A hearty, vegan lentil kale soup packed with vegetables, protein and fiber. A delicious, filling, healthy soup with a little spicy heat.
One of the things I’m trying to do this year is eat vegan a couple of times a week. And for me the easiest way to accomplish this is to have a big bowl of soup. This lentil soup recipe fits the bill.
This lentil and kale soup is the perfect example. It’s vegan, full of fiber and protein and easy to make. It’s a filling, satisfying soup that doesn’t leave you hungry later in the day.
I love soups, especially filling soups like this soup or this red lentil and vegetable soup, or this tortellini soup.
Why I’m sharing this recipe
Hearty and filling: The lentils make this kale lentil soup hearty and filling. It’s a great source of protein and fiber.
It’s packed with flavor: This plant based soup has lentils, kale and warming spices like cumin, curry powder and red pepper flakes.
Stores well in the refrigerator and is freezer friendly: Make a big pot of this lentil and kale soup – it gets better over time and easy to store in the fridge for a few days or freeze for future use.
Key ingredients
Lentils: You can use green lentils or brown lentils in this soup. Lentils are an inexpensive pantry stable that are great in soups since they hold their shape when cooked.
Kale: Kale is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s a great addition to soup because it doesn’t fall apart when cooked. It has a soft, chewy texture.
Vegetables: The soup uses onions, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes and garlic to create a flavorful base.
Spices: Cumin, curry powder and red pepper flakes add a warming flavor with a touch of heat.
Vegetable broth: Adds extra flavor to the soup.
How to make this recipe
Step one: Saute onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a large pot over low to medium heat until vegetables are soft.
Step two: While the vegetables are cooking, strip the kale from their stems and cut the kale into thin strips. Add the chopped kale to the soup pot.
Step three: Add spices and tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine.
Step four: Add lentils, vegetable stock, water and bouillon cube. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 35 minutes.
Step five: Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree or blend one third of the soup.
Tips for making this recipe
Take the time to cook the carrots, onions and celery until they are soft and slightly browned – this is the flavor base for the soup.
Carefully sort your lentils after measuring. I like to put them on a sheet pan so I can spread them out and remove any debris.
Rinse your lentils before adding to the soup. Lentils can be dusty.
Blend part of the soup before serving. I used an immersion blender to puree a part of the soup to create a creamier version.
Recipe variations and substitutions
Greens: I used lacinato kale, also known as tuscan or black kale but you can use curly kale as well. Also, pre-chopped kale would be a great time saver.
Tomatoes: Try swapping the regular diced tomatoes with fire roasted diced tomatoes if you like a spicy kick to your soup.
Spices: If you like your soup on the spicier side, increase the amount of curry and red pepper flakes.
Frequently asked questions
This soup has roughly 220 calories per cup.
Brown or green lentils work best in this recipe since they hold their shape.
The lentils should be tender and soft. Older lentils make take a little longer to cook so test a few at the end of the cook time to be sure they are ready.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a message and rating for the recipe! Thank you!
PrintLentil Kale Soup
A hearty, vegan lentil kale soup packed with vegetables, protein and fiber. A delicious, filling, healthy soup with a little spicy heat.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 2 stalks of celery – washed and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion – peeled and diced
- 2 carrots – peeled and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic – peeled and minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 cups of shredded kale – I used lacinato kale, also known as tuscan or black kale
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes – add a bit more of you like more heat
- 10 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup of dry lentils – picked through and rinsed.
- 4 cups of vegetable stock – low sodium if preferred
- 1 cup of water
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
Instructions
- Add 2 tbs olive oil to a large soup pan over low heat.
- Add diced celery, onion, carrots and minced garlic.
- Saute for 10 minutes over low heat until veggies have softened – stirring occasionally.
- While the veggies are cooking, remove the stem from the kale leaves and slice up the kale into thin ribbons. Add to the soup pot and stir to combine – cook for 2 minutes until slightly wilted.
- Add cumin, curry powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper and diced tomatoes (include their juices). Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Add lentils, vegetable stock, water and the bouillon cube. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer the soup for 35 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender and puree 1/3 of soup – and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Notes
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a message and rating for the recipe! Thank you!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 12 g
Laurin
This recipe sounds delicious and I’m looking forward to trying this! Is there an adaptation for the instant pot?
Geraldine
Hi Laurin – sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe in the instant pot. Let me know if you try it and it works out!
Amalis
I really loved this recipe, I added 1/2 cup of quinoa and more liquid, it was delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Amalis – so glad you enjoyed it!
Sen
Everything about this meal was amazing. Thank you for the recipe! My family loves it.
Geraldine
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a rating and a comment also!
Cheryl
This is the best lentil soup recipe I have made! I added an extra carrot and celery stalk because I like my soup chunky. Omitted the curry (not a fan). And added the kale during the last 10 minutes. Everyone loved it!
Geraldine
That’s so great, Cheryl – so glad your family loved it. Thanks so much for leaving a review and a rating – it’s really helpful for others to see comments from people who made the recipe! Thank you!
