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.
Deborah Davis
This soup is really delicious, and hands-down the best lentil soup I have ever made. I love the combination of spices-which help make it so great. I used the French green lentils, and have made the soup with either kale or collard greens, and find either to be a wonderful addition. I am a big soup maker-in fact that is about all I do, cooking wise-and this soup qualifies for my own Hall of Fame. Several other of Kate’s recipes do as well, especially some from her fine cookbook.
christine
It truly is the Best Lentil soup ever!
Kate
Thank you! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Shivon
What a delicious, yet easy recipe. I found myself sneaking a few mouthfuls before the gym this morning – can’t get enough of it. Thank you for sharing!
chloe
I am new to using lentils and don’t know much about the differences among them. Will red lentils work in this recipe? That is what I already have on hand. Thank you
Kate
Hi Chloe! Yes, red lentils would work but they will require less time and less liquid. I would suggest following my How to Cook Lentils for some insight. I hope you enjoy it!
Diana
Chloe, I’ve only ever used red lentils in this recipe. I personally find the flavor to be better. They do disintegrate quicker than brown or green, therefore need less time to cook, in which case it makes them perfect for soups that call for pureeing.
P
Vicki
Just made it and it was absolutely delicious. I followed recipe exactly – generous with peppers ….. It will go into regular circulation in my kitchen.
Jeannine
Just made this. It was exactly what I was hoping for, a satisfying filling vegetarian soup with character. I couldn’t get enough. I love that the lemon and red pepper flakes can be increased or decreased to add a more personal take of flavor. YUM Already doubled the recipe and have given it away and shared with family. The best gift!!! Thank you for sharing.
Charlene
Wow- turned out amazing-thank you so much for this recipe! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it!
Kate
Wonderful, Charlene! Thank you for your review.
Christy
This is really the BEST lentil soup ever and it’s so easy to make! My kids love it! I’ll definitely be making this over and over again and plan on doubling it when I do. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ruth
This recipe is sooo amazing. So flavorful. I personally found blending the lentils trade the soup super thick for my liking so next time I’ll skip that step
Kathy
Thank you for this comment.I didn’t want to blend it and was wondering if I could do without.
Lena
Looking forward to try this recipe. I don’t have vegetable stock on hand. Will another kind of stock work? Thanks.
Kate
Hi Lena, others have used other stock and haven’t minded the results.
Bob
Chicken stock…….no problem plus left over honey ham as well…..no problem. Spiced beautifully. Usually “The Boss” has made our lentil soup and VERY BLAND but I never complained but I’m doing all the cooking now and it will be interesting to get her take. Five stars from me. Also played with the thickness(added lentils)..too thick then increased broth…just right. All while watching Sunday football on the kitchen TV
vince
wow not my mothers lentil soup its delicious thanks
Elaine
Is there a substitute for curry powder? Like a mix of spices?
Kate
Hi Elanie, My friend Dana at Minimalist baker has a curry seasoning recipe.
CrunchyCake
I didn’t have carrots, used frozen onions (because I wanted to clear out the freezer), used chard (because it was wilting and I wanted to use it up), undercooked the lentils AND IT WAS STILL DELICIOUS!
Thank you for this lovely soup – it hit the spot on a cold winter evening.
Diane R
This is a delicious soup recipe. I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth (didn’t have any on hand) and baby spinach for the greens. Full of flavour and doesn’t take long to make.
Ruth
Made this soup last night, and my carnivore husband loved it! Thank you for the great recipe.
Susan Lee
Does this freeze well? Going to make for my daughter and SIL who will be visiting but would like to make ahead of time. Sounds wonderful
Kate
Hi Susan! Yes, I believe this one does seem to freeze well.
Dee Boggs
I made this recipe for the first time. We all loved it and will make it again.
Cindy
This is the first time I have made this soup. My husband thinks it needs a little kick! Was wondering what it would be like to add fish sauce? Any thoughts?
