Hearty Green Lentil Vegetable Soup Recipe (Vegan)

You’re going to love this hearty, soul-warming green lentil soup recipe! It’s easy to make, naturally vegan, and loaded with fresh vegetables, flavor, nutrients, protein, and fiber. We always make a double-batch and freeze leftovers for easy future meals.

Our green lentil vegetable soup recipe is delectably thick (so much so, it borders on stew) yet it’s easy to adjust the consistency to your liking, as described below.

NOTE: I previously called this recipe our “kale lentil soup” since it’s loaded with healthy dark leafy greens, but that’s not all!

Using brown or green lentils (vs red or yellow)

Green, brown, red, yellow… You can technically use any kind of lentils to make lentil soup. However, we prefer to use organic brown or green lentils for soup (they’re often used interchangeably) since they hold their shape and texture better than yellow or red lentils, which tend to get mushy or fall apart instead.

If you do choose to use red or yellow lentils for this recipe, keep in mind that they cook must faster (about 15 minutes or so) compared to brown and green lentils, so adjust the cooking time for the soup accordingly.

Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 

Do I have to soak the lentils before making soup?

No! Unlike dry beans, lentils do not need to be soaked in water for hours before cooking them. Instead, it’s recommended to simply rinse and sift lentils in a strainer under water before use. This gives you the opportunity to wash away any dirt, dust, or other debris (e.g. small rocks) that may be present. 

However, you certainly can soak the lentils before cooking them if your schedule allows. Soaking lentils in water for an hour or so will reduce the cooking time by about half, as well as make them more nutritious and easier to digest.

Is lentil soup good for you?

Lentil soup is awesome for your health! And nutrition experts consider green lentils the most healthy of them all. 

Lentils, a member of the legume family, are one of the most nutrient-dense plant based proteins around (falling just behind soybeans in protein content per serving). To make it a complete protein, we love to serve green lentil soup with homemade sourdough bread made with whole grains.

In addition to protein, lentils offer high levels of fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, and folate but are low in fat – so they’re very heart-healthy! Plus, our green lentil soup recipe is loaded with other vegetables, broth and spices that offer a plethora of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and even contains omega-3 fatty acids. (Did you know that kale is considered a superfood?)

Ingredients

The recipe below makes about 2 to 3 quarts of soup (or about 10 cups). Use the printable recipe at the end of this article to adjust the servings and easily scale up or down as desired.

• 2 cups of dry green lentils
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped. Use any variety of kale you prefer: lacinato or “dino” kale, curly green kale, or others.
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
• 1 quart (4 cups) of vegetable broth. Learn how to make homemade broth from saved veggie scraps here!
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter 
• ½ cup to 1 cup water (adjust based on personal preference for final soup consistency)
• 1 can (14 oz) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp paprika. Or try this green lentil soup recipe with smoked paprika for an extra-delicious twist!
• ½ tsp sea salt (more to taste, if needed)
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 bay leaves, fresh or dry
• 1 lemon (to juice) OR 1 tsp of red wine vinegar

Instructions

1. Wash and chop or dice the onions, garlic, celery and carrots into small pieces. 
   
   
2. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or butter/vegan butter) to your soup pot, and then add the chopped onions, garlic, celery, and carrot along with the bay leaves and sprinkle of salt and pepper.
   
   
3. Saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until everything starts to soften. Stir occasionally. Don’t rush this part! It’s where much of the flavor for the green lentil soup is developed. 
   
   
4. Meanwhile, rinse and sift the green lentils under water in a colander.
   
   
5. Add all the remaining called-for ingredients to the pot (broth, lentils, tomatoes, and spices) EXCEPT for the kale and lemon or vinegar. We don’t want to overcook the kale into mush.
   
   
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
   
   
7. Cover the pot and allow everything to simmer for 25-40 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and softened to your desired texture. Some folks prefer lentils on the al dente side, or cooked longer for a softer, creamier consistency. Stir occasionally. (Less time if you pre-soaked the lentils).
   
   
8. De-stem the kale and roughly chop or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Then add it to the soup, stir, cover the pot again, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
   
   
9. Remove the pot from the heat before adding your lemon or vinegar to the finished green lentil soup. The pop of acid really brightens the soup and brings all the flavors together! Either squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup, or add 1 tsp of red wine vinegar.  
   
   
10. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. 
    
    
11. Finally, serve and enjoy! Green lentil soup is amazing with a side of whole grain bread, topped with parmesan cheese, or simply served as-is. Get our homemade sourdough bread recipe here.

TIP: To adjust the thickness of the soup, feel free to add more water or broth. Or for a thicker, extra-creamy lentil soup, you can blend a small portion (a cup or two) of the finished soup and add it back in – or blitz it a few times with an immersion blender. 

How long does green lentil soup stay good for?

Green lentil soup is good for about 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Store soup in an air-tight container with a lid for maximum freshness. Or, freeze your leftover soup to enjoy for many months to come! Frozen lentil vegetable soup is good for up to a year in the freezer, though it will be the best quality within 6 months. 

How to Freeze Green Lentil Soup

We always keep our freezer stocked with homemade soup – and lentil veggie soup is no exception! We use our favorite durable, reusable BPA-free quart freezer containers. They’re the perfect size for soup for two! Fill containers all the way to the “fill line” near the top, leaving just about an 1/2 to 1 inch of headroom. (The less air inside the container, the less chances of freezer burn.)

For the best quality and food safety, allow the soup to fully and rapidly cool before putting it in the freezer. To do so, we either: 1) allow the pot to cool at room temperature for about an hour and then submerge it in an ice bath in the sink for a couple hours (stirring frequently), refrigerate the pot without the lid overnight, and then package it in the morning. Or 2) allow the pot to cool at room temp for no more than a couple hours (stirring frequently) and then break up the room temperature soup into several quart storage containers to cool in the refrigerator overnight with the lids off (spread the containers out so they’re not crammed together).

Defrost frozen green lentil soup in the refrigerator the day before use, or on the countertop for a few hours.

Bon appétit!

Alright friends, now it’s time to get cooking! All in all, we hope you love our hearty, healthy green lentil soup recipe just as much as we do. Once you give it a try, please stop back by to leave a review! May your bellies be warm, full, and satisfied. And if you’re looking for even more tasty vegan soup recipes, don’t miss the list below!

• Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
• Creamy Potato Leek Soup
• How to Make Vegetable Broth from Saved Kitchen Scraps
• Easy Vegan No-Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (With Protein!)
• Butternut Squash and Sage Soup 
• Best Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup Recipe