There are so many good reasons to add this Instant Pot Lentil Soup to your rotation.
- Hearty. This is your not ordinary lentil soup! It’s almost meaty in texture and thick and rich. Adding potatoes not only provides textural interest but also naturally thickens the soup.
- Healthy and Allergen-Friendly. Despite being hearty, it’s 100% wholesome and features protein-rich, fiber-rich, iron-rich lentils. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
- Deep Flavor: Thanks to a bouquet garni of fresh herbs (my favorite soup flavor-builder), this soup has a woodsy depth of flavor you won’t find in most soups, along with great sweet-tangy flavor from whole peeled tomatoes and aged balsamic vinegar.
- Quick and Simple. There’s just 10 minutes of hands on cooking, and then the Instant Pot takes over and does it’s magic (but there’s also stovetop instructions if you don’t have an Instant Pot). Plus, all the ingredients are simple and straightforward.
- Meal Prep- and Freezer-Friendly. This soup is a great option for meal prep and freezes really well!
- Instant Pot Friendly. This soup is even easier in the instant pot (though an instant pot is not required to make it).
P.S.: Looking for more vegan Instant Pot recipes? I’ve got over 90 in my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
P.P.S.: Looking for another easy yet delicious use for lentils? Try my Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs!
Watch: How to make Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Step-by-Step Instructions
Gather your ingredients!
Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot on the Sauté setting. Once hot, sauté the onions with a pinch of salt until nicely golden and completely soft, 6 to 9 minutes.
Add the carrots and garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in a bit of veggie broth to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits.
Add the rest of the broth, lentils, potatoes, salt and pepper, and bouquet garni (fresh herb bundle tied with kitchen twine). Stir well to submerge the bouquet garni.
Pour the crushed tomatoes on top but do not stir. Pressure cook for 12 minutes, then allow a natural pressure release for 12 minutes. Open the pot and stir in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.
Tips for making this Instant Pot Lentil Soup
French green lentils are best in this recipe. Unlike regular green (or brown lentils), they hold their shape well when cooked and do not turn mushy. They also have a nice subtle peppery flavor. Some grocery stores sell French lentils, some don’t, so I typically buy a big bag of French green lentils (affiliate link) online and it lasts me a long time (enough to make this soup 9 or 10 times!).
For soup texture, if you want a thinner consistency that’s soupier than the soup shown in photos here, you can add an additional cup of broth. Or, when the soup is done, if it’s too thick for your taste, you can always add some more broth and stir until heated through.
For the finishing ingredients, use the best balsamic vinegar you have. It adds this complex sweet tanginess and depth of flavor, and rounds out all the flavors. It makes the lentils taste meatier and the tomatoes sweeter.
- Giuseppe Giusti makes my absolute favorite balsamic vinegar, and I’ve tried a lot of brands (affiliate link). It’s not cheap but a little really does go a long way, and it’s made by a family who’s been making balsamic vinegar since the 1600s(!) so you know it’s good.
- When buying balsamic vinegar, look for bottles that say “aged” and ideally say something like “balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP)” (or balsamic tradizionale, but that’s very pricy!). The standard $3 imitation balsamic at every grocery store is just sour and doesn’t do any favors.
- If you don’t have a good balsamic, try using 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar, taste, and then add more as desired. Neither of these is sweet in the same way as balsamic, so if the soup tastes too tangy, add a pinch or two of sugar or maple syrup (it won’t taste sweet, just there to balance the flavors).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! Stovetop instructions are in the second recipe card below.
If you want distinct lentils in your soup, Black beluga lentils would be your best bet. If you can’t find those, just sub regular green (or brown) lentils, but consider reducing the pressure cook time to 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes, since they soften more quickly.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days. It will thicken as it rests, so I recommend reheating it on the stove over medium heat with a few splashes of veggie broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
Yep! It freezes pretty great. Once it’s cool, transfer to a few small containers (makes it quicker to defrost). I like using these single-serve Souper Cubes (affiliate link). It makes it easy to defrost an individual block of soup on the stove in less than 10 minutes. It should stay good in the freezer for 4 months. Or, you can defrost the soup in the fridge.
If you have a 6-quart Instant Pot like I do, I think doubling would make the soup too voluminous to fit below the IP’s maximum capacity limit. If you have an 8-quart model, however, you should be fine.
