The Best Lentil Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
This is the BEST lentil soup ever, made in 1 pot with budget friendly ingredients. Naturally thick, satisfying and filling! Perfect with some fresh crusty bread for dipping.
This lentil soup is anything but bland. It’s FULL of flavor between the spices, fresh vegetables and even a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
One thing I absolutely love about colder weather is enjoying a warm bowl of soup, perhaps with a cozy sweater while watching the leaves change outside. But I honestly enjoy soup all year long. I love how I can make a big pot of soup and have leftovers for several days, or even freeze some for a rainy day.
A few of my other favorite soup recipes include Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup and Vegan Potato Soup.
You’ll want to make this lentil soup all year long! It’s:
- Budget friendly, made with inexpensive ingredients
- Satisfying, filling and full of protein
- Filled with greens
- Kid-friendly
- & SO easy to make!
Ingredients needed
- Olive oil – for sautéing the vegetables, may omit or use vegetable broth for oil free.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Crushed or diced tomatoes – I usually use diced tomatoes, but you can use crushed if you don’t like having chunks of tomatoes in your soup.
- Green/brown lentils – I wouldn’t use red here, as they sort of melt into the soup.
- Vegetable broth – I almost always use Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base. It has great flavor and is so easy to store.
- Spices – Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt.
- Baby spinach – You can substitute kale, if desired.
- Lemon juice – Don’t skip this, it really takes the soup to the next level!
What kind of lentils should I use?
Use either green or brown lentils for this soup. Both work well; they hold their shape while thickening the soup. You could even use black lentils, but your soup will be a lot less thick. So go for green or brown!
Red lentils are wonderful in many dishes, but not this soup. They are very soft and mushy once cooked, and in this soup we really want the lentils to hold their shape. I love using red lentils in marinara when I want to add nutrition and protein without changing the consistency very much, like in The Best Vegan Lasagna. I also use red lentils in Cauliflower Sweet Potato Curry Soup and Red Lentil Lemon Soup.
How do you make lentil soup?
This is a very simple recipe to make.
First, in a large soup pot, cook the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in a bit of olive oil for about 4-5 minutes.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the spinach and lemon juice. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the soup is thickened and the lentils are tender.
Use an immersion blender and blend a few times right in the pot to make the soup creamy. Alternatively, you could add a few cups of soup to a blender, blend until smooth then add back to the pot.
Finally, stir in the spinach, lemon juice and season with salt to taste. If you want to use kale instead of spinach, give it about 10 minutes to simmer in the soup.
Enjoy with some fresh, crusty bread if desired or even with some brown rice.
Tips for success
- Blend a little of the soup to make it creamy, with no cream needed!
- Use brown or green lentils, NOT red.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice, it really brings out the flavors of the soup.
- Switch up the veggies based on what you have, such as green peas, a potato/sweet potato, broccoli or cauliflower.
Leftovers and freezing
This soup recipe makes quite a bit, so consider freezing your leftovers if you don’t think you will eat it within 5 days. You can freeze it in individual containers for quick, easy meals in the future! Or freeze half of the soup in a large container or large freezer bag.
Warm leftover soup in the microwave or a pot on the stove. Perfect for healthy meal prep!
More amazing vegan soup recipes
- Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Super Creamy Cauliflower Kale Soup
The Best Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 14- ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 2 cups dry green or brown lentils
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3 cups baby spinach, sliced into ribbons, or kale
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes.
- Now add the can of tomatoes (with juices), lentils, vegetable broth, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Stir to incorporate everything.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened. For a creamier texture, use an immersion blender to blend a few times in the pot. Alternatively, add 1-2 cups of the soup to a regular blender, blend until smooth and then return to the pot.
- Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. It will only take a minute for the spinach to wilt. Season with salt to taste.
Notes
- For a thinner soup, simply add more water or vegetable broth until the desired consistency is reached.
- Leftover soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- This soup freezes well. Either freeze in individual containers or a large container for quick future meals.
- May substitute kale for the spinach, but you will need to cook the kale in the soup about 10 more minutes to get it tender.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in November 2018 and has been reposted with improved photos and writing.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here
141 Comments on “The Best Lentil Soup”
I just made this last week! It really is easy and it’s adaptable to whatever you happen to have in your kitchen. I added some additional vegetable broth and some quinoa. I could see adding potatoes, chopped squash–almost any veggie you have hanging around in your vegetable bin.
Lentils always seem to take a long time to cook for me, so I simmered the soup with a lid for about an hour. I love mushy lentils though, so maybe that’s just me!
This recipe is excellent! Very easy to make and very flavorful! I forgot to add the spinach and lemon initially, once I did it was even better! This recipe will be on heavy rotation this winter!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup!
I have been having some GI issues lately, so I googled lentil soup and saw this recipe. It is fantastic! So delicious and filling. Thank you for sharing ??
You’re welcome!
