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 delicious vegan soups
Hungry for even more delicious vegan soups, stews, and curries? Give these a try:
- Vegan Red Lentil Curry
- Instant Pot Thai Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup
- Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup with Sausage and Kale
- Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale and Gremolata
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!
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.
Notes
I don’t have an instant pot. Could I make this over the stove or in a crockpot? Any ideas on how that would work?
Hi Kat, We haven’t tried making this on a stovetop ourselves, but this would be our best guess:
1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil.
2. Add the onion and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes until softened.
3. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger, and sauté for another minute or so until fragrant.
4. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, ground cumin, and ground turmeric. Cook the spices with the onions for another minute to toast them slightly, stirring frequently.
5. Pour in the rinsed red lentils, sweet potatoes, and vegetable broth. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
6. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender.
7. Add the coconut milk and stir. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
8. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender in batches to blend until smooth and then return it to the pot.
Hope this helps!
THANK YOU!
No problem! :)
I was feeling under the weather this evening so I was looking for something comforting and relatively easy to make. This recipe fit the bill perfectly and I had everything on hand. I was surprised to see my CSA sweet potatoes were of the purple variety so my soup looked… interesting but tasted amazing. Great flavors as usual.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jenni! We hope you’re feeling better now :)
Love this soup! Wish it was in your cookbook!
Hi Susan, we’re happy you love it :) And we also can’t wait for you to get your hands on a copy of Nisha’s second cookbook once it is published!
Amazing, so easy to make the flavor is off the charts. I did omit the serrano pepper. This will be my lunch for the week. I love an easy flavorful recipe to set my week up for success.
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for your kind review!
This recipe is so good! Definitely a keeper.
My only critical feedback is that it takes much longer to prepare than it says, even for an experienced cook. It shows 15 minutes of cook time, but the instant pot has to build pressure, cook for 10, natural release for 10, etc.
Lovely to hear you enjoyed the soup, Sheri! Sorry it took longer to cook than expected. We appreciate the feedback!
I will definitely make this again! Nice, not to hard to make, warm and spicy.
We’re so glad you liked the recipe, Kim. Thank you for your support!
This was the first of your amazing dishes I made. I have made it a million times now, still my favorite way to eat lentils. Thank you for your genius.
Alibaba, I’m now looking forward to all your lovely reviews, thank you so much! :) We’re so happy your enjoying all of the recipe RPL has to offer.
This recipe is so delicious Nisha 😩 thank you so much for your work! You’ve made my plant based journey so simple 💗
I would’ve never thought of combining red lentils with sweet potatoes, what a delicious combination!
Neo, So glad to hear you loved this recipe, and that the recipes in general are helping you on your plant-based journey! :)
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it at least a dozen times and going to make it again right now ❤️
Well- I feel silly haha my brain thought this was the sweet potato dal! Which I just made and LOVE. So since it’s very similar I’ll have to make this next!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jenni! :)
Absolutely delicious.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Mary Ann!
Love this! I made it on the stove and roasted my sweet potato in the oven & then stirred it in to get it uniformly creamy. I also added mustard seeds, hing, fenugreek leaves, and some frozen shredded coconut. Your recipes never disappoint, and I especially love your Indian fusion recipes like this one — dal and sweet potato soup are a match made in heaven!
Thank you so much for sharing, Rose! We’re thrilled you love the recipes :)
Is this chunky? In other words, are chunks of sweet potato left after cooking?
Hi Lynnette, sorry for the late response! It will likely be a bit chunky but if you prefer it smooth, you can use an immersion blender or transfer to a stand blender and blend with the small cap in the center removed and covered with a towel. Enjoy!
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!