Kate
Hi Cindy, I don’t do fish sauce as I’m a vegetarian so I can’t provide much input there. You could add some more curry or red pepper flakes.
Denise
Absolutely amazing recipe!
The whole family loves this soup.
Emily Creviston-Smith
Can this be done in a crock-pot? How would you suggest doing this route?
Kate
Hi Emily, I believe others have made this in a crock pot and didn’t mind the results. I personally love this stove top and recommend following the steps for cooking vegetables to get the best flavor.
Joyce Timmons
Hi – I really want to make this soup but the nutrition facts are showing 1324.1mg (58%RDV) sodium PER SERVING? Is that hopefully a typo? That would seek to be more than double the sodium of many canned soups. Please be wrong :(
Kate
Hi Joyce, I do my best to provide the most accurate nutrition information. Please see my disclaimer. You can always adjust the inputs and omit salt to change the quantity.
Victoria
Omg!!! I nailed it!! This is by far the best lentil soup I’ve ever had! I never leave comments on recipe post but I couldn’t leave without saying thank you!!! Thank you so much for sharing!! My family is very pleased!!
Kim
Why is the sodium so high? Is it from the canned tomato brand used?
Kate
Hi Kim, you can read more about my nutritional information in my nutritional disclaimer. I do my best to provide accurate information, but they are estimates. Yes, the canned ingredients do increase the sodium and you can always adjust your own and omit salt to have less.
J
It really is the best lentil soup recipe.
Angie
This was honestly delicious. Used bok Choy at the end because I didn’t have kale on hand. My kids and hubby loved it. Will make this again for sure.
Kate
I’m happy you were able to get creative and use what you had on hand! Thank you for your review, Angie.
Kate
This the very best lentil soup that I’ve ever made. It is really easy to pull together and so satisfying on a cold, dark night. One of the many things I really love about the Cookie and Kate recipes is the way they often include some little tips/explanations of technique that result in a more delicious meal….in this recipe it’s the tip to cook the canned tomato for a few minutes to enhance their flavor and to be generous with the olive oil.
Linda Collari
WOW! I’ve been slowly making the switch to vegan. With receipes like this it’s an easy jump! I had no idea lentils could be so delicious and this was an easy to make, mid-week dinner that satisfied the enire family. Thank you.
Kate
You’re welcome, Linda! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Molly Cuddy
Just curious why this soup’s salt content would be 1300+ mgs? Seems like quite a bit for just one bowl of soup…looks delicious.
Kate
Hi Molly! You can read more on my nutritional information. All the facts are estimatses and I do my best. You can always adjust by not adding salt, low sodium canned products.
Don
Fab stuff. Wanted something with no meat, so tried this, absolutely hits the mark! I added 1 teaspoon of paprika and chopped green beans, but everything else the same. Really really nice. Thanks.
Connie Williams
I made this recipe, but I used spinach instead of collard greens or kale. I also used red lentils. It was delicious!
Adam Jones
We wanted to make this a slightly bit meatier so I added some spicy beyond sausage ( which it totally doesn’t need) and holy wow was it good!
Thanks for the recipe!
Marsha
Followed the recipe exactly but it was too tomatoey for me.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! Thank you for your feedback, Marsha.
Derrick Mathews
I didn’t have the tomatoes, so I used 5 or 6 frozen whole Romas I had. Also threw in 2 chopped stalks of celery Delicious!
Anne Brooks
Could you please tell me how to reduce the sodium in your recipe without impacting it greatly. The high (58%) level is a bit of a deterrent if someone is trying to lower their intake. Many thanks for all your wonderful recipes; your website is my “go to” site.
Kate
Hi Anne! Choose low-sodium broth (or substitute water, which works surprisingly well in flavorful soups like this) and no-salt-added tomatoes. Scale down the salt and add only as much as you need at the end. Those would be my general suggestions for all of my soups. Hope that helps, and happy holidays.
