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.
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.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Add four cups of chopped vegetables to the Instant Pot.
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.
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.
Close the lid, seal and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Manual release, releasing the remaining pressure valve.
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
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.
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)
Sure! If you wish you can add extra protein such as sausage, ground beef or turkey and even top with bacon or tofu bacon.
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.)
What to serve with Lentil Soup
More favorite lentil soup recipes!
- Red Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Mulligatawny (Curried Indian Soup)
- Lentil Curry
- Mushroom Lentil Stew with Fennel and Sag
- Moroccan Chicken Lentil Soup with Saffron and Preserved Lemon
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,
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
Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe
- 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
- 1 onion, diced (or sub 2 fat shallots)
- 4–8 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 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 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
- 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. 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.
- 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 natural release.
- 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
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
Delish! Best soup I’ve ever made. Second time using an instant pot. Made your mushroom stroganoff last night and I was hooked. This lentil soup was off the charts yummy too! I added a dollop of your cashew cheese and it was divine. Thank you for all your recipes. You’ve changed my cooking life!
Thanks Kallee- you are sweet. Glad you are enjoying cooking…
Hi, do you grind the spices or leave whole? Thanks!
They are ground. 🙂
Since our move to Germany from America, it has been hard to find ingredients my husband and I are used to cooking with. Therefore, I try to find recipes based on the ingredients I can find. This one fits the bill and is sehr lecker (very delicious). I did add the lemon and chili flakes to my bowl but my husband likes it as is.
Great ot hear!
I tried this recipe because I had lots of veggies. I loved the flavour. I used sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage and cauliflower.
I added 1/4 cup of farro to add texture. Worked very well.
Thank you for this tasty recipe.
Perfect Charlotte!
Delicious!!
You didn’t list which spices to use in this middle eastern lentil recipe☹️
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed ingredients and instructions. There is a Jump to recipe button at the top as well. 🙂
I love this recipe and keep coming back to it. It’s great to use what veggies you have on hand
Thanks Emma- glad you are enjoying this. 😉
Really freaking good!! Love the alternative options listed for some of the ingredients, soo helpful. I unfortunately only had potato’s, carrots and a sad head of broccoli so I chopped all that up and it equaled 4 cups, so I went with it. I used pretty old brown lentils but the 20min and letting it halfway natural release the steam worked great. Used bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Would have added more cilantro at the end of my cilantro wasn’t super sad and dying lol salvaged what I could 🙂 this is DEFINITELY going into the regular rotation! Thanks soo much!!
Glad you enjoyed this Sara!
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.