Here’s a hearty soup that’s loaded with nourishing veggies and fragrant herbs. This vegetarian lentil soup is an easy, throw-it-together dish that can keep you returning to the stove all day.
I love to have a pot of this soup just simmering away, the smell of the marjoram and thyme filling the room. It’s a comforting wintery treat as a great lunch, snack, or dinner bowl.
You know those recipes that you keep coming back to? This is one of those. You’ll likely have the ingredients in the fridge and cupboard already, and you know it will hit the spot. Everyone will love this veggie lentil soup, from the pickiest little ones to the older folks in your life. Treat them to a bowl of this joyful soup.
For more soup recipes see Creamy Mushroom Soup, Vegetarian Potato Soup, Vegetarian Laksa or Mexian Bean Soup.
If you love lentils as much as we do you might also want to check out Sweet Potato Lentil Curry, Creamy Red Lentil Dahl or Roasted Lentils.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Budget-friendly; this soup is made with simple, cost-effective ingredients available at most grocery stores.
- Great for meal prep. You can literally just reach for this soup all week.
- Filling and satisfying; it’ll warm you up in no time and keep your tummy satisfied.
- A one-pot, hands-off kind of recipe. I love that it’s minimal effort for maximum flavor.
- Loaded with flavor; plenty of different veggies and herbs so you’ll taste sweet and earthy notes.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Lentils: Brown lentils, green (puy lentils), or red lentils but no split lentils. This will give the soup a mushy and creamy texture and is better used for dahls and lentil curries.
- Onion: White, red, or yellow onion is fine; onions form the base of this soup.
- Garlic: Use lovely fresh garlic rather than powdered or bottled.
- Celery: I love the addition of sweet celery to this soup; you could use leeks instead.
- Potatoes: Any potatoes you have are fine; these give the body some creaminess to this recipe.
- Carrots: Bright, sweet, and earthy, you could also use parsnips in this soup.
- Thyme: This strong herb is an essential aromatic in this soup.
- Marjoram: Or oregano, but don’t skip out on the herbs.
- Vegetable Broth. Either store-bought or homemade is great; just ensure it’s flavorful.
- Grated Cheddar: You can get creative with your cheese; just ensure it’ll blend and mix in easily.
- Sour Cream: This is optional, but I love that it delivers a creamy soup.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make vegetarian lentil soup
STEP 1: In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat it up. Add in the onion and celery and saute until the onion is soft. Add in the garlic and the other veggies and cook for a minute or two more—season with salt.
STEP 2: Pour in the veggie broth, lentils, and herbs. Allow it to come to a boil, turn the heat down to simmer, and cook the soup until the lentils are tender but not mushy—about 30 minutes.
STEP 3: Take the soup off the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese.
STEP 4: Remove a cup of soup from the pot, mix it with the sour cream, and return that to the pot. If you’d like a creamier soup, blend some or all of it with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Season the soup nicely and garnish with some extra fresh herbs.
Top tips
- Celery: Finlely dice the celery so that it's fully cooked.
- Cooking Time: Exact cooking time will slightly depend on the types of lentils being used. Check the label of the lentils used and always let simmer until soft; you might also need more veggie broth.
- Rinse lentils before cooking: They are often dirty, so don’t add them in.
- Adjust consistency: Make the soup thinner by adding more veggie broth or, for a creamier soup, blend some or all of the soup.
- Top with fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley) before serving: This really brightens up the soup.
Variations
- Vegan: Skip the sour cream and use vegan cheese or coconut milk.
- Spicy: Add a little red pepper or chili flakes with the garlic. Saute off a few spices like cumin, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds in the beginning with the onion.
- Tomato: Add a can of tomato or some chopped Roma tomatoes with the broth.
- Mexican: Add in a little cumin and ground coriander in the beginning, some tomato, and a squeeze of fresh lemon or fresh lime at the end.
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup: This vegetarian lentil soup recipe can also be made in an Instant Pot, Crock Pot or other pressure cooker. See recipe card for detailed instructions.
Optional add-ins
- Diced Tomatoes: 1 can or a cup of fresh, diced Roma tomatoes.
- Leafy Greens: Kale, baby spinach or swiss chard.
- Other Veggies: bell peppers, finely chopped cauliflower, diced zucchini or sweet potato are a great addition.
- Other Spices: paprika, Italian herbs, curry, lemon juice, red pepper flakes.
- Feta Cheese or Goat’s Cheese: crumbled in at the end.
- Vegan Sausage: diced and added in to serve.
- Bay Leaves: will give your soup a strong and fragrant taste.
Serving suggestions
- Crusty Bread: Enjoy a bowl of lentil soup with some fresh baguette or homemade naan.
- A wintery Side Salad
- Toasted Sandwich: toasted cheese sandwich on the side, what a treat or a guacamole sandwich.
Make ahead options
You can make this ahead of time and pop it in the freezer or fridge.
If you want to prepare it partially, you can get all the veggies and ingredients cut up and ready. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the soup.
Storage
- To store: Store leftover lentil soup in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
- To freeze: In a freezer-safe container or freezer bags.
- To reheat: on low heat in a pot on the stove. You may need to add a little water to it.