Tina
This is absolutely the best lentil soup recipe I’ve ever made. The addition of the olive oil in the beginning and the tomatoes added a real depth of flavor. I also added chicken thighs I had cook in my Instapot. It was amazing. Thank you so much. Tina
Megan
Hello! I’m craving soup and this sounds delicious! I don’t have Kale or collard greens on hand… I know it has a different texture, but could I sub spinach or should i just omit that part of the recipe?
Kate
Hi Megan, you can use spinach. That can work as a good substitute as well!
Kenta
This is a quick and easy recipe to follow and to mention delicious.
Kathy
I made this today and it was delicious. I’m watching my salt intake so I used no-salt added broth and added only 1/2 tsp. of salt but I think I can do without additional salt at all. The other spices make it just perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Chelsea
Hearty and delicious – just made this today and served with some toasted garlic rye bread. Thanks for this awesome recipe!! Will certainly be making again!
Noelle
This is truly The Best Lentil Soup ever! I used Rainbow Chard for the greens (that’s what was in the ‘fridge) and canned tomatoes from our garden, so no concern for salt content.
Kate
Sounds delicious, Noelle! Thank you for your review.
Jinnae Anderson
I make a lot of soups in the wintertime, and I was bored with my usual lentil soup recipe so I tried yours. YUM! It was really delicious. I added some broccoli to it, which only enhanced the whole thing. I love the mix of spices. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Kevin C
Delicious, especially for my first time making lentil anything. Will be making again!
Nicole
Made this for dinner tonight… simple ingredients but very tasty! I did need to use beef stock instead just because that’s what I already had. Otherwise made it as written. Will definitely make it again!
Adam
This is not only the best lentil soup ever, it may be the best soup of any kind ever! Making a decent lentil soup is not difficult. Throw some veggies and lentils in a pot and you’ve got a tasty meal but this recipe is truly unique and creative and the flavors that come out of it are magical. Thank you so much for sharing your creation!
Mia
Absolutely loved it!
Even though I messed up and accidentally made it too salty (I was making half the batch, but when I put in salt I totally forgot about having to halve the ingredients and put almost a whole teaspoon of salt! Oops haha)
Still very very yummy!
But I ended up having to cook a bit longer as the lentils were not cooked after 30 minutes.
Suzanne Armbruster
I was looking for something to make for my son’s new girlfriend who is a gluten free vegan and coming for dinner next week. Luckily I found this recipe. Thought I’d give it a whirl today to practice. It was so easy to make! I made sure to prep everything ahead of time which made it a breeze once it was time to make the soup. I gave a cup to my husband and he came back for another! Said it was the best soup he’s ever had! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Lynn
Always perfection and just gets better and better each time. The absolute best soup recipe
mary
Hi. I want to make this but want to be sure that the lentils used are dry lentils that have not been soaked or cooked. Is that correct? If not, how are they first prepared?
Kate
Hi Yes, dry lentils. I hope you love it, Mary.
Amy Soldano
This is probably one of my favorite recipes for soup. I like to add a diced sweet potato to the pot when I make this.
Megan
LOVED this. I skipped blending for simplicity sake and added extra carrots, celery, potato and vegan sausage
Clonk
I’ve made this a bunch, but I always add meat, because I’m not an idiot. Great recipe, thanks for sharing this! 5 stars.
Jennifer
Hi Kate, This soup is truly one of my all-time favorites. I’m going to make it for a soup exchange. How many cups do you think are in a serving (as you indicated above)? I need to figure out how many batches to make. Thanks for your help!! Jennifer
Kate
Hi Jennifer! I’m glad it’s a favorite. A serving is roughly 1.5-2 cups.
Jenny
I made this last night for dinner and just had leftovers for lunch. It was so delicious and hit the spot on a cold night. It’s going into our regular recipe rotation!
savannah lyn Binschus
This is the BEST lentil soup! I honestly have become a little obsessed I make it every Sunday so I can have it for lunch for the next 4 days! It is so tasty and filling! The flavors are amazing and it is so creamy. Every Sunday I get excited that its lentil soup time!
