Instant Pot Lentil Soup is hearty, full of flavor, nutritious, and a meal-in-one. I call this version “golden” because it sports the current it-food, turmeric, which gives it a golden glow. And it really is a vibrant lentil soup recipe, both looks-wise and taste-wise – it packs a ton of flavor and nutrition. And it’s about the coziest dinner around.
Plus, lentil soup is the perfect thing to make in your Instant Pot. When it comes to lentil soup, Instant Pot preparation is so easy, and with that intense cooking environment, the flavors seriously amp up, in record time.
I love this hearty soup recipe, especially for the winter months. Add a crusty slice of bread and it’s the perfect fast, easy, and satiating winter weeknight meal.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Cook Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
- The Best Lentils for Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Storing Leftover Soup
- How Long Does This Instant Pot Vegan Soup Keep?
- How to Freeze Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- FAQs
- More Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipes
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are so many reasons why I think you’ll love this Instant Pot vegan soup.
- It’s fast! This hearty soup cooks for a mere 12 minutes (not including Instant Pot warm-up time), but it tastes like it simmered all day.
- It’s SO hearty. It’s super filling and so satisfying – especially with a hunk of crusty bread alongside.
- It’s healthy. It’s packed with protein and fiber and is 100% plant-based vegan as-is.
But enough from me – this is what other readers like you have said:
- “This soup is so easy to make and delicious! Thank you.”
- “This is the BEST lentil soup ever!! I literally make it once a week.”
- “Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Utterly delicious! Reminds me so much of the Sri Lankan dahl curry we make, yet so much easier and less prep time. I will be making this again and again.”
- “I love this recipe. It’s perfect for not owning any other cooking device other than an instant pot (did that for a bit). I found this recipe is really awesome to take care of older greens (lettuce, spinach, kale etc) and I prefer throwing it all in before sealing the lid. I keep coming back to this recipe and sharing it with my friends and family. Thank you for the deliciousness!”
Ingredients
This Instant Pot Golden Lentil & Spinach Soup has a pretty simple list of ingredients, including:
- Brown lentils – these are probably the most common lentils out there; at least where I am, they are the easiest to find. You can also use French green lentils or other lentils but may have to adjust the cooking time.
- Baby spinach – pre-washed makes it so easy to just grab a few handfuls and throw them in.
- Onion, carrots, & celery – the classic mirepoix helps build layers of flavor.
- Garlic – a must!
- Ground cumin, ground turmeric, and dried thyme – this combo of spices adds so much flavor!
- Vegetable broth – I like to use low-sodium veggie broth because that helps me control the overall sodium content of this Instant Pot lentil soup.
How to Cook Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
Start with a six-quart Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker (this one’s just like mine [affiliate link]).
Like many Instant Pot soup recipes, it’s a two-step process. First, you sauté your veggies in a bit of olive oil – onion, carrots, celery, garlic. And include your spices – cumin, turmeric, and thyme – to really amp up the flavors.
Then, you add your broth and lentils, then place the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure.
Remove the lid after it’s done, stir in the spinach, and serve. That’s it!
For the full recipe, including exact measurements and directions, scroll down to the printable at the bottom of the page.
The Best Lentils for Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Every kind of lentil is great for lentil soup in the Instant Pot – it just depends on what you want! This recipe calls for brown lentils, which are large for lentils, have a nutty, earthy flavor that soaks up the flavors in this soup, and keep their shape for the most part.
French green lentils take longer to cook, about 20 minutes, and tend to maintain their shape. Split red lentils take the least amount of time, more like 8 minutes – but they will dissolve as red lentil do.
Storing Leftover Soup
Let the soup cool to room temperature. Place leftover soup in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
How Long Does This Instant Pot Vegan Soup Keep?
Lentil soup will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator.
How to Freeze Instant Pot Lentil Soup
This lentil soup freezes beautifully! However, the spinach loses its vibrant color when you freeze it. My suggestion is to freeze without the spinach then add it at the last minute when you warm it back up.
Freeze your cooked soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. To reheat, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, then warm in a large pot on the stovetop. Add the spinach at the last minute.
FAQs
Is this a vegan soup?
Yes! And in the Instant Pot, vegan lentil soup is made extra flavorful because of the pressure cooker environment.
I tried making it and when I went to open the instant pot the lentils absorbs all of the liquid! What happened?
A: Did the Instant Pot seal? I’ve had this happen. I’ve forgotten to make sure my handle is in the “seal” position, or I’ve needed to clean the sealing ring, lid area, float valve, and anti-block shield. Usually one of those things is the culprit.
What size Instant Pot is best for lentil soup?
I am using a 6-quart Instant Pot. I have not tried the recipe in a 3-quart, but as long as you don’t double the recipe, everything should be the same.
More Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Vegan Herbed French Lentil Soup – Loaded with herbs (tarragon, parsley, and thyme) with a squeeze of lemon at the end. Thick, hearty and satisfying!
- Instant Pot Curried Carrot Red Lentil Soup – Another ★★★★★ five-star rated recipe! Split red lentils, carrots, ginger, and curry. This one’s super fast – and full of flavor.
- Instant Pot Lentil Vegetable Soup. A back-to-basics, hearty, yet full-of-flavor lentil soup with green lentils, carrots, celery, and thyme. Delicious!
Instant Pot Golden Lentil & Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion (diced) (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced) (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium stalk celery (diced) (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 medium cloves garlic (minced) (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (+ more to taste*)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (+ more to taste)
- 1 cup dry brown lentils (rinsed well in cold water)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (one 32-ounce box)
- 8 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
Instructions
- Hit “Saute” button on Instant Pot. Add oil. When hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Add the lentils and pour in the broth. Stir.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the release valve is in the “sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and set the timer at 12 minutes.
- The Instant Pot will warm up for about 10 minutes and then start cooking. After the 12 minutes is up, quick-release by flipping the release valve to “venting” (a little bit at a time at first).
- Once venting is complete, remove the lid of the Instant Pot. Stir in the spinach. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve.
- Keeps in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Freezes well too!
Quick question. Once you Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 12 minutes, the IP says “on”. Your instructions say to cook the lentils for 12 minutes. Does this mean 12 minutes from the time that the IP says on?
Hi Karina, no, while the IP says “on” it is warming up. Then, once it seals, the number displayed will be 12 and it will count down. That’s when it’s actually cooking. Personally I don’t find the display all that intuitive – I have had the same questions! 🙂
Does this freeze well? It looks yummy!
Hi Stefanie, yep, it freezes perfectly!
Delicious! I used green lentils and it came out perfect. Thank you!
5 star!
This recipe is awesome and delicious! I have tried the exact recipe in the Instapot AND traditional stove top pressure cooker. It turned out great both times! My family loves it especially my almost 2-year old girl. I do recommend to ADD BABY spinach at the end.. it definitely enhances the flavour and adds that mild sweetness!! Awesome recipe and thank you for sharing <3!!
I’m so glad your family likes it – and happy to know it works in a stove-top pressure cooker too!
Can you use green lentils instead of brown?
Yes – if they are French Green lentils, I’d suggest adding about 10 minutes on to the cooking time.
Thanks for this recipe! I made it last night to rave reviews. I added a sweet potato (my kids love anything with sweet potatoes) and had to cook it for an extra 5 minutes as the lentils were still a little crunchy (probably had to do with the lentils I had, not the recipe). It was just what we needed to warm us on a frigid winter night!
When you set it to 12 minutes on manual, is that low pressure or high pressure?
I have a Crock Pot Express which does not have a “manual” button. Which setting would you suggest using instead? Meat maybe or soup??
Thanks!
Hi! I have the crockpot express also. You can select the beans/chili setting and then decrease the time by pushing the “-” button. YouTube reviews on there crockpot for more tips. That’s how I found out about it. Best of luck! I absolutely love mine 😍
I just used the soup button and adjusted the time, on my Crock Pot Express, it worked fine. But the instructions say,”select Beans/Chili and adjust the pressure and cook time as desired. I also added red and orange sweet peppers.
I just made this tonight and it was sooooooo tasty! I doubled the recipe and the cooking time and it turned out wonderful!
Beth, do you think there was enough room in there to triple the recipe?
Hi Amy – I don’t recall!!! Apologies but my memory is not the best. My guess would be yes bc that would be about 12 cups of liquid, right?
Beth, did you double the recipe and the time to 24 min and the lentils were fine – not too mushy and it was still tasty? I know the comments under her recipe says she doesn’t advise doubling the recipe because the taste just isn’t the same. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi Jie – It has been a minute since I’ve made this recipe. I don’t recall them coming out mushy – and I don’t recall doubling the time. If I were to double the recipe again, I would start with the time she has and if it didn’t work, I would add more time to cook for longer. I know that doesn’t help too much but hopefully it works out!!
First time making soup, very tasty thanks!
I added kale instead of spinach , turned out great.
My IP doesnt have a manual button. It has a pressure cooker button with low, med and high pressure setting. What setting would I use?
Would you freeze without spinach and add that later?
I’ve frozen it with spinach but you definitely lose that vibrant green. So it’s possible and it’s fine, but adding it later is a great idea. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m trying it for the first time and it smells delicious while it cooks in the Instant Pot (IP). I agree with you about the IP not being intuitive nor instant. It’s a great marketing ploy. Even so, I enjoy it.
