Instant Pot Lentil Soup
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Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a homey, comfort food in a bowl. It’s healthy, nourishing to the soul and body, and incredibly delicious with paprika and cumin.
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It’s thick and hearty and so incredible, that I keep making it week after week for healthy lunches and yes, even snacks!
In season and out, Lentil Soup is a must. And made in the Instant Pot… just makes the creating of this delicious soup even easier.
Plus, it’s pantry-friendly! If you’re like me and usually have a bag of lentils in the pantry along with carrots, onions, and celery in the refrigerator, you are minutes away from this incredibly yummy soup.
And you’ll find yourself making it week after week — just like me. And then I can whisper… “I told you…” I’m smiling.
What to Love About This Easy Lentil Soup
- Hearty and delicious with incredible flavors of paprika and cumin.
- While it’s amazing for dinner with say, crusty bread or popovers, it makes lunches subperb.
- The soup keeps for 5 days in the refrigerator, reheats perfectly, and even freezes for future quick and easy meals.
- Very little prep in making this soup.
Lentils
You will find several lentil recipes on this site. I absolutely love them! In fact, I might even say, I crave them at times.
I’ve said that before about curry — and I adore the combination thus… my Curry Lentil Soup!
You’ll find more lentil recipes here, like Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage and Spinach and Easy Sausage Lentil Soup for Cozy Days or Vegetarian Instant Pot Curry Lentil Soup.
There’s a good reason for loving lentils. They are high in fiber and protein, naturally gluten-free, and are low on the glycemic index. Plus, they keep you fueled all day!
I’ve used brown lentils in this recipe as they cook quickly.
How to Cook Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
Soup can require a lot of chopping and prepping. But soup is worth the effort.
For this Lentil Soup, very little prep is needed. While the time to make this soup is similar to making it on the stovetop, the hands-off cooking makes it simple to let the Instant Pot do the work for you.
Plus, it’s tender and utterly perfect in texture when cooked.
Here’s what you need to make this soup:
Lentil Soup Ingredients
Lentils: I’ve used brown lentils, but French green lentils are incredible too. You do not need to soak the lentils before making the soup.
Vegetables. A classic combination of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.
Spices: The combination of smoked paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes (although optional) gives an incredible earthy, smokey flavor to the soup.
Tomatoes. Pantry friendly, you will need two varieties of canned tomatoes; regular diced tomatoes and a can of petite diced tomatoes. Use either fire-roasted or plain, whichever you have on hand.
Broth. I love to use vegetable broth, but chicken broth works equally well. If you’d like to keep the soup vegetarian or vegan, use vegetable broth.
Toppings. Fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese are incredible toppings for this soup! I also like to add a dollop of Green yogurt as well.
How to Store and Reheat Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- TO STORE: Refrigerate in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm this soup on the stovetop in a saucepan set to medium-low heat until hot. Or microwave until warm.
- TO FREEZE: Store soup in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Can You Make This Lentil Soup on the Stovetop?
You can easily convert this recipe to make on the stovetop.
Saute the vegetables, as directed in the recipe, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.
Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, and seasoning and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
Cook until the lentils are tender; about 25 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes You Will Love
Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Paprika and Cumin
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped small
- 4 carrots chopped small
- 3 stalks celery chopped small
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 ¼ cups French green lentils
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 15-ounces diced diced tomatoes
- 1 can 15-ounce petite diced tomatoes
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to Sauté and drizzle in the oil. Once it's hot, add the onion and stir it into the oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft; about 4 minutes.
- Then add the carrots, celery, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the carrots and celery are beginning to soften; about 2 minutes.
- Cancel the Sauté function. Stir in the lentils and garlic and let cook in the residual heat for another 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes and broth.
- Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. Then let naturally release the pressure.
- Open the lid and stir the soup. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm this soup on the stovetop in a saucepan set to medium-low heat until hot. Or microwave until warm.
- TO FREEZE: Store soup in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- TO MAKE ON THE STOVETOP: Saute the vegetables as directed in the recipe in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, and seasoning and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender; about 25 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.