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.
Caitlyn
I love this soup! I’ve made it twice with red lentils because that’s what I had on hand and it’s fantastic. I skip the water and just simmer for about 10 mins before blending it and adding the greens. My favorite lentil soup by far!
Margie
Love the recipe! It was delicious and a perfect blend of spices. Freezing day and this soup definitely warmed us up. Thank you!!
BC
This soup was soooo freaking good. I like spice and opted to add more red pepper flakes and also added a spice blend of parsley, scallion and sweet peppers.m with the garlic. Best soup I’ve had in a while.
Cathleen Colehour
Made 1-1/2X recipe and used 2 whole cans of tomatoes. Skipped the lemon juice because I added the tomatoes. I am usually messing with recipes (particularly those of food blogs, many of whom unfortunately can’t cook). This recipe is excellent as is–very flavourful. For those of us who are not vegetarian/vegan types, I also added a couple poached chicken breasts (chopped).
Kathleen Borgeson
This soup is fantastic. I have made it several times following the recipe exactly as written and it is delicious everytime. I am curious about the serving size of 4 servings though. Is this correct? I get at least 10 servings from this recipe. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Cindy Allsbrooks
This was one of the best soups I’ve ever made. Made it exactly as recipe called for except I did not have curry powder. I will make it again and again. Thank you.
Margaret
Thanks for a delicious lentil soup recipe. I agree that adding the recommended EVOO adds to the satisfying taste of this recipe. The addition of curry was new to me but it, too, made this recipe a cut above for me. I will be making this delicious soup again and again.
Jean Griffith
The last photos of the soup do not look like the soup was puréd. I prefer a chunkier soup. Can I leave out the blender step and add greens (using spinach) without the blender step?
Kate
Hi Jean, the soup is only partially puréed, which lends it some light creaminess that I really enjoy. You can skip the blending if you’d like.
Ricbecka Ann Deardorff
I made it without the partial purée. Still delicious!
TanyaRenee Usher
Good Morning!
This soup is absolutely delicious and hearty and fabulous on a Winter day or evening. Perfect!!
Judi Mcclendon
Love this soup. Delicious recipe and I make it often..
Kathy
Did not have but one 14 oz can of tomatoes. Is this going to be a problem? Can I replace possibly w small amount of tomato paste?
Kate
Hi! You will want the tomatoes for this. I don’t think you will get the same result with tomato paste. But if you try it, let me know.
Lívia Badiani
LOVED the recipe! I made a few changes to adapt to the ingredients I had in hand (no tomatos, for instance) and it worked wonders. The trick really is blending the soup, it’s the most essential part of this recipe and it’s worth it. I used tandoori and turmeric instead of cumin and loved it as well! Chicory works great instead of kale too :) Thank you Kate for the lovely recipe!
Joni
This is a great recipe and absolutely my go to for lentil soup for the last 5 years at least! Making it again for super on this chilly night. It is a great way to get extra veggies in my kiddos so I throw in whatever I have on hand. Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Adrienne Jacobi
Amazing!
Nicole Abene
This lentil soup has become one of my favorite things to make. Simple enough and tastes very wholesome and homey. I’ve made this soup with different lentils, but my favorite is red. They open up and so I don’t end up needing to blend the soup. I also like to use crushed tomatoes instead of diced.
Patricia Delgado
It’s freaking good! I added some red and purple potatoes. The flavors were amazing and that lemon juice in there…
Patricia
My first lentil soup and I just happened to have some dried green lentils. This was so easy to put together. Your directions were excellent. I even had all the ingredients in the house..a bonus since I’m limiting my grocery store runs. ! I used greens from our Power Greens salad and it was delicious! Hearty and flavorful.And with homemade bread it was so satisfying. My husband LOVED it!
Pat
We love this soup and have made it at least 3 times. I agree that it freezes well. In fact, it’s even better the second time because there’s no effort in cooking it =). The only changes I make are: I load it up with more greens and sometimes I use black instead of brown or green lentils. It’s good no matter how you make it.
Rox
This really is great. The lemon juice smooths out the curry and it is so flavorful. I also love to spoon it over cooked rice for a perfect protein.
