Dinner tonight is our smoky bacon lentil soup recipe! This cozy lentil soup is made with simple, nourishing ingredients & packs over 20 grams of protein per cup!
This Cozy Lentil Soup Will Warm You From The Inside Out
A good lentil soup recipe can be so delicious on a cold day! It’s a fun soup to order at a café or diner, but it’s SO EASY to make yourself! This lentil soup with bacon is a perfect example. There’s so much to love about it!
🥣 EASE: This bacon lentil soup is EASY, made almost entirely from simple pantry staples. If you can dice and stir, you can make this soup!
🥓 FLAVORS: Smoky bacon, savory veggies, creamy lentils are the stars of the show, with subtle notes of flavor from garlic & simple seasonings.
💃 BUDGET-FRIENDLY. Dry lentils are a GREAT pantry staple to keep on hand, since they’re inexpensive, last for months, and are full of fiber and protein. The rest of the ingredients are simple and tend to be inexpensive, too!
💡 TOP TIPS: Feel free to cook a little extra bacon so you can sprinkle some crispy bacon bits on the top before serving!
Happy cooking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
Extras To Try
This classic lentil soup recipe is a great starting point (and is delicious as-is!), but feel free to add extra seasonings here! A little cumin will play up the smoky flavors even more, while a bay leaf adds savory depth. Try a little fresh thyme for an herby layer of flavor, or serve with a few drops of hot sauce for some kick! I sometimes even stir in a handful or two of finely chopped spinach at the end for more nutrients.
How To Make Bacon Lentil Soup, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Sort & Rinse Lentils. Before you start, check through the lentils and remove any rocks, pebbles, or weird-looking lentils. Rinse in a sieve thoroughly and set aside.
- Cook The Bacon. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until crisped. Don’t drain the bacon fat. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown bacon. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer. Add lentils and vegetable broth to the pot.
- Cook Veggies. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the bacon and cook 5-7 minutes to soften. They may not be fully cooked through, but should be softer.
- Build Flavor. Add tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to the pan and cook another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Simmer. Add lentils and broth to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 35-45 minutes, or until lentils are tender, adding water, as needed. The exact cooking time will vary based on the type of lentils you use, so check regularly, and feel free to add a few minutes to the cook time, as needed.
- Finish The Soup. Use an immersion blender to gently pulse just 4-5 times to blend part of the soup. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can remove 1 cup or so of the soup and pulse in a regular blender or food processor–be careful when blending hot soup!! Stir in vinegar and fresh herbs and stir to combine, adding more water again, if needed. (I usually end up using the full 2 cups with green lentils, though I may only need 1 cup with brown lentils)
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm with sandwiches, salad, or bread. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. (The flavor will be even better the next day!) Or, freeze soup in freezer bags up to 2 months!
Make It a Meal! (Side Dishes To Try)
Since you probably don’t want a dinner of *just* soup, let’s talk side dishes! Here’s what to serve with lentil soup to turn it into a hearty meal:
- A Sandwich. I little half sandwich with a cup of soup is just about my favorite meal. A grilled ham and cheese is delicious here, or you can try a classic chicken salad sandwich, or turkey sandwich!
- A Salad. Or, if a soup and salad combo is more your style, try serving this brown lentil soup with a side salad like our Easy Arugula Salad, House Green Salad, or a classic gluten-free Caesar salad.
- Bread! If a sandwich feels like too much work (or you need something easy that packs well for work!), try a side of crusty bread, cornbread, or gluten-free focaccia. You can’t go wrong!
- Fresh Fruit. My kids LOVE fruit, so I usually put out a little fruit with dinner. Choose whatever’s in season & easy to find! I think grapes or apple slices can be nice with this bacon lentil soup.
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Lentil Soup
What Kind of Lentils Should I Use For Bacon Lentil Soup? We recommend green lentils or brown lentils with this bacon lentil soup recipe. The color and mild earthy flavor are more complementary here. If you have red lentils on hand, you can make our red lentil soup recipe instead!
Do I Need To Soak Lentils For Lentil Soup? Nope! Unlike dry beans, dry lentils do NOT need to be soaked before cooking!