Noreen
Made this last night. It was great! Creamy & very filling & easy to make. Will be making it again…and again…
Sophia
Decided to make this today and haven’t made in quite a while. OMG this is such a good and easy recipe. The lemon juice really makes the soup shine.
Thanks for the recipe.
Christine
Wow! I followed this recipe to the t, which I never do, and I am so glad I did. It was AMAZING! I loved it and so did my husband. The lemon really made it lighten up and blending it made it the perfect consistency. THANK YOU! :-)
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m excited you loved this recipe, Christine.
Kathi Froemming
I retired recently and have taken an interest in expanding my rather pedestrian cooking repertoire. This soup was absolutely delicious & looked so appealing with the red tomatoes & deep green of kale!
Bre92
Loved this recipe! I added 2 stalks of celery, a pinch of cayenne and saffron to take it to the next level!
Jill Peters
I loved the flavor of this soup! So many Pinterest recipes claim to be the best, but this really is the best lentil soup I’ve made. I used spinach since I didn’t have other greens on hand, and added some sliced mushrooms that were about to get old. Both changes worked out well and I would make the soup that way again. Thanks for this terrific recipe!
Kate
I’m happy you agree, Jill! Thank you for your review.
Carol Maynard
I made this recipe the other day and it was fabulous. The kitchen smelled so good from the spices, but best of all it tasted wonderful and was super filling. With crusty bread, just the ticket. Thank you!
Elin
Absolutely delicious, especially on a cold winter night. I am thinking of using fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Would you know how many tomatoes I would need and which kind?
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes with us!
Kate
Hi! I haven’t tried it with this recipe. I find that the canned tomatoes actually give it so much flavor. Using fresh, you may need to adjust the seasoning. Sorry to not be of more help!
Kathy
I only have a 14 oz can of tomatoes. Will that work?
Kate
I think so. I would not drain it.
Jeremy
This recipe was so delicious I made it twice. The second time I made it I added 1/2 tsp of ground ginger and replaced the curry powder with garam masala for a light dose of sweetness. Awesome recipe, Kate!
Kate
Thank you for your review, Jeremy!
Naomi
I read many of the comments but I screw recipes up a lot and honestly my hopes were not high. But WOW this soup turned out amazing. This is going to be a staple in my home. The only thing I changed was I’m a big citrus person so I left the lemon juice out of the pot and just squeeze a wedge of lemon in my bowl. Also added double amount of greens. Thanks so much!
Sarah
It really is the best lentil soup. I’d previously made a million different lentil soup recipes, all sort of pleasantly earthy (er, bland). Somehow, this soup tastes totally different. It’s delicious.
Emily Green
Put this recipe in your regular recipe rotation! It’s so incredibly healthy but so insanely flavorful. To be honest, usually the idea of a lentil soup is so unappealing to me. But I’ve followed Cookie and Kate for years and I made this (because I trust her! Haha) and it’s the BOMB. It’s a crowd pleaser, too – everyone came back for seconds when I made it for a group!
Kordian Lesniak
Just wanted to say that I admire how the recipe is structured. Whenever I scroll up to check whats next, the items chart follows exactly the preparation steps. So convenient, and soup is delicious.
Marcia Diffley
This is the best lentil soup I have ever had!! My whole family loves it and we have it almost weekly. I always try to make extra to freeze but there is never extra. Thanks for the recipe.
Scott
This has become my go-to weekly soup for home office lunch. Totally yummy with simple ingredients.
Paula
Spices on this soup work so well together. I added a potato and some celery. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Kate
Thank you! I think that’s what really sends this one over the top.
Donna
This recipe is delicious. I did not have curry powder so I looked up how to make it and I made it in two minutes. I may add spinach next time instead of kale because I like it better. It is the perfect soup for a rainy day like today. I will definitely add it to my regular rotation. I love that it reminds me of Indian food. Thank you so much for this new favorite soup recipe
Michelle
Absolutely delicious and so flavorful. Easy to double as well. I subbed whole peeled tomatoes because I didn’t have diced on hand. Also replaced collard greens with 2 small diced potatoes, added immediately after adding the tomatoes. We topped the finished soup with a hard boiled egg. My tummy is so happy right now! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Shari
Restaurant quality I’d say! So DELICIOUS! I made mine in the InstaPot..8 min! Added celery- just needed to use that up! Will definitely make again!