Cheryl
I’m not Vegan or Vegetarian, but recently was diagnosed with a condition that means I need to eat more fibre. I made the soup as per the recipe, but when sautéing the carrots & onion I did add 2 small stalks of celery. The soup was very tasty & filling & I can’t wait to make it for my family when lockdown is over. Thank you Kate.
From London, England
KAREN BOYER
I have made this soup many times. Today is the first time I realized how packed it is with nutrition compared to most other labels I read.
Eileen Harrell
The best lentel soup is no lie. I didn’t do the greens at the end and used chicken stock. So tasty.
Amanda B
This soup was delicious! I may have added too many red pepper flakes. Next time I will use only a pinch! Served it with fresh bread. My husband loved it! I will be making this again.
Evelin
This soup has become a staple in my German-American kitchen….. love all the spices. So delicious!
Marcia
Excellent soup! I followed recipe exactly. i used 2 14.5 oz of diced tomatoes, one was no salt added and was perfect. I used baby spinach i had on hand.
Love your other recipes ive tried, made your Baked Ziti w Roasted vegetables fur company last night and we all had seconds, thank you for your tecipes!
Martin
Easy to prepare .result mouth watering .left over devoured a few days later and it was exquisite.
Yummy yummy soup plus all the healthy ingredients
Gina
Fantastic recipe! I live in India and mother in law taught me to soak lentils overnight before cooking. Going to give this a try with mixed dal. Huge fan of all your recipes!
Louise
Delicious soup! It’s the perfect amount of lentils, hearty but not heavy.
Sheryl Shuchat
Excellent, spicy and delicious!
Kristie
Best soup I have ever made – husband concurs :). Added a little more than suggested red pepper flakes. Used kale for the greens. So flavorful and delicious on this cold winter day!
Cheryl Rickard
Can I use a soup maker to make this soup
Karman
Best soup I’m going to put on my soup rotation. I’ll even cook it in the summer. LOVE It
Kate
I love that this one is a year round soup for you! I appreciate your review.
Julie
This was my first time making my own lentil soup and I have to admit I am extremely surprised!! I picked this recipe when deciding on soups because it seems so nutritious, but never would have thought it would be THIS good!! Definitely will have to make again
Leslie LAMANNA
Srsly amazecakes! Used frozen toms from the garden-no salt in them. Didn’t add lemon, it was so good so why bother? Also, we are in our 60’s so I didn’t add any oil. It’s perfect! Husband is on bowl #2, or 3? He keeps saying please don’t forget to make this again!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it!
Emma
Both of the times I’ve made this I’ve accidentally used Chili powder instead of curry and it still turned out so yummy!!!! I love the texture when I also blend the kale. Super bomb recipe! Love this soup
Peter Hambly-Smith
Maybe just maybe he most delicious soup I have ever tasted. Busting with flavour!
I took a couple of short cuts- why add 2 cups of water when you add the stock? Just add 3 cups more of stock.
And use a hand blender and blend in one go.
Looks like lentles with everything from now on!
Don’t miss this recipe its a really good one.
Peter Hambly-Smith
Maybe just maybe the most delicious soup I have ever tasted. Busting with flavour!
I took a couple of short cuts- why add 2 cups of water when you add the stock? Just add 3 cups more of stock.
And use a hand blender and blend in one go.
Looks like lentles with everything from now on!
Don’t miss this recipe its a really good one.
Em
Can you freeze it?
Kate
Hi Em! I believe others have reported this has froze well.
SM
Possibly my favourite soup recipe i’ve ever made! I make it loads :)
Kate
That’s great to hear, SM! Thank you for your review.
Beth
We love this soup (and the vegetable soup)! As a recent vegetarian, your recipes have become a staple in our house (even for the non-vegetarian husband). For this soup, do you recommend soaking the lentils first and if so for how long? I’ve tried and sometimes it works, but sometimes lentils get too soft. also when you blend, do you only spoon out lentils and veggies, or some broth as well?
Kate
Hi Beth! No need to soak. The recipe includes the cooking of the lentils.