Can I Make This Soup In The Slow Cooker? Yep! You can absolutely make this as a slow cooker lentil soup recipe. Cook the bacon and add the cooked bacon (and bacon grease!) to the slow cooker. Then, add everything but the vinegar & herbs together in the slow cooker and cook on LOW 8-10 hours or HIGH 4-6 hours. At the end, pulse the soup a bit with the immersion blender and stir in the vinegar and herbs.
Why Aren’t My Lentils Soft Enough? If they’re just a little more al dente or firm than you like, give the lentils another 10-15 minutes simmering on the stove before panicking! If you’ve already cooked the soup for 60+ minutes and the lentils are still HARD, they’re probably too old and wouldn’t soften no matter what you did. (It’s not the recipe’s fault!)
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our easy Bacon Lentil Soup recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Smoky Bacon Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon diced (can use more, if you want–6-8 slices!)
- 1 onion diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound brown lentils or green lentils
- 2 quarts chicken bone broth or vegetable broth (I like bone broth for extra protein!)
- 1-2 cups water (as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Your Favorite Hot Suace (for serving)
Instructions
- Sort & Rinse Lentils. Before you start, check through the lentils and remove any rocks, pebbles, or weird-looking lentils. Rinse in a sieve thoroughly and set aside.
- Cook The Bacon. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until crisped. Don't drain the bacon fat. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown bacon. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer. Add lentils and vegetable broth to the pot.
- Cook Veggies. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot with the bacon and cook 5-7 minutes to soften, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. They may not be fully cooked through, but should be softer.
- Build Flavor. Add tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to the pan and cook another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Simmer. Add lentils and broth to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 35-45 minutes, or until lentils are tender, adding water, as needed. The exact cooking time will vary based on the type of lentils you use, so check regularly, and feel free to add a few minutes to the cook time, as needed.
- Finish The Soup. Use an immersion blender to gently pulse just 4-5 times to blend part of the soup. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can remove 1 cup or so of the soup and pulse in a blender or food processor–be careful when blending hot soup!! Stir in vinegar and fresh herbs and stir to combine, adding more water again, if needed. (I usually end up using the full 2 cups with green lentils, though I may only need 1 cup with brown lentils)
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm with sandwiches, salad, or bread. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days. (The flavor will be even better the next day!)Or, freeze up to 2 months!
Notes
- Broth. I recommend using chicken bone broth with 8-9 grams of protein per serving. It brings the protein up to 20 grams per cup of soup! Make sure to use gluten-free broth!
- Lentils. I recommend green lentils or brown lentils for this recipe.
- Extras To Try. Feel free to add extra seasonings here–a little cumin will play up the smoky flavors even more, while a bay leaf adds savory depth. Try a little fresh thyme for an herby layer of flavor, or serve with a few drops of hot sauce for some kick! I sometimes even stir in a handful or two of finely chopped spinach at the end for more nutrients.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/bacon-lentil-soup/Originally published January 2014. Fully updated with improved recipe, new photos and video and republished November 2025.
This soup was so wonderful; even my pickiest eaters asked for seconds! So satisfying on a cold night.
YAY! So glad you all enjoyed it!
We’re making this tomorrow. It looks like something my family needs.
I was looking for a good legume soup recipe & chose yours. Was ‘delish’. Thank you.
Holy hannah montana. I had to stop mid bite and come tell you how delicious this soup is! Thank you so much for the recipe! I only buy lentils out of wanting to be healthy. I never suspected they could be something I would choose over something else. Now they are.
Oh, amen sister. I bought them on a whim hoping that I could learn to like them. And now I DO!
I know all too well about our hearts getting pulled in a million different directions with the little ones. I have a 4 year old, a 2.5 year old and our 3rd is due in May. I also work part-time, but once babe #3 is born I plan to stay home. Just wanted you to know that you aren’t alone! My husband is a cop and works 2nd shift so I know what it is like to have no help come dinner, bath and bedtime. I also enjoy my “me time” once they are in bed, I unwind, prep dinners, watch TV, read or just lounge. All us mothers need it! And by the way, this soup sounds fabulous:)
The soup looks amazing, but the bread looks even better. I miss good crusty bread. Is it one you’ve made or bought?
This is one of my favorites and IS dad’s favorite. It’s yummy on a cold winters eve, even when you haven’t been chasing babies all day!
I love lentils and my new husband loves them too so this definitely will be a win! I wish I had a pot of it simmering right now to make me not hate this freezing cold weather…