A nourishing vegan Lentil Kale Soup recipe with potatoes and warm, flavorful spices! It's easy to make and filled with satisfying plant-based nutrients. (Vegan, gluten free, oil free.)
This hearty lentil soup recipe is easy, healthy, and budget-friendly. We find it's great for lunches and leftovers throughout the week.
Plus it's only 10 simple ingredients that are mostly pantry staples. So it's a great option for busy weeknights or even meal prep.
The lentil, potato, and kale combination is so satisfying and nourishing. Plus it's filled with plant-based protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
Ingredients for Lentil Kale Soup
For this recipe you will simmer in a large pot:
- Yellow onion: Or you can use white onion or sweet onion if desired.
- Carrot
- Fresh garlic cloves: Or you can substitute 1-2 teaspoons dried garlic powder instead.
- Gold potato: I like Yukon gold potatoes with this recipe because they are nice and buttery, but use white potato, red potato, or russet potato if desired.
- Green lentils or brown lentils: I like the earthy taste and texture of green or brown lentils with this recipe. I have not tested it with red lentils or black lentils, but they could probably work too. (Red lentils will be more of a stew-like consistency after they boil.)
- Diced tomatoes: You can either use regular or fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
- Vegetable broth: Be sure to use low sodium if desired.
- Fresh kale: Either curly or lacinato kale will work. Stir in as much or as little as you would like. You could also substitute with swiss chard or fresh baby spinach.
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
Customizing
Change up the spices or vegetables as you see fit. A few ideas include:
Herbs + seasonings: I like the warm taste of cumin and smoked paprika, but this would be great with many other flavors too. Switch it up with dried basil, dried oregano, Italian seasonings, or turmeric. Or garnish your bowl with fresh herbs, black pepper, or lemon juice before serving.
Make it spicy: Add fire-roasted tomatoes with medium diced chiles, cayenne pepper, or simply top with your favorite hot sauce before enjoying.
Vegetables: Add other veggies as desired. Zucchini, celery, yellow summer squash, bell pepper, spinach, green beans, peas, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, etc.
Thickness: This soup is dense. So if you prefer yours with more broth, then reduce lentils (to about 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup). Or simply add more broth or water during cooking.
Storing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We find they keep for about 4-5 days.
Tip: We find it's a great leftover meal! Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
For more inspiration, also browse all potato recipes or soup recipes.
Lentil Kale Soup with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 medium gold potatoes (about 2 heaping cups cubed)
- 1 cup green/brown lentils, uncooked
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted)
- 5 cups vegetable broth (or 4 cups broth + 1 cup water)
- 1/2 bunch kale (curly or lacinato)
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
Instructions
- Dice onion and carrot.
- In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, sauté onion and carrot for about 7 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/broth for no-oil sauté method.)
- Meanwhile, mince garlic and dice potato.
- Add garlic, potatoes, cumin, and paprika to pot. Stir and sauté 1 minute.
- Add 5 cups broth, tomatoes with juice, and lentils (rinsed and drained).
- Increase heat and bring to a light boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, roughly tear/chop kale into bite-size pieces, large stems removed.
- Stir in kale during the last few minutes of cooking. Salt/pepper to taste as desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
If you are enjoying this vegan Lentil Kale Potato Soup, also check out:
- Lentil Orzo Spinach Soup
- Vegetable Barley Soup
- Vegan Taco Salad with Creamy Southwestern Dressing
- White Bean Tomato Soup with Kale
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Mary Grab
I just made this and love it!!!! Will be making it again. Thank you Kaitlin.
Kaitlin
Lovely to hear you enjoyed it so much, Mary! Thank you for giving it a try and sharing your very kind feedback!
Kellie
I decided I was going to incorporate lentils into my diet. The problem was, I had never made them or even tasted them before. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. Glad I did, it was delicious. Even better the second day!
Kaitlin
Hello Kellie! That's so awesome, and congrats on your first lentil cooking experience! Love that you want to include them in your diet, and I'm honored you gave my recipe a try. Thanks so much for coming back to leave such a sweet comment & review. (PS: If you want more inspiration, you can browse all my lentil recipes here.) Wishing you a lovely rest of the week!
Stephanie
Absolutely PHENOMENAL soup. Don’t know how I’m going to stop eating/making it. Here’s you sign that you HAVE to make this.
Kaitlin
So wonderful to hear you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Thanks for giving it a try and sharing your very kind feedback!
Sue
This was awesome! Will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Kaitlin
Great to hear!
Ryan
This is a fantastic tasting, simple to make and very filling stew. When I make it, I make 50-60 portions at a time, as it freezes very well. Has become one of my staple favorites.
Kaitlin
Really great to hear, Ryan! So glad it's been a successful freezer meal for you. Thank you for sharing your helpful feedback!
Dominika
Delicious!
Kaitlin
Wonderful to hear, Dominika! Thank you for sharing!
Jess
So good! Very easy, lots of flavor. I used spinach. Will make again
Kaitlin McGinn
Wonderful! So happy to hear you gave this a try and enjoyed, Jess. Thanks for your kind feedback!
Ben
Great tasting soup and perfect for the cool weather around here lately. I had some of that Trader Joe's kale in a bag so I just put it in the bowl raw and dump the soup over it. Thanks for the recipe!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hey Ben! Fantastic to hear you enjoyed this, and I love your kale idea! Thanks so much for the kind feedback.
Becky Foster
I just found your site a couple days ago. I made this soup last night, for lunches for the next few days. Holy cow, is this good! I added a little black pepper and cayenne to it, because I like a kick! This recipe will go into my rotation, and I will be exploring many more of your recipes!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Becky! So great to hear that! Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth Hamilton
Looks so yummy! Have you ever tried it with sweet potatoes?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Elizabeth! Yes! Great with sweet potatoes, too.