1 Pot Vegan Lentil Soup made in Instant Pot or Saucepan. This Easy Lentil Vegetable Soup is warming, comforting and so filling. 30 Minute Freezer friendly, Everyday Ingredients. Gluten-free, Soyfree, Nutfree Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Lentil soups in various forms are pretty much a staple in the house. Whats not to love! A Comforting Bowl of delicious brothy or creamy, veggies and lentils that are cooked just perfect.
Soups make a great 1 Pot meal with any veggies added in. Adjust the cooking time based on lentils used (there are various types of lentils! which might need a few minutes less or more cooking time) and make it brothy/stewy, or creamy by blending some of the soup or adding some coconut milk. Simple spices such as cumin, curry powder(which you can change up or omit), garlic and tomatoes adding amazing flavor to the broth, with a good helping black pepper to add warmth and amazing flavor. So much deliciousness in a bowl! Use other spices and herbs for variations. See tips below to make the best lentil soup every time!!
More Soups from the blog
- IP Lentil Chili. GF
- IP Mushroom Wild Rice Soup. GF
- Japanese Veggie Curry. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- IP Potato Chickpea Soup. GF
- Tomato Soup with Tofu Croutons.
- Cauliflower soup. GF
- Tortilla soup with red lentils. GF
How to make amazing Vegan Lentil Soup !
- Lentils are not all same: There are Indian Brown(might also be labelled as unskinned/whole red lentils, Sabut Masoor(hindi)), Spanish Brown, Green, Puy, beluga, yellow, red(quick cooking lentils, dont use these in this recipe) etc. I usually use brown lentils as I prefer their texture and flavor. Green and other lentils will work as well. Green lentils might need additional 2 mins in the InstantPot and 10 mins in saucepan.
- Age of the lentils also can interfere in the time needed to cook them to your preferred doneness. Add more time if they dont get done enough, reduce the time a bit if they cook too soft in the given time.
- Mash some of the lentils with a spatula, blend some for a thicker soup, or add some coconut milk in the end for creamier.
- To double, double everything except heat and water. Use a bit less than double for both. So 4.5 cups water/broth for 1.5 cups lentils.
Step by Step photos
Recipe Card
Vegan Lentil Soup Instant Pot or Saucepan
1 Pot Vegan Lentil Soup made in Instant Pot or Saucepan. This Easy Lentil Vegetable Soup is warming, comforting and so filling. 30 Minute Freezer friendly, Everyday Ingredients! Gluten-free, Soyfree, Nutfree Recipe
Servings: 4
Calories: 174kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (58.75 ml) broth or water ,or use 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 (0.5) onion chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic ,finely chopped
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) ginger ,finely chopped
- 1 hot green chili , finely chopped (optional), use mild or bell pepper for less heat
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground cumin or ground coriander or both
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) turmeric
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala or curry powder or ethiopian berbere, or just use more of cumin or coriander
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or rosemary (optional)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) black pepper
- 15 oz diced tomatoes , or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 3/4 cup (96 g) sliced carrots , or other veggies
- 3/4 cup (144 g) lentils or a mix of brown/green lentils, green mung beans, black eyed peas (check for debris, wash and soak for 10 mins if needed)
- 2.5 cups (587.5 ml) veggie broth or water , 3 cups for saucepan
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt , less or more depending on if the veggie broth is salted
- 2 cups (2.82 oz) spinach or chopped quick cooking greens
- cayenne and lemon/lime juice to taste
- pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Start the Instant pot pressure cooker on saute. Add broth and let it heat up. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili and pinch of salt. Cook until translucent 2-3 mins). Deglaze with a tbsp broth if needed in between.
- Add the spices and mix in. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 mins. Mash the larger pieces.
- Add the lentils, carrots, water/broth and salt and mix really well to pick up any stuck bits.
- Close the lid and Pressure Cook for 12 to 15 mins (depending on preference and lentils used).
- Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid, and mix in the greens. Add some cayenne and lime juice. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Mash some of the lentils with a spatula or blend a 1/2 cup of the soup and mix in for thicker soup. You can also add a 1/2 cup non dairy cream or coconut milk for creamy soup.
