Meet the BEST lentil soup recipe! Made with dried lentils, fresh vegetables, flavorful spices, and hearty greens, it's simple, healthy, and delicious.
This easy lentil soup recipe is warming, nourishing, and delicious. It’s packed with hearty greens, tender vegetables, and fiber- and protein-rich lentils. Fresh herbs and spices fill it with complex flavor, and a splash of vinegar adds a bright, tangy kick.
It’s not just my best lentil soup recipe—it’s one of my best recipes, period. It’s been a staple in my rotation for years. Easy to make with pantry ingredients, it’s the perfect healthy dinner for a winter weeknight (save any leftovers for lunch the next day!). I hope you love this simple lentil soup as much as I do.
Lentil Soup Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this soup:
- Lentils, of course! The best types of lentils for this recipe are green lentils or French lentils, also known as Le Puy lentils. They hold their shape nicely in the soup, adding satisfying texture. Brown lentils are also a fine option. Red lentils are too mushy for this recipe. If you have them on hand, go check out my red lentil soup instead!
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Onion, garlic, carrot, and celery – They create the soup’s aromatic base.
- Fresh kale – You’ll use the whole leaves, stems and all!
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – I love the smoky flavor that fire-roasted tomatoes add to this soup. In a pinch, regular diced tomatoes work here too!
- Vegetable broth – Make homemade vegetable stock, or use store-bought.
- Fresh thyme – For fresh, woodsy flavor. I like to bundle whole sprigs together with kitchen twine. Then, I add the bundle to the soup like a bay leaf, removing it before serving.
- Cumin – The secret ingredient! It adds savory, earthy depth.
- White wine vinegar – It gives the soup a tangy kick.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Recipe Variations
Don’t have these exact ingredients on hand? These swaps work nicely:
- Replace the kale with another leafy green like fresh spinach or Swiss chard.
- Use 1 teaspoon dried thyme instead of the fresh sprigs.
- Replace the celery with 1 small fennel bulb, diced.
- No vinegar? Finish the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice instead!
How to Make Lentil Soup
This lentil soup recipe is easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery, kale stems, and cumin. Cook until they soften, about 8 minutes.
Next, simmer the soup. Add the garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme, and broth.
Tip: Rinse the lentils before cooking to remove any stones or debris.
Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
Finally, add the greens. Cook until they wilt, about 5 minutes, and then season to taste.
Serve the lentil soup topped with garnishes like fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, and/or red pepper flakes. Enjoy with crusty bread!
Love cooking soup in the Instant Pot? Check out this Instant Pot Lentil Soup for pressure cooker instructions!
How to Store Lentil Soup
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
I actually like this soup better leftover. The flavor only improves as it sits in the fridge!
Can you freeze lentil soup?
Yes, this vegan lentil soup is freezer-friendly! Allow it to cool to room temperature, and then seal it in airtight containers or jars, leaving an inch for the soup to expand at the top. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this lentil soup, try one of these nourishing soup recipes next:
- Minestrone Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegetarian Chili
- Black Bean Soup
- Tomato Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Best Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, chopped (2 cups)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 small or 3 large kale leaves, stems finely diced, leaves chopped (8 cups)
- Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup dry green lentils, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Red pepper flakes
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, kale stems, cumin, salt, and several grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme, and broth. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Add the kale leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until wilted.
- Remove the thyme bundle and season to taste. Serve topped with the parsley, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
When I saw this recipe I couldn’t wait to make it for my family and extra for my Mom. This has been a long SAD season for me and cooking nourishing food is like therapy. I discovered Love & Lemons during this dark period and bought your beautiful cookbook. I LOVE how this lentil soup came out! It’s delicious and will become a staple!
Hi Amy, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes and love that this soup was such a hit!
Definitely the best lentil soup. I used frozen kale as we are at the lake and that is all I had. It worked beautifully.
Hi Brenda, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
This lentil soup was great! Easy to make and tastes delicious. I used fresh baby bok choy from my garden in place of the kale. Served with parmesan cheese and it was perfect.
Hi Joni, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
This Lentil Soup is the best!!! I made the Instant Pot version last year (modified, since I don’t own an Instant Pot) and this was equally as good. It’s easy to make and tastes fabulous. This time I doubled the recipe to ensure I had leftovers!
Hi Alene, I’m so glad you love the soup!
This is my favorite soup ever ?
Hi Robin, so great to hear! I’m glad you love it.
Made this tonight – will be our go to lentil soup recipe from now on!
Hi Katrina, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Incredible! After trying MANY lentil soup recipes, I can attest this is the BEST! Thanks for creating such delicious recipes! Your recipes have reinvigorated my love for cooking.
Hi Crystal, thanks for this lovely comment! I’m so glad you love the soup.
This soup is delicious!! One of my new favorites!
Hi Ana, I’m so glad you loved it!
I am always on the hunt for protein-filled vegetarian options and this one fits the bill. Added bonus is that it is delicious and filled with rich and complex flavor. Even my vegetable-hating son loved it.
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you loved the soup and that your son enjoyed it too!
Cori Steele- we made this lentil stew, it is not too dissimilar to my family recipe! The family version adds black beans, doesn’t have kale, no vinegar and more lentils. This was a nice change of pace. We make lentil stew a lot as it is healthy, cost effective, and good.
Hi Cori, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
I added zucchini along with the kale! And substituted lemon in place of the vinegar! So yummy! Really delicious the next day!
Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you loved it!
I love how I this soup is brothy and light, and how and each ingredient maintains its unique texture and flavor.
Made this soup tonight even though it’s warm and rainy in Florida (hoping for cooler days for the leftovers!) It was easy to make and delicious to eat. I loved the tang of the white wine vinegar and the texture of the veggies and beans. Yum!
Forgot to add my stars!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Made this delicious soup during an arctic freeze. It was the perfect soup for the sub zero temps we had the last four days. It was great for reheating and so nourishing!
The best lentil soup! Especially great with swiss chard and homemade broth.
I made this last night and was really pleased with the recipe.
I pureed it a bit with a hand blender to give it a little more body, just a personal preference) but the flavor and lovely ingredients still shone through!
I will 100% be putting this soup into my winter rotation.
Hi Judy, I’m so glad you loved it!
This lentil soup was absolutely delicious!! My boyfriend who was super skeptical even loved it. It’s full of flavor, packed with veggies and the perfect soup for a cold winter night!
I’m so glad you both loved it!
This well named soup (Best Lentil Soup!) was amazingly delicious on this sub-zero temp day! I used spinach rather than kale, and had vegan Parmesan to sprinkle on top. This heart-healthy soup is a definite keeper…my husband raved about it! =) Thank you for top-notch recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
The weather just dropped in NYC so thought a good soup would be perfect – wow this recipe! The only change was that New York seemed to be out of green lentils everywhere(?) so I used brown and it was amazing. We like spice so we added a lot of red pepper flakes but my carnivore husband loved it!
I’m so glad you loved it!
This soup made my home smell warm and inviting. A perfect soup to cultivate the practice of hygge. Yummy as well!