More soup recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion *chopped
- 3 garlic cloves *finely chopped or minced
- 2 stalks celery *finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) cubed potatoes = around 4-5 small potatoes
- 2 carrots *peeled + chopped into coins
- pinch of salt (how much depends on how salted your veggie broth is)
- ½ cup (100 g) dry green or brown lentils *rinsed
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) thyme
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) marjoram
- 6 cups (1.41 kg) vegetable stock
- ⅓ cup (40 g) shredded cheddar *see notes
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and saute until garlic is translucent and soft.1 onion, 2 stalks celery
- Add the cubed potatoes, carrots and season with a pinch of salt (the amount will depend on how salted your veggie broth is). Fry for about 1-2 minutes.3 garlic cloves, 1 ½ cups cubed potatoes, 2 carrots, pinch of salt
- Add the lentils, thyme, marjoram and veggie broth. Cover the pan with a lid and bring the mix to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy. (see notes).½ cup dry green or brown lentils, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon marjoram, 6 cups vegetable stock
- Take the soup from the heat and let the soup cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese.⅓ cup shredded cheddar
- Take out ¼ cup of the soup (without any veggies) and add it to a small bowl. Dissolve sour cream and add the mix back to the soup.2 tablespoon sour cream
- For a creamier soup, blend about ¼ of it with a stick blender (optional).
- Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
- Cheese: cheddar or other types of cheese such as parmesan will work as well. Make sure to use a rennet-free one.
- Vegan: Skip the sour cream and use vegan cheese.
- Cooking time: The cooking time will depend slightly on what type of lentils you choose. If the lentils are still hard after 25 minutes, continue simmering until soft. You might also need to add an additional spash of veggie broth.
- Rinse lentils before cooking: They are often dirty, so don’t add them in.
- Adjust consistency: Make the soup thinner by adding more veggie broth or, for a creamier soup, blend some or all of the soup.
- Instant Pot:
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE.
- Add the olive oil, onion, garlic and celery and saute until onion is translucent.
- Add cubed potatoes, carrots and a pinch of salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add lentils, thyme, marjoram and 3,5 cups of veggie broth.
- Seal the lid (make sure the steam release handle is in "sealed" position), cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow the pressure cooker to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes.
- Then quick release (by turning the steam release handle from the “sealed” to the “venting” position).
- Follow steps 5- 7.
Kelly says
This is fabulous! Healthy comfort food! I added some nutritional yeast and used organic vegan umami seasoning instead of salt. Yum! Thank you!
Katie Roux says
Love the idea of adding nutritional yeast! 😊
Ali says
I’m wondering if there is a crockpot method for this soup? Looks amazing!
Katie Roux says
Hi Ali- yes, the instant pot instructions can be found in the recipe notes section of the recipe card. Hope that helps. 😊
Anonymous says
I made this with mixed lentils, i added 1 sweet potato and a packet of sazon’ goya I cooked mine for about 40 minutes as the sweet potato needed a bit longer. I would also suggest cooking my celery a bit longer. I liked it the way it was but my husband said it needed to cook longer. I also did not add sour cream or cheese and it was still delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
Katie Roux says
Great idea using sweet potatoes! I'll need to try this! 😊
Devon Flemming Buck says
Made this tonight but with a few substitutions to make it vegan! Instead of sour cream, I used cashew cream and omitted any sort of vegan cheese. i'm pretty picky and have a lot of texture issues - i was worried i wouldn't like this recipe but ended up loving it. all of the herbs are a great touch.
Katie Roux says
Very happy to hear that! 😊
Marie says
Very tasty! I didn't have cheese so I added some nutritional yeast instead. I cooked it in the pressure cooker per the recipe instructions and it came out perfect. The touch of sour cream on top sends the flavor flying! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Katie Roux says
Very happy to hear that, thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Julee says
How might you make this vegan. My friend and I are dairy free due to being lactose intolerant and didn't know if you have tried this as a vegan option. It sounds wonderful and since she also has celiac disease I thought this might be a great option! This does sound so good!!!
Katie Roux says
Hi Julee, I recommend skipping the sour cream and using vegan cheese 🙂 Works just as fine!
Shelby says
Super easy, came together quick, incredibly satisfying and tasty. It’s creamy without feeling heavy. My boyfriend and I have been feeling sick - it was the perfect soup to warm our belly’s without feeling like too much.
Katie Roux says
Very happy to hear that, thanks so much Shelby!
Mary Acorne says
Was really good. Followed recipe but added some mushrooms and elbow mac and less potatoes. My son even liked it. And he’s really picky! Thank you for recipe!
Katie Roux says
Thanks so much, very glad to hear that your family liked it 🙂
Julie Bell says
I added a shallot and a leek. After simmering, it lacked balance, so I grated a cosmic crisp apple into it. I also added lots of freshly cracked pepper. Instead of sour cream, I used yogurt. Once it was plated, I grated Parmesan on top. Even with all of those additions, and changes, it was still a pretty pedestrian lentil soup.
Katie Roux says
Hi Julie- I’m sorry to hear the soup didn’t meet your expectations. I haven’t tested the recipe with all the changes you mentioned, and it’s possible that the additions (apple grated into it and yogurt instead of sour cream) may have altered the overall flavor. The original recipe has been fine-tuned through testing, so I usually suggest following it closely for the best results. I hope you’ll try it again without as many modifications to see if it turns out more to your liking! 🙂