For most folks, a 6-quart model is sufficient. If you cook for more 6 or more people on a regular basis, the 8-quart makes most sense. A good model for beginners is the Duo Plus (their most popular model), but if you want a bit more customization, the Pro is great (affiliate links).
Sure. Some baby spinach or baby kale folded into the cooked soup would be great. Turn on the Sauté setting and let it cook for a couple minutes until the greens are wilted.
I hope you give this easy and delicious Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe a try! If you do, please leave a rating and review below with your feedback and tag me on Instagram with your remakes :)
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced (peeled or not)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups (960 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth, more as needed
- 1 pound baby potatoes, quartered (peel left on)*
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) French green lentils (Puy lentils)
- Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + a few sprigs each of Italian flat-leaf parsley, fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme, tied tightly together with kitchen twine**
- 1 (28-ounce/800g) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand***
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar****
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot (normal or medium heat level). After a few minutes, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is nicely golden and completely soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the carrots and garlic along with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Cook until the carrots are just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in a bit of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Add the remaining broth, lentils, potatoes, bouquet garni, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and several cracks of pepper. Stir gently.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes (including juices) on top, but don’t stir (this prevents the tomatoes from sinking to the bottom and triggering the Burn notice). Note: getting the can nice and low right into the pot helps keep the tomatoes resting on top (instead of pouring from high above).
- Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing (not Venting). Select the Pressure Cook setting (or Manual setting on older models) at high pressure and set the cook time to 12 minutes.
- Once the 12-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Then manually release any remaining steam.
- Open the pot and remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and taste. Add more salt and pepper to taste.This is a hearty and thick soup/stew, but if you want it thinner, add more broth until you reach your desired consistency and stir until warmed through.
Notes
Lentil Soup (Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced (peeled or not)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 cups (1.2 L) low-sodium vegetable broth*
- 1 pound (450g) baby potatoes, quartered (peel left on)
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) French green lentils (AKA Puy lentils)
- Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + a few sprigs each of Italian flat-leaf parsley, fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme, tied tightly together with kitchen twine**
- 1 28-ounce (800g) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand***
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar****
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, along with a pinch or two of salt. Cook until onion has softened and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the carrots and garlic and another pinch of salt. Cook until the carrots are just starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in a bit of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits. Add the remaining broth, lentils, potatoes, bouquet garni, crushed tomatoes (including their juices), 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Stir well.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover the pot partially, and simmer the soup for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Remove the bouquet garni. Stir in the dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and taste. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
This was excellent comfort food and so fast, thank you! I used 1 whole sweet potato as I didnt have others on hand.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Laurie!
This recipe is very straightforward and easy to do. I was done throwing everything in the pot before I realized. All this is coming from a person who normally doesn’t enjoy cooking. Thanks so much!
Jessica, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I am making it in the IP and put the balsamic vinegar and mustard in beforehand. Is that going to be a problem you think?
The soup came out beautifully! Even though my pantry is overloaded with different kinds of lentils, I decided to go with the ones that were recommended, even though I had to go out and buy them. I’m so glad I made the effort. The lentils are soft, but firm. And the flavor overall is just perfect. It’s snowing right now and this delicious soup, plus some naan bread, is going to make the perfect cozy winter meal!
Jamie, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Saw this recipe this morning and eating it right now. Really needed a meal tonight that was easy to prepare and comforting (stressful week) and this was perfect. I didn’t have all the fresh herbs I needed so I used dried for a couple. Still delicious! Also, I’m just cooking for myself and only have a 3 qt Instant Pot so I cut the recipe in half and it worked perfectly! Enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.
We love the initiative, Kate! We’re thrilled the soup was a hit :)
This looks delicious and I want to try it but have one question. Is it possible to cook the lentils before adding the veggies just to make sure they would be soft enough to eat? I have some packages of lentils I bought last year and would like to use up with this recipe but have had some experiences in the past where the lentils didn’t soften up much with the recommended cooking time and it ruined the soup. If I again cooked the still hard lentils with the veggies for longer in the pressure cooker, the lentils were still semi-hard and the veggies turned to mush. I don’t know if it was the age of the lentils or the tomatoes which sometimes prevent beans from softening, but I’ve had this happen several times with lentils and split peas in the past and would really like this recipe to work.
My own experiences is that the lentils came out perfect, even though I did not cook them ahead of time. I hope you have the same good luck!