I recently received an I.P for Christmas 2017 and have been thinking about all the ways to use it before opening the box… I had thought of a similar recipe to yours, and started searching the internet for anything similar to get a rough idea of portions as the box is still closed… I found your recipe first and stopped searching… It is exactly the base I was looking for!!!
I of course modified your recipe… One, I didn’t have celery on hand. Two, I really wanted to add coconut milk and butternut squash, and three, I only had frozen spinach and chicken stock…. I used 3 cups of chicken stock, 1 can of full fat coconut milk, ½ a small butternut squash. I added the steamed spinach at the end and it all turned out like stew… So I warmed up 2 more cups of chicken stock. It turned out perfect for my liking.. ok it was a little bland for me… But for my 5 and 3 year old it was perfect. They devoured their bowls and they aren’t the most adventurous kids in the eating department. Today is day one of leftovers and I swear the flavours have marinated more and it is an amazing soup!
I know your recipe as is would be amazing. Thank you for sharing your experience and your delicious dish!!! It is going into my recipe box for sure!!!
All the best to you and your family! A new follower, Anna
I love the addition of coconut milk! I, too, can’t help but adjust every new recipe I try. 😀 I hope you love your new Instant Pot! I really have grown to love mine and use it all the time. Thanks so much Anna!
I also loved this recipe and used Anna’s suggestions with some additional spices since I own about 100, yes I am a spice freak lol. I added some garam masala, cardamon powder and coriander powder. I think I will just slurp this up now it is so tasty. Thank you for posting the original recipe and all the little additions tips from everyone.
My second time making this soup, delicious! I used french green lentils this time around, using the same 12 min cook with aBout a 25 min natural release. ..perfectly cooked! Thanks for sharing. This recipe is going on the Favorite list.
Maybe the 25 minute natural release is key. For me the lentils were still a little hard at just 12 minutes. The base and seasoning are very good. I did supplement the spinach with kale which I think made it a but bitter. Currently I’m recooking for another 12 minutes.
This will b3 my first try at something with lentils in it…..Can I use orange lentils…..is what I have in th3 cupboard right now.
If they’re split red lentils, the result will be a lot different – more of a mushy texture. But probably still delicious!
Hi! The first time I made this on my pot I used the red split lentils and ended up with a delicious lentil porridge 😅. I still ate it 😋. I lowered the cooking time to 10 mins but the lentils still disintegrated. Maybe even less time is needed? I’m making another batch now with green lentils but will attempt the red split lentils again in the future. Report back if you have success please!
Made this recipe tonight. Added Italian sausage without the casing and diced sweet potatoes. 12 minute cook time, came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
If I add potatoes to this would I need to add more time??
Hi Megan, I don’t think so. My only concern would be that they might actually be a bit mushy because they might cook too long. Please report back on how it goes!
For those of us who prefer a natural release or at least a 10-minute natural release before manually venting, how would you recommend we adjust the cooking time of this recipe? I tried to avoid quick release unless it’s necessary for the ingredients such as certain vegetables that you’re trying not to overcook. I don’t find that to be a problem with lentil soup recipes generally. Thanks 😊
Hello!
Is it 12 minutes manual on low or high pressure?
High 🙂
I haven’t tried this yet, but want to thank you for your comments about the “Instant Pot.” I bought one used and have been so confused about the instructions I thought maybe I had missed something, literally and figuratively. I also had realized that the cooking times in the recipe book included with it are misleading because they don’t include the warm-up time. I like it so far, but don’t think it’s nearly as great as other people seem to think. It’s nice to know it’s not just me. I look forward to trying this recipe!
Oh it is SO not just you! 🙂 I hope you love the recipe.
We’re not vegan, but we loved this soup. My daughter, who claims to hate Indian food, loved the spices. I didn’t point out to her that the spicing is very similar to a lot of Indian food.
I’m going to make a non-vegan version today, browning some spicy turkey sausage to go into the soup first and using homemade bone broth.
Thank you!
I’m new to the instant pot.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Thanks!
I came across this recipe from a random google search for lentil soup…tried it and added some chicken sausage with feta and spinach that I bought at the Amish market. It was SO delicious! The lentils were perfectly cooked, and the flavors with the spices were just right. I cannot wait to make this again!!
Great, easy to follow and enjoyed by my non-vegan family — a true success! I added in fresh ginger and a few extra colorful veggies for an amazing meal. My spouse asked to print recipe on our menu board, a true keeper. Looking forward to trying more of your offerings. Thrilled to have a vegan meal my entire family will eat. Thank you!