Windsor
Hello! Thank you for this recipe :) I made it last night in an effort to start focusing on some healthier meals (that still taste good!) for me and my husband. Was so thrilled to have most of the ingredients already on hand! We both really enjoyed this! Ate with some homemade walnut sourdough bread that a friend baked. YUM!
My favorite part about your recipes and your approach is how you give wiggle room. You recognize that most people might have to substitute something, so you go ahead and recommend or suggest options along the way. By doing so, we feel confident that we’re not screwing anything up! LOL (Read a few of your other recipes and noticed this throughout! Really appreciate this :)
I was curious if the estimated nutritional content is for the whole soup or for one serving? (I read your nutritional notice and totally get that it’s not a perfect science. Just wanted to see if I am logging calories correctly.)
Thanks for being awesome at what you do!
MJ
Hi – this recipe is fantastic. Just a quick question. The nutrition facts says “Serves 4.” So I am I to divide the nutrition facts values by 4 to get a 1 serving size? Is 1 serving size a cup? Thanks!
Kate
Hi! Yes, that is correct. I’m glad you loved it.
Roman Sugatov
Just made it for my family in Russia!! In Saint Petersburg, in winter, where it’s below 30 everyday and windy in December it goes SO WELL! Definitely going to become one of my staples: simple, healthy, affordable and SO HEARTY!
Jeanne Willard
Rockin’ lentil soup! Perfect with olive bread!
Dave
Just finished making my first batch of this delicious and hearty soup. It will definitely be added to the rotation. Yum!!!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Dave!
Selma
I made it in my instant pot, and added a lot of extra lemon, then ‘rough’ pureed the whole thing. My husband who only eats soup when he’s sick, ate 3 bowls, said it was the best lentil soup he’s ever tried, and he wasn’t feeling very generous when I packed a container to take to my best friend!!! Both of my kids loved it too :-)
For anyone using an instant pot: sautee as per the recipe, pressure cook 15 min, slow release, then sautee kale for 5 min. Perfection! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe Kate!
Rhonda Fischer
This looks amazing! Does it have to be blended?
Cassandra Krueger
This is really good. I did use red lentils, because that’s what I have on hand. The lemon juice really brightens it up. I added a dollop of Greek yogurt into my bowl, just because, and that was excellent. Thank you for this recipe!!
Kate
That sounds delicious! Thank you for your review.
Laura
Thank you so much for this delicious lentil soup recipe. It was so good!
Beth
Made this for New Years Day! It was absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe and added kale. Thank goodness there will be some leftovers!
Michelle
This recipe has become a staple in my meal rotation. I just made a batch to kick off Veganuary. Thank you for sharing it!
Carol Pignataro
My 20 year old son absolutely loves your soup. Always requesting me to make it on cold wintry nights. Thank you for sharing it. It’s a keeper in my recipe notebook.
Carol- Tinton Falls, NJ
CRH
Another great recipe, thank you! I also added potato, celery, and cabbage since we like lots of veggies in our soup. Really hearty and fresh-tasting. It is super flavorful made with water. Skipping the broth should take care of the sodium problem.
Elle
Amazing recipe, comes together very quickly. Made it for a friend, she loved it and requested the link
I myself found it a bit “tomatoey” however some people may love that!
Today made it again and tweaked it for my preferences and added only half the tomatoes and the other half I replaced with roasted red pepper. I skipped blending some of the soup at the end as I enjoy the chunky texture. I also added 1/4 cup quinoa +extra 1/4 cup water to thicken the soup since I skipped the blending.
That being said, the recipe really is a winner just how it is, thank you so much for sharing!!!
