This is the best Instant Pot Lentil Soup full of tender lentils and veggies that hold well during pressure cooking! With only 5 minutes of prep, no sautéing, or pre-soaking, this is the easiest soup recipe perfect for busy weeknights!
Reader’s Review
My go-to lentil soup recipe! Never fails to soothe and warm the soul. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Tasha
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious: This Instant Pot lentil soup is a cross between my stovetop lentil spinach soup and slow cooker lentil soup.
- Healthy: Naturally gluten-free and loaded with vegetables to the brim.
- Lots of leftovers: This recipe for Lentil soup in Instant Pot makes a lot, especially if you’re making it in the 8 quart Instant Pot.
- Budget-friendly: No fussy ingredients. Most of them you probably already have in your kitchen and if not, none of them will break the bank.
- Easy to make: There is no sautéing beforehand and no pre-soaking the lentils. With just 5 minutes of prep, the Instant Pot does the work.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe
- Lentils: Use french green lentils or brown lentils, whichever you have. Both will hold their shape under pressure and don’t become mushy. Make sure to rinse and drain them.
- Vegetables: Carrots, celery, spinach or kale, low sodium diced or crushed tomatoes. You can play around with the amount and type of vegetables you use, depending on your preferences.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves all work together to give this soup amazing flavor.
- Seasonings: Cumin, oregano, salt and pepper are all this recipe calls for in terms of herbs and spices.
- Broth: You can use bouillon cubes and 10 cups of water or 10 cups of low sodium vegetable broth or stock. You can also do half broth and half water to cut back on cost.
Variations
- Red lentils: Reduce pressure cooking time to 12 minutes because red lentils do not hold their shape as well as green or brown lentils.
- Diced ham or sausage: Just add it along with other ingredients. No other changes are necessary.
- Fresh or frozen chicken: Throw in a few chicken breasts, thighs or drumsticks with other ingredients to make Instant Pot version of chicken lentil soup. No other changes.
- Spice it up: Toss in some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, or just serve with a drizzle of hot sauce.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes: If you can find them, fire roasted tomatoes would add a great smoky taste to your Instant Pot lentil soup.
- Chicken broth: If you’re not concerned about keeping this a vegetarian soup and you’d rather use chicken broth or Instant Pot chicken broth, do that instead.
- More flavor: Chopped fresh parsley or a squeeze of lemon would be delicious.
How to Make Lentil Soup in Instant Pot
- Add vegetables: To the Instant Pot, add carrots, celery and onion.
- Add everything else: Then add green lentils, diced tomatoes, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper and vegetable broth.
- Pressure cook: Close the lid, set pressure valve to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High pressure or Manual button for 18 minutes.
- Release the pressure: Do a Natural Release which takes just under 1 hour. Or you can do a Quick Release by turning the valve to Venting and releasing the pressure in about 3-4 minutes. Just know there will be some splatters on a counter, so maybe just wait 15 minutes for soup to stop boiling vigorously.
- Add the greens: Remove the lid and now is the time to add spinach or kale.
- Grate fresh garlic: Nothing brightens up a soup like fresh garlic, says Ukrainian me. There is a huge difference between cooked and fresh garlic flavor. Huge! You have to trust me on this one.
- Parmesan cheese: Stir and serve soup hot garnished with Parmesan cheese. If you are strict vegan, you’ll probably skip Parmesan cheese.
Tips for Best Results
- If you have not low sodium cans: Add less salt.
- For 3 quart Instant Pot: Cut 6 quart recipe ingredients in half and keep the same cooking time.
- Make sure pot isn’t more than 2/3 full: If your inner pot doesn’t have 2/3 full marking, it is very important to fill the pot only 2/3 full when pressure cooking. Ignore the cups, L and near the edge Max markers (read more).
- To avoid splatters during QPR: Wait about 10 minutes for soup to stop boiling vigorously. Also not having Keep Warm function will slow down boiling sooner.
- To make on the stovetop: Here is similar lentil spinach soup recipe.
Serving Ideas
This soup is a complete meal on its own, but there are days when I like to use it as a starter or have a little something extra on the side.
- Serving it with crusty bread like baguette or sourdough for sopping up that liquid is a given. To add more protein to your meal, serve with Greek yogurt bread or cottage cheese bread.
- As a starter to something easy like air fryer chicken wings.
- On its own: Grab a handful of Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, or a drizzle of hot sauce and maybe a glass of wine and you’re all set!
Make It a Freezer Meal
- Instant Pot: Add all ingredients in the order listed in the recipe minus the water, spinach, and garlic. Freeze uncooked in a gallon size Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with 10 cups of water or broth if using a 6 quart Instant Pot or 14 cups if using an 8 quart Instant Pot. The instructions for cooking from frozen are to cook for 18-20 minutes with a Quick Release at the end.
- Slow cooker: Add all ingredients in the order listed in the recipe minus water, spinach and garlic and freeze uncooked in a gallon size Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with 10 cups of water or broth on Low for 10 hours or on High for 5 hours.
- After cooking: Add the spinach and garlic. Stir and serve hot garnished with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, if desired.
