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This Easy Lentil Potato Soup is chunky, hearty, and full of flavor — the perfect bowl of comfort for cold weather. It comes together in under an hour and makes an effortless weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy.
Lentils combined with potatoes for a delicious and flavorful soup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Can be left chunky or blended smooth for kids.
- Hearty, filling, and nutritious.
- Made in one pot, with simple pantry ingredients.
- Budget-friendly and family-approved.
This Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe comes together in under one hour and is perfect for an effortless weekday family meal.
If you are looking for quick and easy family recipes, you may also like these Baked Bone-In Pork Chops or my Baked Halibut Recipe.
My family loves lentils and specifically lentil soup and I feel like I have to cook soups like this Easy Lentil Potato Soup more often.
This Easy Slow Cooker Lentil and Potato Chili is one of our favorite healthy meals.
I also have a recipe for Black Bean Soup, Curried red Lentil Quinoa Soup and Red Lentil Soup Recipe.
It is so easy to make in one pot, but you can definitely try making it in a slow cooker.
How To Make Potato Lentil Soup
Ingredients Overview
- Aromatics & Seasoning: Onion, garlic, carrots, herbs, and a touch of tomato paste give depth and heartiness.
- Lentils: Green lentils hold their shape best. You can use a mix (green, black, red split), but avoid only red split — they cook too fast compared to potatoes.
- Potatoes: Small red or yellow potatoes work great, no peeling required. You can swap for sweet potatoes for a different flavor.
Step-by-Step :
- Sauté onion, garlic, and carrots until softened.
2. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce (optional) potatoes and lentils.
3. Add seasonings.
4. Add water (or broth).
5. Simmer until lentils and potatoes are tender (about 35–40 minutes).
7. Check potatoes for doneness with a fork.
6. Adjust seasoning, serve warm.
Why did I add potatoes to a lentil soup?
- Adding potatoes to this Easy Lentil Potato Soup makes is a lot more filling.
- I’ve found out that soups with just lentils tend to often be pretty light and good for lunch or a side, but not a complete meal.
- My son also loves hearty soups like this Easy Lentil Potato Soup, so I needed to come up with more simple soup recipes.
- You can also blend it for small children.
I haven’t had a lot of time to cook 2-3 meals each day, that involve different courses, so recipes like this have been my favorite lately.
What lentils to use in this Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe?
- Green and brown lentils work best in this Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe.
- I sometimes use a combination of red split, green and black lentils, that my husband had purchased online, but I’ve seen a similar one at Costco.
- I do not advice using red split lentils only, because they cook a lot quicker that potatoes.
- Either green or a combination like the one I used should work best.
What kind of potatoes to use in this lentil potato soup?
- I used a mix of small red and yellow potatoes, that I did not even peel, but any potatoes of your choice will work.
- You can also use sweet potatoes, but keep in mind that the taste will differ.
Recipe Tips
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for later.
- Use vegetable broth for more flavor.
- Add spinach or kale at the end for extra greens.
- For little kids, blend partially or fully for a smoother texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this soup reheats very well. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
I don’t recommend using only red lentils since they cook faster than potatoes and will make the soup too mushy. Green lentils work best, or you can use a mix.
Yes, but the flavor will be slightly sweeter. The soup will still turn out hearty and delicious.
Yes, add everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the potatoes and lentils are tender.
Mash some of the potatoes and lentils with a spoon or blend part of the soup with an immersion blender.
Yes, as long as you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, this recipe is completely vegan.
Easy Lentil Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1 carrot, large, 3 – 4 oz
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce, optional
- 1 1/4 cups lentils, brown or green
- 12 oz potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 4-5 cups water or vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and lentils and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the potatoes and pour in 4 cups of water.
- Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.
- Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the potatoes are cooked through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
What kind of lentils should I use?
Using different kinds of lentils will create a different final result. They also require different cooking times. Red lentils do not work well in this recipe, because they cook quickly and the soup ends up with a mushy texture. Green or brown lentils work best in this lentil soup recipe.Do I need to soak the lentils?
There is no need to soak the lentils. Just make sure you pick through them and rinse them well under running water. I like to use a fine mesh strainer for this.How to thin the soup?
Add up to 1 more cup of water, if you don’t want the soup to be too thick. Instead for water, you can use vegetable or chicken stock (broth) for more flavor.Can I spice up the soup?
You can add 1 bay leaf if you are a fan of its flavor. Smoked paprika, thyme or rosemary can be added for more flavor. You can add a splash of lemon juice, before serving the soup. Topping with some crunchy smoked bacon is also a great option, unless you are following plant based diet. Adding freshly chopped dill, parsley or cilantro and topping with hot red pepper flakes and also optional add-ins.Can I make this soup in advance?
Yes, lentil potato soup can be made for up to 5 days in advance. After cooking, cool completely and refrigerate in a pot or air-tight containers. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top, adding more water if necessary. After you add water for reheating any soup, make sure you add some salt, if necessary to adjust the taste.Can I freeze this soup?
Yes, lentil potato soup freezes well. Let it cool completely. Transferring it to freezer-safe containers or zip lock bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding more liquid if necessary.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have made this several times and it is one of my absolute favorites.
Do I need to soak the lentils first?
No, there is no need to
This soup was delicious. I also added 1/8 tsp cayanne pepper and it was perfect! I only made it to use up a can of lentils i had and i was so pleasantly surprised.
I am a few years late to this recipe, but I’m so glad I found it. I wasn’t prepared for how good this recipe was going to be. I’ve made a million lentil soup recipes (my go to easy meal) and these ingredients are pretty standard for lentil soup, but the proportions must be on point because this is now my most favorite lentil soup recipe ever. I replaced the tomato products with one large chopped tomato, halved the salt, used 5 cups of water & 2.5 tsp vegetable Better Than Bullion, & added 2 handfuls shredded kale at the end. So so so good!!!! (I think the omission of celery is key- all the other flavors come through!) Thank you!!!
This is a great recipe that I have used in the past. The only issue is when I click ‘Metric’ it doesn’t work it just takes me to the top of the page again. Is this a bug?
Thanks
Hi Jack,
thank you! I’ll see, if I can fix this, so sorry about it.
Looks good! Does it work to used precooked lentils and add them at the end instead?
Yes, you can use pre-cooked lentils.
This turned out really yummy! Not sure if it was my lentils or what. But it made SO much. I was able to freeze half and still have dinner for 2 with lunch Leftovers. I had to add additional water to the full box of broth. And I added a bay leaf and spinach at the end. Will definitely be a staple.
I think the omission of celery really helps!
Excellent! The family loved it. Even the kids ate it up without one complaint. That’s a win!
Does this recipe freeze and reheat well? If I doubled it to make for future meals..
Yes, it does freeze and reheat very well.
I made this today and wow I love it. I added 4.5 cups of water and it came out perfect. I’m a nurse and trying to find quick easy recipes to make. This one fits great after a 12 hour shift. It didn’t take long and was very easy to make.