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.
Recipe by Cookie and Kate on January 11, 2019
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT45M
Total time: PT55M
Rating
4.9 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
lentil soup, freezer-friendly soup
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
Categories
Soup
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Steps
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).
Nutitrion
Calories: 367 calories
Carbohydrates: 47.8 g
Protein: 14.5 g
Fat: 15.5 g
Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 1324.1 mg
Sugar: 10.8 g
Reviews
Debbie on 2026-04-09 (5 stars): I have made this soup soooooo many times, we LOVE IT!!
Suzanne Larsen on 2026-04-09 (5 stars): I searched for the best lentil soup recipe, and came upon this one. It did not disappoint. An excellent process of building flavor results in this being a delicious soup. Everyone who has tried it has raved about it. I’m bringing it for a potluck this weekend. Thank you.
Anna Bee on 2026-04-16 (5 stars): This is the best soup I’ve ever eaten in my LIFE! I cannot overstate this. 10/10 recipe. Don’t skimp on that lemon juice at the end! I seriously ate half the batch right out of the pot. So filling, so healthy and so delicious.
Tina on 2026-04-16 (3 stars): Unfortunately the kale ruined the soup. Normally I love kale, but not in this. Would make again without the kale.
Pamalla haug on 2026-04-19 (5 stars): that's funny because the only green I had in the fridge was kale so I used it. We really liked it.
Cheryl on 2026-06-14 (5 stars): I added frozen chopped spinach instead - it was perfect!!
Peter Savini on 2026-04-20 (5 stars): What a great lentil soup recipe.
My only addition was some dried porcini mushrooms.
Noni would have been so proud.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Kristen P. on 2026-04-21 (5 stars): Our family discovered this recipe a couple years ago and have been making it on a nearly monthly rotation ever since. It is fantastic!!! My husband asks me to at least double the recipe when I make it. We can always freeze a bit for dinner on a rainy day. When I make it, I eat it as is, and when my husband wants more protein, he adds a little bit of cooked sausage or ground beef to his serving. This recipe is easy peasy, super delicious and chock full of nutrients. Way to go!
Jessica G on 2026-04-22 (5 stars): Made as is. 100% would recommend! No notes!
Faith on 2026-04-22 (5 stars): I love this soup! I make it all the time. I find it perfect as written. Love the kale, love the curry and cumin. It’s delicious. Thank you Kate!
Ingrid Frengle-Burke on 2026-04-23 (5 stars): I didn’t really like lentil soup before I tried this recipe—but I can’t get enough of this recipe! I double the batch when I make it so I can freeze some for later. If I have it, I crumble some on top before serving.
Ron S on 2026-04-25 (5 stars): Excellent soup, our new favorite! I cheated and added some diced ham so...not vegan but delicious.
Jody on 2026-04-28 (5 stars): Thank you Kate! I made the soup over the weekend and it was wonderful! (I admit I added a little more than a pinch of the red pepper flakes)! Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Colleen Bjerke on 2026-04-25 (5 stars): Excellent. I have made a lot of lentil soups over the years and this is the best. I added tomato paste (freeze it in ice cube trays so maybe one cube is a couple tablespoons?). I think it adds some richness to the soup but it is great without as well.
Melodee on 2026-04-26 (5 stars): My Son how to make a vegetarian dish for his college health class. Lentil soup was one of the options the teacher allowed and we used this recipe.! absolutely delicious. I will make this again just for the kicks of it.
Judy on 2026-04-27 (5 stars): Made for the first time this past weekend and it is definitely the best Lentil Soup. Thank you for all the delicious vegetarian recipes!
Julie V. on 2026-05-02 (5 stars): This soup is aptly named, it is clearly the BEST Lentil soup I've ever had or made, it is just delicious. The flavor is spectacular!!!
Heather and Winston on 2026-05-02 (5 stars): I meant to leave this post a couple of months ago when I participated in a “Souper Bowl” competition. I wanted to make a recipe that was gluten-free and vegetarian. I’m in Montana and I didn’t think that there would be any other recipes that fit that description and of course I was right. I wish I could say that your recipe got first place but I think it’s amazing that it got second place amongst all the meat eaters! More importantly this recipe has been a go-to for me during the winter months and I love it every time I have it. Thank you so much, Kate!
Rene McGarry on 2026-05-03 (5 stars): Great soup! My guest enjoyed it.
Susan Young on 2026-05-03 (5 stars): I just decided to make this soup today and was lucky enough to have everything I needed except for the greens listed so I used Bok choy greens instead. It was so delicious!!! I will make this again and again! I chose not to use the amount of oil listed at the beginning of the recipe and just lightly sprayed the pot with olive oil.
Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe!
