Are you looking for the ultimate cozy, comforting, and nourishing meal that tastes like it has been simmering for hours but is ready with just 15 minutes of pressure cooking? This incredible, one-pot Instant Pot Lentil Soup is your new favorite recipe! The magic of the pressure cooker makes this classic, hearty, and healthy soup even easier and more deeply flavorful than ever before.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a guide to unlocking the full potential of your Instant Pot to create a truly spectacular, soul-warming soup. We’ll show you how to build a rich, aromatic flavor base using the sauté function, and how the pressure cooker perfectly cooks the lentils until they are tender and creamy without any pre-soaking. This is a wonderfully versatile, budget-friendly, and completely satisfying vegan meal that is perfect for a chilly evening or for a week of healthy meal prep.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate “Hands-Off” Soup
What makes this Instant Pot Lentil Soup truly “the best” is its incredible depth of flavor and its wonderfully thick and hearty texture, achieved with minimal active cooking time. This is a true, rustic, Italian-style vegetable soup, and it’s a complete meal in a bowl. The flavor foundation is a classic Italian soffritto—a medley of onion, carrots, and celery, gently sautéed to bring out their natural sweetness. The soup is made incredibly substantial with the addition of earthy green lentils and hearty, nutritious kale. A final, brilliant splash of white wine vinegar brightens up all the rich, earthy flavors, making the entire soup taste more vibrant and complex.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour (includes pressure release time) |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 6-8 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Italian Classic
This iconic dish uses a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients to create its signature rich and savory flavor.
- Lentil 101 (Instant Pot Edition): The earthy and satisfying star of the soup.
- Green or Brown Lentils: These are the absolute best choice for this Instant Pot soup. They have a wonderfully firm texture that holds its shape beautifully under pressure, resulting in a soup with distinct, tender lentils rather than a mushy purée. They have a classic, mild, and earthy flavor.
- The Soffritto (The Italian Flavor Base): This is the non-negotiable foundation for any great minestrone. A classic soffritto of finely chopped onion, carrots, and celery, along with the clever, no-waste addition of the finely diced tough kale stems, creates an incredibly deep and savory flavor base for the entire soup.
- The “Secret” Ingredient (Vinegar!): A splash of a bright, acidic white wine vinegar is a brilliant professional secret. You won’t taste the vinegar directly, but its acidity works to cut through and brighten up all the rich, earthy flavors of the lentils and vegetables, making the entire soup taste more balanced and vibrant.
- The Aromatics: A classic, fragrant blend of fresh garlic, bay leaves, dried oregano, and dried thyme, along with the key addition of earthy ground cumin, infuses the broth with a wonderful, authentic, and herbaceous aroma.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Using a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes is a simple trick that adds an instant, subtle, smoky depth to the broth.
Step-by-Step to the Best Instant Pot Lentil Soup
This delicious, one-pot soup is incredibly simple to prepare in the pressure cooker.
Step 1: Build the Flavor Base Using the Sauté Function
Step 1: Select the “Sauté” function on your Instant Pot. Set the level to medium.
Step 2: When the Instant Pot display reads “Hot,” drizzle the 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil into the pot. Add the 1 chopped medium onion, the 4 chopped medium carrots, the 2 chopped celery stalks, the finely diced kale stems, the heaping 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt, and several grinds of fresh black pepper.
Step 3: Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and become very fragrant.
Step 4: Stir in the 4 grated garlic cloves and cook for one more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Press “Cancel.”
Step 2: Pressure Cook the Soup
Step 1: Add the 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, the 3/4 cup of rinsed, dry green lentils, the 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, the bundle of 12 fresh thyme sprigs, and the 6 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Stir everything together.
Step 2: Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the steam release valve is in the “Sealing” position, and pressure cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
Part 3: Natural Release and Finish
Step 1: After the 15-minute pressure-cook cycle is complete, do not perform a quick release. Allow the pressure to release naturally. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: A natural pressure release is crucial for soups! It prevents the hot liquid from spewing out of the valve and allows the flavors to continue to meld beautifully as the pressure comes down.
Step 2: When the float valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove and discard the bundle of thyme sprigs. Stir in the chopped kale leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. The residual heat of the soup will be more than enough to wilt the kale perfectly in a minute or two.
Give the soup a final taste and season with any more salt and pepper if needed.
