Lentil Soup

Meet the BEST lentil soup recipe! Made with dried lentils, fresh vegetables, flavorful spices, and hearty greens, it's simple, nourishing, and delicious.

Lentil soup

This lentil soup recipe might surprise you. Sure, it’s simple. But that doesn’t mean it’s bland or boring.

This lentil soup is 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 delicious 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. I love that it’s easy to make with mostly pantry ingredients and that it’s nourishing, warming, and satisfying. If you ask me, it’s the perfect healthy dinner for a winter weeknight (save any leftovers for lunch the next day!). I hope you love this classic lentil soup as much as I do.

Lentil soup recipe ingredients

Lentil Soup Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this lentil soup recipe:

  • Lentils, of course! I recommend using green or French green lentils because they hold their shape in the soup, adding satisfying texture. Brown lentils are also a fine option. Don’t use red lentils here—they’re too mushy for this recipe.
  • 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 will work here too!
  • Vegetable broth – Make homemade vegetable broth, or use store-bought.
  • Fresh thyme – For citrusy, 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. Bundling the sprigs like this is SO much quicker than picking and measuring the leaves.
  • Cumin – The secret ingredient! It adds savory, earthy depth of flavor.
  • White wine vinegar – It gives the soup a bright, tangy kick.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

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? No problem. Finish the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!

Sautéing onion, carrot, and celery in Dutch oven

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. Season with salt and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften, about 8 minutes.

Adding diced tomatoes to pot

Next, simmer the soup. Add the garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme, and broth.

Adding lentils to soup pot with vegetables

Cover the soup and cook until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes or so. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

How to make lentil soup - pouring broth into pot

Finally, add the greens. Cook until they wilt, about 5 minutes, and then season to taste.

Serve the lentil soup in bowls topped with garnishes like fresh parsley, grated Parmesan, and/or red pepper flakes. Enjoy with crusty bread!

Love cooking soup in the Instant Pot? I have an Instant Pot version of this recipe! Check out my Instant Pot Lentil Soup.

Stirring kale leaves into pot of lentil soup

How to Store Lentil Soup

Got leftover soup? You’re in luck! It will keep well 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.

Best lentil soup recipe

More Favorite Soup Recipes

If you love this lentil soup, try one of these nourishing soup recipes next:

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Best Lentil Soup

rate this recipe:
4.97 from 592 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 4 to 6
This easy lentil soup recipe is healthy and delicious, filled with fresh veggies, herbs, and spices. Serve it with crusty bread for a simple weeknight meal! Skip the cheese to make this recipe vegan.

Ingredients

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

Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 4 days. If it thickens too much in the fridge, stir in a little water while you reheat it to reach your desired soup consistency. This soup also freezes well.

 

830 comments

4.97 from 592 votes (170 ratings without comment)

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  1. Kate E
    01.14.2024

    5 stars
    This soup is delish! Substituted spinach for kale since my husband doesn’t like kale. Served with chunks of sourdough bread for dipping. Perfect meal for a chilly day!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Kate, I’m so glad you both loved it!

  2. Lacy Szuwalski
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    Made this tonight with my mom ?Each time she flies in we choose a recipe from your cookbook to make. She brought the lentils from Kansas 🙂 We both loved the veggies in this soup. Next round, I’ll take it a little easier with the red pepper flakes. Our first bowl gave us a good nose run. One question did come up while cooking… this recipe calls for grated garlic. Does it make a big difference to have grated over minced garlic?

  3. Katie Olson
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    I made this soup today, and it was amazing! Very flavorful, comforting, and healthy. Thank you for the recipe.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  4. Lynne
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    This soup is delicious! The only change that I made was that I used baby kale.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Lynne, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  5. Roxane
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    Made this tonight. It was so delicious. I did make one mistake and added the kale when I added the garlic, tomatoes, lentils etc instead of at the very end. It sill turned out fine but next time I will not make the same mistake.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Roxanne, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  6. Karen Stump
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    I was going to make Chili or this Lentil Soup. I picked the Lentil soup and so glad I did. It was so easy and tastes delicious!! Unfortunately the store was out of fresh thyme and I did not realize I was out of dried so I used Oregano and still tastes great. Thank you

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Karen, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  7. Lainey
    01.13.2024

    8 cups of Kale (?) was wondering Jeanine is that a typo? I can’t see how 3 large leaves or 6 small would yield 8 cups? Haven’t made this yet, just wanted to double check. Thanks Lainey.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Lainey, it’s not chopped very finely so they’re very loose packed cups. You can just eyeball it depending on the size of your kale leaves, the kale doesn’t have to be exact.

  8. Marilyn Zawoyski
    01.13.2024

    Made this today on a snowy day in Pittsburgh. It was perfect. I added potatoes, just because I think most every soup should have them!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Ha, I’m glad you enjoyed the soup.

  9. Lisette Trueman
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    This is delicious! So much flavor and healthy goodness in this soup! I loved every yummy bite. I will absolutely be making this again.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  10. Laurie Randazz
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    It’s 29 degrees and very windy; such a perfect day for this soup! The recipe is easy to follow and the results were outstanding! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      I’m so happy you loved it!

  11. Cheryl Johnson
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    Love the warming flavors!! Happy I can freeze some for future use too!

  12. Cheryl
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    Such a delicious soup for cold winter days! Used carrots and spinach, since I had those on hand. The thyme and vinegar add nice tones to the flavor!! A touch of grated Parmesan when served = a perfect meal. Thank you!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.15.2024

      Hi Cheryl, I’m so glad it was a flexible recipe?

  13. Naomi
    01.13.2024

    Lentil soup is one of my faves and this is a variation on my standard. I will be making it on this cold gloomy day!

  14. Debbie Herbert
    01.13.2024

    5 stars
    This soup is just what the doctor ordered! So much flavor and lots of spice., perfect for a cold, rainy or snowy day and great sub for chicken soup for the resulting sniffles. I forgot what I bought the kale for and had already made Caesar salad with it so I used romaine in its place. That was my only change to the recipe. Delicious!

  15. Sarah S
    01.12.2024

    Yum! As neither a lentil nor a kale fan at the beginning, I still really enjoyed this soup. As a gardener, I love how it is open to seasonal substitutions. 5/5, will make again!

  16. Shira
    01.12.2024

    5 stars
    Such an easy yet delicious recipe. Perfect for a snowy night. And I love the use of kale stems to be less wasteful!

  17. Mitzi Bumbarger
    01.12.2024

    5 stars
    This was the first recipe I made from this website, it was so flavorful and perfect!

  18. Angela Gaudet
    01.12.2024

    5 stars
    This has great flavor! I swapped rainbow chard instead of kale and love the colors & taste it added. Simple to make, tastes fantastic .. it has definitely made its way into my rotation. Served with homemade bread!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.12.2024

      Hi Angela, I’m so glad you loved the soup!

  19. Tova Teitelbaum
    01.12.2024

    5 stars
    Loved it! So delicious and healthy. Substituted homegrown spinach for the kale.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.12.2024

      Hi Tova, I’m so glad you loved the soup!

  20. Adrienne Lee
    01.11.2024

    4 stars
    I made the lentil soup recipe – subbing leeks for the celery. I served it with naan and sauteed zucchini. It was delicious.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.12.2024

      Hi Adrienne, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Leeks would be delicious here.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.