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
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,
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
- 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
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.
Ingredients
- 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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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.
Instructions
- See notes for stovetop.
- Saute onion and garlic in the Instant Pot in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrant and tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- 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.
- Add the lentils, stir and cover, setting the Instant pot to Pressure Cook on Normal for 12 minutes.
- Let the pressure release either manually or naturally.
- Taste, adjust salt, adding more to taste.
- Divide among bowls and drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, chili flakes, fresh parsley and fresh diced tomato (optional)
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
Keywords: instant pot lentil soup, vegan instant pot lentil soup, pressure cooker lentil soup, best instant pot recipes, vegan lentil soup pressure cooker
Delicious, easy recipe. It really benefits from the lemon at the end (and for my taste, a little dash of Tobasco). This soup is carrying me through covid this week – it’s all I want to eat! Thanks again Sylvia. 🙂
★★★★★
Sorry to hear you are sick- hand in there Paula!
My daughter was visiting and walked inside the house just as I finished making the soup. She told my husband, ‘that smells delicious. I need that recipe’, before she even knew what it was!
★★★★★
Awesome, well I hope she enjoyed it!
Yum yum! Perfect lentil soup! Definitely a keeper!!!!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed this Dana- thanks for rating!
This turned out fantastic! We are trying to use up lentils and came across all your great recipes. I used split green moong dal for this and the cooking time was perfect in the IP with 20 minutes NR. Topped with a garlic infused olive oil, parsley and lemon. Also used a homemade garam masala instead of the curry powder so the little one could handle it;). thanks for posting!
★★★★★
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it Sanjay!
This is the BEST lentil soup ever!! I literally make it once a week.
Quick and Easy Family Recipes
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked this!
Can the recipe be converted for a slow cooker?
Hi Kim! Yes, I think so – but I’m not a slow cooker expert so can’t give specifics here.
This soup was so delicious- your recipes are so flavorful and well balanced as usual. We enjoyed this topped with cashew Parmesan, and served with garlic-butter biscuits. Thanks!!
★★★★★
Sounds perfect Asha- and thanks!
Just made this soup and it is AMAZING! I did not have parsnips or fennel so I used sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Honestly, I don’t think it matters what vegetables you use as long as you use those spices generously!
★★★★★
Great Mirta! Love how you adapted!
I thought I had a good lentil soup recipe but this is my new favorite! Such a great taste and texture and just the right amount of spice.
★★★★★
Thanks Christy!
This is my go-to lentil soup recipe for any special occasion gathering. I have made it for Christmas family dinner 3 years in a row now. My family is now planning the rest of the meal around this soup! Thanks for such a fantastic recipe!!!
★★★★★
Oh, wow. So great to hear Jillian. I wish my dad was still here to read this for himself, to see how far his Lentil Soup has traveled – I know he is smiling… somewhere. ❤️
I have no tomato paste. Do I need to think of something else to add instead, or just leave it out and maybe immersion blend a little for thicker texture?
Hi there- feel free to leave it out!
This is delightful! My Instant Pot is full, and I could eat this soup with toasted challah and call it dinner.
★★★★★
Perfect!
I was so excited to see all of the Instant Pot recipes you sent out, Sylvia! I just got an Instant Pot and was afraid to use it! I made this Lentil Soup as I had all of the ingredients and it’s delicious. I love all of the vegetables in it and your directions made it it simple to try out my new pot! Thank you for the inspiration and I’ll be moving onto some others now.
★★★★★
Thanks Jill! Glad you enjoyed this! Congrats on your new pot. 😉
I’ve made this amazing soup in my IP more times than i can count. So grateful for it! How do you think a more Italianish spin would be oregano, ground fennel, smoked paprika would be?
★★★★★
Glad this is working for you! I love your idea of an Italian spin! Give it a try!
How would regular green lentils change the cooking time?
I bet you could keep it the same or add 1 minute?
Made this on a rainy day and it was PERFECT! The flavor of the Mediterranean spices were so delicious. I didn’t have coriander but I subbed it for Za’atar and topped it with feta once completed 🙂 Will definitely make this again and again
★★★★★
This recipe is sensational. Over the last two weeks I have made six of the dishes from this website.My success rate is six out of six. My husband has been amazed at my sudden culinary ability which has previously never existed. I am so great full and amazed at the quality of these recipes . Thank you very much.
Haha, love it Marylou! Our little secret. 😉 Thanks so much for coming back to rate the recipe, very appreciated!
So easy and everyone loves it! My daughters want to make sure they have the recipe before they leave for college.
★★★★★