Check out my full list of 20 healthy freezer meals.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Lentils freeze beautifully and there are no tender vegetables in this lentil soup either, which means nothing will turn to mush.
Freeze cooled down leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight. Simmer on low heat covered, stirring occasionally. Or reheat in a microwave.
More Lentil Recipes to Try
More Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Lentil Soup full of tender lentils and veggies that hold well during pressure cooking! 5 minutes prep, no sautéing, or pre-soaking.
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
6 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 small celery, chopped
- 2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed & drained (uncooked)
- 28 ounces can diced or crushed tomatoes, low sodium
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 cups low sodium vegetable broth, or water
- 11 ounces box of spinach or kale
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
8 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 large large carrots, chopped
- 2 small celery, chopped
- 3 cups green lentils, rinsed & drained
- 28 ounces can diced or crushed tomatoes, low sodium
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 bay leaves
- 14 cups low sodium vegetable broth, or water
- 11 ounces box of spinach
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, add onion, carrots and celery.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, bay leaves and vegetable broth or water enough to fill up to 2/3 full line or approximately 10 or 14 cups.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High pressure for 18 minutes. Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 30 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown from 18 minutes will begin.
- Lentil soup is ready but your Instant Pot needs to bring pressure down before you can open it, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve. You can let it do it on its own which will take less than an hour – Natural Release. OR you can do Quick Release by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 3-4 minutes.
- Open the lid, add spinach and stir. Grate fresh garlic over soup and stir.
- Serve hot garnished with Parmesan cheese.
🎉 Last step! If you made this recipe, please leave a review and let us know what you think!
Notes
- Make ahead: Refrigerate chopped veggies with spices in an airtight container for up to 3 days and mix with the rest when ready to cook.
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or inner Instant Pot pot with a fitting glass lid for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze cooled down soup in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Instant Pot: Add all ingredients in the order listed in the recipe minus broth or water, spinach and garlic and freeze uncooked in a gallon size Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with 10 (6 quart Instant Pot) or 14 cups (8 quart Instant Pot) of water/broth for 20 minutes, after do Quick Release.
- Slow cooker: Add all ingredients in the order listed in the recipe minus broth or water, spinach and garlic and freeze uncooked in a gallon size Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with water/broth on Low for 10 hours or on High for 5 hours.
- After cooking: Add spinach and garlic. Stir and serve hot garnished with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 415mg, Fiber: 20g, Sugar: 6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Awesome best lentil soup I’ve ever had!
So glad you enjoyed!
Made this for Xmas. Soup annual tradition. Everyone loved it! Modified recipe a little – Used 32oz of vegetable broth, 32 oz of vegetable stock, 2 cups hot water, Tony Saturize sauce sprinkled on top & added 1.5 teaspoons of curry, and 1/8 of soaked hard rice (didn’t know how the rice would expand, but worked … might add some more next time).
Glad you enjoyed!
Do you recommend using natural release or quick release? Does it affect/compromise the flavor of the soup if I were to do quick release?
Well…Of course, like any soup that sits longer it tastes better. Soup might be a bit more flavorful with natural release but it’s not critical. If you have time, let it subside on its own. If not, it’s perfectly fine!
I made this soup today but i used split peas (by mistake) instead of lentils. They look like they overcooked but I’m still happy with it.
Woops on the legume / pea mistake, glad to hear it still turned out well!
I have made this in the 6qt IP and it was exceptional! How would split peas be added to this recipe? If the answer is good how much would I use in this recipe in the 6qt pot?
Look forward to trying more of your recipes
Hi Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it. I would make Instant Pot Split Pea soup for best results with the split peas!
Hi Olena,
I love, love, love your recipes. Definitely allowing me to explore my Instant Pot in ways I had not done before. Everything I’ve tried is delicious 😋.
I can’t wait to try this recipe, question, the 11oz box of spinach or kale, is this fresh or frozen?
So glad you are enjoying everything! It can be either, buy the fresh when it is on sale and freeze it 🙂
Ms. Osipov, at worst I find lentil soup undistinguished chalk, and at best a sort of simplistic satisfying of basic warmth and health needs. Yours is exquisite. Thank you, Laura
Thanks for the exquisite review and so glad the recipe won you over to the lentil soup fan side! 🙂
I’m confused about the call for 10 cups of stock and mentioning that the instant pot shouldn’t be more than 2/3 full? I followed these instructions to a tee and my instant pot (6qt) was almost completely full! I had to ladle out some of the liquids to get it back to the 2/3 line. I wish there was a little more clarity on which instruction should be followed…
Otherwise, the soup is delicious!
I’ve been looking for a good instant pot lentil soup recipe, and this one was FABULOUS!! Our whole family devoured it. It’s part of our weekly meal rotation now!
yeah! So happy to hear of this dinner win!
I felt skeptical since the recipe was so simple, but this soup was amazing!
I used a 28 oz can of tomato sauce since it’s what I had in the pantry and
added homemade hot sauce to my bowl and it was perfection.
So glad to hear! Sometimes simple really is the best 🙂
This one is a family favourite !!
I’ve made it many times, and love it with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and extra spinach ❤️
This was delicious! First time making lentil soup in my instant pot. This recipe is a keeper!
Awesome!!!