the lentils for?
Kate
Hi Jessica, I haven’t made this in an instant pot. I know others have tried it, so I would suggest seeing what others may have tried. Wish I could be of more help!
Gail Howard
I make this in an instant pot and pressure for 15 minutes and let let pressure naturally release. Comes out great!
Candice Drain
have you tried using red lentils for this recipe? have those at home at the moment and wondering if it will turnout similarly if using instead of brown or green lentils!
Kate
Hi Candice, I haven’t. But, I do believe others have. I would suggest decreasing your water and the cook time will decrease as well for the lentils. Check out my perfect lentils post for more guidance. However, they will likely get mushy as they set and you reheat. They are a lot more delicate.
Ezinne
I love it!! Nice and hearty. I’m enjoying it with some crackers and a movie:)
Dee Wanner
This is seriously the best soup ever!!! I use frozen chopped spinach instead of kale because I always have it on hand. It is equally good if you omit the greens. I make it at least once a week!
Pauline M
Its certainly the best lentil soup I have ever tasted…actually it just is the best soup ever. So easy to make but the combination of flavours is divine, I love, love it.
Jean
Seems like a wonderful recipe, and I intend to try it. However, cooking lentils in a sauce that contains tomatoes/tomato sauce can actually make the lentils tough. When I make lentil soup I add the tomatoes only after the lentils are fully cooked, and then cook the finished soup just until it’s once again hot after adding the tomatoes.
Vivian
OMG, this Lentil Soup is amazing. I have never made lentil soup before and wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t have a large can of diced tomatoes, so I used one pouch of fire roasted, diced tomatoes and a small can of regular diced tomatoes. I really love the fire roasted tomatoes how they kick a recipe up a notch. So good, try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Karen
Cooked lentils for 45 min and they are still rock hard. Have put the whole thing into a slow cooker and I feel 4-5 hrs should do it. Maybe a mistake? I have never had a recipe before where lentils cook in 45min.
Kate
Hi Karen, I’m sorry to hear that! What type of lentil did you use? If you used the recommend and cooked accordingly, they shouldn’t be rock hard. My assumption is ether you are using a very dense lentil or they are too old?
Karen
You are correct. I mixed in chick pea lentils. Slow cooked for 4 hrs. Gave the whole lot a blitz with the stick blender and it is perfect. Yum. Won’t be making that mistake again!
Pam N.
I have made this lentil soup recipe many times, and love it. Last time I made it, I added one diced russet potato, one diced jalapeño, and one diced rib of celery. Really good and healthy!
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Pam.
Deborah
I’ve made this soup a few times now and it just keeps getting better.
Annie
Just tried this for my vegetarian daughter – love!!!!
Kate
Love it! Thanks for your review, Annie.
Joanna
First of all, I LOVE your recipes. Whenever I’m looking for something specific and your version pops up, that’s the one I make. I don’t even look at the other ones. I just made a version of this with what I had on hand since I’m not going to the store. Chicken stock instead of vegetable, green bell pepper and celery instead of carrots, and canned spinach instead of the greens. I don’t know what it would taste like if I followed the recipe exactly, but this is so good I kind of only ever want to make it like this. Also, I made it in my electric pressure cooker. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!!
LL
I’ve made this a handful of times in the stove but would love to know how long you put it in the pressure cooker for x
Joanna
I don’t actually recall how long it was in for. My pressure cooker has a lentils setting so I just used that. They were a tad bit under on that setting, though. A google search regarding lentils in an electric pressure cooker might be more helpful than I can be.
Sarah McCarthy
Our family loved the soup … tons of flavor, will definitely make it again!
Tasha D. Grissett
Amazing flavor!My family loved this soup.
Bob
Your writeup sounds like a crazy person wrote it. Ease up on the SEO copy!
Graeme
Excellent recipe, easy to make and thanks for sharing. I added a few more spices to the recipe and used red lentils; 1 teaspoon of Tumeric, 1teaspoon of chilli powder and 1 teaspoon of hot paprika. Tasty, thick and spicy.
Les
Oh My Goodness! Where has this recipe been all my life? I’ve made lentils several times throughout the years because I enjoy them. Somehow though, I’ve never added lemon to it. Instead of just lemon juice, I added the juice AND zest of a whole lemon. Also I had no collards, so I used spinach. The lemon gave it a brightness that elevated my usual, sometimes boring lentils, into pure heaven. I don’t like lentils anymore. I LOVE THEM!
THANK YOU!!!
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it, Les! Thank you for sharing how you made this soup. I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Sheila
Fantastic recipe, hands down THE best lentil soup I’ve had to date!
Roland
Excellent. I would cook the garlic, cumin and curry for a healthy 1.5 as garlic doesn’t cook down enough in 30 seconds and will be a bit raw still.
I used fire roasted tomatoes and it was amazing.
Robert Touchstone
Re: Your best lentil soup
The recipe does not indicate the quantity of lentils.
Please advise.
Thanks.
