Instant pot red lentil soup is packed with nutritious veggies, good amount of protein, fiber and wholesome flavors. This traditional red lentil soup gets ready in under 20 minutes in the instant pot.
Easy red lentil soup
Learn how to make this vegan red lentil soup with simple ingredients, and enjoy a bowl of nourishing goodness that will satisfy your taste buds and leave you feeling satisfied. This simple red lentil soup is easy customizable, for extra heat you can add more red pepper flakes. To amp up the tart factor add more lemon juice!
This hearty soup is a delicious and healthy choice for any meal. It will leave you satisfied and full for a long time. You can easily make this red lentil soup with lemon during bust weeknights.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Red Lentil: Dried red lentils. They are readily available in supermarkets in the beans and rice section.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion and garlic. You can sub the yellow onion with shallots or red onion.
- Veggies: Carrots, roma tomatoes, baby spinach. You can sub the fresh diced roma tomatoes with ½ teaspoon tomato paste.
- Seasonings: Red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, ground cumin and Himalayan pink salt. You can increase the amount of red pepper flakes for extra heat. You can also add ground black pepper.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can add more for an extra layer of tart flavor.
- Better than Bouillon veggie base: Stir this in warm or hot water to make an instant veggie stock. You can also try our homemade vegetable stock made in the instant pot with fresh and scrap veggies.
- Liquid: Water.
- Cooking fat: Olive oil.
Tips & Tricks
- For best flavor: Sauté aromatics, veggies & seasonings for better flavor.
- Garnish options: Garnish with finely chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.
- For thicker soup consistency: Stir the lentil soup briskly with a spatula after the pressure cooking cycle is over. This will help thicken the soup naturally.
- For thin soup consistency: Adjust the consistency according to your liking by adding more liquid once the pressure cooking cycle is over.
Method
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step #1 Sauté aromatics, veggies, seasonings
- Sauté aromatics & veggies: Sauté onion and carrots for few mins until the onion begin to turn soft. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and sauté 30 seconds.
- Sauté seasonings: Add the seasonings and sauté for 30 seconds.
Step #2 Deglaze pot & pressure cook
- Deglaze pot: Add liquid and deglaze pot very well with the help of a spatula by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot to help loosen any stuck food particles. This will help prevent the burn error.
- Pressure cook soup: Add red lentils. Secure the lid of the instant pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 mins followed by quick pressure release.
Step #3 Serve soup
- Add spinach: Stir the soup briskly with the help of a spatula. This will help thicken the soup and give it a creamy consistency. Add lemon juice and baby spinach. Give everything a good mix.
- Serve soup: Allow the soup to rest for 5 or 10 mins before serving. The residual heat will help wilt the greens. Serve the red lentil soup and enjoy!
Serving Ideas
Red lentil soup with tomatoes pairs well with a variety of side dishes that complement its flavors and add diversity to the meal. Here are some suggestions for what to serve with red lentil soup:
- Crusty Bread: Like french baguette or sour dough bread. The bread can be used to soak up the delicious broth and adds a satisfying texture to the meal.
- Garlic bread: Enhance the meal with some garlic bread or toast. The garlic flavor can complement the earthy taste of the lentils.
- Greek Salad: A refreshing Greek salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese provides a nice contrast to the warm and hearty soup.
- Avocado slices: Add a healthy touch by serving red lentil soup with slices of ripe avocado. The creamy texture of the avocado pairs well with the soup
- Roasted vegetables: Air fryer brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, Air fryer smashed brussel sprouts, air fryer roasted beets , air fryer carrots and potatoes, butternut squash fries air fryer.
- Steamed veggies: Like Steamed broccoli. Steamed green beans. Steamed carrots. Steamed beets..
- Quinoa or brown rice: Accompany the soup with a side of quinoa or rice for a more substantial and filling meal.
- Couscous.
Leftovers & storage
Fridge: You can store the lentil soup with cumin for up to 5 days in the fridge in air tight containers.
Freezer: You can freeze the soup for up to 2 months in heavy duty freezer safe bags or containers. Follow the reheating directions shared below.
How to reheat
- Microwave oven: Reheat the plant-based soup in a microwave safe bowl until warm or hot.
- Stove top: Reheat the soup on the stove top in a heavy bottomed pot or saucepan over medium high heat.
FAQs
No, there is no need to soak red lentils before using or cooking. Do rinse them several time under running tap water before using them.
Lentils, like many other dried legumes, may have dust or debris on them from the packaging process. Rinsing helps remove any impurities that might be present. Lentils also contain starch, if you do not rinse red lentils the excess starchiness might effect the texture of the soup and the lentils can also become stickier.
Yes, you can overcook lentils. They will become mushy and effect the texture and the thickness of soup.
Adding less aromatics and seasonings can make lentil soup taste bland. You can enhance the taste of lentil soup by adding a good amount of seasonings, veggies, aromatics, fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs.
Yes, lentils can thicken a broth. The starchiness of lentils help thicken a broth or any soup.
I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! If you try this Instant pot red lentil Soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I would love to hear how it turned out for you, or any changes you make.
Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup
Equipment
- 1 6 quart instant pot
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cups red lentil
- ½ cup onion - **yellow onion roughly chopped.
- 1 teaspoon garlic - **minced or grated.
- ½ cup carrots - **cut into ½ inch squares.
- 1 Roma tomato - **roughly diced.
- 2 cups spinach - **baby spinach.
- ½ teaspoon better than bouilon - **veggie base.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - **freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - **extra light or light olive oil.
Seasonings
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - **skip if heat intolerant.
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- salt to taste - **add according to your personal taste preference.
Liquid
- 4 cups water - **warm or hot.
Instructions
Saute veggies
- Set the instant pot on Saute mode on high heat setting and add oil. When the oil becomes moderately hot gently release the onion and the carrots and saute until the onion begins to turn soft. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and saute for 30 seconds. Next, add all the seasonings mentioned above in the "seasonings" section of the ingredients list. Saute for another 30 seconds.
Deglaze pot
- Cancel the saute mode. Add water and deglaze the pot very well by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck food particles. This will help prevent the burn error.
Pressure cook
- Add red lentils and give everything a quick stir. Secure the lid of the instant pot, seal the valve, and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Immediately do a quick pressure release by manually moving the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully. Stir the soup briskly with the help of a spatula. Cancel the pressure cook mode.
Serve red lentil soup
- Add lemon juice and baby spinach. Give the soup a good stir. Wait for 5 minutes before serving the red lentil soup. The residual heat will help wilt the baby spinach. Serve the soup hot or warm and enjoy! Scroll up for recipe tips, step-by-step photos, substitutions, and FAQs.
Notes
- Adjust consistency: If you prefer thinner soups adjust the consistency by adding more water to the soup to thin it down a bit.
- Heat intolerant: Skip the red pepper flakes and the chili powder if you are making this soup for kids. You can add ½ teaspoon ground black pepper along with the other seasonings,
R says
This soup is delicious! I use the tomato paste (instead of chopped tomatoes) option and less chili powder than the recipe called for. I also use frozen spinach instead of fresh (cooking it in with the rest of the soup). 4 minutes also works well in the Instant Pot for this recipe.
Be careful when quick-releasing the pressure. There will be a LOT of steam.
mtr_admin says
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback 🙂 We are so glad that you enjoyed this soup recipe.