Vegan red lentil soup with carrots, lentils, and a tomato base. This simple soup is a weeknight staple and can be made with common pantry items like canned tomatoes, frozen spinach, and dried red lentils. It takes about half an hour from start to finish and freezes well.
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT25M
Total time: PT35M
Rating
4.56 stars (93 reviews)
Keywords
lentil soup, pantry staples, red lentil carrot soup, red lentil soup, vegan lentil soup
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion (chopped)
5-6 medium carrots (about 3 cups, cut into 1 cm (¾ inch) slices)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cm (1 ⅕ inch) piece fresh ginger (minced)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
400 grams (13.5 oz.) canned diced tomatoes
1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable broth
150 grams (1 cup) red lentils
150 grams (1 cup) frozen spinach*
Juice of ½ a lemon
Brown rice (to serve)
Categories
Autumn
Main Course
Mains
Soups and Stews
Winter
Cuisine
North American
Steps
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion and sauté for about six minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Stir in the carrots, and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, and spices, stirring to coat the vegetables. Cook for another two minutes, reducing the heat if needed. Add the salt and tomatoes, stir, and pour the vegetable broth in.
Increase the heat to high, cover the pot, and bring the soup to a rolling boil. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, covered, or until the carrots are tender.
Stir in the spinach and turn off the heat, letting the hot soup thaw the spinach with the lid on. Add the lemon juice, taste, and season with salt if necessary.
Serve over brown rice and store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1
Calories: 360 kcal
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 0.5 g
Sodium: 412 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Reviews
Sherry on 2026-04-10 (5 stars): One of my favourite soups. Tasty, quick, easy, healthy, gluten free, anti-inflammatory and just plain yummy! I make it regularly. I’ve sent the recipe to several friends who also really enjoyed it. Can add chicken if looking for extra protein. It freezes well.
Jan Coull on 2025-03-21 (5 stars): So tasty and easy to make. Everyone enjoys.
Barbie on 2025-03-15 (5 stars): We loved those soup. Great flavor and texture. Very satisfying!!!
Jan Coull on 2025-03-13 (5 stars): So glad I found this recipe. Quick, easy and very tasty. Everyone loves it.
maeve-age-8 on 2025-02-02 (5 stars): Well it is my favorite soup. And i like the taste and veggies that are in it.
Francia Wisnewski on 2024-12-31 (5 stars): I used the base of the soup and the recommended suggestions. Added bokchoi and spinach, blended little tomatoes and used 4 tomatoes diced. I didn’t have red lentil so I added a can of chickpeas and a bit of green split peas. I also added one diced potato. I hope is still the same soup!☺️
Andy on 2024-05-13 (5 stars): I've made quite a bit more than expected due to canned veg etc. It's really nice, added some Smoked Paprika. Absolutely gorgeous Soup.
Ken on 2024-02-09 (5 stars): Darn good! Made it per the recipe, using fresh spinach. This will go into the rotation. Thank you!
Lauren on 2023-12-06 (5 stars): Absolutely my go to soup recipe! I have also used kale a few times instead of spinach. Thank you!
Jill on 2023-03-08 (5 stars): I’ve added this recipe to one of my favorite soup. I’ve made it over and over and have gotten rave reviews. Thank you for a simple recipe and a very tasty one. I always feel so warm and healthy after eating it.
ananda on 2023-01-15 (5 stars): Excellent!! Added to my meal rotation.
Lidia on 2022-05-15 (5 stars): Made it with fresh spinach. So good. Thanks for sharing