Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with vegetables is the most basic lentil soup that wins each and every time! The best lentil soup recipe for anyone craving a hearty meal! This is quite possibly one of the easiest slow cooker recipes you’ll ever make!
If you’re looking for a delicious yet basic lentil soup recipe that is sure to please the whole family every time, you’ve found it!
This simple set it and forget it crock pot meal couldn’t be any easier to prepare! Slow cooking lentils to perfection results in the most comforting meal. This is one of those healthy vegetarian soup recipes even meat lovers can enjoy given how hearty it is.
Simply stir everything up in your slow cooker, let it do its thing, and you’re in for a cozy healthy soup that is perfect for enjoying during the chilly fall and winter months!
You can easily customize this recipe by adding your favorite hearty vegetables and seasonings. The options are nearly endless!
One of the best parts about this recipe is you can find the budget-friendly ingredients at all grocery stores.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients needed to make this slow cooker lentil soup.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Lentil Soup:
Vegetables: Onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, bell pepper, Yukon gold potatoes, and diced tomatoes make up the veggie portion of this hearty soup recipe.
You can easily mix it up by adding your favorite vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, sweet potato, and more.
Lentils: Pick your favorite lentils! I use French green lentils, but red lentils and brown lentils will work just as well.
Seasonings: Paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper add plenty of earthy flavor to the lentils for a rustic vibe. If you love other seasonings like chili powder, Cajun seasoning, curry powder, etc. feel free to add them in.
Broth: Vegetable broth (or vegetable stock) makes up the broth portion of the recipe. If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, feel free to swap it out for chicken broth, chicken stock, or beef broth. I also add a little balsamic vinegar for depth of flavor. You can use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or lemon juice instead if you’d like.
If you prefer a lot of liquid in your soups, use 6 to 8 cups of broth instead of 5. As written, the soup turns out hardy and less liquidy.
Optional Additions:
- If you eat meat, add 1 pound of Italian sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey for a bigger protein boost.
- For added nutrients, stir in 5 ounces of fresh spinach if you’d like to boost the Vitamins.
- Use sweet potatoes instead of yukon gold potatoes if you prefer.
- Add richness to this soup by adding one can of full-fat coconut milk and omitting 2 cups of the broth.
- If you love spicy food, add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. You can also add your desired amount of hot sauce to your bowl just before eating the soup.
Now that we’re familiar with the basic ingredients for lentil soup, let’s make it!
How to Make Slow Cooker Lentil Soup:
Heat the avocado oil (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. For the best flavor, you want the onion to nearly be caramelized.
Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer the sauteed onion and garlic to the slow cooker.
Note: this step is entirely optional, but I do recommend sauteing the onion to open up more flavor. If you want to save time, skip the sauté process and simply transfer all of the ingredients to the crock pot.
Transfer the rest of the ingredients for the lentil soup to the crock pot and stir well.
Secure the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Once the lentil soup has finished cooking, give it a big stir, discard the bay leaf, and taste it for flavor. Add sea salt and/or lemon juice to taste.
Serve lentil soup in big bowls with crusty bread or cornbread.
For creamy lentil soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it reaches your desired texture.
This soup is more flavorful the longer it sits and tastes even better the next day. If you can make it one day in advance to allow the flavors to develop, it is well worth the patience!
Store any leftover lentil soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’d like to freeze this soup, double bag two large 1-gallon freezer bags and secure them tightly. Freeze for up to three months.
And that’s it! An easy weeknight meal that you can set up in the morning and look forward to coming home to it after a long day of work. This easy recipe is ideal for the busy workweek and is marvelous as a meal prep recipe.
Set it up on a lazy weekend and have leftovers for days!
Nutrition Information:
One cup of cooked lentils contains 230 calories, 1 gram of total fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 18 grams of protein. Not too shabby of a macronutrient breakdown, especially for those following a low calorie diet.
Lentils (and legumes in general) are one of the most satiating foods one can eat, making them a great option for packing a ton of nutrition without a lot of calories.
Easy to prepare in a big batch for meal prep, this crockpot lentil soup recipe is a great way of cooking on a budget and staying satiated.
If you love lentil soup recipes, also try my Beef and Lentil Chili and my Crock Pot Tunisian Lentil Stew.
For those of you who love soup as much as I do, be sure to check out these reader favorites as well!
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
- Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Rustic Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana
- Rustic Minestrone Soup with Rice and Kale
- Crock Pot Chicken Artichoke and Kale Soup
Enjoy this easy lentil soup recipe on repeat!
Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 large carrots chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cored and chopped
- 2 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes chopped
- 1 ½ cups green lentils
- 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth *
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or sugar optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil (or olive oil) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. For the best flavor, you want the onion to nearly be caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer the sauteed onion and garlic to the slow cooker.
- Transfer the rest of the ingredients for the lentil soup to the crock pot and stir well.
- Secure the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or Low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Once the lentil soup has finished cooking, give it a big stir, discard the bay leaf, and taste the soup for flavor. Add sea salt and/or lemon juice to taste.
- Serve lentil soup in big bowls with crusty bread or cornbread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I followed the recipe and mine needed a lot more seasoning and more liquid as well. I’m hoping it will be better tomorrow..I heated more veggie broth and added
Hi Tracy! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. I added a note to the recipe to use more broth if you prefer soupier soups. I typically mention this in my soup recipes, but neglected to do so in this one. I’ve found there is a wide range of preferences when it comes to the amount of liquid in soups and I fall under the heartier, less “soupy” category. You bringing this to my attention was a reminder of personal preference so I’m sure others will appreciate the edit as well. 🙂
Tastes okay but not nearly enough liquid. I followed the recipe exactly and the lentils soaked up every single bit of liquid and are still a bit hard. Not sure what happened but disappointed.
Hi Tiffany! I’m sorry to hear that! Did you cook the soup on high or low?
the recipe was tasty but my lentils never got soft due to the fact that you shouldn’t add salt to the water of a crockpot until the lentils soften. I should have remembered that but got lost in the moment and went on autopilot with the instructions. It would have been helpful if the instructions reminded us of that.
Hi Bethany,
This is the first I’ve heard of the salt issue. I always add salt to my lentil soup before the lentils are cooked and haven’t had an issue. How long were the lentils in the crock pot? You can always cook them longer until they reach your desired texture.
I made this today. I only had a red onion in the house, but that was my only substitution. This soup is delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Michelle!! Thanks so much for reporting back. Thrilled it turned out well for ya! xo
Made this last night, turned out wonderful! I added ground turkey browned in skillet, used butternut squash cubes instead of potatoes, and added smoked paprika. Realized afterward that I forgot the maple syrup but it still had slight sweetness from carrots & squash. Nice depth of flavor, keeping this one on my rotation. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy it, Melissa! I love that you added ground turkey – that was going to be my next move! xoxo