Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Once upon a time when I was a picky eater kid, I wouldn’t ever go near the idea of lentils. But as I have aged into an adult with gray hair, I realized that legumes are a wondrous thing – especially when given the soup treatment. Deep and hearty while remaining healthy and light, I can confidently say that this particular lentil soup will be one of the finest, quickest, and most flavor-packed vegan meals you’ll ever experience.

Lentil Soup

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Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Sauté Away!

Olive oil
Start off by adding some olive oil to the Instant Pot and give it some heat.
Mirepoix
Once the oil’s heated, add a trio of diced onion, carrots, and celery (this is called a “mirepoix” in French and is pronounced “meer-pwa”).
Sautéing mirepoix in olive oil in Instant Pot
Sauté the mirepoix in the olive oil fr a few minutes, until softened.
Adding garlic to mirepoix
Then, add some crushed or minced garlic…
Sautéing garlic with mirepoix
…and sauté for a moment longer.

Make it Souper

Adding vegetable broth to pot
Pour in some vegetable broth to get the soup party going…
Adding spices to pot
…and season it up with a seriously delicious combo of common and accessible seasonings (see recipe card below).

Lend Some Lentils

Adding rinsed lentils to pot
Of course, it wouldn’t be a lentil soup without lentils! Rinse some brown or green ones through a fine-mesh strainer and then add it to the soupy pot!
Stirring soup
Give everything a big ‘ole stir.

Pressure Cook

Topping soup with spinach
I personally like to add a nice element of greens to this soup, so I top it off with baby spinach (you can also used chopped kale). But do not stir it in! Just let it rest on top of everything else in the pot. (NOTE: The reason being if we stir it, it could cause issues with the pot coming to pressure as there’s already the lentils and veggies in there – plus it could prevent the lentils from cooking properly). Secure the lid and pressure cook the soup.

Soup’s On!

Pressure cooked soup
Once done pressure cooking, you’ll see the lentils will have cooked perfectly!
Stirring finished soup
Give it all a good stir…
Ladling soup
….and PRESTO! You have just created a remarkably quick, simple, and absolutely sensational lentil soup!

The Taste Test

Man holding bowl of soup with a spoonful of it
Now it’s time to try that SOUPer healthy bowl of joy!
Man slurping soup
Go on. Take it in.
Man giving thumbs up with soup
And with a thumbs up, you will know you have a seriously amazing lentil soup on your hands! Goes great some some warm, buttered French bread or my Garlic Bread!
Yield: 6

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Once upon a time when I was a picky eater kid, I wouldn't ever go near the idea of lentils. But as I have aged into an adult with gray hair, I realized that legumes are a wondrous thing - especially when given the soup treatment. Deep and hearty while remaining healthy and light, I can confidently say that this particular lentil soup will be one of the finest, quickest, and most flavor-packed vegan meals you'll ever experience.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced or thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves (1 tablespoon) garlic, minced or pressed
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (optional, you can also use less)
  • 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils, rinsed in cold water through a fine-mesh strainer
  • 5-8 ounces baby spinach or chopped kale (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the oil to the Instant Pot, hit Sauté and Adjust to the More or High setting. After 3 minutes of heating the oil, add the onion, carrots, and celery (this trio is what the French call a "mirepoix") and sauté for 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer.
  2. Pour in the vegetable broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the seasoned salt, thyme, cumin, pepper, basil, and curry powder (if using) followed by the rinsed lentils. Stir well. If using the spinach, rest it on top of everything in the pot but do not stir.
  3. Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, hit Cancel and then hit Pressure Cook or Manual on High Pressure for 15 minutes. When done, allow a 5-minute natural release followed by a quick release.
  4. Stir everything up and serve. Goes great with some warm, buttered French bread.

Jeffrey's Tips

If you want some meat added to the soup, add about 1/2-1 pound of ground meat of your choice (this can include a plant-based one) and sauté with the mirepoix in Step 1.

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