This Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy. Includes a Video. 

 This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy.  Includes a Video.

True abundance is the freedom that comes from wanting less.

Yung Pueblo Inward

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe is bursting with Middle Eastern flavors! This is my Egyptian father’s recipe, one that we ate on repeat growing up, not only for its nutrient density but for its affordability. Humble yet abundant! Packed full of healthy, nourishing veggies, this vegan soup is deliciously satisfying and filling, yet low in calories. Make a big batch and have it on hand for lunches or dinners during the busy work week.

Love lentils as much as we do? Check out 30 Amazing Lentil Recipes! For more popular instant pot soup recipes, try: Instant Pot Mulligatawny (Curried Indian Soup) and Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup w/ Spinach & Mushrooms.

Why you’ll love this!

  1. Healthy and Nutritious: Lentil soup is packed with fiber, protein, and essential nutrients, making it a healthy choice. It is plant-based and low in calories, yet it keeps you feeling full and satisfied.
  2. Affordable: Made with simple and humble ingredients, lentil soup is an affordable option, utilizing pantry staples that you may already have on hand. It provides a budget-friendly way to enjoy a delicious and nourishing meal.
  3. Fast and Easy: Lentil soup is quick and easy to prepare, requiring minimal effort and time. With just a few basic cooking steps, you can have a flavorful and comforting bowl of soup ready in no time.
  4. Versatile: Lentil soup offers versatility in terms of ingredients and customization. You can add various vegetables and spices to suit your taste preferences. Whether you prefer a classic lentil soup or want to experiment with different flavors, the possibilities are endless.
  5. Great for Meal Prep: Lentil soup is perfect for meal prepping. You can make a large batch and store it in the fridge for several days. The flavors actually enhance over time, making it even more delicious as the soup sits.
  6. Comforting and Satisfying: There’s something inherently comforting about a warm bowl of lentil soup. It’s a soul-soothing dish that can provide a sense of comfort and nourishment, especially on chilly days or when you’re in need of a wholesome meal.

 Lentil Soup Ingredients

  1. Lentils: There are various types of lentils that can be used in lentil soup, such as black caviar lentils, brown lentils, French green lentils, or red lentils. The cooking time may vary depending on the type of lentils you choose, with smaller lentils cooking faster.
  2. Vegetables: While the recipe recommends using carrots and celery, you can also get creative and add other veggies such as bell peppers, parsnips, fennel, or sweet potatoes, add a handful of spinach just before serving. You can customize the soup based on your taste preferences or what you have on hand.
  3. Tomatoes: You can use fresh tomatoes in your lentil soup recipe for vibrant flavor if they are in season otherwise canned diced tomatoes are a convenient option.
  4. Broth: The recipe suggests using vegetable broth or chicken broth for added flavor. You can choose the type of broth based on your dietary preferences.
  5. Spices: The lentil soup is seasoned with Middle Eastern spices like ground cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Feel free to adjust the spices based on your personal taste.
  6. Garnishes: To elevate the flavors of the lentil soup, you can garnish it with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, diced tomatoes, chili flakes for some heat, or grated parmesan if you prefer (not vegan).

See the recipe card below for detailed ingredients and instructions.

How to Cook Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Set Instant Pot to the saute function. (See recipe card for stovetop)Add the olive oil, onion and garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 4 minutes.

Saute onion and garlic in instant pot.

Add four cups of chopped vegetables to the Instant Pot.

Veggies cut ready for the instant pot lentil soup.

Any combination of carrots, celery, parsnips, bell pepper, potato, or even sweet potato will work here. Add the vegetable broth, water, lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and salt and black pepper.

Add the broth, lentils, tomatoes and spices for the instant pot lentil soup.

NOTE: Here, I’ve used tiny Black Caviar Lentils for the FASTEST COOKING TIME.  If going with conventional large brown lentils, increase the time to 20 minutes- they should hold their shape.

Black lentils in a measuring cup for instant pot lentil soup.

Close the lid, seal and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Manual release, releasing the remaining pressure valve.

Instant pot lentil soup in the instant pot.

Garnish the lentil soup -it TRULY elevates the soup! Add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, fresh tomatoes and herbs, and dunk some warm pita bread in it.

Lentil Soup FAQS

How to store Lentil Soup?

Leftovers will keep 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container and are even more delicious as the flavors have time to meld. Freeze Lentil Soup in Mason Jars in the freezer for up to 3 months, leaving an inch of headroom for expansion. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

What toppings go with Lentil Soup?

Drizzle of olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice
Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Fresh diced tomatoes
Chili flakes (optional)
Grated parmesan cheese (optional, not vegan)

Can I add more protein to this lentil soup?

