Instant Pot Lentil Soup

This instant pot lentil soup is one of those recipes I make over and over again. It’s warm, filling, and comes together in under 30 minutes with very little effort.

Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. They’re cheap, packed with protein and fiber, and they don’t need to be soaked before cooking.

The Instant Pot does most of the work here. You just sauté a few veggies, toss everything in, and let it pressure cook for 15 minutes. That’s it.

The result is a thick, hearty soup with a nice blend of warm spices and a little brightness from lemon juice at the end.

Serve it with some crusty bread and you’ve got yourself a solid, comforting meal that’s also naturally vegan.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Hands-Off Cooking – Once you lock that Instant Pot lid, the soup cooks itself on high pressure for just 15 minutes, which means you can walk away and handle other things instead of standing over a stove stirring a pot for an hour.

Incredibly Budget Friendly – Lentils, carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, and an onion cost almost nothing, so this whole pot of hearty soup feeds a family for just a few dollars.

The Spice Blend Is Warm and Smoky – The combination of cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric gives this soup a deep, earthy warmth that makes it taste way more complex and satisfying than a basic lentil soup.

Lentils Come Out Perfectly Tender – Pressure cooking lentils is one of the best ways to get them creamy and soft all the way through without any of them turning mushy or falling apart into mush like they sometimes do on the stovetop.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Green or Brown Lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 14 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
• 1 large Yellow Onion, diced
• 3 medium Carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks Celery, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• Crusty Bread, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Step 2

Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric. Stir for about 1 minute until the spices are fragrant and coating the vegetables evenly.

Step 3

Add the rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together to combine. Press cancel.

Step 4

Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. When the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to venting.

Step 5

Open the lid and stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice. The residual heat will wilt the spinach in about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir gently until the spinach is fully wilted.

Step 6

Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice to your liking. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Pro Tips

Don’t Skip the Saute Step

It might be tempting to just throw everything in and pressure cook, but sauteing the onion, carrots, and celery first makes a big difference. Those few minutes build a flavor base that you can’t get from pressure cooking alone.

You want the onion to look slightly translucent around the edges before adding the garlic and spices. If you rush this, the soup will taste flat and one-dimensional.

Toast the Spices Before Adding Liquid

When you add the cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric, make sure you stir them into the vegetables for a full minute before adding anything else. Letting the spices hit the hot oil and cook briefly is what brings out their flavor.

If you dump the broth in too quickly, the spices won’t bloom properly and the soup will taste like you just sprinkled seasoning on top at the end. You should be able to smell the cumin clearly before moving on.

Pick the Right Lentils

Green or brown lentils hold their shape well under pressure, which is exactly what you want here. They give the soup a nice texture where some lentils stay whole and some break down to thicken everything naturally.

Don’t use red or yellow lentils for this recipe. They dissolve completely under pressure and you’ll end up with something closer to a puree than a chunky soup.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Chili

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use red lentils instead of green or brown?

You can, but red lentils cook much faster and will break down completely, giving you a thicker, more porridge-like soup rather than one with whole lentil pieces. If you prefer a chunkier texture, stick with green or brown lentils.

If you do use red lentils, reduce the high pressure cook time to about 5-7 minutes. Everything else in the recipe stays the same.