This Instant Pot lentil soup is a new staple in our cold weather recipe rotation. Packed with lentils and fresh veggies, it's warming and nourishing.
This Instant Pot lentil soup recipe is what I make on nights when I wish that dinner could just cook itself. I’m not going to lie – you still have to chop, measure, and sauté to make this recipe – but once you get that prep work out of the way, the Instant Pot does the rest for you. Pretty awesome, right?
It’s especially awesome given how delicious this Instant Pot lentil soup actually is. It’s brothy, warming, and nourishing, with a savory, tangy flavor and plenty of texture from lentils and fresh veggies. It tastes even better on the second day than it does on the first, and it freezes perfectly, too. If you’re looking for a new soup recipe to add to your cold weather rotation, look no further. This Instant Pot lentil soup is it.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Instant Pot lentil soup recipe:
- Lentils, of course! French green lentils and regular green lentils both work well in this recipe, adding earthy flavor and plant-based protein.
- Onion, garlic, carrot, and celery – They add savory depth of flavor.
- Kale – Any variety works! You’ll add the stems early in the cooking process and stir in the leaves right at the end.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – For smoky, tangy flavor.
- White wine vinegar – It makes the soup nice and bright.
- Ground cumin – It brings out the earthiness of the lentils.
- Fresh thyme – It gives the soup fresh, aromatic depth of flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make your own.
- And sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Once you prep your ingredients, this recipe is easy to make. Here’s how it goes:
First, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery. Select the Instant Pot’s Sauté function, and set the time to 8 minutes. Once the Instant Pot preheats, pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the vegetables.
Cooking, stirring, for the 8 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
Next, pressure cook. Add the kale stems, garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme, salt, cumin, and several grinds of pepper to the pot. Stir, and pour in the vegetable broth. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, and Pressure Cook on High for 15 minutes. (The actual cooking time will be a bit longer, as it takes a few minutes for the Instant Pot to build pressure.)
Finally, stir in the kale, and season to taste! When the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking, allow it to release pressure naturally. When the float valve drops, remove the lid, stir in the kale leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and season to taste.
Tip: don’t forget to remove the thyme bundle before serving!
Instant Pot Lentil Soup Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish it with chopped fresh parsley. If you’re not vegan, you could also top your bowl with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for extra richness and salty, nutty flavor. Round out the meal with a couple slices of good crusty bread.
Hungry for more? This soup is a great partner for a fall salad. Try pairing it with any of these recipes:
- Roasted Golden Beet Salad
- Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Kale Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Butternut Squash Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
If you have leftover soup, it will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this Instant Pot lentil soup, try one of these soup recipes next:
- Curried Lentil Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Or any of these 33 Best Soup Recipes!
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped,
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups chopped carrots, about 4 medium
- 6 kale leaves, stems finely diced, leaves chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- ¾ cup uncooked green lentils
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Red pepper flakes
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Grated Parmesan, for serving, optional
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Select the Sauté function on your Instant Pot. Set the level to medium and set the time to 8 minutes. When the Instant Pot is preheated, drizzle the oil into the pot and add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for the 8 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
- Add the kale stems, garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme bundle, salt, cumin and several grinds of pepper to the pot and stir. Pour in the vegetable broth and secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. When the float valve drops, remove the lid and stir in the kale leaves. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the thyme bundle, and garnish with the parsley and grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook until the vegetables start to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the kale stems, garlic, and cumin, followed by the vinegar, tomatoes, broth, thyme, lentils, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
- Add the kale leaves and cook for 5 minutes more, or until wilted. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Such a great recipe! My husband finished his bowl before me and said, “Wow, that’s filling.” Will definitely be making this again in our Instant Pot. The soup is great with a few drops of Marie Sharps Habanero Pepper Sauce.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
This is the BEST lentil soup ever!! I literally make it once a week.
So delicious and wonderful! I made it with red lentils since that’s what I had on hand and I added chopped red cabbage- so it wouldn’t go to waste 😉 This was spicy and warm all around. My family loves soup with veggies and this hit the spot on a chilly January Monday. Loved the addition of cumin and white wine vinegar- lovely warm and tangy flavors!
Made this soup for dinner tonight and it is really delicious and a little different than my other lentil soup recipes. The addition of the vinegar really took it over the top! I will certainly add this to my soup rotation. I could eat soup 365 days a year! I have both cookbooks and love every recipe I have made.
