Enjoy a delicious and nourishing bowl of vegan lentil soup! Our easy-to-follow recipe is packed with wholesome ingredients and cozy spices. It's ready in under an hour and perfect for a warming winter dinner or lunch!
Table of Contents
We love a good, hearty soup recipe here at Vegan on Board and this one has it all!
It's got plant-based protein from lentils, a flavourful broth made with cozy spices and plenty of veggies.
It has a thick and chunky texture so it's super wholesome and filling. And it's super easy to make too!
Ingredient tips
Here's what you'll need for this yummy vegan lentil soup recipe:
Lentils - You can use either green or brown lentils for this recipe. We used brown lentils in the soup pictured, but also enjoy making it with French green lentils (aka puy lentils) too.
Lentils do vary in size so can take a different amount of time to cook depending on the variety. They should have a texture that is even and tender to the bite when they are fully cooked.
Red lentils are not a good choice here because their flavour is different and they become too soft. If you're looking for a soup recipe with red lentils, try our Carrot and Red Lentil Soup instead!
Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes provide an optional heat and warmth to the soup. They can vary a lot in spice level, so do adjust the amount to suit your preference.
Spinach - We recommend fresh spinach over frozen spinach because it cooks and looks better in this recipe, frozen tends to become more mushy and dull. Baby or young spinach is a great option.
Step by step pictures
Here's a visual guide on how to make vegan lentil soup. For the full, adjustable and printable recipe, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1 - Fry the onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms with olive oil.
Step 2 - Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for a minute.
Step 3 - Stir in the spices and herbs and briefly fry.
Step 4 - Add the lentils, vegetable broth, lemon juice and bay leaf. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
Step 5 - Stir in the chopped spinach and simmer for a couple more minutes.
Top Tip
Cut the veggies into similar size small pieces, so that they cook evenly and you have a nice variety in each spoonful.
Substitutions and variations
You can be flexible with the veggies in this recipe (it's great for using up the odds and ends in the fridge!)
For example, you could use:
- Leek or shallot in place of onion
- Courgette / zucchini instead of mushrooms
- Celeriac / celery root instead of celery
- Or butternut squash or sweet potatoes as an alternative to carrot
You can add some diced potato to make the soup a more substantial meal without the need for a carby side.
Instead of spinach, you can use another leafy green such as curly kale. Kale typically takes a couple of minutes longer to wilt down and become tender.
You can easily vary the consistency of this soup. If you like a thinner soup, simply add more veggie broth. You can also puree it briefly with an immersion blender for a creamier texture.
Serving
Delicious garnished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or cilantro / coriander leaves.
This is a filling soup that can easily be served on its own, or with a side dish such as crusty bread or vegan crackers.
Storage
Store: Keep leftover soup in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheat: Place in a pan on the stove and stir often until piping hot. The lentils often soak up more moisture, so you might want to add a splash of extra water or broth.
You can also reheat individual portions in 30-60 second intervals in the microwave, stirring each time, until thoroughly heated.
Freeze: This lentil soup freezes well. Transfer to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 4 months. For best results when reheating from frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight first.
More vegan lentil recipes
Do you love lentils as much as we do? Then these recipes are for you...
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 - 3 (200 g) carrots
- 1 stick celery
- 1 cup (100 g) mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- ½ tsp chili flakes optional
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (200 g) green or brown lentils dried
- 5 cups (1200 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups (60 g) fresh spinach
Instructions
- In a stockpot over medium heat, heat up the olive oil and saute the onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms for 5 - 10 minutes, until the veggies are soft and slightly browned.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 - 3 (200 g) carrots, 1 stick celery, 1 cup (100 g) mushrooms
- Add garlic, ginger and chili flakes and saute for 1 more minute.3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp grated ginger, ½ tsp chili flakes
- Stir in the herbs and the spices - paprika, cumin, turmeric and black pepper. Briefly fry for 30 seconds.1 tsp mixed herbs, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper
- Add the lentils, vegetable broth, lemon juice and bay leaf.1 cup (200 g) green or brown lentils, 5 cups (1200 ml) vegetable broth, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 bay leaf
- Bring to boil, then simmer covered with a lid at medium-low heat for 25 - 35 minutes, until your lentils are tender to the bite.
- Add the washed and chopped spinach. Stir it in and simmer to let it wilt down for 2 minutes.2 cups (60 g) fresh spinach
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
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