Christina Vargas
I’m not a lentil soup eater but this soup is delicious!! Lent is coming up so for sure I’m making this
Anneliese
Easy to make and ideal for a cold winter day. Absolutely lovely. Thank you !
Cindy
We loved the soup and the only thing I did differently was use spinach instead of kale and tried too cut does on the salt. Will make it again.
Amy
This was delicious and super easy! Leftovers were great for packing lunches. My husband loved it too. Making this again this evening! I’m wondering if you’ve tried this in an Instapot and if so, how long you think it’d take to cook? I’m late getting on the Instapot train and am still figuring out how to work it.
Christina Vargas
I’m not a lentil soup eater but this soup is delicious!! Lent is coming up so for sure I’m making this
Tom Bartlett
Really, really good! I didn’t have any kale so I put in some fresh cilantro. We served it with some buttered avocado toast. It was fabulous. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!
Annette Pineiro
This is most definitely the best lentil soup ever!! I was looking for a simple one pot recipe for soup and came upon your recipe and your site. My kids are asking for more and even my husband (mister meat and potatoes) had 2 bowls of soup! I added cut up celery (leftovers in the fridge) and dried oregano to the recipe. Totally yummy! So glad I have discovered your site!
Kate
Thank you, Annette!
Derrick D Utsler
It was sooooo good! I had never had lentil soup and decided to make this one. I have made a double batch twice in 3 weeks. It freezes great and tastes outstanding!
Angelique
This soup is so good! I’ve made it about 5 times now and just love it. I like to make it when I noticed my veggies are about to go bad so it’s nice to just throw everything in a pot. I also add celery when I have some I need to use up. It’s so filling and flavorful and healthy!
Jess
This soup was absolutely delicious. I raved about it to my sister and passed on the recipe and she loved it as well. I used red lentils as I already had some in the pantry and omitted the water and cooked for a shorter period.
Dianne
All I can say is Delicious! I made no changes. Have made it 3 times—just finished making a pot this morning. Your lentil soup is wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Betty Rodriguez
Absolutely delicious & so easy!!! We love it with Nan Bread.
Ric
Made it today, added leak and switch the kale to spinach. Absolutely love the taste of the broth.
Julie
This was so delicious! Great flavor, we loved it!
Amalia
This is the BEST lentil soup recipe! The spices have an amazing flavor combination. I prefer a more hearty soup and use 1.5 cups of lentils instead of 1 cup and it makes it much thicker. I have been making this in double batches perfect for the winter and snow days!
Karen
This recipe was GREAT!! First of all, I’m not vegan (sorry but we love meat) and when I say I’m cooking lentil soup half my family groans. However, they do love curry so I was hoping I could entice them. I followed the recipe to a T (Except added spinach instead of kale because that’s what I had) and wow, was it good. Everyone had at least two servings! So easy! Will make again!
K&T
OMGoodness if this isn’t the best Lentil Soup recipe ever. I am not a Lentil fan, but my boyfriend loves them. I may be a new lover after this incredible blend of flavors.
Kate
Thank you!
Jill Jennings
I’ve recently become vegan and this is the best lentil soup recipe I’ve made so far! Thanks for your inspiration!
Kate
You’re welcome, Jill! I’m delighted you loved it.
Monica
Easy, usually have all the ingredients on hand, comes together fast and it’s so good! One of my new favourites!
Casey
This is some really great soup. I’ve made it twice this week and considering a third batch. My daughter loves it too. What do you consider a serving, 2 cups?
Charlotte
So good! What is considered a serving size?
Kate
Hi! Roughly 1.5-2 cups is a serving size.
Rod
I searched for a vegan lentil soup recipe and yours looked like a winner and I was right. And you were right to label it “Best Lentil Soup.” Very satisfying and the best I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t have green or brown lentils on hand but I did have beluga lentils and that worked out great. Thank you very much!
Lori
Made this with my daughter who is vegetarian but doesn’t do that much cooking…she LOVED it…big hit and had two big bowls and I packed two more containers for her to take home and freeze. I”m not vegetarian but want more vegetarian meals on my diet, and I loved it also..
