Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Instant Pot lentil soup is a hearty and nutritious dish that’s perfect for busy days. Made with simple ingredients like lentils, vegetables, and flavorful seasonings, this comforting soup comes together quickly thanks to the pressure cooker.

Do you love soup? Do you gleefully anticipate eating it when you order it at a restaurant? Do you squeal just a little bit when you know you are having it that evening for dinner?
Or do you just like it? You think, “Oh good, soup”, but you don’t squeal or anticipate it with bated breath.
I LOVE it. And one thing that makes me super happy is, although Christopher used to like soup, he has now come around and jumped on the soup-loving bandwagon!
Mission complete.
What I love about this soup is the taste of all the ingredients together, the ease of the recipe, and the fact that you don’t have to soak the lentils before cooking them.
If you’re not into soup but love lentils, try my IP lentils. So good and they make the perfect taco stuffer and side dish.
Helpful tips
- I use green lentils in this soup, but red lentils, brown lentils, or yellow lentils will work as well. The only thing that might change is the color of the soup.
- Use two different onions – purple and yellow or Vidalia as it gives it a nice flavor.
- I’m using beef broth in the recipe, but you can use chicken broth or to make it vegetarian, vegetable broth.
- When you press the sauté button, let it heat up until the display says HOT before adding oil and let that heat up for another minute.
- You can make this vegetarian or vegan if you prefer, just leave out the broth and substitute it with either veggie broth or water.
- As the IP comes to pressure, allow for an additional 10 – 15 minutes. It really depends on how full the instant pot is.
- Always protect yourself from the steam by donning an oven mitt when either doing a quick release or opening the lid.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for three months.

How to make lentil soup
Pre-step
Get your instant pot or pressure cooker.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – purple onion, Vidalia onion, carrots, and celery.

Step two
Chop the onions, carrots and celery in smallish chunks. (A)
Step three
Gather the broth, ground cumin, chili powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, green lentils, tomato paste, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. (B)

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Step four
Turn the Instant Pot on, press the sauté button, and wait for the display to say HOT or at least 2 minutes for it to heat up. Add olive oil and onions and sauté for 4 minutes.
Step five
Add chopped carrots, celery, garlic paste, herbs and spices, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Press the cancel button.
Step six
Add beef broth, water, tomato paste, bay leaves, and lentils.
Step seven
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure the venting knob is set to sealed. Press the soup/stew button and cook at normal mode, at high pressure, for 20 minutes.
Step eight
When the Instant Pot timer dings, either let the IP release the pressure naturally or you can wait 5 minutes, then don an oven mitt and release it quickly by tapping the venting knob. Wait for the valve to drop, letting you know that it is safe to open the pressure cooker.
Give the soup a gentle stir, and transfer to a serving dish. I pour use my much loved casserole dish from Burlington Potters and get ready to serve it.

I ladle some soup in our crocks and gather some cute little pita rounds. Have you seen these pita rounds before? They are adorable and fun to dip in the lentil soup!
Delicious!
Let’s look at a different view. A close up!

I hope you enjoyed this Instant pot lentil soup recipe as much as Christopher and I do.
Other popular soup recipes
- Cauliflower
- French onion
- Old fashioned chicken soup
- Chicken pot pie soup
- Clam chowder
- Lobster bisque
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Vidalia onion chopped
- 1 purple onion chopped
- 4 carrots chopped into little chunks
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper a few shakes is fine
- 3 teaspoons garlic paste or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 32 ounces beef broth use vegetable broth for vegetarian version
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 7 shakes
- 1 1/2 cups lentils rinsed and picked over for rocks, green or which ever you prefer
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
Make it!
- Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté, add olive oil.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add onions and sauté for 4 minutes.1 Vidalia onion, 1 purple onion
- Add carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes.4 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons garlic paste, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Add lentils, broth, water, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaves and tomato paste.32 ounces beef broth, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 cups lentils, 1 teaspoon ground thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Seal instant pot, make sure the venting knob is sealed and push the soup/broth button – which should be on a 20 minute timer.
- Once the IP beeps, either let it release the pressure naturally or do a quick release by donning an oven mitt before nudging the knob. It takes about 5 minutes to release all the steam.
- Transfer soup into a serving bowl to serve at the table or ladle soup into crocks or bowls.
- Eat, smile, and enjoy.
Equipment
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Notes
Helpful tips
- Any color of lentils will work but I like green lentils best in this soup.
- Use two different onions – purple and yellow or Vidalia as it gives it a nice flavor.
- When you press the sauté button, let it heat up until the display says HOT before adding oil and let that heat up for another minute.
- You can make this vegetarian or vegan if you prefer, just leave out the broth and substitute it with either veggie broth or water.
- As the IP comes to pressure, allow for an additional 10 – 15 minutes. It really depends on how full the instant pot is.
- Always protect yourself from the steam by donning an oven mitt when either doing a quick release or opening the lid.
- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Also, you can freeze this soup for up to three months.
Nutrition
From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.
I love the flavors that you have going on in this soup. Delicious and perfect for lunch or dinner 🙂
Thanks so much Ali! I love this soup because of how hearty it is, oh, and delicious!
I love pretty much any kind of soup. This recipe is delicious, and the instant pot makes it so quick to get on the table!
Thanks Jill! I agree with you on eating any soup. I can too and do!
This is probably one of my favorite soups ever!!! I can never get tired of it!
Thank you, Tina! I could eat it weekly!
Lentil soup is pure comfort food to me. This was wonderful!
Thank you Sandi! It is for me too!
This soup was stellar. I love my Instant Pot too! I used to make all my soups in the slow cooker and the instant pot does them so much better! I love your bowls too!
Thanks Pam!! I got the bowls at a thrift store and I only bought two, now I wish I got the 6 that were there. I love them.
We just love lentil soup. So filling, warming and hearty. Your recipe was fabulous and a perfect way to use my kitchen helper 😉
Hehe Claire!! Thanks for the comment! Me too, I love my IP probably more than I should. 😉
I love making big batches of soups in the instant pot – so fuss free! I doubled your recipe and it came out perfect.
Thanks so much Carrie. I absolutely adore this soup!
I LOVE soup and this one is delish! I’m like you…I squeal with soup. Any soup – I LOVE soup. Yes, even on hot days! I also love my Instant Pot and so this recipe is a DOUBLE win for me!
Hehe. Yay Amanda!! A kindred spirit!
Hi. At what point are the lentils added? I don’t see them in the directions. Also, is there any prep required for the lentils? Are they put in dry or do they need to be soaked first? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Jen, oops. Even with hubby and I looking at the post, we miss things. No need to do any prep with the lentils other than rinse them and pick them over for lentil duds or rocks. You add the lentils with the broth, herbs and spices. I’ve updated the recipe card. Thank you so much for pointing it out to me. Enjoy!
Wow! The instant pot. It’s RIDICULOUS that a soup this smooth and tasty could be prepared in such a short amount of time. Feels like a new era in cooking. And, as you know, I was never a big fan of soups. All that may have to change…
It has changed. It has!! 😉