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!
Want more lentil soup recipes? Try this Mediterranean Lentil Soup or Instant Pot Lentil Soup! Looking for a red lentil soup? This warming, spiced Red Lentil Soup is a must-make!
Watch! How to make Instant Pot Lentil and Cabbage Soup
More great cabbage recipes
- Creamy Cabbage Curry: think my Red Lentil Curry with silky sweet cabbage!
- Napa Cabbage Salad: crisp napa cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers meet a sizzled garlic-sesame dressing
- Noodle Salad with Rainbow Veggies: red cabbage & carrots mingle with a tangy-sweet Vietnamese sauce, crispy tempeh, and peanut sauce.
- Gochujang Noodles: napa cabbage gets folded into noodles with a savory-sweet-spicy Korean sauce
And if you want more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes, be sure to order my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Instant Pot Lentil and Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt + more to taste (see Note 1)
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup (200g) green lentils
- 1 medium green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube (can use 2 for more flavor) (see Note 2)
- 4 cups (960 mL) water (see Note 2)
- 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 lightly browned and completely soft, 6 to 8 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.
- Once the pressure has released naturally, open the pot and stir in the vinegar. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with bread.
Video
Notes
- If using table salt, use 1 teaspoon salt total instead of 2 teaspoons. If using sea salt or Morton's kosher salt use, 1 heaping teaspoon salt instead of 2 teaspoons, then add more to taste.
- Or, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon, no chicken base. Or, skip both and use 4 cups (960 mL) vegetable broth instead of the bouillon and water.”
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this tonight as a meal prep for lunches next week. It is soooo good!! I added one large russet potato and used 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes. I also cooked it for 30 minutes on the stove top because I’m lazy and didn’t feel like pulling out the instapot lol. I can’t say enough good things! Will definitely make again.
I wanted to add some potatoes to this – would I need to change the liquid amounts or cooking time at all? I’m new to this whole instant pot thing, but so far your recipes have been a hit!
I just had to write a review that this recipe is fantastic! And so simple to make with ingredients we always have at home! My husband, 4 year old, 1 year old and I devoured the whole batch in one sitting. Raw cabbage is too stiff for my one year old so this allowed her to get some cruciferous in a way that she loved 🙂 we used a can a diced tomatoes and a red cabbage since that is what we had.
This is so good! I just wanted to jump in and add that this is also delicious with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on top. Yum!
AMAZING RECIPE! Thank you, Nisha! I made this last night and paired it with a homemade baguette – so delish!
Great dinner. I added a bit of Cajun seasoning to give it a little more zip. Thank you for sharing your talents!
Can I do red lentils instead?
Hi Kat, I think yes, but with a couple notes. First, red lentils break down and get really soft/disintegrate when cooked and don’t hold their shape – so it won’t be a traditional lentil soup with whole lentils in that sense. Second, red lentils cook quicker than green lentils, so you can probably reduce the cook time to 6 or 8 minutes. Hope that works out!
Can I use green split peas instead of green lentils?
Hi Anita,
You can, though the taste and texture will be different. Green split peas tend to get really soft and mushy when cooked, whereas green lentils will stay whole. You might also want to reduce the cook time a bit, since green split peas take less time to cook.
This vegan soup is ‘out of this world’!
So delicious and hardy and RICH.
Just made this, it was lovely. I added frozen peas to the recipe, a cheap, hot and very tasty meal, full of goodness! Thank you x