I recently shared three Budget-Friendly Easy Vegan Instant Pot recipes over on Youtube, and one of them is for a Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Cabbage Soup.
I love making lentil soups and stews. They are one of the easiest recipes to make in the Instant Pot and usually affordable. As with most of my dried ingredients, I usually purchase lentils in bulk to save money. And I use a ton of cabbage in this recipe because cabbage is one of the cheapest vegetables per pound you can find! Plus, it’s rich in nutrients and fiber, which helps you stay full.
I use standard green lentils in this recipe to save money, but if you have a bit more room in your budget, you can also you use French green lentils. They tend to hold their shape more under pressure cooking so you’ll have more distinct pieces of lentils, as in this recipe.
Another money-saving trick is to use a vegetable bouillon cube instead of buying vegetable broth. Of course, if you make homemade vegetable broth using veggie scraps and water, that’s your best option from a taste and affordability perspective! But for those of you who don’t have homemade broth on hand, using a vegetable bouillon cube with water instead of using vegetable broth can save you a couple dollars.
I love making this soup on Sunday and eat leftovers throughout the week. It’s especially delicious paired with some whole grain bread or a baguette!
Watch! How to make Instant Pot Lentil and Cabbage Soup
More great cabbage recipes
- Napa Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing
- Braised Indian Chickpea Stew
- Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad
And if you want more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes, be sure to order my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Instant Pot Lentil and Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil of choice
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt + more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup green lentils
- 1 head green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube (can use 2 for more flavor)
- 4 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- For serving: whole grain bread or baguette
Instructions
- Crush the canned whole tomatoes by hand into a bowl.
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and let the pot heat up for a few minutes before adding the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is browned and completely soft, about 6 minutes.
- Add the carrots, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook until the carrots are just starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the lentils, cabbage, water, vegetable bouillon cube, remaining salt, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, pressing the cabbage down with a long spoon to ensure everything is below the Instant Pot’s maximum capacity line. Select the Cancel setting.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes on top and stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 10 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release.
- Open the pot and stir in the vinegar and taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with bread.
This was OK but nothing exceptional. (I think I just don’t like cabbage soup.)
The whole time I was eating it I kept wondering what I could add to improve it.
Hi there, sorry to hear this recipe wasn’t your favorite. We hope you’re able to enjoy the other recipes more going forward!
So easy to make… and lots of flavor! I added some diced celery because I had it and served with bread and avocado.
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Elizabeth!
Hi Elizabeth, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
I knew this was going to be healthy so I didn’t know how the flavour would turn out, but it’s absolutely delicious!! The combination of all the ingredients makes for a hearty, healthy, flavourful soup! I’m so happy with it and how simple it is!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Anna. Thanks for your kind words!
This soup is so delicious!!! Extremely flavorful! The only thing I added was lemon at the end! Thanks for a great recipe!
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Deepa!
Great soup! I used purple cabbage (about half a large head) and red wine vinegar (instead of apple cider vinegar) but both swaps worked well! It made about six portions.
Thanks for another great recipe :)
Thanks for sharing, Lydia!
This soup is sooo delious! Thanks for mazing recipe <3 I made it because I had a lot of cabbage I needed to use up so this recipe was perfect for that. Served it with toasted crispy sourdough bread – really recommend to not skip it!!
This soup is sooo delious! Thanks for mazing recipe <3 I made it because I had a lot of cabbage I needed to use up so this recipe was perfect for that. Served it with toasted crispy sourdough bread – really recommend to not skip it!!
That’s so great to hear, Zivile! 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!
This recipe is great! I made it the other day and I’m really enjoying it with a nice hunk of bread as the temperatures start to drop. I did make one modification – I added two small cans of lima beans. Perhaps not everyone’s taste, but lima beans and cabbage go together like peanut butter and jelly for me. Definitely a great recipe to have on-hand!
Thanks for the lovely comment, Cindy! It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the soup.