Best Recipe for Lentil Soup

This healthy lentil soup recipe comes together quickly with pantry ingredients. Simple spices, fresh greens, and a squeeze of lemon make it the best! Vegan.

This traditional lentil 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:

1. The recipe calls for seasonal vegetables and affordable pantry ingredients, but tastes gourmet.
2. 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.
3. This nutritious, well-balanced soup counts as a meal if you enjoy a generous portion. Lentils are rich in protein, fiber, iron and folate.
4. Lentil soup packs well for lunch in a leak-proof container, and it tastes even better the next day.
5. This soup freezes and defrosts well. Make soup now and enjoy it later!

Please let me know how your lentil soup comes out in the comments. I am always happy to hear from you.

If you enjoy this soup, try my hearty vegetarian chili, favorite black bean soup, and pinto posole. You may view all of my soup and stew recipes here.

Best Lentil Soup

This quick vegan lentil soup recipe uses largely cupboard goods. Before you begin cooking, make sure you have all of your ingredients prepared. The recipe makes four large bowls of soup or six more modest meals.

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Course: Mains, Soup

Cuisine: world

Keyword: lentil, soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.
• 1 medium yellow or white onion diced.
• Peel and cut 2 carrots. Press or mince 4 garlic cloves.
• Ingredients: 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 1 teaspoon curry powder.
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme.
• 1 large can 28 oz. Diced tomatoes, lightly drained
• 1 cup brown or green lentils cleaned and rinsed
• 4 cups veggie broth 2 cups water.
• 1 teaspoon salt add more to taste.
• A pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale with tough ribs removed.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice ½ to 1 full lemon to taste.
• Cook Mode Prevent the screen from going dark.

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. One-fourth cup olive oil may seem excessive, but it gives a delightful richness and heartiness to this healthful soup.
• When the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the garlic, cumin, curry powder, and thyme. Cook for about 30 seconds or until aromatic, stirring regularly. Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and simmer for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, to intensify the taste.
• Pour in the lentils, broth, and water. Combine 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with fresh ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover and decrease heat to a slow simmer. Cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked but still maintain their shape.
• Add 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Secure the lid, cover it with a tea towel to protect your hand from steam, and purée the soup until smooth. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to mix a part of the soup.
• Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the greens are tender enough to your preference. Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and season with extra salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice until the flavors are bursting. For a hotter soup, add an extra pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
• Serve while heated. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days or frozen for several months.

Notes

1. Lentils: This should work with all lentils except Puy lentils (French lentils, little dark brown/black ones that retain their shape). Red, yellow, brown, and green. The soup’s colour will be slightly different.
Cook times vary slightly, so start checking if the lentils are done after about 30 minutes.

If possible, use dried lentils for this recipe. Better texture and flavor than canned. To make this with canned lentils, use two 400g/14oz cans (drained and rinsed) and reduce the broth by one cup. Simmer liquid for 20 minutes before adding lentils, then cook for a further 15 minutes.
2. Storage: This freezes quite well! Or keeps in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.