Will be a regular for me now !
Kate
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing, Lori.
Connie
I made this today. Never ate lentil soup before. It was excellent. Didn’t jave curry and I added corn to it. I will be making this all the time
Alba
We really liked it!!
I replaced the following:
1/4 cup of oil for 3 tbsp of oil;
vegetable broth for 2 bullion tomato flavor.
I used all the liquid of the tomato can.
I made rice and had the “soup” on top of it.
My child added some bacon on top of it.
This recipe is very simple and very tasty. Thank you!
Cristina
I just did this recipe for dinner today. It was amazing! Everybody loved it, even my 4yo (didnt add chilly :D)
It certainly is being added to the favourites folder so I can do it more times!! Thank you for sharing!! :)
Kate
Even my carnivorous hubby gave this recipe two thumbs up. I added a grilled cheese on the side for him and my little guy. I enjoyed it as my main with a side of crusty bread!
Kate
I love that! Thank you for reporting back, Kate.
LeslieS
Just made It, and the only change was a lot less water because I used a pressure cooker. I followed all the instructions and ingredients, except forthe water which I omitted, right up to Step 4. I set the timer on six minutes, let it vent for about 10-15 minutes after it cooked, and everything came out perfectly. The (green) lentils were cooked, but still firm and not at all mushy. Delicious!
Sera
The recipe that made me love lentils! This soup is so delicious, hearty and comforting. The addition of lemon juice brings everything together! A regular in my house’s weekly rotation of meals, and certainly one of my favourite soups.
Elizabeth A Reid
This lentil soup is wonderful! I think it’s the spice combination.
So tasty. I did add some diced potatoes with the lentils. Just delicious. thank you.
Karen Mercer
I just love your recipes it has taken the guess work in searching for vegan and vegetarian melas which has been hit and miss. It is a real joy to cook and bake again especially for family and friends.
I can’t get enough of your lentil soup!
Note I didn’t have enough vegetable stock for a double batch so I substituted for puréed fresh tomatoes and used organic fajita mix granules instead of cumin and curry.Only because I ran out of the required spices. The soup turned out great.
Thank you for sharing your gift of cooking and baking!
Karen Mercer NL. Canada
Alice
Make this soup for dinner. Excellent. Doubled the cumin and curry amounts because my husband likes things spicy. Substituted spinach for the kale because that’s what I had. Another winner from Kate!
Thanks!
Jacquie Gray
Seriously the best lentil soup recipe ever. I’ve made it dozens of times, it’s a permanent fixture in our rotation. The only change I make is leaving out the curry because I’m not a fan of that spice. Still has amazing flavor even without that.
Judi Mcclendon
Love this soup. Delicious recipe and I make it often..
helen downes
This is an excellent recipe
Yoli
Yep! The BEST Lentil Soup lives up to it’s name! Thank you!
Carol from Wirral
Very nice soup. I’ve never put curry in lentil soup before, it gave a nice fragrant aroma. Didn’t have Callard greens so I used chopped fresh spinach which I thought did the same.
N
It really is the best lentil soup recipe. Sometimes I make it non-vegan by adding chicken to it. Leftovers freezes well and perfect for cold miserable winter’s day.
Andrea
This was for sure the best lentil soup I’ve made! The only changes I made was I used crushed tomatoes and smoked cumin since that’s what I had.on hand. Thank you for sharing!
Sue T
This is the BEST lentil soup I have ever made or had anywhere!
Ellie
I searched a lot for perfect recipe and I think this is it! Thank you!
One question? Have you ever put anise in this soup? Years ago I had an excellent lentil soup in a restaurant and I believe they put anise in it
Kate
I haven’t and not sure how that would go with this soup. Sounds interesting though!
DeAnna
Could I use beet greens?
Kate
You could, although may be a little stronger taste. Let me know what you think!
Kat
LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup!!! Hands down the best lentil soup I’ve ever made. Thank you so much!! I did cut the oil in half and it was still super tasty. The green lentils I used took less time than expected, so next time I’ll check them much sooner. Hubbie loves it too!!