- Stovetop: Follow Step 1,2,3 in a saucepan over medium heat. You will need to cook a few mins longer at each step. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked to preference. Fold in the greens and cook for another 2 mins. Add lemon juice, adjust salt and pepper.
- Store the cooled leftover soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for upto 4 days and freeze for upto a month.
Notes
Variation: Add other veggies like celery, potatoes, cauliflower, sweet potato, butternut.
Add 1/4 cup red lentils with the brown lentils for a creamier soup.
Use spice blends of choice like curry powder, berbere, baharat(from Everyday kitchen book)
Omit the spices(turmeric, cumin, curry powder), and just add herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary.
Nutrition is for 1 serve
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Lentil Soup Instant Pot or Saucepan
Amount Per Serving
Calories 174
% Daily Value*
Sodium 519mg23%
Potassium 788mg23%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 13g54%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 6315IU126%
Vitamin C 25.1mg30%
Calcium 67mg7%
Iron 3.6mg20%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Julie
This has become my go-to lentil soup recipe! I use frozen spinach because I always have some on hand. I always seem to have all the ingredients on hand too. I never tire of this soup! So yummy and healthy! Thanks for the great recipe Vegan Richa! 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Elizabeth M
Best instant pot lentil soup recipe I have found. Everyone loved it. I am going to make a bigger batch next time for freezing.
Vegan Richa Support
good idea, thank you
Pat
Another winner Richa! You deserve the Oscar for recipes. Wow, is this ever tasty!
Richa
❤️❤️
Morag
Love this soup. I make it frequently. Only change I make is crushed chilli flakes in place of green chili as that is usually what I have in, and occasionally using frozen spinach in place of fresh.
James M.
Tasty & Easy Recipe. I’ve been making it for months now. Great for budget conscious eating.
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you 😊
Els
Absolute winner with our (usually fussy) family! We used this in our brand new instant pot, and found recipe easy to use and result looked pretty much like the pic. Just used chard instead of spinach as that was what we had. Definitely making this again! Thank you.
Vegan Richa Support
that’s great to hear
Crystal
I really like this soup. Its a go to recipe I keep on hand when I want something warm, healthy and comforting. It is so delicious and I even use more veggies to make it super hearty.
Vegan Richa Support
comfort food. yummmmm
Morag
I make this soup on the stove frequently, it’s one of my favourites. Simple to make and tastes even better the next day.
Monica J Causey
This is by far the best lentil soup I’ve ever made. All the seasoning make it perfection. I’ve made it twice now, both times turned out perfectly. I love it so much! It’s best fall meal with little effort. Vegan Richa is my go to source for looking up recipes with ingredients I have on hand.
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome !!! thank you
Lynn McIntyre
Your Vegan Lentil Soup was delicious, rich in flavours and a bit of heat to ward away the chills of fall tonight. Just reading over the ingredients told me that I should make a double batch to serve 8. Now we have leftovers and I am happy about it!!
Vegan Richa Support
sounds toasty & cozy – thanks for stopping by
courtney
is that correct? 25 cups of broth?!
Richa
2.5. , 2 1/2
Adrienne Robbins
Love this recipe and so does my 1 year old 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by!
Susan Schultz
Awesome soup! You list all the nutritional information but not fat. If I cooked it without using oil what are the grams of fat?
Vegan Richa Support
If you were to use 1 tsp of olive oil it would be approx 5g fat.
Richa
The recipe uses broth and no oil, if the fat in the total is below 0.5, it shows 0 which means it won’t be displayed
Rosemary Leung
Very taste recipes. I bought your your book and tried few recipes. I like them all.
Richa
Thanks!
Tami
I made this tonight exactly as written… Very good. Will definitely make again. Our son who does’t like “weird things” enjoyed this! Just saying……
Vegan Richa Support
Haha! Glad you all enjoyed it!
Paulie
So good. Very tasty and easy to make. 😊
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thank you
Cecelia
Delish. Did 12m but might do 11 next time…
Added leftover turkey from Thanksgiving
Sage
Very satisfying, flavorful and healthy! This will go in our rotation. I made it with your Pumpkin Cornbread. Great together!
