Instant Pot Lentil Soup

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is always at the top of my must-make-soups list when the weather cools down. It's a beautiful vegan lentil soup that comes out perfectly in the Instant Pot!

Why Should You Make This Instant Pot Lentil Soup?

• Fast. A simple Instant Pot recipe done in under 30 minutes.
• Easy. Almost anyone can make this easy pour and cook recipe.
• Delicious. Packed with delicious vegetables and spices to make for a surprisingly robust soup.
• Vegetarian. Skip the meat for this tasty vegetarian recipe.

Lentils have such a robust flavor, so they're perfect for making soups that are rich in taste. Instant Pot Lentil Soup is no exception in the flavor department. Lentils and spinach combine to make this very flavorful and hearty. 

What's In Lentil Soup?

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup also includes a healthy serving of spinach. The spinach is the perfect addition, and its flavor blends well with the lentils. If you don't want to use spinach, you can also use Kale for a similar flavor and texture profile.

This soup specifically uses whole brown lentils. They will need to be rinsed and drained before you make the soup, but thanks to the Instant Pot will not have to be soaked.

In additional to lentils and spinach, you will also add beautiful spices and herbs like thyme and cumin to infuse those rich flavors we talked about earlier.

What Exactly Is A Lentil?

I was very surprised to discover that for most Americans, the term lentil meant only one kind of lentil. For me, growing up in India, I was familiar with at least 30 different sorts of beans, lentils, and legumes!

I actually created a video and a download called Lots of Lovely Lentils because I really want you to be able to enjoy all these wonderful plant proteins at our disposal.

How Do You Cook Lentils In An Instant Pot?

As you just read in the section above, there are SO MANY different kinds of lentils. The most commonly used lentil for soups etc, is the Red Lentil since it cooks so quickly. However, the Instant Pot is a great way to cook lentils correctly and quickly.

To cook lentils in the Instant Pot, you will need to put in the right amount of water to the correct amount of lentils.

For more info on how to cook beans and lentils in your pressure cooker, check out my guide on How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot!

Do You Soak Lentils Before Making Soup?

Most lentils won't need to be soaked before being put in the Instant Pot, thanks to the nature of pressure cooking, but almost all will need to be rinsed first.

How Do You Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup?

• Place all ingredients into the inner liner of your Instant Pot. 
• Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
• Add 2 cups of water and red wine vinegar, stir and serve. (You are adding this water later so as to reduce time to pressure, and so that you can add more or less water to suit your preference for a thicker or thinner soup).

How Can I Make This Lentil Soup Vegan?

You only need one tiny change to make this Instant Pot Lentil Soup vegan. Switch out the Chicken Broth Powder, for Vegetable Broth Powder. That's it!

Want Some More Delicious Instant Pot Lentil Recipes?

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• Red Lentil Soup - This one is easily made in your Instant Pot and is a reader favorite!
• Dal Makhani - this is the creamiest Dal Makhani recipe, and you're going to love how it turns out.
• Instant Pot Rice & Dal - you can make rice and dal at the same time in your Instant Pot using the pot-in-pot method - I'll show you how!

I can't wait for you to try this classic Instant Pot Lentil Soup so you can see just how easy using your pressure cooker for lentils really is! I hope you also learned about the versatility of lentils and how many ways they can brighten up your dishes!