RTl
Ashley Robling
I am a huge cook. It’s my therapy and I love to work with a multitude of ingredients/spices from across the globe. Lentil has never been one of them.. until now. This soup was hands down the most delicious I’ve EVER made. I definitely get very heavy handed on the spices, but that’s just how I like it. Even my carnivore-loving boyfriend inhaled this! Absolutely amazing!!!
Fenella Gill
Thanks Made this soup yesterday, very filling and nutritious Will certainly try some of the other soups Thank you! Very useful tip to puree some and put back as this gives thickness without using eg white flour to thicken and still have whole pieces to eat and gives more texture Husband loved it!
Fenella Gill New Zealand
anna
Best. Soup. Ever.
Jenny
Made this last night, it was delicious, even without the curry, which I love but did not have on hand. Definitely a keeper!!! Thank you!
Chris
WOW! It was so good, an easy recipe to follow. Highly recommend
Jill Buckley
It truly is the best lentil soup I’ve ever eaten. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! We were so busy enjoying it that I forgot to take a photo of it but I will next time!
Candice D'Aloisio
I have beenaking this soup for 2 years and it’s a firm favourite in our home – I get weekly requests for this! Thank you soooooo much!
Emma
Love this recipe! So warming and great spices!
Kate
Thank you, Emma!
Marlena
This is my favourite recipe which I go back over and over again, simply because it’s great pretty much all year round. It’s super easy and very quick to make. You also get a good portion of your daily veg intake :) not to mention that my toddler just loves it!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Marlena! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know your thoughts.
Linda Benttinen
This was delicious! I’m curious how much a serving is though? We are trying to watch our weight :)
Kate
Hi Linda! Roughly 1.5-2 cups is a serving.
George Hadley
Total yum powerhouse stew .
Jeff
Help! I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced by mistake. It is very runny now, like pasta sauce, but lacking the benefit of being a good soup or pasta sauce. It is not very enjoyable. Any ideas how to fix it or make something of it?
Kate
Hi Jeff, I’m sorry to hear that! You could possibly serve it with rice or something like that? Let me know!
Melania
This soup is sooo yummy!! I used red lentils and frozen spinach.
Debbie
This was so delicious. Lots of flavor. Made as written except used a bit less olive oil. I highly recommend making this.
Annie
Thanks for your wonderful recipe. I LOVE this soup. It’s easy to make and so tasty and healthy. I’ve made it many times and I’m always asked for the recipe.
Aysha
OMG ! This recipe is amazing ! It was nice and easy to make, the preparation didn’t take much time either. It went down really well with the whole family. I added kale in to mine but all in all the recipe was easy to follow and tasted amazing ! Thank you :)
Nemo
This comment is LONG overdue. My mom first started making this soup about 4 years ago, when I was a college freshman, and I always requested it when I came home from school. Now I’ve been living in an off-campus apartment and make this almost every week. I usually add oven roasted carrots at the end of the cooking process – I think it adds another element of flavor. I also don’t have a tool to blend, so while it may not be as creamy, its SO tasty.
I’m curious – have you ever made it in an instantpot/pressure cookert? I’d love to pressure cook it but I have no idea how long to cook it for.
Kate
Hi Nemo! I’m happy you commented and that you love this soup. I haven’t made it in a pressure cooker, but I believe others have so I would suggest seeing what others have tried in the comments.
Sue Grant
I have made many recipes from your website and they are all delicious and turn out exactly right every time!
Can’t wait to make this lentil soup.
Elle
Delicious! Thank you!
I had 4 cups of lentils, so I multiplied all measurements by 4.
Used what I had so here are my substitutes: grape seed oil instead of olive oil, head of cabbage instead of collards, no thyme, used tumeric, no lemon, used lime. Did not blend ingredients, but I’m in love…
harry
came out really well. was delicious. I did not add thyme and “vagetable broth”. just added water.
Janell B
Tired of my go-to lentil soup recipes, I Googled best lentil soup and am certainly glad I did. The only change I made was to add 1 teaspoon hot curry powder and 1 regular curry powder. And I added some chicken sausages which I needed to use up. It was delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Michael Basson
Oh my, I have no words to describe how delicious it is. When it started boiling it just filled the whole house with its mouthwatering aroma and I knew right away, this is a winner. I even took some shortcuts, I used a can lentils and just added water as I had no stock and still, the best soup I’ve ever cooked. Thank you, love it!
Mimi
We loved this soup! I tweaked it as I went, based on the ingredients on hand. It was a whim on a rainy day. We are not vegans, so I used turkey broth, and cabbage rather than kale. Skipped the part about blending part of it, and the consistency was still great. I think the lemon juice and the spices took it over the top. Thank you!
JG
Delicious. Only change was to add some celery, which I should’ve cooked first along with the onions. Amazing, hearty recipe.
Kate
Thank you for your review, JG.
Kellie
I’m a Lentil lunatic and this was one of the best I’ve had, like damn. Dipped some siete cassava chips in and SO FRICKING GOOD!
Kate
I’m glad you are so excited about this one, Kellie! Thank you for your review.