This recipe is perfect! We’re having a winter storm here this weekend, and your email came just in time! I rummaged through my freezer and cupboards and found everything I needed (except I had to sub diced canned tomatoes for the crushed, so I added a couple of tablespoons of leftover tomato paste from my freezer)! It’s simmering now, and smells amazing. I will be retrieving a loaf of bread from the freezer to heat in the oven, and voila!
Thank you so very much!!
Thanks for sharing, Carla! You’re welcome! :)
Made and it is delicious. I added a sweet potato and used Rotel tomatoes for some added spice. Thanks for recipe – great!
Hi Debbie, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I am loving all the recipes that I tried (Trying Vegan as of Jan 1st and most is from your site) I know you have instapot method but is there an equal timing to a crockpot version. (Not enough cash to invest at the moment and prefer that to stovetop) Just and idea to a very novice cook.
Hi! I made this earlier this week and looooved it, I sung its praises so much that my parents are now going to make it as well! They don’t have an instant pot and were going to make the stove top version this weekend! Do they need to soak the lentils at all, or are they good to put in the dutch oven dry?
Hi Meghan, thrilled to hear you loved the soup! As for the stovetop version, the lentils don’t need to be soaked! Just make sure to add the vegetable broth before the lentils as to not burn the lentils. We hope your parents enjoy the soup as much as you do!
This is THE best lentil soup that I ever made. Two modifications: I don’t use oil, so I used water for the sautee and I didn’t have fresh herbs for the Bouquet garni: so I used dried. Otherwise, the recipe was perfect as is.
Thanks for sharing, Laurie!
This looks and sounds delicious! 😋 Lentils are my fav as well as soups, bowls and one pot cooking so this is just what I have been looking for. 😋
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Justin!
Can I use Dried herbs instead of fresh?
Just eating a bowl now! Absolutely delicious!!! I used 1/2 tsp dried oregano and 1/2 tsp dried thyme and fresh rosemary. It actually makes a lot- we had 2 big bowls for lunch and I put some in 5 big jars for another day! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Elsie, yes! Just keep in mind you’ll need to use a smaller volume of dried herbs as they’re stronger in flavor.
Hello!! This is totally divine!!
I’ve made hundreds of lentil soups that were always pretty good the first day….. and better the next day. But this totally rocks within the hour!
Best lentil soup I’ve ever had!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Aw, we are so happy to hear that Carrie! Thanks so much for sharing :)
I saw this recipe at noon. I had it made and was enjoying it by 1:00. Delicious, absolutely delicious! This is more like lentil stew, so thick and satisfying. It happens to be 5 degrees here today so this soup really hit the spot! I didn’t have any fresh herbs so had to use dried. Yum yum yum! Going to print this one and save it for sure!!!
Kathy, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Does it need dried lentils or from a can? And can i just use bigger potatoes instead? (And then cut them into smaller pieces)
I used bigger potatoes and simply cut into pieces
Hi Demi, it’s dried lentils. Canned lentils are already cooked and will get mushy if cooked in the Instant Pot. And as Kathy mentioned, you can use larger potatoes and cut them into small pieces.
This was a lovely recipe and worked out great. I live in Germany and this kind of soup is a very common dish here. I would say that putting two tins (800g) of tomatoes in made it quite similar in taste to a Bolognese. Next time I will use this base, but omit one or both tins of tomatoes, and add celery for a more traditional taste.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Alastair!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I didn’t have good quality balsamic so I used my cheap stuff and added it to the pot to deglaze before pressure cooking. It still came out really well, though I am sure quality would make a difference. Any suggestions on brand or things to look for when buying? Thanks for the excellent recipe!
So glad you loved the lentil soup! When buying balsamic vinegar, look for bottles that say “aged” and ideally say something like “balsamic vinegar of Modena (IGP)” (or balsamic tradizionale, but that stuff is very pricy!). If you want to geek out on this topic more, check out this post: https://food52.com/blog/12150-everything-you-need-to-know-about-balsamic-vinegar
It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe! Turned out great and was even better with some crusty bread!
Awesome, Peggy. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I always disliked lentil soup as a kid because my Mom’s version was bland and somehow gritty. This recipe was nothing like that. The instant pot version was easy and flavorful. My kids loved the potatoes.
Do you have a good recipe for pesto white bean soup? It was my favorite, but unfortunately not vegan.
Awesome, Anika. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review! We do not have a recipe for pesto white bean soup but I will pass the request on to Nisha!