This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is the soup I make more often than any other! It's thick, hearty, and packed with brown lentils, potatoes, and plenty of vegetables. Best of all, it cooks in just 7 minutes at high pressure, making it an easy, satisfying dinner for busy weeknights.
Quick Look: Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Method: Add all ingredients to an Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 7 minutes before releasing and enjoying.
- Why Make THIS Version? Thick and hearty stew packed with veggies and herbs, and is so quick and easy.
- No Need To: Sauté any vegetables first! Just add everything to the pot and pressure cook.
- Secret to Success: Allow the soup to naturally release for 5 minutes for perfectly cooked lentils.
- Key Ingredients: Brown lentils, vegetable broth, potatoes, carrots, onion, and herbs.
- Calories/Serving: 165 kcal.
- Pairs Well With: Dinner rolls, focaccia, or cornbread.
- Freezer-Friendly: Yes. Freeze your cooled soup for up to 1 month.
Soup is my go-to dinner in the Fall and Winter. They are easy to make, and the possibilities are endless! I love making my Vegan Barley Soup, my Acorn Squash Soup, or even my Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup, depending on what is in season and what ingredients I have in the kitchen.
I love this Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe because it's made with simple ingredients, all cooked together in the Instant Pot. I use brown lentils because they're hearty and hold their shape, and I add frozen peas after pressure cooking so they warm through without becoming overcooked. It's also so easy to adapt depending on what vegetables I have on hand.
Below, I'll walk you through how to make this easy vegan and gluten-free lentil soup, including my tips for pressure cooking, choosing lentils, and getting a thick, hearty stew every time.
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Why You'll Love This Lentil Soup Recipe
- This recipe requires simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
- And it only cooks for 7 minutes before releasing the pressure to enjoy.
- This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is completely vegan and gluten-free, so anyone can enjoy it.
- It is packed with vegetables, herbs, and plant-based protein from lentils.
- And most importantly, it is absolutely delicious!
Ingredient Notes
Lentils: I always keep a variety of dry lentils on hand. I use black lentils in my Mediterranean Lentil Salad and red lentils in Red Lentil Hummus and Carrot Red Lentil Soup. I recommend brown lentils for this recipe because they hold their shape through pressure cooking. Green lentils work for this recipe and hold their shape, too, but brown lentils are easier to find in my area, so that is what I usually use.
Vegetable Stock: For vegetable stock, I love Better Than Bouillon. It is delicious in all soups and stews like my Brothy Great Northern Beans and Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup. I recommend using a lower-sodium vegetable stock for this recipe so you can control the amount of sodium.
Vegetables: This soup calls for onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, potatoes, and frozen peas. For potatoes, I like gold potatoes because they become almost creamy while still holding their shape. You can use russet potatoes, but they'll slightly break apart.
Herbs: I like a combination of dried thyme and bay leaves. If you think bay leaves don't taste like anything, it's time to buy new ones! They have an herbal flavor that leans minty. And just like an herb or spice, they naturally lose their flavor over time. So if yours don't have an herbal aroma, it is time to replace them.
Variations
I have made this Instant Pot Lentil Soup so many ways over the years, and it always comes out delicious.
Instead of zucchini, try 1 ½ cups of chopped mushrooms or green beans.
Instead of dried thyme, use an Italian seasoning blend.
Special Equipment
You need an Instant Pot for this lentil stew recipe.
Mine is the 8-quart Instant Pot, but the 6-quart Instant Pot will work too!
The 3-quart Instant Pot is too small for this recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Step 1. First, chop all the vegetables into about ½" cubes.
They don't have to be perfect, but evenly sized vegetables will cook more evenly.
Step 2. Now, add the brown lentils, onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, and potatoes into the Instant Pot.
Then, add the vegetable stock, olive oil, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme, and give it a stir.
Step 3. Next, place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to high pressure for 7 minutes.
Once 7 minutes have elapsed, allow it to naturally release for 5 minutes, then press the quick-release button to release the pressure.
Allowing the Instant Pot to naturally release for 5 minutes allows the lentils to gently continue cooking so they become tender but still hold their shape.
Step 4. The lentils should be tender, but hold their shape, and the carrots and potatoes should be soft.
Finally, add the frozen peas and stir. Adding peas at the very end allows them to warm through, keep their color, and become tender, not mushy.
The soup will thicken as it cools.
Now you're ready to enjoy your Instant Pot Lentil Soup!
Serving Suggestions
This soup is delicious on its own, but I love to serve it with some sort of bread like:
Instant Pot Lentil Soup FAQs
Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the soup in a small saucepan, adding a little additional vegetable broth as needed.
Yes! Fill any container with a tight-fitting lid with soup, leaving an inch of space at the top because the soup will expand when frozen. Allow the soup to cool completely in the refrigerator. Then, pop it into the freezer!
To defrost, place a frozen soup container into the refrigerator overnight. Then, pour the soup into a pot or microwave-safe bowl and heat. Enjoy!
No, you don't need to soak lentils for most recipes. They cook in about 20 minutes from dry! But in this recipe, they cook even faster than that thanks to the Instant Pot, which is a pressure cooker.
Brown or green lentils are great for recipes like Lentil Chili and Lentil Soup because they hold their shape. Red lentils lose their shape entirely, so they are delicious in blended soups like Red Lentil Cauliflower Soup.
Megan's Expert Tips
Be careful when quick-releasing the Instant Pot. Hot steam shoots up from the release valve, so it is important to keep your hand and arm out of the way.
Do not make this recipe with precooked or canned lentils. They will completely break apart during the cooking process. Make my Vegan Lentil Tacos with them instead!
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Equipment
- 1 6-8 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chefs Knife
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Brown Lentils, picked through and rinsed
- 1 Large Onion chopped into ½" pieces
- 2 Large Carrots chopped into ½" pieces
- 2 Ribs Celery chopped into ½" pieces
- 2 Medium Potatoes, Cubed
- 1 Medium Zucchini Chopped into ½" pieces, see note
- 5 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock See note
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced
- 1 ½ tsp Dried Thyme Leaves or a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 Small Bay Leaves
- Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
- ¾ Cup Frozen Peas
Instructions
- In a 6-Qt or 8-Qt instant pot, combine the lentils, onion, carrot, celery, potatoes and zucchini.1 ½ Cups Brown Lentils, picked through and rinsed, 1 Large Onion, 2 Large Carrots, 2 Ribs Celery, 2 Medium Potatoes, Cubed, 1 Medium Zucchini
- Then, add vegetable stock, olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaves ,and black pepper and stir.5 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock, 2 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced, 1 ½ tsp Dried Thyme Leaves, 3 Small Bay Leaves, Salt and Black Pepper to Taste, 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Place the lid onto the instant pot and set it to high pressure for 7 minutes.
- After 7 minutes has elapsed, turn the instant pot off and let it naturally release for 5 minutes. See Note
- After 5 minutes, manually release the pressure by pressing the quick-release valve. After the pressure has been released, open the lid, add the frozen peas, and stir. The peas will warm up in a few minutes with the heat of the soup.¾ Cup Frozen Peas
- Taste the soup for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Let the soup cool a bit before serving. This stays very hot for a while. It will thicken as it cools.
Dave says
This turned out fantastic. As a lazy, mostly-vegan guy, would love if you had more instant pot recipes. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Sue says
Making this right now! I’ve made it before and it’s so good!