Healthy Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lentil Soup

This Middle-Eastern Instant Pot Lentil Soup is healthy, flavorful, and vegan, packed full of veggies and fragrant spices-and can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Fast easy recipe! 

True abundance is the freedom that comes from wanting less. Yung Pueblo Inward

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is packed full of healthy nourishing veggies.  A delicious, vegan soup,  seasoned with Middle Eastern spices that is both satisfying and filling, yet low in calories.

This is my Egyptian father’s recipe, one that we ate on repeat, not only for its nutrient density but also for its affordability.

Humble yet abundant.

Make a big batch and have it on hand for lunches or dinners during the busy workweek (This recipe makes 11 cups)

Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil, a little squeeze of lemon, fresh Italian parsley, chili flakes, diced tomatoes and a side of toasted pita bread to mop up all the tasty juices.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup Video

The best part . . . the soup can either be made in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop!

Instant Pot Lentil Soup Ingredients:

• olive oil
• onion and garlic
• veggies- carrots, celery, or other veggies:  bell pepper, parsnips, fennel, cabbage, etc.
• vegetable broth or chicken broth
• Lentils: black caviar lentils, brown lentils, french green lentils ( the smaller the lentil the faster this cook)
• diced tomatoes – canned or fresh
• tomato paste
• salt, black pepper and spices 

See recipe card below for detailed ingredients and instructions.

How to make Instant Pot Lentil soup

Step one:

Set Instant Pot to Saute function. Saute and garlic in olive oil.

Step two:

Add four cups of chopped veggies to the Instant Pot.

Any combination of carrots, celery, parsnips, bell pepper, potato, or even cabbage will work here.

Step Three

Add the veggies, vegetable broth, water, lentils, tomatoes, spices, and salt and black pepper.

NOTE: Here I’ve used tiny  Black Caviar Lentils, for the FASTEST COOKING TIME. But any whole lentil will work fine –split lentils will not hold their shape here.

If going with conventional large brown lentils, increase the time to 20 minutes- they should hold their shape.

Step Four

Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Quick release, covering the float valve.

Again-timing may vary depending on the size of the lentil.

Step Five

Garnish!

It TRULY elevates the soup! 

Add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, fresh tomatoes and herbs, and dunk your warm pita bread in it.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Lentil Soup:

• drizzle of olive oil
• squeeze of lemon
• fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• fresh diced tomatoes
• chili flakes (optional)
• Toasted pita or Pita Chips (optional)
• grated parmesan (optional, not vegan)

How to Store Lentil Soup

• Leftovers will keep 4 days in the fridge and are even more delicious as the flavors have time to meld.
• Freeze Lentil Soup in Mason Jars, leaving an inch of headroom for expansion.

And before I close, I have to say, there was a time in my growing-up life that I swore I’d never eat lentil soup again because we had it so often! But now, 40 years later, it’s strange how much I actually crave it!

It has become my comfort food, reminding me of home, and a way of bringing my father back to me when I miss him.

Food does that… ✨

Anyways,  I hope you find as much comfort and nourishment from this lentil soup as I have through the years.

Love and Hugs,

Sylvia

More recipes you may like

• Our 25 BEST Lentil Recipes! (Plus how to cook Lentils)
• Moroccan Red Lentil Quinoa Soup
• Mushroom Lentil Stew with Fennel and Sage
• Lentil Bolognese
• Moroccan Chicken Lentil Soup with Saffron and Preserved Lemon

Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lentil soup

★★★★★ 5 from 78 reviews

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 11 cups 1x
• Category: vegan, soup,
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: middle eastern
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Middle Eastern-inspired Instant Pot Lentil Soup is loaded up with healthy veggies and fragrant spices. It. is vegan and gluten-free and can be made on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 onion, diced (or sub 2 fat shallots)
• 8 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups diced veggies – any mix of carrots, celery, fennel, parsnip, bell pepper, potato, cabbage (I normally use 2 carrots, 2 celery, 1 parsnip or bell pepper)
• 1 1/2– 2 teaspoons salt, more to taste.
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
• 1 bay leaf or 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or Italian herbs
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced with their juices (or 14 -ounce can of diced tomatoes with juices)
• 4 flavorful cups veggie stock (or chicken stock- use 3 bouillon cubes w/ water)
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cup small Black Caviar lentils or French Green Lentils (You can always use bigger, brown lentils, but increase pressure cooking time to 20 minutes.) You can also substitute split lentils for 1/4 cup of the lentils for a creamier texture. 🙂

Garnishes:  with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, chopped Italian parsley (or cilantro), diced tomatoes and optional chili flakes (Aleppo chili is nice here) and

Serve with warm toasty pita bread.

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Instructions

1. See notes for stovetop.
2. Saute onion and garlic in the Instant Pot in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrant and tender, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the veggies. Saute 4-5 more minutes. Add the spices, salt and tomato paste and brown it a bit. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stock and water, scraping up any browned bits.
4. Add the lentils, stir and cover, setting the Instant pot to Pressure Cook on Normal for 12 minutes.
5. Let the pressure release either manually or naturally.
6. Taste, adjust salt, adding more to taste.
7. Divide among bowls and drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, chili flakes, fresh parsley and fresh diced tomato (optional)

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Notes

To make this on the Stovetop: Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes, add chopped veggies, lower heat and saute for 5 minutes. Add the spices, salt and tomato paste, toasting them a bit. Add the broth,and water and scrape up any brown bits. Add the lentils, tomatoes bay leaves, bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer on medium-low or low heat until the lentils are cooked through. 20-30 minutes, depending on their size.

Small Black Caviar lentils (or French Green Lentils) cook much faster than regular large brown lentils. Red lentils have been split and will work here too, and will cook fast, but will give a different consistency. Sometimes I’ll substitute a ¼ cup of split red lentils for the Black Caviar lentils for a creamier texture.

The larger the lentil, the longer you will need to cook.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 ½ cups without garnish
• Calories: 226
• Sugar: 5.5 g
• Sodium: 554.2 mg
• Fat: 6.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 33.5 g
• Fiber: 6.7 g
• Protein: 10.2 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

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