Vegan Lentil Soup
Vegan lentil soup is ultra-comforting, hearty, and satisfying! It comes together in one pot, making it perfect for meal prep and busy weeknights. Serve it with corn tortillas and your favorite garnishes for a protein-packed and highly nutritious lunch or dinner.
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Nutrient-dense: With green lentils at its core, this soup is an incredible source of protein and fiber.
- One-pot meal: You’ll love how simple this lentil soup is to make! Just throw everything into a stockpot and wait for it to simmer.
- Heartwarming flavors: There’s something undeniably comforting about a bowl of hot soup, especially one as comforting and satisfying as this.
- Customizable garnishes: You can fully customize your lentil soup with a variety of garnishes — be it spicy, tangy, or creamy, the choice is yours!
If you love vegan lentil soup, you should really check out our fava bean soup, chickpea soup, vegan potato soup, and vegan tortilla soup.
🍲 What is vegan lentil soup?
One of our favorite meals to make for busy weeks is this vegan lentil soup. It’s incredibly simple to prepare and comes together in under an hour, just like this Mediterranean lentil soup.
Once simmered, the flavors meld together seamlessly. The lentils provide a soft, almost creamy consistency, while the spices and vegetables lend depth and complexity.
We love to garnish ours with fresh herbs, hot sauce, and vegan cheese. You can also pair it with corn tortillas or dairy-free bread for a more complete meal. We know you’re going to love this recipe as much as we do!
🌱 Choosing the right lentils
Choosing the right lentil for its intended use makes all the difference! This overview of lentils should help with your future decision-making:
- Brown lentils: Brown lentils retain their shape during cooking for a consistent texture. They offer a mild and earthy flavor and are ideal for hearty soups.
- Green lentils: Green lentils have a slightly peppery flavor that complements a wide variety of soup ingredients. These also stay firm after cooking.
- Red and yellow lentils: These slightly sweet and nutty lentils break down quickly, making them ideal for creamy soups, curries, and purées.
- Black (Beluga) lentils: Beluga lentils offer a firm texture, which also makes them great for stews. They have a rich, earthy flavor.
- French (Puy) lentils: French lentils maintain their shape as well, adding a bite to soups and salads. This type of lentil offers a distinct, slightly nutty flavor profile.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Olive oil: To sauté the veggies and add a rich flavor. If you don’t have olive oil, it can be replaced with avocado, canola, sunflower, or safflower oil.
- White onion: Brings sweetness and depth. Yellow onion works equally well, or you can try shallots for a milder alternative.
- Carrots & celery: Along with onion and garlic, carrots and celery are essential for any great soup base. They add savory, umami, and slightly sweet undertones.
- Garlic: Provides a pungent savory kick. Garlic powder will work in a pinch if fresh garlic cloves are unavailable.
- Roma tomatoes: Add a vibrant tanginess and a pop of color. Canned diced tomatoes will also work if you prefer.
- Spices: We love the combination of cumin, paprika, and cayenne for an earthy, smoky spice. Feel free to play around with the quantities according to your taste.
- Bay leaves: Provide a subtle, herbal aroma that gives this vegan lentil soup a full-bodied taste.
- Green lentils: With a creamy texture and earthy flavor, green lentils make this soup hearty, filling, and healthy. Brown lentils will also work, but red lentils are too soft and will break down.
- Salt & pepper: To enhance the flavors of the soup and add a subtle kick. You can use Himalayan or sea salt.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make vegan lentil soup
Step 1: Create the base
Start by heating the oil in a large stockpot over medium. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots for a few minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the veggies are softened.
Step 2: Add the rest
Mix in the cumin, paprika, and cayenne, then add the rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, and bay leaves. Give everything a good stir until it’s well combined.
Step 3: Simmer the soup
Bring the soup to a low boil and reduce the heat to simmer until the lentils are tender and creamy. When the lentils are soft, season your soup with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust the other seasonings to your preferences. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this vegan lentil soup recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 What to serve with vegan lentil soup
For a well-balanced and filling meal, pair your soup with side dishes like these:
- Kale Caesar salad
- Tomato cucumber salad
- Couscous salad
- Vegan pasta salad
- Vegan tuna sandwich
- Dairy-free bread
- Sourdough bread
- Vegan garlic bread
🌡️ Storage & reheating
Vegan lentil soup makes the best leftovers! Just follow these simple storage steps:
- Fridge: Once cooled, store your vegan lentil soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: This recipe can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Like the fridge method, ensure your soup is cooled before freezing it in airtight containers or freezer bags with some room at the top for expansion.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw your soup in the fridge overnight. Warm it on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Prep ahead: Vegan lentil soup is great for meal prep! Just make a big batch and store it in single-serving portions for quick weekday meals.
