Lentil soup, made from scratch with affordable ingredients. It's nutritious, filling, and comforting, perfect to warm you up on a cold day.
This lentil soup is extremely easy to make! Super healthy, satiating, and nutritious, it is perfect to enjoy on a daily basis. It only requires one pot and simple ingredients, and you can keep it in the freezer for quite a long time.
You can customize it with any veggies you want and use some vegetable stock to give it a little bit more flavor. Besides, you can make a big batch of it and enjoy it all week long. It really is delicious!
Lentil soup recipe - Short video
How to make lentil soup - Step by step
- Heat the oil in a large pot (photo 1) and add the veggies (photo 2). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 3), stirring occasionally.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper (photo 4). Stir.
- Increase heat and bring to simmer (photo 5). Cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 40 minutes (photo 6).
- Finally, add the salt and pepper (photo 7) and stir.
- To thicken the soup, use an immersion blender and do 3-4 quick pulses (photo 8). You could also transfer 1 cup (250 ml) of the soup to a regular blender and blend, then transfer it back into the pot.
- Serve your lentil soup immediately.
Ingredients and tips
- Extra virgin olive oil: I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes. However, using any type of oil is also okay. I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they’re healthier. However, if you don’t consume oil, just use some vegetable stock or water instead.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic, but garlic powder is a good alternative.
- Onion: I used yellow onion, but any type of onion will do, though, even onion powder.
- Celery: feel free to omit or add any veggies you want or have on hand.
- Carrot: same as above.
- Dried brown or green lentils: I’ve only made this soup using brown and green lentils, but I guess you could use other types of lentils or even other legumes. However, in that case, you may need to add more or less liquid.
- Crushed tomatoes: canned tomatoes are so convenient. Tomato puree and tomato sauce are great. Feel free to use fresh tomatoes, but in that case, you’ll probably need to add more liquid (vegetable stock or water).
- Vegetable stock or water: I prefer vegetable stock because it enhances the flavor of this soup. However, water is okay too. Making your own vegetable stock at home is a good idea, but feel free to use a store-bought version if you want to.
- Dried oregano: any dried or fresh herb will do. I prefer to add fresh herbs at the end, once the soup is already cooked. You could also try it with poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, or even chicken seasoning.
- Ground cumin: add any spices you like.
- Salt: I used iodized salt, but any salt will do.
- Ground black pepper: fresh ground black pepper tastes amazing. However, I find the store-bought one more convenient and also easier to measure with a teaspoon.
- Although this recipe is already super nutritious, if you want to serve it with a side of veggies, you could make vegetable tempura or veggie stir fry. They are delicious!
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📖 Recipe
Lentil Soup
Lentil soup, made from scratch with affordable ingredients. It's nutritious, filling, and comforting, perfect to warm you up on a cold day.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 cup dried brown or green lentils
- 2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable stock or water
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot and add the veggies (garlic, onion, celery, and carrot). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Stir.
- Increase heat and bring to simmer. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
- Finally, add the salt and pepper and stir.
- To thicken the soup, use an immersion blender and do 3-4 quick pulses. You could also transfer 1 cup (250 ml) of the soup to a regular blender and blend, then transfer it back into the pot. This step is totally optional.
- Serve your lentil soup immediately (I topped my soup with some chopped fresh parsley) with a side of vegetable tempura or veggie stir fry.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Feel free to add your favorite veggies, herbs, and spices, such as poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, or even chicken seasoning.
- Add more or less liquid depending on how thick you want your soup to be.
- If you want to reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe, omit the salt and use water instead of vegetable stock. You could also make your own vegetable stock with no salt or buy a low-sodium one.
- Lentils do not require it but they can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time. Soaked lentils are also easier to digest.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.9g | Protein: 15.3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Sodium: 1124mg | Fiber: 11.1g | Sugar: 4.3g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Update Notes: This post was originally published in January of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in April of 2021.