Kate
That’s great to hear, Kat! Thank you for your review.
Tere V
Absolutely delicious! Thank you! I added diced potatoes and a squash for more veggies! Love this lentil soup!
Rachael Prewett
I added some dried, powdered lime – and it added a little extra sour tang that I just love. Otherwise stuck to the recipe – which is solid. Thanks!
Renee
This is my absolute favorite soup! I always double and freeze in portions for work lunches. Fantastic as is, but I like to at least double the kale and add a bit more carrots, onions and spice.
I also use an immersion blender to make a much thicker consistency. We used it as a vegetarian chili for Christmas, and my family loved it.
I will keep passing this on!
johnny
I LOVE your recipes!! I have been making them for several years and I’ve never made one that wasn’t delicious. Whenever I need suggestions for something, your website is the one I always go to. Among my favorites are your muffins and soups. I’ve shared with neighbors and friends and they also love them.
Thanks for going back to the basics and having so many healthful recipes. And Cookie’s smile just can’t be beat. Many thanks for including her.
Stacey
This recipe looks yummy recipe.
I want to make with green lentils.
Any idea how long to cook in an instant pot?
Kate
Hi Stacey, Sorry to disappoint but I don’t have Instant Pot directions for this recipe.
Aspen
Hi Kate, where does all the sodium come from in this recipe? Is it from the can of diced tomatoes (in which case I would use no-salt-added), from the broth, or from the added teaspoon of salt?
Robert Castle
Great soup. I use this as a base and add other tasty items around the kitchen… potatoes, zuchinni, green beans… Sometimes it’s so thick it’s hard to call it soup. The mix of spices makes it just right.
Louise
Can I substitute spinach for the kale?
Kate
Sure! That will work as well, Louise.
Ari
Delicious ! This is my first time even trying lentil and curry powder tbh , and I’m so happy I did !
Kate
I’m happy you did too! Thank you for your review, Ari.
Annmarie
Amazing! I’m doing more plant based diet and loved this recipe .. snuck a link of sautéed chorizo for my husband he loved it as well his Mom is from Spain and includes some meat in her lentil soup. So flavorful!!
Shelby
This is hands down one of the BEST soups i have EVER had! Im in my first trimester right now and nothing has made my body happy like this soup has for weeks! Thank you for sharing
Kate
Thank you, Shelby!
Sue L
Today was the first time I have ever made lentil soup. I was going to make a very simple recipe from the bag of lentils but decided to look online for something a bit more artistic. I am so grateful that this was my pick! This soup was incredibly delicious. The only change I made was the addition of 4 peeled, cubed Russet potatoes (and just because my friend insisted upon it). I scarfed down two bowls (with a bit of grated parmesan on top) before I realized that I had forgotten the lemon juice (which I will be sure to include tomorrow and the next day and the next….). Thank you!
Brianne
I made this as instructed without the kale because I didn’t have any. It was delicious! The lemon juice at the end is fantastic. Will definitely make it again!
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Brianne.
Margaret
Made this lentil soup and really enjoyed it .
Making it for 2nd time as it’s so delicious and nutritious
Kristi
I made this last night, absolutely delicious. I forgot the lemon juice and I served it over rice. It’s just me, so I’m thrilled to have leftovers for lunch this week.
Sue
This is the most delicious lentil soup. I added a but more curry and red pepper but other than than it was delicious and very flavorful! Thanks!
polly
I made the Lentil soup yesterday. It was a very easy recipe to follow. It came out fabulous. My family loved it. It had great flavor. I had never been a fan of lentil soup but this one is great. Will try some of the others this week
Patricia Menzel
I can’t wait to try your recipe……..just wondering why the sodium content is so high?
Kate
Hi Patricia! The values are just estimates. You can reduce by using low sodium inputs and/or adjust any added salt.
Maddie
My husband and I love this soup! This is a staple meal in our household- I make it basically every other week. I double the spices because he likes strong seasoning, and skip the blending. I’ve made it both ways and we like it just as much without that step!
Pat
Absolutely delicious and fun to make too!
Alina
Absolutely loved it! Will certainly make it again!