Easy vegan instant pot recipe
Easy instant pot red lentil soup. Makes a healthy, high protein plant based dinner idea, perfect for a busy weeknight. Easy, one pot meal idea.

I love this recipe so much, I make it at least once a week. Lebanese red lentil soup is a thing of beauty. It’s one of my favorite things to order when I go to a Lebanese restaurant.
This instant pot red lentil soup is
- High in protein
- One pot
- Easy
- Healthy
- High in fiber
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Great for a weeknight dinner
I looked for a good red lentil soup recipe for a long time. It wasn’t until I saw this amazing video that I landed on the perfect recipe. I love how it is a mother and daughter cooking in the kitchen. So, this recipe was inspired by their video.
How to make red lentil soup in the instant pot
First make sure you have all of your ingredients chopped up and prepped. So, peel and dice up your carrots and small potato. Dice up your onion and mince up the garlic.
Make sure the carrots and potatoes are on the smaller side, and are the same size. We want to be able to fit them on our spoon.
Now that we’re all prepped, turn your instant pot to sauté mode and add some oil. I like to use avocado or vegetable oil.
Once the oil is heated up, add in the onions. Let that saute for a bit, then we add in all of the other ingredients and spices.
I love this spice combination for lentil soup: cardamom, cumin, garam masala and turmeric for color.
Turmeric is also high in antioxidants and can help with joint pain as it’s an anti-inflammatory.
Then we’re going to add in our water and a vegetable bouillon cube. Scrape off anything that got stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Always make sure to rinse your red lentils. I love using a whole one pound bag. Add in your lentils, put the lid on and cook on high pressure for four minutes.
After it’s done cooking, quick release it after letting it slow release for two minutes. Stir in lemon juice. I love to use two lemons because I love the brightness that the lemons provide to this dish.
Taste and add salt. You’re definitely going to need it. I add about 1-2 tsp.
How long does this soup last
This lentil soup lasts about a week in the fridge.
Can I freeze red lentil soup
Yes! This freezes extremely well. It can last in the freezer for about 3-6 months. Just thaw it out in the fridge the night before you want to cook it.
More vegan instant pot recipes
- Instant pot vegan taco meat
- Creamy vegan butternut squash soup
- Vegan chicken noodle soup
- Vegan instant pot chili
- Panera bread black bean soup
- Lentil and chickpea curry
- Spinach and chickpea curry


Instant pot red lentil soup
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lb lentils (-make sure to rinse the lentils )
- 8 cups water
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 small potato (peeled and diced small)
- 2 small carrots (peeled and diced small)
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1-2 lemons (-juiced)
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and cube your carrots and potatoes. Rinse off your lentils. Dice your onions and mince your garlic.
- Set your instant pot to saute and add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the pan is hot add in the diced onions and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent.
- Add in the diced carrots, potatoes, garlic, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and garam masala and saute for two minutes.
- Add in the water and scrape anything that got stuck on the bottom. Add in the rinsed lentils and bouillon cube.
- Cancel saute and put the lid on, making sure to turn it to seal.
- Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let it slow release for 2 minutes then quick release the rest of the way.
- Squeeze the juice of two lemons into the soup and stir well. Taste and add salt, it will need it. I add 1-2 tsp. I also love adding a tablespoon of soy sauce at this point. It adds a nice depth of flavor to the soup.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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This lentil soup is delicious
Absolutely incredible
Patti
Amazing easy recipe
Maria Fournier
So glad you enjoyed it! I love making this once a week