American · Lunch

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Brown lentils, carrots, celery and tomatoes pressure cooked into a thick, spiced soup. Six servings in 35 minutes.

Not yet ratedThis recipe has no ratings yet 35 min total Serves 6 servings Easy
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Instant Pot Lentil Soup, an American lunch recipe — pressure cooker lentil soup

Photograph credit: Instant Pot Lentil Stew by goblinbox_(queen_of_ad_hoc_bento) · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr

Storing and Planning Ahead

Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezes for up to 3 months. Loosen with water when reheating.

How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup

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  1. Set the pot to sauté. Heat the oil and cook the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika for 1 minute.

  2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, stock and salt and stir.

  3. Lock the pressure cooker lid, set the valve to sealing and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.

  4. Stir in the lemon juice, taste for salt and serve.

Worth Knowing

  • Rinse the lentils and pick out any grit.
  • Add the lemon juice after cooking.
  • The soup thickens as it stands; loosen with water.

Some Background

Lentils need no soaking, and under pressure they cook in 12 minutes with no stirring. Their starch thickens the soup as they soften, so there is no need to blend any of it.

Use brown or green lentils. Red ones collapse into a purée under pressure, which suits some soups but not this one. Rinse them in a sieve and pick out any small stones before they go in.

Fry the onion, carrots and celery on the sauté setting for 5 minutes. The vegetables take on a sweetness that stock alone cannot give. Add cumin and a little smoked paprika for a minute, then the lentils, tomatoes and stock.

Hold back the lemon juice until the end. Acid in the pot slows the softening of the lentils, and a squeeze stirred in at the end lifts the whole soup. A spoon of yogurt on each bowl, or a drizzle of olive oil, finishes it, and the soup is thick enough to be a meal with bread alone.

What to Put Next to It

Crusty bread · Yogurt · Flatbread · Green salad

Common Substitutions & Variations

  • An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Questions About Instant Pot Lentil Soup

How long does Instant Pot Lentil Soup take to make?

About 35 minutes in total — 10 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 6.

What are the key tips for making Instant Pot Lentil Soup?

Rinse the lentils and pick out any grit. Add the lemon juice after cooking. The soup thickens as it stands; loosen with water.

What should I serve with Instant Pot Lentil Soup?

Crusty bread; Yogurt; Flatbread; Green salad.

Can Instant Pot Lentil Soup be made ahead or frozen?

Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezes for up to 3 months. Loosen with water when reheating.

Is Instant Pot Lentil Soup suitable for a special diet?

This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.

How many calories are in Instant Pot Lentil Soup?

About 260 kcal per serving, with 16 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate and 4 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.

260Calories
16gProtein
40gCarbs
4gFat
8gFibre
5gSugar
1090mgSodium

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Written and tested by Turab

One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.