♻️ Variations
- Spicy: Increase the cayenne or add fresh chile peppers for more heat.
- Creamy: Add cashew crema for a richer, creamier texture.
- Herby: Infuse this soup with herbs like rosemary or thyme.
- Tangy: Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to up the tanginess.
- Grains: For more texture, incorporate barley, rice, or quinoa.
- Root vegetables: Mix some turnips or sweet potatoes into this soup.
- Smoky: Add chipotles in adobo for a smoky variation.
- Protein: Tofu or tempeh cubes make great additions to this soup.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Rinse the lentils: Ensure the lentils are thoroughly rinsed to remove any impurities. Also, check for any pebbles or small rocks to save your teeth!
- Soak the lentils: To reduce the cooking time, soak your lentils overnight in room-temperature water.
- Keep it simmering: Avoid boiling the soup for too long. Keep it at a gentle simmer so the flavors meld together.
- Spice balance: You can completely customize the spices. Start with less, then taste and adjust to your preferences.
- Broth quality: Opt for a high-quality vegetable broth or make your own.
- Garnish generously: Don’t skimp on the garnishes! They really elevate the soup.
- Make leftovers: We think this soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen. Don’t be afraid of doubling the batch for leftovers.
- Adjust the consistency: For a thicker soup, blend a portion and mix it back in.
💬 FAQ
You have to simmer the soup until the lentils are tender, which typically takes about 25-30 minutes. This also ensures the flavors meld together.
Yes, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker, but the time will need to be adjusted. Add everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Lentils absorb a lot of the broth which can make the soup thick. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more broth or water until you reach your desired consistency.
Yes, you can blend a small amount of this vegan lentil soup and add it back to create a thicker broth. If you prefer the entire soup to be smooth you can absolutely blend the entire thing.
🍴 More soup recipes
If you enjoyed this vegan lentil soup, take a peek at some more warming soups like these:
- Butternut Squash Soup: The perfect meal for cool fall and winter days.
- 4-Ingredient Potato Soup: Ready in 30 minutes and great for weeknight dinners!
- Vegan Split Pea Soup: A hearty, high-protein, and flavor-packed soup.
- Sopa de Fideo: Classic Mexican noodle soup.
- Chickpea Soup: A simple and flavorful soup you can make in 40 minutes or less.
Vegan Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Ladle
- Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large carrots, diced
- 4-5 medium celery stalks, diced
- 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 Mexican bay leaves
- 3 cups dry green lentils, rinsed
- 14 cups vegetable broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
To serve
- Corn tortillas
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Avocado
- Vegan cotija cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots for 5-6 minutes, then add in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the veggies are softened.
- Mix in the cumin, paprika, and cayenne, then add the rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, and bay leaves. Give everything a good stir until it’s well combined.
- Bring the soup to a low boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 25-20 minutes until the lentils are tender and creamy.
- When the lentils are soft, season your soup with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust the other seasonings to your preferences. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Rinse the lentils: Ensure the lentils are thoroughly rinsed to remove any impurities. Also, check for any pebbles or small rocks to save your teeth!
- Soak the lentils: To reduce the cooking time, soak your lentils overnight in room-temperature water.
- Keep it simmering: Avoid boiling the soup for too long. Keep it at a gentle simmer so the flavors meld together.
- Spice balance: You can completely customize the spices. Start with less, then taste and adjust to your preferences.
- Broth quality: Opt for a high-quality vegetable broth or make your own.
- Garnish generously: Don’t skimp on the garnishes! They really elevate the soup.
- Make leftovers: We think this soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen. Don’t be afraid of doubling the batch for leftovers.
- Adjust the consistency: For a thicker soup, blend a portion and mix it back in.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
Justine Drosdovech is a food writer, photographer, and one of the founders of Broke Bank Vegan. She is a self-taught plant-based chef but uses her healthcare background to craft dishes that are both delicious and nourishing.