Joan
This soup is amazing! Flavorful, warming, and filled with healthy whole plant food and spices. It came together easily in the Instant Pot and I know I will make it again and again. Thank you so much, and I look forward to an IP cookbook from you one day.
Richa
Thanks!
Yvonne
I made this last night and loved it! So delicious, warm, and aromatic; I can’t wait to have leftovers for today’s lunch. And I love that you give substitution options if one doesn’t have exact spices on hand. I can’t wait to try your other recipes, which also come highly recommended. Thank you for sharing your culinary expertise!
Richa
awesome! Thanks!
Daniel P Wohlslagel
This is so good. It’s a new way to eat lentils in the winter that I absolutely love. Thank you
Richa
Thanks!
Anthony White
I, just today, decided to go vegan because I’m 43 years old with a lifetime of bad food choices and saw some awful footage of slaughterhouses. I was nervous about the change, and worried that bland food was in my future. This is the most flavorful dish I have ever made. Thank you for changing my mind. Awesome!
Richa
Thanks! Glad to hear about your transition. Its just good food. A lot of non-vegan food takes flavor from herbs, spices plant based ingredients! Take it slow and keep finding flavors and meals you like!
Alex
Trying to figure out how to make this with cooked lentils…I have a ton I wanted to turn into soup.
Richa
Use about 2 cups cooked lentils and 1 cup water(not 2.5), simmer for 10 mins on stove top.
Elena
What do I do if I don’t have a pressure cooker??
Richa
Stove top instructions are right below pressure cooker instructions.
Stovetop: Follow Step 1,2,3 in a saucepan over medium heat. You will need to cook a few mins longer at each step. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked to preference. Fold in the greens and cook for another 2 mins. Add lemon juice, adjust salt and pepper.
Jackie
Loved this!! I used fire-roasted tomatoes. Now about to make a double batch since the first batch disappeared almost overnight 🙂 I think I’ll have to use my larger Instant Pot. I saw an earlier post about using slightly less liquid for a double batch. Will anything else change if I use the larger pot? Thanks, Richa, for all your awesome recipes 🙂
Richa
awesome!! no usually just reduce liquid a bit when doubling instant pot stewy/soupy recipes use less and maybe heat as some heat ingredients can add up with the heat in larger amounts. like green chilies, cayenne etc. time remains the same
Leslie Lamanna
I added a can of coconut mylk and it is amazing. More like stew and simply the best but then anything from Richa is!
Richa
❤️❤️🧡🧡
issy
Very easy to follow recipe and all inhredients can be found in your pantry
Richa
thanks!
Keren
Superb. I was looking for some simple stew, to make use of lentils and the vegetables I got from my farmers market and indeed made it into a stew more than a soup, with added potatoes and cauliflower. The spices are wonderful here and this is a great, filling recipe, Richa. Thanks.
Richa
awesome!
Scott
What is the conversion from a pressure cooker to an Instant Pot?
Richa
Instant pot is a pressure cooker, electric pressure cooker. If its a stove top pressure cooker, then it would need a few mins less pressure cooking time if using instant pot recipe, and similarly instant pot will need a few more mins if converting a stove top pressure cooker recipe
Scott
Stove top vs. electric I guess. 12 to 15 is excessive. 6 minutes turns everything to mush in my Instant Pot.
Richa
My lentils dont cook completely in 6 mins. What kind of lentils are you using?
Sandi
I made this today using the delay setting on my Instant Pot. I’m eating this as I write this. YUM!!! I just dumped everything in together, since it was a delay thing. I used a little mustard oil, also, added some sweet potato, kale and spinach after it was on “keep warm.” Also used the juice of a whole lemon.
I had about half a can of pureed butternut squash leftover from some breadmaking that I wanted to use and that’s what set me off to find this recipe…Oh, ya, I did use that butternut squash, too. And, then, immersion blended the whole thing a little… very tasty….thank you for such great recipes…
Richa
awesome!
Usha
Made this last week, husband and I both loved it, excellent. Your recipes are becoming the norm in our household.
Thank you Richa, wishing you good health and joy,
Usha
Richa
Awesome! thanks!
Erin
Can this be doubled without change in cooking time?