Unknown
I love this. Taste amazing!
Shruthi
This was good, with some modifications! I tripled the cumin, red pepper, and thyme. I added celery, an extra half cup of lentils, and an extra carrot and some oregano, sage, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. I also threw a spoon of sugar in when simmering the tomatoes, for some added depth.
I’ve also made this without the 2 cups of water, letting the broth soak into the lentils until there’s little liquid left and forgoing the blending part of the recipe. This less soupy version is delicious served over white rice with some chopped red onion and green onion or cilantro.
maddy
this was bomb af thx
Jane
I didn’t have enough tomatoes so I put some purée in with the spices and cooked it for a few minutes. I love chilli so chilli powder too. Really good soup. Amazing the second day. Thank you
S Glover
This is my new lentil soup recipe. It was very good. I added potatoes instead of kale because I did not have it in the fridge. I used homemade bouillon that I keep on hand. Thank you
Aj
I’m going to make this tomorrow as my refeed meal for the week,after an 8 day fast. I’m wanting to get more vegies in me during this time, so aside from adjusting ingredients to match the additional vegies, do you have any other recommendations or advice?
TIA
Kate
Hi Aj, I’m not sure on your specific needs. But I suggest just increasing the veggies as you need to. I like the combination recommended. You may need to increase the cooking time and liquid.
art
healthy and filling, ty for the recipe, it came out great
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Art! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Gilderr
Wow!! Amazing, I am so glad I googled lentil soup. This recipe is fire. I substituted cayenne pepper and paprika for curry. The soup was very acidic, but I prefer it that way. I paired the lentil soup with jasmine rice, and a sprinkle of cheese. I look forward to seeing other delicious recipes. Thank you so much!
Kate
Thank you for sharing the way you changed the soup up, Gilderr!
Sage
Wow, just wow! Went looking for a lentil soup recipe online this morning because I couldn’t find my old family recipe and couldn’t get mom on the phone. Saw one recipe first, didn’t really move me, saw this one second, and, honestly, it is the lemon that moved me. I am not even finished with my first bowl and I had to leave a comment because of how good this lentil soup is! Thank you!
Samantha
One of few recipes I’ve tried where I would change absolutely nothing. It’s perfect!
Archana Chand
Love this recipe…tried it twice and it’s a winner in my house, even loved by my 17 month old. Second time I added roasted broccoli n cauliflower and it was still so delicious.
Kelli Mills
This lentil soup is AMAZING! Like a few other folks, I used frozen spinach in place of kale because it was what I had on hand. Otherwise, I made the recipe as written. We will be keeping this recipe in the rotation. Thank you!
Teri
I made this last night for the first time and my carnivore husband said it was his favorite soup I’ve ever made! The only change I made was adding chopped celery to the onions and garlic, and extra chard and kale at the end – delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
Sarah
I am on a veggie soup kick and this recipe is amazing. I followed it exactly and love, love, love it. You have a new #1 fan for sure! Thank you
Amy D.
One of my favorite recipes of all time. I like to add a full bag of carrots I cut, along with a full package of chopped celery. Because I have extra veg, I add extra seasonings. I don’t have room for (or need) the extra water in my pot in addition to the vegetable broth. I loveeeeeeeeeeee it. It turns into more of a stew than a soup, but it’s just the way I like it!! I like to add no sodium added tomatoes and low sodium vegetable broth and skip the added salt. I find it still plenty salty with just the salt from the broth! The natural flavors zing!!! A serious winner. I find myself even eating this cold leftover now that it’s summer. I always double the recipe. A keeper.
Kate
That’s great, Amy! Thank you for sharing. I love the idea of eating it cold for summer.
Seline
This soup was amazing! I half pureed the whole pot so that my kids couldn’t see the vegetables chunks, and it was perfect!!
Kate
I’m happy it worked, Seline! Thanks for sharing.
CeeCee
Best lentil soup ever! Everyone loves it! Lemon at the end does wonders for brightening the flavor. So deliciously healthy! What more do you need in life?
Kate
I agree! Thank you for your review, CeeCee.
H.R.
I’ve been making this soup for a couple of years now and it’s one of our family favorites. Thank you! FYI I made it in the Instant Pot for the first time last week (mainly for the “keep warm” feature–you’re right, it’s not really a time saver) and 15 min at high pressure worked out great. I also used low-sodium broth and no-salt-added diced tomatoes and it was still super flavorful.
Kate
Thank you for sharing you made it in an Instant Pot! So many have asked. I appreciate it.
Mar
How many people will it feed? I’ve got a lunch birthday party coming up and thinking about making this soup?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi there! This is a great party option. The recipe yields 4 large bowls (generous servings), or more like 6 to 8 modest bowls, depending on what you’re serving with it. Hope that helps.
Nik Roman
The title says its all! I just made a double portion and plan on freezing all the leftovers so I can have the soup any time I want.
Lourdes Szeimberg
This this lentil soup was the first recipe I tried from your site and it was just spectacular the taste of the difference condiments just went perfect together. My whole family loved it.