This was really good. I made it exactly as written. I am looking forward to my leftovers. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
I have made it many. Everybody love it. Adjust the spices according with your taste. I lower the amount of cumin to a 1/4
This soup is wonderful! I love the lemon in it. I substituted the spinach with thinly sliced cabbage to use up some cabbage I had leftover from the Thai Peanut Salad (also so good) and it turned out great. Next time. I’ll use spinach. This was also so easy to make. Thanks Nora!
You’re so welcome!
Love this recipe, very easy very tasty!
Everyday Vegan Lentil Soup turned out perfect! We loved it!
Excellent recipe and so simple! I didn’t have any greens, but it is delicious, all the same.
Thanks so much!
I’m totally addicted to this lentil soup recipe. I make it twice a week (at least). And I think this is really more of a stew than a soup. I do soak the lentils overnight then drain/rinse them before adding them to the pot. Further I add pieces of kombu to the broth and then cook the lentils for a longer time frame at a simmer (sometimes up to an hour). These cooking techniques result in no toots! 😉
I’m so glad you like it!!
Awesome soup! Thank you!
I don’t like buying a giant chunk of celery from the store so I’m going to throw in a bag of frozen peas instead.
Question:
Should I put the lid on the put when I’m letting it simmer for 30 minutes?
Thank you! You do not have to put the lid on, but you could. If you do, I would leave it slightly ajar to let some steam escape. Hope that helps!
Your soup is phenomenal. Both my husband and my son really enjoyed this lentil soup. The only ingredient that I didn’t have was the coriander, but still it was super tasty.
How much is a serving size?
There are 8 servings total, so about 1 1/2 cups of soup.
Very good! And very healthy! My husband and I both enjoyed it tonight for dinner. We will have it again tomorrow night and there will still be plenty leftover for lunches or the freezer. The recipe makes a lot. Thanks, Nora! There are no disappointments when I cook your recipes, and I appreciate it.
Thanks for the great comment!!
I love this! I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfectly yummy! Thank you!
You’re welcome!!
I don’t like cooked carrots and celery. Is there something I could use instead or omit them all together. I know I’m weird. Lol
You could just leave them out, no worries! Or sub a potato, or a sweet potato instead.
potatoes and leek would go well in this I think. Maybe try that if you want to try making this again!
Tried this soup today. It was so delicious. I had to use regular paprika, that was all I had but loved it as well as my hubby. We are not Vegan but a nice healthy, delicious meal. Thank you for such a good, easy recipe. Will make again.
Glad you liked it!
I made this soup with red lentils even though Nora said not to because they get too mushy. Since I sometimes have trouble with the texture of lentils I wanted to try them. Oh my goodness! It changed the texture of the soup from a bean soup to an Indian spiced potato soup. So rich and creamy and without any dairy too! Thanks for the recipe. I absolutely love it! Per Nora’s direction, I also made a marinara with the red lentils. So good. Won’t be missing my Italian sausage sauce at all!
I rarely share an untried recipe with others but this sounded just right so I brought it to the Ash Wednesday soup and bread dinner before services at church. What a hit! Even the non-vegetarian, non-vegan crowd gobbled it up. I didn’t have any leftovers to bring home. I did not use oil and I did puree half the soup so it was deliciously thick and filling. I’m making it again right now as part of my weekly food prep. Well done! This is the very first vegan lentil soup I have liked and I love it!!
That’s so great! Thanks for the comment.
This soup is delicious. I added a touch more cumin and coriander, as well as about a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Made it for my vegan boyfriend and he was very happy. My son also loved it. Having some friends over tonight and will be serving this with some crusty bread and a salad.
I’m so glad it’s delicious!
This was a delicious soup! I made it exactly as the recipe called for except didn’t have coriander, so I added a little extra cumin. Perfect! Will make again for our vegan friends!
So glad!
Just starting my vegetarian journey. For myself and my son. He ate two whole bowls of this and he’s a picky 9 year old. Making it again right now. Added some sofrito to enhance it but still keeping it vegan. Amazing soup thanks for recipe.
You’re welcome!
I thought that lentil soups took a long time to prepare. Your estimated time was quite accurate. The soup turned out to be very tasty and had a very pleasant appearance. Thanks for this healthy, luscious and easy to do recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad it was good!
This lentil plate is So yummy! Loved it! I made it WFPB, eliminating the oil and sautéing with the broth. I also added sweet peas and more of the spices mentioned. I’ll be adding this to may favorites list!!
I’m so glad you like it!
Absolutely beautiful . Thought it would taste tomatoey. But it was a mix of tastes that was pure heaven . Thank you so much .
You’re welcome! Glad it was heavenly! 🙂
Didn’t see a calorie count for the soup, but with an online calculator it estimates at 278 calories per serving.
What is the serving size? 1cup?
About 1 1/2 cups I think, but I’m not totally sure.