Helen
This was really good. I was looking for a recipe to use up some frozen kale I’d been given and wasn’t very hopeful that I would like it but I would definitely make this again! I used brown lentils so the colour was a little off putting, luckily the flavour made up for it! Thanks for the great recipe
Geraldine
Glad you enjoyed it, Helen! Thanks for leaving a comment and rating!
Christine
I’ve searched for a good lentil soup recipe and this is it! I
Geraldine
Glad you enjoyed it, Christine!
Jonathan Rowe
Absolutely delicious, tasty and almost fat free – what’s not to like?
Geraldine
Thanks, Jonathan – so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a comment and a rating – I appreciate hearing from you!
Gail
I made this pretty much as written, except i did not add ground pepper or bouillon. Also. I don’t have an immersion blender. It was soo good, I immediately had two bowls! Thanks for posting this very nice recipe.
Geraldine
Hi Gail – so glad you enjoyed it (two bowls!)! Thanks for letting me know and leaving a rating – much appreciated!
Georgianne Messina
Very easy and tasty. I added more spices (more curry powder, cumin, coriander and chili flakes) to it, but I like highly flavored foods. This is a great way to use kale. I can take it or leave it, but my husband loves it. It’s nice that it’s a vegan recipe. I go to quite a few potluck lunches, and this is a really good dish that will please most people. Thank you!
Geraldine
Thanks, Georgianne – so glad you enjoyed the soup and kicked it up with some more spices!
Kathleen Stout-Shoger
Love this recipe….answers every question
10 twist of the pepper mill…genius
can of tomato ..with liquid
It’s simple to make and is yummy
Thanks
Geraldine
Thanks, Kathleen – glad you enjoyed it!
Jil
What a delicious soup!! And so versatile too. I’ve made it several times and have used whatever veggies I have on hand and it comes out amazing each time. I am not usually excited about soup but this recipe changed that! Thank you!
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Jil! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a detailed comment – it’s great for other readers to hear what works. Love that you are mixing things up and using whatever veggies you have on hand. Thanks for leaving a rating also – I really appreciate hearing from you!
Mie
Super yummy! And I love your recipe saying 10 “twists’ of black pepper from a pepper mill !!
Most of recipe says “spoon” of black pepper but I always use a mill, so it’s hard to measure.
I will make this soup again for sure! Thank you for the nice recipe!!!
Geraldine
Hi Mie – I agree – “spoon” makes no sense since I always use a pepper mill – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
MIE
I forgot to rate it! Sorry!
Rebecca Christian
I just made this soup today. It is delicious and certainly a keeper! I love curry and I really enjoy the soft touch of the curry and the warmth of the cumin in this recipe. I doubled the amount of lentils and kale. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Geraldine
Hi Rebecca – sorry for the late reply – thanks so much for leaving a comment and a rating – really glad you enjoyed the soup!
Kat
Really nice soup!
Sharing with my daughter.
Has a nice little kick to it.
Easy to make.
Geraldine
Thanks, Kat – glad you and your daughter enjoyed it!
Koko
Taste great! Will definitely make again!
Geraldine
Thanks, Koko! Glad you enjoyed it!
Div
I’m a beginner cook and absolutely loved this soup! Used some Indian ‘garam masala’ and a bit of turmeric, was delicious 🙂 look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Geraldine
Hi Div – thanks so much for letting me know – love the spices you added! Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you take a look around my site – there are lots of easy recipes that you should have no problem making.
Anne
This soup is like a hug. I am trying to eat more vegan / plant based and this was an amazing start ! I used a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes and love the kick! Blending a third of the soup is genius. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne! Red pepper flakes are a great idea – I’ll try that next time. Thanks for letting me know – I appreciate the feedback.
Dawn
Fabulous flavor, easy to make and perfectly filling! Pre-washed, pre-trimmed organic kale in bag made it even easier. Thanks for the wonderful meal!
Geraldine
Hi Dawn – thanks so much for letting me know. Pre-trimmed kale is a great idea – I will try that next time. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating – I really appreciate it!
Mamabear
This soup is delicious and hearty. This is my second time making this recipe and I love it. Me and my husband are not soup people but this soup is life😍. It’s flavorful, fast, and easy. I also love it because I don’t have to cook for a few days😁
Geraldine
Hi Mamabear – so glad you and your husband are enjoying the soup! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a message and a rating – I really appreciate hearing your feedback!
Teres
I promised my son I would adopt his vegan diet for the week. This was my first dinner and I thought it was great. I used the Better than Bullion veggie base and it almost made it a little too salty so I might use a low sodium broth next time.
Geraldine
Hi Teres: Thanks so much for letting me know! So glad you enjoyed it. I admire you trying vegan for a week for your son – that’s inspiring. I can’t go completely vegan since I love cheese too much 🙂 but I do try and eat vegan two times a week. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating – I appreciate it!