This easy, one-pot lentil soup is the ultimate comfort food: creamy, hearty, loaded with protein from nutty brown lentils and flavor from aromatic spices and veggies.
Table of Contents
Hearty, nourishing lentil soup
My favorite thing about this homemade lentil soup is that as it simmers on the stove, the spices send a divine aroma wafting through the house that brings everyone running to the dinner table!
I don't call it the best lentil soup lightly. Albeit easy to make, it is chock-full of complex flavors and textures. There's the robust meatiness of the lentils, freshness and a light crunch from the carrots and celery, a welcome hit of spice from cumin and curry powder, and lots of umami from the tomato paste, mushroom stock and mushrooms. A drizzle of coconut milk just before cooking ends adds a silky mouthfeel and sends the comfort factor of this lentil soup shooting into the stratosphere.
I especially love the curry powder and coconut milk combination in recipes. These two ingredients are made for each other and they weave their magic through every mouthful of this delicious soup.
If you're still wondering if this is the recipe for you, here are even more reasons to make it:
- It's super healthy. The lentils and veggies are great for you, of course, and the spices are particularly nourishing in winter because they help warm up the body and drive away the sniffles. There are just 156 calories and 8 grams each of protein and fiber in one serving!
- You can feed it to nearly anyone with dietary restrictions. There are no nuts, soy and gluten in this recipe and it's vegan, of course. If you have kids who will eat mushrooms they will love this soup, but if they don't, you can always fish out the mushrooms for them. Or skip them altogether. To make the recipe free of added oils, skip the oil and sauté the veggies in ¼ cup vegetable stock.
- It's simple and so easy to make: Did I say it's one-pot? Because brown lentils cook so quickly you don't have to pre-cook them. The whole recipe takes under an hour from start to finish using dried lentils and you can make it even faster with canned lentils. It's weeknight-friendly and with eight servings you will have plenty to feed a crowd or for leftovers, which taste fantastic!
- The ingredients are easy to find and budget-friendly. One of my essential requirements for winter soups is that they should be pantry-friendly. This one needs no fancy ingredients. And dried lentils are very affordable, in fact, they are even cheaper than canned lentils.
Fall and winter are the perfect time for cooking with comforting, hearty, DELICIOUS lentils. You might also enjoy these recipes for dal soup with black lentils, mulligatawny soup, and Moroccan harira soup.
Recipe card
Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil is fine, or any vegetable oil. To keep this free of added oils use ¼ cup vegetable stock instead of oil.)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (or button mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar *
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup dried brown lentils (or green lentils. If using canned, see FAQs below)
- 4 cups mushroom stock (or water)**
- 1 teaspoon dry mint
- 2 heaping tsp curry powder
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (or fresh parsley, chopped)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions start to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and continue sauteing for a couple of minutes.
- Stir tomato paste into the roasted veggies and continue sauteing for a couple more minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms and let them cook a couple of minutes. Add apple cider vinegar to the pot to deglaze the fond that has developed at the bottom of the pot and scrape those tasty bits up.
- Stir in the paprika and ground cumin.
- Add the lentils to the pot. Mix well.
- Add the mushroom stock or water.
- Stir in the mint. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and let the soup simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Don't overcook the lentils to the point where they will disintegrate--you want them whole so they make for a nice presentation.
- Stir the coconut milk and curry powder and immediately turn off the heat.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar helps deglaze the pan and adds more complexity. It's like using wine in the soup, without the alcohol.
- You can also substitute the mushroom stock with a good quality vegetable stock or vegetable broth.
- Store lentil soup in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze soup in an airtight container for up to three months.
- Defrost and reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Nutrition Information
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Lentil soup FAQs
No, the lentils will cook very quickly and don't need to be pre-soaked. I'd advise giving them a quick rinse in a colander, however, to get rid of any dirt or grit.
You can use pink lentils, brown lentils, green lentils, puy lentils and beluga lentils in this soup. Cooking time for different lentils will vary slightly -- just make sure you cook the lentils until they are tender.
Sure. Using canned lentils will bring down cooking time to 45 minutes. Add them at the same time as you'd add the dried lentils, but reduce simmer time after that to 5-10 minutes.
The lentils will thicken the soup upon standing. You can hasten this process by mashing some of the lentils with the back of a spoon or ladle. You can also use an immersion blender to break up the lentils, or simmer it for an additional 10-15 minutes to let the liquid evaporate.
Absolutely! To make this in a slow cooker, follow steps 1 to 6 in a skillet on the stovetop, then transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker liner, stir in the stock, and slow cook on low for six to eight hours and on high for three to four hours. Open and stir in mint, coconut milk and curry powder,
If using an Instant Pot, follow steps 1-8 with the IP set to the "saute" function. Then pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let pressure release naturally or force-release after 10 minutes and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Connie says
Good, Family pleaser!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Connie.
Peter D says
I came across your site this morning and will make your version of lentil soup today. For several decades, I have had to closely monitor my sodium intake and have become quite adept at determining where the sodium lies in a recipe and either eliminating it or subbing for it. I will have no problem doing the same with this dish. I am, however, very curious as to why, in the nutrient section, it has the standard list of nutrients, but no mention of sodium. Might be an oversight.
Vaishali says
Hi Peter, I don't include sodium info on most recipes because salt is a variable ingredient depending on your taste--except for baked goods where I usually include the sodium info.
P.baker says
I am sure this soup is wonderful .. it looks so good but would be great if you had a restaurant with all the ingredients. This would be such an expensive soup having EIGHTEEN ingredients.
Vaishali says
Hi, most of the ingredients are just veggies and pantry staples, including salt, cumin and apple cider vinegar. It's not at all expensive--a serving would likely cost pennies.
Geffen Grail says
Best lentil soup ever! The richness of tomato paste and toasted herbs made it a rich and savory and far from ordinary. I added roasted chunks of kuri squash and cooked wild rice for a hearty stew effect. My lentils took 55 minutes in total to soften - about 20-minutes after turning off the heat as per the recipe. Overall, it came out perfect.
Vaishali says
Sounds so delicious! So happy you tried the soup.
Anonymous says
Made this today and is soooo yummy , thumbs up 👍
Alocasia says
Would this work with almond or soy milk instead of coconut?
Vaishali says
Yes, certainly. Any nondairy milk would work, including almond, soy, oat and cashew. I'd lean toward cashew or soy or oat milk as they are creamier.
Paul says
Delicious thank you!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear!
Jeannette Mathis says
Dear Vaishali,
Thank you so much for your Blog! I am so very happy to have found it! Like you, my foremost motivation for a vegan lifestyle was my concern for the animals and I have been a vegan for quite a few years. However, I often had trouble to find simple, yet delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes, until I came to your blog.
Am going to make your White sauce and then the Lentil Soup.
Seems very easy and I do not feel intimidated by the recipe (I am not a seasoned cook and always hesitant to use all those super-fast kitchen machines. Love simple methods and just top-of-the-stove dishes. I was born and raised in Western Europe and as a child and teenager was never allowed in the kitchen but had to always study and had my nose in a book or doing loads of home work, so luckily I married an American man who loved to cook, so my husband always cooked and baked for us. Sadly my dear husband passed away in 2015 and I had to learn to cook for myself and I do quite well actually. Thank you Vaishali for beautiful recipes; I am making a shopping list now and look forward to making my first dish according to your recipes.