This family favorite Instant Pot Lentil Soup is made from pantry staples and packed full of veggies with only 7 minutes of cook time under pressure. If you want a super easy and filling recipe that is great for meal prep, this is it.
This is gluten free and vegan. Weight Watchers points included.
Welcome to this Life changing Instant Pot Lentil Soup. Basically a hearty, hug in a bowl, this cozy Lentil Soup is full of vegetables and made from affordable everyday pantry ingredients. #winningallround.
It is life-changing in that it will change the way you look at lentils and you’ll want to make 354676 times this year alone. Even meat-eaters and those who typically turn their noses up at lentils will find themselves unable to resist the smell and taste of this Instant Pot lentils recipe
This nourishing Pressure Cooker Lentil Soup is bursting with Mexican flavors and is super versatile. Perfect for quick weeknight suppers, a comforting lunch on the move, cold fall and winter feasts, great for meal prep and freezer friendly too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This
- quick and easy – you’ll need minimal prep and a little over 40 minutes.
- pantry-friendly – made with pantry items like lentils, canned tomato, spices, onion, and peppers.
- great for meal prep – enjoy leftovers or save as a freezer Instant Pot meal.
- diet- friendly – this recipe is vegan, gluten-free and has no added sugar
Tools Needed
- An awesome Instant Pot.
- The best Instant Pot accessories.
- A sharp knife.
- Cutting board.
- Handy measuring cups and spoons.
- Best ever sea salt flakes.
- Meal prep containers for storing leftovers.
So let’s get started so you can have this recipe ready to serve in under 40 minutes. Gather your ingredients and let me show you……
How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Step 1. Switch the Instant Pot on to the sauté setting. Add the oil to the Instant Pot insert and sauté the onions, peppers, carrots and bay leaf (if using – not so much a Mexican flavour, but I like what it adds to the dish) for 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft.
- Step 2. Switch off the heat and stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes.
- Step 3. Mix in the lentils, vegetable stock, tomatoes, and salt.
- Step 4. Cover your Instant Pot, set the vent to ‘sealing,’ select the pressure cook or manual button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 7 minutes.
- Step 5. When done allow the pot to NPR for 15 minutes before releasing the rest of the steam using quick release.
- Step 6. Stir in the cilantro (coriander), adjust seasoning and serve.
Chef’s Tip: Be sure to pick through your lentils to check for small debris that may be present. Remove these and then rinse the lentils thoroughly before using.
Expert Recipe Tips
- If you wish, you can add meat to this lentil soup instant pot. Beef mince is an easy addition – add it to Step 1 and brown it alongside the veggies. (You will add it to the Instant Pot in Step 3.)
- You can garnish with parmesan cheese if not vegan.
Delicious Variations
- Vary the spices – You can also make this dish using Creole Seasoning or Italian seasoning.
- Vary the vegetables – You can add other chopped up vegetables to your taste like potatoes and celery.
- Add greens – Greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens and swiss chard are awesome.
- Add extra heat – feel free to add chipotle or red pepper flakes to your taste.
- Add zing – a squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice will add the perfect zing.
Storage
- Freeze – Let the soup cool down then transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags. Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags. Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. Store the soup in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw – Remove the soup from the freezer the night before needed and let it thaw in the fridge. For a faster thaw, you can add the bagged soup into a microwave and thaw according to the microwave’s instructions.
Meal Prep Ideas
This is a perfect meal prep recipe. Whip up a big batch at the beginning of the week and eat it throughout the week. I personally believe the taste is at its peak several days after making it.
- Serve this in Lentil Tacos.
- Make a lentil bowl and serve with some Grilled Broccoli or Cauliflower.
FAQs
Do You Have To Soak Lentils Before Cooking Them?
As I am sure you noticed, you do not need to soak lentils before cooking them in the Instant Pot. But you also do not need to soak them even if cooking them on the stove top. Unlike beans, you can add them to your cooking liquid without soaking them.
Types of Lentils
Did you know that lentils come in a rainbow of colours with different textures and flavours? Some of the different types of lentils include:
- Green lentils (with a lovely peppery flavour)
- Brown lentils (an earthy-flavoured lentil variety)
- Red lentils (a slightly nutty and sweet lentil)
- Black lentils (a strong earthy flavour)
Within each lentil colour, there are many varieties. Puy lentils, for example, are a green lentil variety harvested from the French region of Le Puy.
Lentils Nutrition
Lentils are a fab source of vegetarian or vegan protein. Each 100g cooked serving of lentils contains 9g protein, a moderate amount of carbs (20g) and almost no fat. Combined with their hearty flavour, their nutrition profile makes lentils an ideal meat alternative.
Related Easy Recipes
If you like this, you’ll want to try these ones too:
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup.
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup.
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup.
- Instant Pot Potato Soup.
- Instant Pot Corn Chowder.
- Instant Pot Greek Lamb Stew.
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice.
- And for more lentil recipes, try my Lentil Tacos.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a hearty meal on its own, but you might want to serve it with:
- On top: sliced avocado, sour cream (if not vegan), cheese (or a cheese substitute if vegan) some Instant pot Brown Rice, A crusty baguette, Homemade corn tortillas or Instant Pot White Rice or a simple Spinach Salad.
Weight Watchers Points
If you replace the 1 tbsp olive oil with a calorie-controlled cooking spray, there are: 0 Blue Plan points per serving (yeap, zero!!)
Thank you for reading my Instant Pot lentils recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, Crockpot Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Get The Lentil Soup Instant Pot Recipe:
Don’t forget to tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or Twitter if you try Instant Pot Lentil Soup (Mexican)! It is really, really awesome for me when you make one of my recipes and I’d love to see it. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thank you for reading Recipes from a Pantry.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup (Mexican)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 peppers descended and finely chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and finely cubed
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 tsp garlic puree
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Chilli to taste
- 300 g 1.5 cups green lentils picked thru and rinsed
- 750 ml (3 cup) vegetable stock
- 2 X 400g (14 oz) finely chopped tomatoes
- Salt
- 6 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
- Switch the Instant Pot on to the sauté setting. Add the oil to the Instant Pot insert and sauté the onions, peppers, carrots and bay leaf (if using) for 4-5 mins until the onion is soft.
- Switch off the heat and stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin and chilli.
- Mix in the lentils, vegetable stock, tomatoes, and salt.
- Cover your Instant Pot, set the vent to ‘sealing,’ select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 7 mins.
- When done allow the pot to NPR for 15 mins before releasing the rest of the steam using quick release.
- Stir in the coriander (cilantro), adjust seasoning and serve.
Notes
- You can also make this dish using Indian spices.
- This is a perfect meal prep recipe. Whip up a big batch at the beginning of the week and eat it throughout the week. I personally believe the taste is at its peak several days after making it.
- If you wish, you can add meat to this pressure cooker lentil soup. Beef mince is an easy addition – add it to Step 1 and brown it alongside the veggies, then add it to cook with the rest of the ingredients.
- You can garnish with parmesan cheese if not vegan.
- 0 Freestyle points per serving (yeap, zero!!)
- 3 PointsPlus points per serving
- On top: sliced avocado, sour cream (if not vegan), cheese (or a cheese substitute if vegan)
- A crusty baguette
- Homemade corn tortillas
This sounds great but what kind of peppers do you mean?
I don’t understand that part because there are SO many varieties.
Made this a couple times now and I’ve just assumed it means bell peppers, I’ve personally used green ones.