Lucy
There’s too much going on in this soup that it overpowers the lentils. It tastes confused. I followed recipe to a T.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Lucy.
Roberta Wallace
You’ve made me a believer! Not only does this live up to the hype but it may also be the only time I’ve happily eaten kale. Made this for a New Year’s Day supper for three hungry souls. Together with a crusty loaf of bread all raved that it was the perfect way to start our year with a healthy bang. A wee drizzle of honey in each serving really sets things off. I used red lentils which worked beautifully. Very little left over! Today I make another batch to freeze.
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Roberta.
Sarah Surowiec
This is the BEST lentil soup I have ever made. I substituted baby spinach because I’m not a fan of kale. It’s delightful!
Debbie
This was delicious!
Claire
I love this lentil soup recipe! I’ve made it several times over the last few months and I’m going to make it again tonight. I have a house full of meat-eating boys and they also love this soup! It’s hearty, satisfying and has a perfect amount of heat from the red pepper flakes. Thank you for coming up with this amazing lentil soup :)
Bridget
Lovely recipe! I did a change in terms of the acid. Many years ago a cook told me anytime you cook beans, legumes add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar. It heightens the flavor. Perhaps what the lemon does-
Do you adding both lemon and vinegar would work?
HevyG
I added 2″ of grated Ginger
Kathy keil
Made this with no changes, I think it is my favorite soup now. It was delicious.
Kat
This is the best lentil soup I’ve ever made!! We make it weekly especially for these 19° winter nights. Highly recommend!!
Latoya
This soup is now a staple for my family. I don’t use any tomatoes because we’re not huge fans of them, and I use spinach for kale most of the time but both work great. Very good soup!
Lisa Beth Maxwell
This recipe was as delicious as you described. My husband is the master of making soup from whatever is in the frig, much like this recipe and he raved when I made yours. Next time I’ll be sure to have fresh greens on hand but getting home from the weekend we only had a nice bunch of Italian parsley. I rough chopped it and it worked fine. It is bookmarked for future meals. By the way, I doubled in order to freeze some which I highly suggest with the work, although minor, that is involved. Nothing like pulling out of the freezer last minute for a yummy bowl of hot soup. We made our own croutons which is a nice addition. Wonderful.. I’m so glad I found this recipe.
Lisa Maxwell
Margaret Muse
Hello, I have beet greens leftover. Can I use those in this soup ? I worry that these greens would be too strong for this soup.
Thanks….. my daughter is a vegetarian and you have saved my life with your tasty recipes!!
Kate
Hi! You could try it. I haven’t tried it here, but I would be interested to hear what you think. If you like beet greens overall, then I would try it.
Thitirat
Thanks for this lovely recipe. I will definitely try it out. Do I have to soak the lentils overnight before cooking?
Kate
Hi! No need to soak, the cook in the soup. I hope you love it!
Danielle
Kate, I used to be intimidated by cooking and trying out new recipes. Your blog has given me so much confidence in myself as a cook, and I now look forward to making meals for my family, thanks to your beautiful, easy-to-follow, and DELICIOUS recipes. Thank you for giving me this gift, and for helping me to share vegetarian meals with my meat-eating family. Oh, and this lentil soup was divine.
Kate
Wonderful to hear that, Danielle! Thank you for trying my recipes and providing a review.
Scott
Very nice recipe, I made two modifications to the ingredients. Added Celery as I had a lot, and I used a three lentil blend since that’s what was on the shelf, the red lentils break down which helps with he creaminess. But I did add 50% more lentils to account for the Red ones breaking down.
Also use an immersion blender since I don’t have a regular one, seemed to work.
Patty
The most amazing lentil soup! My Mom’s Italian tradition was to eat lentil soup every New Years Day. This recipe is a keeper! After using the emersion blender, the creaminess was so mouthwatering!
Monica
Loved this soup – best ever lentil soup – very tasty and easy to make. Made it without the tomatoes and kale and still great!