Delicious this is my go to weekly lentil recipe.
Made this soup and its delicious!
Im 9 weeks postpartum and this is just the meal I’ve been looking for: delicious, quick and easy to make, and nutritious.
Im curious, will this freeze well? I would love to make a large batch and freeze for those days that become too hectic to cook.
Hi Megan, I’m so glad you loved it! Yes, it freezes really well.
So good! I didn’t have white wine vinegar so used red wine vinegar. Also didn’t measure the kale I just used the whole bunch from the grocery. And the only thyme I could get was lemon thyme, which I think added a nice flavor. This is exactly the clear broth hearty, vegetarian soup I was craving. The ratio of veggies and broth to lentils is lovely, it’s not a mushy lentil soup but more like a stew where the ingredients keep some separate form but are still soft. Can’t wait to make it for my parents who make a delicious beefless stew.
I’m so glad you loved it!
If I don’t have fresh thyme, how much dried thyme would I use?
Hi Christine, I would use 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Very tasty soup! My IP didn’t naturally release, at the end of 30 mins, so I had to do a manual release at that point.
I did add a few extra veggies: a cup of chopped red/yellow bell peppers, precooked mushrooms (I added at the end when cooking was done) and about 4 teaspoons of tomato paste. I plan on serving both as a soup and also as a main dish over rice or steamed potatoes. All total the soup made almost 3 qts.
I made your Instant Pot lentil soup last week and it was so delicious. My husband even said, “please make this again”! Thanks for the recipe and very easy instructions (for the Instant Pot).
I just made this soup tonight for my husband, who has just gone vegan for his heart health. It is the most delicious vegetable soup we’ve ever eaten. I’m no vegan but plan to try new recipes for him to be supportive. However, if I can find more dishes as good as this one, I can see going all (or mostly all) in on his new way of eating. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Very yummy recipe! Thank you for sharing. I did find that as I was adding the stock that my 6Qt. Pot wouldn’t hold the 6 cups! I went ahead anyway, figuring I would add the remaining 2 cups after cooking. You know, it turned out tasting great with just 4 cups of stock.
I hope this isn’t a silly question. I don’t have a lot of experience with lentils. These go in dried? Or do they need to be soaked or cooked first?
Helpful if I read the recipe carefully. Uncooked lentils it is! 🤦🏻♀️
I hope you enjoy the soup!
Yes, they go in dry but always best to rinse well, prior.
Hopefully by now you have the answer…rince them, sort through them for any tiny stones and then put them in as is! Unsoaked.
Would this work it a slow cooker?
Hi Lianne, I’m sure it would – I don’t have one so I’m not exactly sure of the cooking instructions.
Prep was the hard part but a lovely flavorful soup. Had it for dinner with a baked sweet potato.
Made this tonight for dinner and it is fabulous! I’m so happy to see an Instant Pot recipe from L&L – Thank You!!!
Now for confession time. I’ve broken one of my cardinal rules and made this for the first time with an alteration. Someone in my family used up my Kale and I was not aware of it when I began making this recipe. I did however, have a Napa Cabbage in the fridge, so I substituted the Kale with the Cabbage. It still turned out delicious but I am determined to make this next week with Kale since I love it so much. I may eventually try this with some spinach at some point, but I do believe that the Kale will be the best flavor with lentils.
Thanks again for adding an IP recipe!
Ha ha, I finally got one! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup. Let me know how you like it with the kale 🙂
Can you use chicken broth instead of veggie?
yep!
a great lentil soup with all of these extra ingredients, at least compared to my more basic recipe, thank you
Can I substitute split red lentils for the ones listed in the recipe. Those are the ones I have on hand. Will they cook the same way?
Hi Judy, you can, but it’ll become a thicker stew since red lentils fall apart more. Should still be delicious! If it gets too thick, you could add a little water or broth.
I don’t have an instant pot and don’t plan on buying one. But this soup looks SO good that I’d spend my time cooking it on the stove top. Any recommendations/instructions you can offer on how best to do that?
I have this same question! Is it possible to make this on the stovetop instead? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, we just added the stovetop instructions to the recipe notes. I hope you love the soup!
Hi Laura, we just added the stovetop instructions to the recipe notes. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you! 🙂
yay