Straightforward Creamy Lentil Soup at Home

Love a good comforting soup recipe? You need to try our Creamy Cauliflower Soup as well as our Vegetarian French Onion Soup and our Simple Black Bean Soup!

Why you’ll love this comfort food soup!

Once the weather starts cooling down, this creamy lentil soup is basically on constant rotation in our house! It’s fireside, hearty, and the kind of meal that makes you want to curl up with a big bowl and some crusty bread. A regular here that it’s made with simple pantry staples but still feels rich and comforting, especially once it’s blended until creamy. It’s one of those soups that somehow tastes even better the next day – aka reliable cold-weather food!🥣

Why You’ll Love This dish:

• Comforting, comforting, and genuinely filling
• Simple ingredients you probably already have!
• Can be blended smooth or left chunky
• Straightforward to make vegetarian or vegan – plus it’s packed with plant-based protein!
• Great for meal prep and leftovers

Ingredients needed

The ingredients for this creamy vegan lentil soup are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!

• Onion – The main savory base. Yellow onion is a dependable swap!
• Green onion – Adds a lighter onion flavor and a fresh finish. You can swap in more white onion if needed.
• Garlic – Brings depth. Garlic powder works in a pinch (start small and add to taste)!
• Spices – I used only cumin but curry powder, onion powder, or some red pepper flakes would also be satisfying in this!
• Parsley – Adds freshness and helps balance the richness. Cilantro works if you want a slightly different vibe!
• Dried lentils – Green lentils or brown are go-to for this (they hold their shape). Red lentils will get much softer and make it thicker.
• Potatoes – Helps make the soup creamy even before blending! Yukon gold also works great. I’ve never tried it, but a reader once told me that they make this with sweet potato and they love it.
• Carrots – Adds sweetness + texture. You could also toss in celery if you want more familiar soup base flavor.
• Vegetable broth – Low sodium is ideal so you can control the salt. Any broth works if you’re not vegetarian and want to use chicken broth etc, only adjust seasoning.
• Milk (dairy or plain non-dairy) – Makes it creamy. Use unsweetened/plain (oat, soy, almond, cashew, or even coconut milk all work)!

How to Make It

Simply a reminder that you can find the FULL creamy lentil soup recipe is down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you:)

1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute onion, green onion, and garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in the parsley and the cumin, cook for an additional 2 minutes.

1. Add in the chopped carrots, potatoes, dried lentils, salt, pepper, and broth. Mix to combine.

1. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the temperature to a gentle simmer and cook covered for about 30-40 minutes until the lentils are tender.

1. MUCH of the broth will be absorbed. If you want to serve the soup chunks, consider adding more broth and season accordingly.

1. As desired, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender and blend (in batches as needed) until it’s smooth and few lumps remain. You could also blend the soup using an immersion blender.

1. Pour the creamy lentil soup back into the pot and add in the milk. Mix until fully combined and season to taste. ENJOY!

Recipe Tips

• Rinse your lentils before adding them to remove dust/debris and help prevent bitterness.
• Don’t skip blooming the cumin in the hot pot – those 2 minutes make the flavor pop!
• For ultra-creamy soup: blend most of it, then leave a little chunky for texture.
• Add milk after blending and keep the heat low so it doesn’t separate (especially with some non-dairy milks).
• If it gets too thick, add a splash more broth to loosen it up.

Frequently Asked Questions