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This creamy, spiced Vegan Red Lentil Soup with a squeeze of lemon is a warm, comforting meal that comes together in just 45 min. It’s full of flavor from ginger, garlic, and spices, with a luxuriously rich texture.
Craving something warm and comforting today? I certainly am, and I’ve got just the thing to warm you from the inside out. This Vegan Red Lentil Soup is all the things: easy-to-make, takes just 45 minutes, and it is packed with plant-based protein from the red lentils.
It’s so hearty, thick, and absolutely delicious. I’ve been eating bowls of it all week and I’m not sick of it yet. It’s filling, without being heavy, and rich without being too much.
I’ve heard your requests loud and clear: you definitely want MORE healthy, easy, savory meals, especially healthy vegan soup recipes!
Some of my current favorites are this Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup and this Vegan White Bean Chili. This healthy lentil soup recipe is at the top of my list right now, though!
Let’s talk red lentils and why you want them in your diet!
For richness and heartiness, this healthy soup relies on red lentils. One of my favorite plant-based proteins is red lentils! They’re high in protein and fiber, and low in fat.
Red lentils are also a great source of nutrients! They are high in B vitamins, iron, potassium, magnesium, folate, and thiamine. I love using Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils since they’re grown in the US and from a company I trust.
They taste mild, nutty, and sweet. They also cook quickly, don’t require any pre-soaking, and are super creamy once you’ve cooked them. This makes them perfect for easy weeknight meals, like this one!
Let’s make VEGAN RED LENTIL SOUP!
It’s rich, hearty, and stick-to-your-ribs good. It’s got a major flavor boost from fresh garlic and ginger. A few key aromatic spices take the flavor to the next level: a hearty dose of turmeric, ginger powder, cumin, and garlic powder.
If you’d like, you can leave the soup a little brothy, without letting the red lentils fall apart too much. Alternatively, you can blend half of it to make it a little more rich and luxurious, which is what I did. I love the creaminess – no cream necessary!
This healthy lentil soup is easy to make, too!
This creamy vegan soup is so easy to make. As I’ve mentioned, it comes together quickly and easily for a 45-minute vegan dinner. Most of the work for this soup recipe is front-loaded. Once everything is chopped and in the pot, you’ll just let things simmer until the lentils are soft.
Once the soup is ready to serve, I love stirring in greens and a squeeze of lemon to finish it off. It adds some extra veggies, nutrients, and brightness. Then, you’re ready to devour!
Have leftovers? Here’s how to store:
If you want to prep this recipe ahead of time or you have leftovers: you can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating over the stove or covered in the microwave, stirring every minute until it’s hot.
To make and freeze: this soup freezes fantastically. I like putting it into individual airtight containers or zip-top bags and then freezing. That way, you can also defrost in individual portions for a quick meal!
Serving it up…
The Vegan Red Lentil Soup is hard to resist, and it makes the perfect standalone meal. However, you can make it even BETTER by serving with a hunk of bread or a side salad. I love it with this Vegan Caesar Salad, which I make without the tempeh when serving it with this protein-filled soup.
It’s hearty and filling enough to stand on its own, but a bit of crusty bread and/or fresh salad makes most things better, right? :) I hope you’ll give this one a try, and love it as much as I do. Off to have another bowl for dinner!
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, #bakerita, and leave me a comment below to let me know how you like it!
Vegan Red Lentil Soup (Gluten-Free + Easy to Make)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1½ cups red lentils, sort and rinse before using
- 3 cups spinach or mix of greens, I used a “power greens” blend of spinach, arugula and baby chard
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
To garnish
- Lemon wedges
- Microgreens
Instructions
- In a soup pot, heat the avocado or olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, 1 small onion, 1 large carrot, 2 stalks of celery
- Add the garlic, grated ginger, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, ginger powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine and coat all the veggies in the spices.4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon salt, Freshly ground black pepper
- Let cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant, and then add the vegetable broth, water, tomatoes, and red lentils. Stir and bring to a boil, then turn down and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the red lentils are soft. Taste, and add more salt to your tastes if desired.4 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups water, 1 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, 1½ cups red lentils
- If desired, puree half the soup to help make it creamier. You can also just leave it as is if you prefer a more broth-y soup. I pureed some of mine with an immersion blender.
- Stir in your greens and let them wilt, and then add in lemon juice and zest. Serve with more lemon if desired (I recommend), and garnish with some microgreens!3 cups spinach or mix of greens, 1 lemon, Lemon wedges, Microgreens
This is really nice. I shall definitely be making it again. This time I had to make a few adjustments because I didn’t have all the ingredients — extra garlic and ginger instead of the garlic and ginger powder; bottled lemon juice instead of the fresh lemon juice and zest; and frozen spinach — but it still turned out really well.
So thrilled you enjoyed it! I made a batch last night too :) thanks for sharing your feedback.
Great recipe! I made two batches of this last night. I sauteed the veggies in water instead of oil because we are trying to go oil-free in our diet. It turned out just fine without the oil (you just have to keep your eye on it and add water as necessary). When it was done, I was too hungry to wait for it to cool down, so my husband suggested I add a “lime cube” to my serving (we freeze lime juice in ice cube trays). That cooled it down and added some really great flavor, too! I might intentionally add some lime juice next time I fix this. And there will be a next time. We really enjoyed it! Glad I doubled it. We are freezing the 2nd batch.
So thrilled you and your husband are loving the soup, Nancy!! Love your idea of lime cubes – sounds so tasty. I need to start doing that.
Just made this. I looking for a recipe for lentil soup after buying a packet of the soup at Trader Joes. This came out great! So yummy, light and wholesome.
So thrilled you’re loving it! Thanks so much for the feedback.
Absolutely delicious!!! Made without the garlic powder as I didn’t have any and I added an anchovy and some chili flakes. Incredibly tasty and will last me all week. Will definitely be this making again!!
So thrilled you’re loving it!! Thanks for the feedback, Elly :)
Really, really good. Very flavourful and presents well.
Wow was this tasty! It’s very filling and so healthy. I only had an assorted bag of lentils on hand, but it was still great. And I wasn’t sure about the lemon kicker at the end, but yes it was just what it needed. For me, I liked the consistency without pureeing any of it. I ate it by itself, with bread and with rice, and it was yummy every time. Thanks again for another great vegan recipe!
I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! It’s definitely great without blending too – just whichever texture you prefer. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and reminding me that I need to make this again soon :)
Just made this! It’s so healthy and is husband-approved! Love the addition of the lemon. Thank you!
So thrilled you’re both loving it, Courtney! Thanks for the feedback!
Thank you for this delicious recipe!! We like our soups creamy so we blended all of it. So velvety and tasty and the green spinach adds a nice color and flavor too. Definitely adding to our favorites book! Yum!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Anna! Thanks so much for the feedback.
Fantastic easy recipe. I added some cayenne pepper and a little extra lemon. My meal prep for the work week!
So glad you’re enjoying it, Suzanne! Thanks so much for the feedback.
I made this last week and it was so good! Your blog is a “go-to” now for weeknight dinner recipes. Everything I’ve made has been so flavorful, to include this recipe! I was excited to use my new immersion blender for the first time, too (haha).
This makes me so happy to hear, Ashley! Thank you so much for the kind feedback – I really appreciate it and am so happy you’re finding recipes you love!