This Instant Pot Spiced Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup is one of my favorite easy recipes, and it’s one that you all like so much too!
It’s a creamy and thick spiced soup that gets its natural creaminess from red lentils and sweet potatoes. No coconut milk needed to thicken it up because red lentils get mushy when cooked, plus the Instant Pot melts the sweet potatoes into the soup.
For a visual on how to make this recipe, check out the video on Youtube! It’s the first recipe in the video and starts around the 00:55 mark.
Why you’re going to like this recipe
10 main ingredients. Okay, I’m not counting oil, salt and pepper. But yeah, 10 main ingredients, yay!
Weeknight-friendly. It requires just 5 minutes of hands-on cooking, so it’s definitely an easy option for those busy weeknights.
Hearty yet wholesome. This recipe is hearty and comforting, the kind of soup that’s more stew than soup and that’s super satisfying, thanks to its creamy texture, the protein-packed lentils, and the complex carbs from the sweet potatoes. This makes it a great meal for the whole family!
Perfectly spiced. If you’re tired of the same old meals, this is a recipe to try! It features Indian spices but it’s still very accessible and doable, even for novice cooks. The Indian spices pair perfectly with the red lentils (a classic combo), and are balanced nicely by the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
This recipe is super easy to make so there’s not much to say, but keep in mind that this soup is quite thick and creamy, almost like a stew or dal. If you prefer a soupy texture, just add more vegetable broth or water.
You can add the extra broth/water before pressure cooking (in step 3), or after pressure cooking once you see the finished texture so you can add as much liquid as needed.
More Really Good Soups
- Mediterranean Lentil Soup
- Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Sausage and Kale
- Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale and Gremolata
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
If you give this Instant Pot Spiced Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
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Instant Pot Spiced Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated or minced ginger
- 1 serrano pepper, diced (optional, adds some heat)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth*
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt + more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
- For serving (optional): coconut yogurt, fresh cilantro, and flatbread or rice
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on your Instant Pot and heat up the coconut oil. Once it’s shimmering, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper (if using), garam masala, curry powder (if using), cumin, and turmeric and stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the vegetable broth to deglaze the pot, using a wooden spoon or scraper to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the lentils, sweet potatoes, sea salt, and pepper. Stir to combine all of the ingredients. Select the Cancel setting.
- Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and seal. Select the Pressure Cook (or Manual, depending on your model) setting and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the 10 minutes is up, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes before switching the pressure release valve from Sealing to Venting. Open the Instant Pot and give the soup a stir. Taste for seasonings. You may want to add more salt, or to balance the acidity, you may want to add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup or sugar.
- Once the soup has slightly cooled, top with coconut yogurt and fresh cilantro. If desired, serve with flatbread or rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Made this with brown lentils and shallots (because that is what I had 🙂 )
It was definitely yummy. I did increase the insta-pot cooking time to 12 minutes, but honestly I think 10-11 may have been ok too.
I have vowed that I was going to start leaving reviews on your recipes. My husband came down with COVID unfortunately. He’s throat has been so sore so I decided to make him this. WOW so tasty, flavorful and easy. You really never miss ! Thank you.
Kandi, So glad to hear you two love the recipes! 🙂
These instant pot recipes look so good! Is it possible to make them without an instant pot? If yes, how does the cooking differ? Thank you!
I dont know, but i think you can cook it and after 15 Min. make the forktest. Maybe you have to cut the sweetpotato in smaller piecces
The flavorings are insanely good on this. Super easy, super flavorful and super fast. Super! I shared some with my neighbor and now she is a fan too!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Amanda!
Made this for the first time tonight- it was so easy and delicious! My 1-year-old absolutely loved it, and so did my husband and I! This is definitely a make-again in our house!
Lizzie, So glad to hear everyone loved this recipe!
I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now in my quest to use our Instant Pot more often, and for such a simple dish it has such a great payoff! The sweet potatoes give it a really nice subtle sweetness, with the spices and peppers balancing it out with that warmth and kick. This is a really great weeknight dinner, and it’s so filling that we had plenty of leftovers for a couple lunches throughout the week.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Elizabeth!
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Creamy and a little sweet. Very satisfying and super easy! I will definitely make this again. 😊
So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This is wonderful….and so adaptable to what you might have on hand. Today’s version included a small jalapeño instead of a serrano pepper. Once the soup was finished cooking I added about 3 handfuls in total of fresh baby spinach & baby bok choy. Needed to add more stock (which I usually do) to make it more soupy. So very good…always!
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Nisha!
I feel like each recipe I try becomes “my favorite” …this IS A SUPERLATIVE feast!
I made it yesterday IT’S GONE!!! And a friend is coming over today and asked me to make something special…I am making this again! I ate it yesterday for lunch and dinner. My 16 yr old defensive line football “carnivore” at first said “Naawww” but after trying “just a bite” he chose to eat a huge helping on top of his Raman! (For the record he doesn’t even eat the broth with the Raman…) he devoured the portions (yes – plural).
I am loving your recipes and your videos
Thank you for changing your practice from law to food!!!
So happy everyone loved the soup, Darci! 🙂 And thank you for leaving such a wonderful review. Cheers!
Ps…the stars didn’t show up…can I give it 10?
Soooooo good and so satisfying! Perfect winter dinner. The sweet potatoes were not quite melted (we probably cut them too big), so we just pureed the soup slightly and it came out perfect. I love this recipe so much that I wish it was in your InstantPot cookook for easy reference! I’ll have to print it out and add it in 🙂
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Mirabelle!
Delicious! We made a second batch and added some chicken thighs to it and that was amazing too!
Glad you loved the recipe, Lori!
I have just finished making it, am eating it now. It is delicious.
Awesome, Donnie. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
The easiest recipe! And so tasty. The flavor totally rides on your curry and garam masala blends. We love ours and loved the kick from all the spices. I served over rice with some crusty bread. This is going into our regular weeknight rotation for sure!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Colleen!
Taste was okay, tasted more like a curry. The colour was not the same as the photo either because all of the spices it’s like brown. It was too mushy, almost too much broth, the lentils were not whole like the photo.
Sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t a success for you, Jasmine. Thank you for your feedback nonetheless.
I am slowly but surely cooking my way through your whole website. This is 3rd or 4th red lentil recipe from it. I can’t choose a favourite, but I CAN say this is absolutely delicious. I’m so pleased I found your website. My 8 year old son thinks your lentil bolognaise is the best thing he’s ever eaten… he asks for it for breakfast, lol. xx Lisa
Aw, thank you for sharing Lisa! We are so glad your family has been enjoying the recipes.
Thank you for the recipe, it was very very good!
Joanne, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So delicious I added a can of canned coconut to make it creamy .
Tasty, Lydia! Thanks for sharing!
Really good! My husband and I made it together along with fresh Naan and it was delicious. I recommend grating the ginger or using paste as the bits I chopped were a little too big. I don’t have an instant pot, but I have an electric cooker with other modes so I cooked it on a mode for stews for the time the lentals said. So I imagine you can do this easily on the stove too. It was very thick, more like a dhal, but yummy!
Glad you enjoyed the soup and naan, Dani!
Followed your recipe exactly and I wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious. Meal prepped this for my lunches this week at work. Looking forward to going to work tomorrow 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Robin! Glad we can help you with your weekly meal prep!
Loved it!! I made this dish according to the recipe except for substituting a jalapeño for the serrano. I couldn’t believe how fast this was to prepare and how delicious it was. The leftovers were even better!
Awesome. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!