Richa
yes, use slightly less than double water/liquid
Meg
I have made this twice in the past 2 weeks. Delicious each time, a bit different due to available ingredients, etc
Richa
awesome!
Anne
I usually make lentil soup with herbs like basil, oregano, etc….. This was the first time I made it with ginger and curry spices. It was really delicious! I loved the combination of flavors! Came together nicely in an InstantPot for a week night meal, with plenty of leftovers. Will make this again!
DiegoGal
Soooo good. I’ve had a horrendous cold the past 5 days. I’ve wanted to make this and finally had the energy to make it for lunch today. It is so warm and wonderful. Soothing on my throat. Wish I had it 5 days ago. It feels healing! I’m going to be making this one often!
Richa
hope you feel better soon! the blackpepper, tomato and spices are definitely healing
Elizabeth O'Connor
This was delicious! I used red and green lentils, along with maybe 30 seconds from my immersion blender , and it was perfect. Thanks for another great recipe, Richa!
Richa
awesome!
Irene Collini
thank you … making it today
Irene Collini
is that canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes when you say 15 oz tomatoes
Richa
canned diced 15 oz or 2 fresh,chopped
Lynda Birch
Tonight was one of those nights when I didn’t feel like cooking so one pot (Instant Pot Yeah!) and 30 minutes was just what I was looking for. This recipe was straight forward and I had all the ingredients on hand except the pepper, so I stirred in some chili pepper paste with the onions. It was so good and soothing and we all enjoyed it. Thank you Richa for another tasty recipe.
Richa
awesome!
Zeynep
Great recipie. Family loved it.
Richa
thanks!
Eve-Marie
Made this for dinner with the addition of mushrooms and potatoes and the suggested red lentils – it was beautiful, hearty, and delicious! Perfect for a cold day. Loving all the IP recipes – so quick and easy!
Richa
awesome!
Bryan
Hi! Friendly comment … you forgot to tell us when to add the chopped carrots (I assume it’s before you pressure cook, haha).
New follower of your stuff, and looking forward to many years of healthy cooking!
Richa
Thanks! yes just after tomatoes. Usually add ingredients listed in order. 🙂 updated. Happy Cooking!
Doreen
Hi. Would it work with canned lentils? If so how would I adjust the recipe for the instant pot?
Richa
with canned lentils, you would need only a half to 1 cup broth and pressure cook for 2 mins.
R. B.
I got inspired by your picture, and also by the fact that I had the ingredients handy. I used leeks instead of spinach, because they needed to be used, chard instead of spinach (same), cutting the stems very fine to add a bit of crunch, and seasoned with tahleb, a tunisian spice I had made for another dish, and some preserved lemon peel, chopped fine, as well as a bit of the juice from the preserved lemons. So satisfying! A very versatile recipe that can easily transform into endless variations. The proportions are just right. Thank you.
Richa
thats awesome. yes tunisian spices go so well with lentils.
R. B.
I forgot to say: the colours are gorgeous, which is always a big plus for me! And it is so easy to make and a complete meal! When you suggested mug dahl, did you mean with or without the peel?
Richa
green mung beans with the peel. The split ones will become mush in the given time, they need only 4 mins pressure cooking time.
R. B.
Thanks, Richa. I had them, but hesitated using as I wasn’t sure. Next time, that’s what I’ll do (and use indian spices).
Cassie Autumn Tran
My mother made this vegetable lentil soup with spinach, kale, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic for lunch or dinner on the weekends! It was the most delicious meal and I miss her home cooking every now and then. Your soup looks a lot like hers and it’s marvelous!
Alyssa Bampton
Hi the recipe says 15oz of tomatoes 2 medium tomatoes.
Which is it please?
Thanks!
Richa
its either or.
Mercy
I really love this recipe , I cooked this two times a week . Thanks for sharing.
Richa
awesome!
Judith
Made it .. we loved it !
Instant Pot is new best friend.
Flovors were blended & very
Satisfying supper.
Thank you
Judith
Richa
awesome! thanks!
Steph
Hi can this be made in a slow cooker?
Richa
sure,, just use the lentil timing
Shannon Skinner
This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to make this asap x
Shannon