This Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Soup is a wholesome and satisfying dish that you will love to make it again and again. Packed with healthy proteins, nutrients, and tempting flavors.
This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Being brought up in India the use of lentils is very common in our home. Therefore, Indian tadka dal (Indian lentil curry) is a staple food in our kitchen. You will find a variety of lentils in our pantry all the time.
Apart from making classic dal recipes, I love making lentil brown rice salad and whole lentil soups just like this one. No doubt lentils are a great source of proteins in meatless dishes and are perfect for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Enough praising LENTILS… Let’s come to our wholesome healthy lentil soup recipe!
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Essential Ingredients
for this quick and easy vegetarian lentil soup recipe, you will need very simple ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.
- whole lentils – use whole red lentils or pardina lentils for this soup
- garlic cloves – minced or finely chopped
- mirepoix – onions, carrots and celery diced into small pieces
- tomato – finely chopped
- seasonings – smoked paprika, cumin powder, salt and pepper
- Better Than Bouillon – to flavor this soup, I used organic vegetable based Better Than Bouillon (find more information below). If you want to use regular broth feel free to use instead.
Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated paste that can be used to enhance the flavors of meatless dishes. These are perfect for making broths and a great alternative to canned liquid vegetable broth or stock or dehydrated bouillon cubes.
They offer a variety of flavors including Seasoned Vegetable Base, Roasted Garlic Base, Organic Seasoned Vegetable Base, No Beef Base, and No Chicken Base. Moreover, all of them are vegan certified and vegetarian. Just adding 1-2 tablespoon to the soup is enough to enhance its deliciousness. And, you can also use them in marinades, glazes or sauteed veggies, etc. I love using their Organic Seasoned Vegetable Base.
- bay leaf – for added flavors
- cooking oil – Use your choice of cooking oil. I always use olive oil or avocado oil in my kitchen.
How to make healthy lentil soup in Instant Pot
Turn on high saute mode in the Instant Pot. Cook chopped onion, carrot, and celery with some garlic in little oil for few minutes. Then add whole lentils, tomato, bay leaf, seasonings, and vegetable-based Better Than Bouillon. Saute the mixture for another few minutes. Now add water, salt, and pepper. Mix well, seal and cook the soup on manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release.
Serve this lentil soup warm with crusty whole wheat bread or homemade focaccia bread for a wholesome healthy dinner treat. Find a detailed ingredients list and instructions below.
Helpful Tips!
- Use whole lentils in this recipe. Split red lentils can overcook and become mushy in an Instant Pot soup. Whole lentils will also add more fibers to the dish
- There is no need to soak lentils before cooking. It will take only 5 min on the high pressure to cook the lentils in an Instant Pot perfectly.
- You can add fresh vegetables to this soup and make it more nutritious.
- I used Organic Vegetable based Better Than Bouillon in this soup. It is very convenient as it dissolves in water very easily. Just add one tablespoon of it and enough water to the soup for delicious flavors. There is no need to use liquid broth or stock to flavor any soup or dishes.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments if you REALLY like this recipe. Thank You!
📖 Recipe
30-min Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium celery stalks diced
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 ¼ cup whole lentils
- 1 large bay leaf
- ½ smoked paprika (or more)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon better than bouillon (vegetable based)
- 4 ½ cup water
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Heat oil in an Instant Pot on high saute mode.
- Add chopped garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 2-3 mins.
- Then add tomatoes, lentils, bay leaf, smoked paprika, cumin powder, and Better Than Bouillon. Cook the mixture for 2-3 mins.
- Add water and mix well. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
- Cover the lid and cook the lentil soup mixture on manual high pressure for 5 mins.
- Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 mins and then quick release.
- Add chopped fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Serve warm with crusty bread.
Notes
- Option to better than bouillon – If you do not have Better Than Bouillon then use vegetable broth or stock instead of water for the vegetarian lentil soup. You can also use chicken stock if you are not vegan or vegetarian.
- Whole lentils – any kind of whole lentils will work in this recipe. I love using whole red lentils or pardina lentils for making such soups. You can also use a blend of different lentils if you prefer.
Nutrition
Happy Cooking!!
Your recipe said whole lentils not sure if you meant canned or fresh. I want to make this recipe using dry lentils, how long do I cook for now?
Hi Gail. I used dry lentils in this recipe. You can cook them as per the instructions given in the recipe.
Delicious, a very quick and easy soup to make. I plan to make this again 🙂