Bonnie S on 2026-05-04 (5 stars): Absolutely delicious and easy to follow recipe. This is so healthy. My body craved it while I healed from an illness and this will be a new staple in my diet. Highly recommend with no changes.
Jenny on 2026-05-12 (5 stars): I’ve made this again and again, it brings me so much joy. Today it was rainy and I’ve got a cold I can’t kick—this soup was like a warm hug. I could truly get emotional about it. Thanks, Kate.
El on 2026-05-13 (5 stars): I made this soup yesterday — dang, this is good!! I’ve looked for a while for a lentil soupe recipe to ‘replace’ an old one from my pre-veg days that contained sausage. This recipe has me craving another bowl, and the meat flavoring isn’t even missed. Instead of adding the lemon juice, I used fresh-ground timut pepper for the black pepper. It added the right amount of citrusy zest to the flavor.
shondalyn alderete on 2026-05-20 (5 stars): This is the best lentil soup. I love lentils now because of this recipe! Thank you! Delicious and nutritious! My sister in law told me about it.
Minna Meginness on 2026-05-22 (5 stars): Hi Katie in Kansas City from Tampere city in Finland - the (at the moment being) leading ice hockey country in the world!!
I've learned as a teen my first lentil soup recipe from my old artist relative aunt living in Sweden. As I surpisingly actually liked the soup, I've cooked my lentil soup according to hers ever since.
Now about a year or so ago, I checked again these recipies in internet and found your Best Lentil Soup which you openly praised in the net - but sure enough, I found a clear difference from the earliers and I've been cooking accordingly ever since.
So, checking the directions again (even I truly know them by heart know), I found this feed back field and decided to send you a Thank You Message for the Best Recipe!
Hope you're fine and still active in cooking field. I lived in San Fransisco years 1982-84 and brought my American husband to Finland. While there, I worked in Salmagundi Soup Restaurant as a Line Supervisior/cashier and learned to know Soup Recipies all over around the world. My love for America IN THOSE DAYS will stay forever <3.-
Aileen Widagdo on 2026-05-25 (5 stars): I made this soup today and we love it.
Dawn Thompson on 2026-05-26 (5 stars): I made your soup and it turned out fantastic!
Wish I could have added a picture love the soup.
Elizabeth Ayer on 2026-06-01 (5 stars): Since I found this recipe, this is the only lentil soup that I want to make. It’s so delicious! It’s so healthy, and hearty! It’s also fairly easy to make but needs an hour start time before dinner. The up side is you can sit and have a drink of kombucha while it cooks. I have recommended this recipe to all my vegan and vegetarian friends but also to the meat eaters.
Lauren on 2026-06-08 (5 stars): I’ve made this soup 5 or 6 times now and have to say it is probably my favorite soup of all time. I have two small kids who do not like lentils, but they do like chickpeas, so I followed the recipe but swapped lentils for chickpeas and omitted the 2 cups of water. I also used some frozen spinach rather than fresh chopped kale. It still tastes great!
Robyn Ratzel on 2026-06-09 (5 stars): down the best lentil soup ever! I make it all the time and it is always delicious! I like to add a dollop and sour cream and serve it with a slice of fresh french bread and butter. Oo la la!
Carolyn Sterrett on 2026-06-12 (5 stars): Do you think I could use beet greens instead of kale or collard greens? I have made this many times with kale and it's the best. I just got a bunch of beets from a farmstand and need to use the greens. Thanks in advance for your response.
Luke Berg on 2026-06-13 (5 stars): Delicious, healthy soup. I've now made this 4 weeks in a row.
The only alteration I made was adding the carrots at the same time as the stock and lentils. They end up being the perfect texture and not too soft.
Evelyn Adrian on 2026-06-21 (5 stars): I love the Best Lentil Soup recipe. The spices are so good! I usually make it to the recipe, but sometimes throw in whatever produce I have on hand with or instead of the carrots. I know I can count on you whenever I need a good veggie-forward recipe!
Lydie on 2026-06-24 (5 stars): How would you adjust this recipe for a slow cooker?
Diana on 2026-06-24 (5 stars): Excellent! We love this recipe so much and have it in our meal rotation!
FSL Farma on 2026-06-28 (5 stars): This lentil soup is absolutely wonderful! I love how the combination of cumin and turmeric gives it such a warm, comforting flavor. I added a handful of fresh spinach at the end and it was perfect. The lemon juice at the finish really brightens everything up. This has become a weekly staple in our household – nutritious, filling, and so easy to make. Thank you for sharing this gem!
Lynn Filusch on 2026-06-30 (4 stars): We love this recipe and we add extra kale. It seems odd that in the comments and responses the explanation for draining the tomatoes is that it's to reduce salt content, and yet salt is to be added to the dish? Seems counterintuitive.