Sure! If you wish you can add extra protein such as sausage, ground beef or turkey and even top with bacon or tofu bacon.

Should I soak lentils before cooking?

For easier digestibility, it is recommended that you soak lentils for 2-4 hours with ACV or lemon juice to neutralize phytic acid. However, pressure cooking (like in an instant pot) unsoaked lentils reduces the phytic acid. (Phytic acid may impair the body’s absorption of minerals-but this is rarely a concern for those following a well-balanced diet.)

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy.  Includes a Video. 

What to serve with Lentil Soup

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy.  Includes a Video. 

More favorite lentil soup recipes!

I hope you find as much comfort and nourishment from this lentil soup as I have through the years. Food does that… ✨

And before I close, I have to say, there was a time in when I was young,  I swore I’d never eat lentil soup again because we had it so often! But 40 years later, it’s strange how much I crave it! It has become my favorite soup recipe, my comfort food, reminding me of home, and a way of bringing my father back to me when I miss him.

Love and Hugs,

Sylvia

Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup | 60-sec Video

Print
clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy. Includes a Video. 

Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 92 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cups 1x
  • Category: vegan, soup,
  • Method: Instant Pot, stovetop, pressure cooker
  • Cuisine: middle eastern
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is cozy and comforting! Infused with fragrant Middle Eastern spices, it can be made in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. Vegan, fast & easy. Includes a Video. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 onion, diced (or sub 2 fat shallots)
  • 48 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups carrots, diced
  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 1 1/22 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 tablespoon 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.


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. Sautéing 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 natural release.
  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)

Notes

Stovetop Instructions: 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.

Lentils: 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.

For a creamier consistency, feel free to blend the soup or blend partially.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ½ cups without garnish
  • Calories: 264
  • Sugar: 6.4 g
  • Sodium: 646.5 mg
  • Fat: 8.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39.1 g
  • Fiber: 7.9 g
  • Protein: 11.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Share this with the world!

Subscribe
to get recipes via email

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Comments

  1. This has been a family (Irish family) favorite for decades. I’ve never used curry or coriander in ours, but can’t wait to try! Thanks!






  2. Best soup I’ve made! So flavorful! I just had leftovers for breakfast and didn’t even heat it up! Yum yum yum!

  3. Made the stovetop version last week and I truly enjoyed it. As a SAHM I love a good weeknight meal like this, made it first thing in the morning after the drop-off and my afternoon was a lot less hectic having dinner out of the way! I wound up using the entire can of tomato paste just because I didn’t want the leftovers going into the fridge and getting lost, flavor came out like a hardy vegetable soup. I topped with avocado slices which I’m sure isn’t traditional but the flavors pair amazingly together.






    1. Yummy! I added red peppers to the mix.

      I freeze leftover tomato paste flattened in a small zip lock baggy. It’s easy to snap off just what you need when it’s frozen…..no waste.

  4. Tasty variation of lentil soup. We eat it right through winter so great to try your Dad’s version ❤️






  5. so fantastic. used shredded carrots, celery, and zucchini. such an easy recipe that packs quite a flavor punch. make this!






  6. Made this tonight. I used carrots, potatoes, and red bell pepper for veg. Loved the spice blend in this recipe!! Used green lentils. Once soup was finished cooking in instant pot, I added chopped spinach! Tasted great, will make again. Once again, flawless spice blend. Thank you!






  7. I used carrot, new potato, celery, and green pepper. I also added a teaspoon of chile pepper flakes and made a fresh parsley oil to go on top. Delicious spice mix.

  8. Can’t believe I’ve lived over 80 years and this soup was my first experience with lentils — but it won’t be my last! It gave me four days of pure happiness! I did saute the fresh tomato pieces with red pepper flakes in olive oil to add at the end along with chopped parsley and a handful of parmesan cheese flakes.Yummm!!! Many thanks.






  9. If you’re a vegan short on time, the Instant Pot is a friend. Lots of similar stews and soups out there, so it all seems down to spice blends. This one is truly wonderful. Used-up-the-fridge for veg (cauliflower, cabbage, red pepper, butternut chunks) and heaped the spice measurements (plus even more cumin). Served over shredded spinach & added chili flakes in the bowl. Fantastic! Can’t wait to return to this one. Thank you & look forward to trying other recipes!

  10. Fantastic recipe! I added a teaspoon of chili flakes to the pot and was generous with the spice measurements (heaping). I love the flexibility of this soup; it’s going to become a staple at my house. Thanks so much!






Categories

Our Latest Recipes