To serve, ladle the hot, hearty soup into warm bowls. Top each serving with a generous sprinkle of fresh parsley and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if you desire.
The Best Easy Instant Pot Lentil Soup
A hearty and healthy one-pot vegetarian lentil soup made conveniently in an Instant Pot. This recipe features a flavorful base of sautéed onion, carrots, celery, and finely diced kale stems, seasoned with cumin. Green lentils, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a bundle of fresh thyme are then pressure-cooked in a vegetable broth. The soup is finished with chopped kale leaves, which are wilted in using the residual heat, and a splash of white wine vinegar for brightness. It’s a complete, comforting meal perfect for a cool evening.
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, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 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. Add the olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften.
- Add the finely diced kale stems, grated garlic, canned tomatoes, rinsed lentils, vinegar, thyme bundle, salt, cumin, and several grinds of pepper to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and stir.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, ensuring the steam valve is in the sealing position. Pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 to 30 minutes.
- When the float valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid. Remove and discard the thyme bundle.
- Stir in the chopped kale leaves until they have wilted. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and season to taste with more salt and pepper.
- Serve the soup warm, garnished with fresh parsley and optional grated Parmesan cheese, with crusty bread on the side.
Notes
- This is a true one-pot meal, with the initial sauté and the pressure cooking all happening in the Instant Pot.
- A clever, no-waste technique in this recipe is to finely dice the tough kale stems and sauté them with the other aromatic vegetables at the beginning.
- Letting the pressure release naturally is an important step that allows the lentils to finish cooking and soften perfectly.
- The base recipe is vegan; adding the optional Parmesan cheese makes it vegetarian.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
A hearty soup like this one is the perfect make-ahead meal, as the flavors actually become even deeper and more delicious on the second day!
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the entire soup a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: This soup freezes beautifully! Let it cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
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Creative Recipe Variations
- Add a Smoky, Savory Meat: For a hearty, non-vegetarian version, you can sauté about 1/2 pound of crumbled Italian sausage or some crispy, diced pancetta in the Instant Pot on the “Sauté” function before you add the onion.
- Make it a Creamy Soup: For an even richer and more decadent broth, you can stir in about 1/2 to 1 cup of full-fat, canned coconut milk at the very end (after the pressure cooking is complete) and let it warm through.
- Use a Different Lentil: If you don’t have green or brown lentils, you can use red lentils. Just be aware that red lentils cook much faster. You should reduce the pressure cooking time to about 5 to 7 minutes.
Enjoy The Ultimate Cozy One-Pot Meal!
You’ve just created a truly special soup that is a perfect harmony of hearty, wholesome, and delicious flavors. This classic Instant Pot Lentil Soup is a testament to the power of the pressure cooker to create a deeply flavorful meal with minimal effort. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying dish that is sure to become a new family favorite for all the chilly days of the year.
We hope you enjoy every last, warm, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, hearty soup!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute best type of lentil to use for an Instant Pot soup where I want the lentils to stay whole?
Green lentils or brown lentils, as this recipe suggests, are the absolute best choice. They have a firm texture that holds its shape beautifully even under the high pressure of the Instant Pot, which results in a soup with distinct, tender lentils rather than a mushy purée.
Q2: Do I need to soak my lentils before I pressure cook them?
No, you do not need to soak your lentils! This is one of the magical benefits of using an Instant Pot. The high-pressure cooking environment is powerful enough to cook the lentils perfectly from dry in just 15 minutes.
Q3: Why is a Natural Pressure Release so important for a soup?
When you are cooking a large volume of hot liquid in the Instant Pot, a Natural Release is the safest and best method. If you were to perform a Quick Release, the sudden change in pressure would cause the hot liquid to erupt and spew out of the steam release valve, which can be very dangerous and messy. A Natural Release allows the pressure to come down slowly and safely.
Q4: Can I freeze this soup?
Yes, this is a fantastic freezer meal! Let the soup cool completely, and then you can store it in freezer-safe containers or resealable bags for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then warm it gently on the stovetop.
Q5: Can I double this recipe in my Instant Pot?
You can, as long as you are using a large enough Instant Pot (at least an 8-quart model is recommended for doubling). The most important rule is to never fill your Instant Pot more than two-thirds full, especially when you are cooking soups or other liquids.