Martha says
Just finished making this and had every intention of letting it sit in the fridge until tomorrow, because soup always tastes better the second day. Well, I'm on my third bowl. 😂 The only change I would make would be to cut back the cumin by half. It is too predominant in the dish and sort of cancels out the other spices. Still tastes good, but I'd like a more varied flavor profile. Was looking through your other recipes, and I'm going to try a bunch! Thank you
Iosune Robles says
Hi Martha! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Sassy says
I have made this twice now. First time as written, the second time I used pasata rather than crushed tomatoes and preferred that one as I am not a fan of cooked tomato chunks (I know, I am weird 😉). But either way this soup is delicious, so simple to make, and great for a cold night. As there were only two of us, we had extra for the freezer, which made the next time even easier, something that is a favourite in our house.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Gerry says
I make this soup using this recipe ALL THE TIME! I love it. It’s absolutely delicious!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Gerry! So glad you liked it 🙂
Nona says
My husband also . adds butternut squash to his lentil potaje. Onions, garlic, red pepper and used to add ham hocks or ham, but since I have been vegan he doesn’t use any animal products anymore in any of beans. We are only two so he cooks big batch in pressure cooker and we freeze in small portions. I find your recipes to be the best and easiest to follow. Thank you
Iosune Robles says
Hi Nona! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Brenda J Thacker says
I make lentil soup often and this is pretty much the recipe I use. I do make a couple of additions. I add a one pound bag of fresh spinach at the end to the hot soup and mix to wilt and a splash of cider vinegar. The addition of the acid adds a brightness to the dish that I love and I never make this without it.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Brenda! That sounds so good! I'm glad you liked our lentil soup recipe 🙂
gerry says
Tried it. Loved it! Simple recipe and was just the flavors I was looking for here. So many different ways to make lentil soup - and I probably love them all. But this was what I wanted and had not found. Thank you! Wish I could upload a pic. It looked as good as it tastes.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Gerry! So glad you liked our lentil soup 🙂 Have a nice day!
Tahira Akhtar says
Would this work with red lentils? Thank you great recipe
Iosune says
Hi Tahia! I think so, although I've never tried it myself 🙂
Lentil Soup Recipes says
Flavorful lentil soup is budget-friendly and full of nutrients. Stir up a batch with one of Food Network's most-popular lentil soup recipes, and make it a favorite in your repertoire.
Iosune says
Hi! Yes, it is 🙂
Paul says
Made this soup a few days ago and I love it ....I take it to work in a small flask and have it with my lunch.... try adding a little chilli if you light a spicy taste 👍
I’ve also had some as a starter to my evening meal its a great starter.
It’s a very economical recipe and lasts all week ❤️
Iosune says
Hi Paul! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Todd says
Great recipe. Garnished with quarter avacado per serving.
Iosune says
Hi Todd! Thanks a lot 🙂
Mary Dokos says
This soup is easy and deliciously nourishing.. I had an excess of fresh homegrown tomatoes so I used those instead of canned tomatoes. Served with a dollop of mashed potato and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan, I couldn't resist a second bowl.
Iosune says
Hi Mary! Sounds amazing 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Mark Walters says
My usual tomato and lentil soup is a recipe from Cranks, which is nice. BUT . . . I cooked your recipe this evening and it is far, far tastier. I was really very impressed and shall pass the recipe and website link to my friends.
I didn’t have a carrot, but did have a bag of frozen veg in my freezer. So I used a handful of carrot, cauliflower and broccoli plus a diced potato to the pot.
There was enough for two helpings at the table and two sealed containers in the fridge.
Thank you 🙏
Iosune says
Hi Mark! Sounds great 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Patricia says
Wow...this was easy and yummy. Even our children loved it and want to try it with pasta next time. First time for them to eat and actually like lentils. Thank you for your amazing food blog. It simply is SIMPLE 😊
Iosune says
Hi Patricia! You're so welcome 🙂 I'm so glad you and your children loved it!