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
Have used this recipe a number of times. Always comes out very tasty,I love it.
Followed recipe exactly. Uses dried thyme and chicken broth because that’s what I had on hand. It was delicious! I will make again.
I love this soup I make it almost weekly these days. Thank you so much for these great recipes!
Can you substitute canned lentils?
With parm the kale becomes the star of the recipe! Versatile delicious healthy low cost. Going on regular rotation. Thank you so much.
Delicious. Full of flavor. Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made this recipe three times and everyone loves it. I tweak it by adding one teaspoon of cumin vs half a teaspoon & add more water because I like more broth. Without adding more water, it turns out like a very tasty stew. It’s a sensational recipe with depth of flavors I love. Sometimes I add chopped oregano & basil from my garden & that adds additional depth of flavors. Thank you for creating this amazing recipe!
I make lentil soup a lot and since I am following you I thought I would try yours. I love the addition of the kale. I make homemade pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. I added some of that and it really was great in the soup.
Love the idea of adding pesto, Pam!
I’ve just started my journey into health eating and this was delicious.
I’m so glad you loved it, Mike!
Absolutely delicious.
So glad you loved it, Emma!
Sounds delicious ! Is the amount of lentil s correct. It shows 3/4 of a cup..please advise
Hi Laura, that’s correct!
I made this today! Simply delicious!!
Thank you for sharing.
Looks amazing and making my grocery list now… wondering if you meant to say “2 celery ribs” but you accidentally wrote “2 celery stalks”? Or did you truly mean to say stalks, because that’s the entire bunch! Thanks for clarifying! 🙂
Hi Roselani, 2 ribs
I love this soup, I’ve made it so many times?
I never have kale on hand so I substitute for some frozen spinach at the end of cooking and it’s always perfect. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you love it, Hailey!
Could you list the nutrition facts please.
Love & Lemons – this soup is fantastic! all the great flavors that you want in a lentil soup! and the beauty of the recipe as written is that if you personally believe it is boring or ‘not quite there…’ you can always use this recipe as a “jumping off point” to then be creative to make it your own! isn’t that was cooking is about? for example my Husband is deathly allergic to garlic, so i used shallots instead.
So glad you enjoyed it, Reese!
Sorry, but I can’t give this soup a high rating, but I feel the need to warn people. If you want a low cal soup that tastes ok, then this is the soup for you. But if you are looking for something amazingly flavorful or maybe you are just starting to give lentils a try, DO NOT make this soup. It is fine and edible, but very boring. I would eat it without complaints if served to me, but I will never make this again. I love lentils. There are so many tastier things to be done with them. Other recipes on this website are much better.
I’m sorry this soup wasn’t your favorite, Michele! I personally love the flavor with the vinegar and cumin, but we all have different tastes. If you prefer a richer lentil soup, you might enjoy this recipe instead: https://strong-nights.today/curry-lentil-soup/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
Taste and spice accordingly. This recipe is fantastic!
Absolutely delicious, will definitely add it as one of my favourite soups. Fantastic flavour and so healthy
Do you know the macros for this soup?
First time eating and making lentil soup. Swapped out the vinegar with the juice of 1/2 lemon. We loved it! Thank you!
So glad you loved it, Melissa!