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Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a vegan soup packed full of flavor! Cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon compliment the red lentils and carrots, creating a creamy, filling soup. It cooks in your pressure cooker in no time at all!
I have received many requests for more pressure cooker recipes. I figured I should create an Instant Pot version of my most popular recipe, Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup. This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is so easy and healthy. In my humble opinion it is the best instant pot lentil soup out there.
You might remember the first and second recipe I shared for the Instant Pot which was this Instant Pot Turkey Taco Pasta and this Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup. That is another really easy recipe to make that is family friendly and has a lot of nice flavors in it. I love how everything cooks in one pot and you pretty much just dump everything in and let the Instant Pot do its works!
The spices paired with the red lentils are just so warming and rich. If you don’t have an instant pot try this easy stove version for Moroccan Red Lentil Soup. If you like lentils you should also check out some other recipes like this Lebanese Lentil Soup, Red Lentil Curry, Mediterranean Lentil Salad or this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup. You also might like this Vegetable Barley Soup, Tuscan Bean Soup or this Instant Pot Bean Soup.
Why We Love Lentil Soup
This hearty, filling soup is so easy to make! Here is why we love it:
• Simple to Make: This soup is so easy to make. The pressure cooker makes it super simple and with very little clean-up.
• Great for Meal-Prep: I love that this soup freezes so well. Make a big batch of it and save half for later. Portion it out so you can pull it out when you need a healthy lunch option. A tip before freezing: allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then put it in an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight. Then when you are ready to eat it, warm it up on the stove over low heat until it is warmed through.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below.
- Vegetables: I added onion, garlic and carrots in this lentil soup. I love the combo and flavor those add. You also could add things like butternut squash or sweet potato but make sure you dice them very small so they cook quickly.
- Spices: The combination of spices in this soup is my favorite. I used cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cinnamon.
- Lentils: Red lentils are the star of this recipe. Make sure to rinse them and pick through them to get any rocks or other things that shouldn’t be mixed in out of the lentils.
- Diced Tomatoes: I added a can of diced tomatoes. You can used crushed tomatoes or even try fire roasted tomatoes for that smoky flavor.
- Vegetable Broth: I used vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth or chicken stock also.
Ways to Modify this Soup
- Beans: Try adding beans to accompany the lentils in this soup. I like chickpeas and white beans.
- Vegetables: Bulk up the soup with vegetables. Some that are great in this soup are cauliflower, jalapeños for spice, potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- Garnishes: Garnishes are your friend with this soup. Feta cheese is great {of course the soup won’t be vegan if you use feta}, fresh cilantro and parsley, Greek or plain yogurt swirled in to create a thicker, creamier soup.
- Meat: If you want to add meat to your soup try adding sausage, diced chicken, ground pork or even some crispy bacon.
How to Make Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Sauté Vegetables: You start this soup by sautéing the vegetables and spices in your pressure cooker for about 6 minutes.
Step 2: Pressure Cook Soup: You add the red lentils, diced tomatoes and broth and set your pressure cooker to manual high for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Serve: Once it is done cooking you use the quick release valve to release the pressure. You then can puree a portion of the soup, all of it or leave it chunky. It tastes great any way you like it.
The garnishes I like to add to my soup are fresh cilantro, a dollop of yogurt and crushed red pepper.
More Soup Recipes
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Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 3 chopped garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups carrots , peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, {optional}
- 2 cups red lentils, rinsed until water runs clear
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro
- Dollop of yogurt
- Crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Turn the instant pot to sauté. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots and spices and continue to sauté for another 4 minutes, or until the carrots start to become tender. Add the broth and stir to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Turn the instant pot off.
- Add in the red lentils and give it a good stir. Add the tomatoes to the top and do not stir. Close the lead and seal and make sure the vent is sealed.
- Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH Pressure for 3 minutes. {Remember it will take some time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.}
- Once the pressure cooker is done do a quick release by turning the knob to vent. Wait for all of the pressure to be released. Turn off the pressure cooker and carefully remove the lid away from you.
- Use a handheld immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. You can also leave it as is for a chunkier texture. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with cilantro, yogurt and crushed red pepper.
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 cups of soup. This soup freezes very well if you have leftovers.
- You can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.
- If you want a bit thicker of a soup add 2-3 Tablespoons of tomato paste once the onion, garlic and carrots are cooked. Some other additions that are nice include quinoa or couscous, chickpeas, grilled chicken, butternut squash or zucchini.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Adapted from my Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
This is the best lentil soup and so easy to make.
Made this last night for the family and we all loved it, even the kids! I don’t have a pressure cooker so put into a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Only other changes were I ran out of vegetable stock so used meat stock & I didn’t have enough red lentils left so added a few french lentils. Lots of flavour and very healthy – thank you!
I like your changes and I am glad the slow cooker worked! So glad you guys liked it.
I made this tonight. Very good recipe. I used half red and half regular lentils. I added a teaspoon of oregano. The lentils were done according to the recipe. Yummy
So glad you liked it! 🙂 It is one of my favorites.
Hi, would the timing be the same in a normal pressure cooker?
I believe so but you might have to read the manual to just make sure. I have never used a normal pressure cooker.
I made it yesterday and gave it 5 minutes it turned out perfect. I’ve made this soup many times on the stove, this soup is lovely. Thank you
I am glad it worked out in the pressure cooker! And thanks for the lovely comment. This is one of our favorite soups this time of year too.
Do you really mean 3 minutes? Should it be 30?
If you are making this in an Instant Pot you will set it to Manual HIGH Pressure for 3 minutes. It takes longer than that because it has to heat up and then cook for the 3 minutes and then you do the quick release of steam. So in the end it probably takes 20-25 minutes total. The directions were just telling you to set the Insta Pot to 3 minutes on High Manual. I hope that helps!
I never have used lentils. If I can’t find Red can I substitute any other?
You can but each type of lentil has a different cook time so check the bag to see.