This is a must try this weekend. I just recently purchased My Duo Mini and have only done quinoa, rice and barley. Looking forward to making this! Was wondering if I could swap out some of the chicken broth for a small can of diced tomatoes? The coconut milk swap out has Me thinking of adding that and some curry powder somewhere down the road. Always like to find a good sturdy recipe and make variations on occasion.
How long do I cook for 1 lb lentils
What a good jumping off point! Made this but *of course* there were alternations. A whole large yellow onion, 2 carrots, a parsnip, maybe 1.5 c celery, 4 toes of garlic, a large sweet red pepper, a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1+ tsp turmeric, 2+ tsp cumin, 1+ tsp a blend called Moroccan Spice I’d bought when delirious, a tsp of salt and some grindings of black pepper, four-ish cups of strong homemade chicken stock, three stems of fresh thyme. Out of brown lentils so used red ones. Insta-pot for 16 minutes, rapid release, added three cups of de-stemmed beet greens and stirred. Topped each bowl with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a teaspoon of a chimichurri-sh pesto I’d made. It was a warming sort of dal/vegetable porridge and we devoured it.
Beet greens + chimichurri! Yum! 🙂
Just bought my IP today and kicked off with this soup, and it is FANTASTIC. Thanks for sharing the recipe and your experiences using the pot. This was a great intro post.
So glad you like the recipe! Enjoy your Instant Pot. I feel like I got a rocky start with mine but I love it now!
This soup is a hit for our whole family including a 1 & 8 year old! Super easy to throw together and I freeze small portions for lunches.
Love that the kids like it too! 🙂 Thank you Kelley!
Will the same amount of ingredients be used for a mini instant pot? I am finding plenty of recipes for IP but the size of the pot is not mentioned.
I heard hard you have some amazing salad dressings where can I find those
It’s delicious! My non vegetarian family loved it!
This recipe was delicous!! Little effort to make! I doubled the recipe and added sweet potatoes. Perfect to take to work for lunches. Thanks for posting!
I love this soup! I used 3/4 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon because my vegetable broth was not low sodium. I had fresh cabbage in frig so I chopped 1 large cabbage leaf & sautéed with the onions, carrots, & celery (many years ago a chef told me he added cabbage to almost all of his soups). Even though I didn’t have spinach to put in, this soup came out so delicious! Next time I will double the recipe because my husband and I ate so much of it there is not enough for a second meal. Thank you so much for the recipe. It was spectacular!
This is a delicious recipe, thank you! I just had one question – I don’t have a manual button on my IP so should I be using the soup button or the pressure cook button? I have been using the pressure cook one but the soup always comes out like stew
Yes, the pressure cook button. It is a pretty thick soup, but if you prefer it a bit thinner, you might splash in a bit of extra broth. 🙂
I love your description and instructions for the IP! This would have been very helpful for the weeks I stared at it in fear before finally using it. 🙂 This sounds amazing. I’m going to try it this weekend!
I’ve always made lentil soup with my slow cooker on low, which was always an overnight affair.
I have a new IP, and looked for ideas from someone who made it successfully this way.
Yours was the recipe I decided to try, and wow! Scrumptious Lentil Soup in about a half hour. Thanks for starting me off on making great soups!!!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Would like to make a big batch of this delicious soup for a crowd. Do I just double all the items on the recipe? Didn’t want to take a chance without knowing definitely, thank you.
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe – I just made it while my vegetarian sister was visiting and we both loved it! And it was so quick/easy! Definitely a keeper!
I doubled this, but kept the cooking tome the same; subbed chicken bone broth for the veg stock; and added 1.5# of cubed ham steak (which I browned in the IP before the veggies); added spinach and baby kale; and served it with a GF baguette. It went over very well in my family of five (11yo twin boys and 10yo daughter) and we only had enough for one adult to eat firunch tomorrow 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe idea; so glad I stumbled upon your site!
Can you leave this on keep warm for 2 hours before eating without issue?
This lentil soup was so scrumptious!! thank you!!!
This is easily one of the best IP recipes I’ve ever made, and it’s become a huge favorite in our house. I have a bag of small lentils, can I sub them for the large? How would I adjust the cooking time?
Hi Robyn! I’m so glad you like the recipe. It really depends on the type of lentil. Split red lentils take hardly any time to cook at all; French Green take quite a bit more. Brown lentils are somewhere in the middle. If they’re much smaller, I’d maybe reduce the cooking time by a couple of minutes to start. It’s hard to ruin this soup so even if they’re a bit overcooked it should all be delicious.
This soup was so delicious!! I want to double the recipe next time. Would the instant pot cooking time need to be more than 12 minutes? Thank you.
We had the GOLDEN LENTIL & SPINACH SOUP tonight and it was delicious. Next time I’ll be making a double batch. My husband had seconds. Thank you for a wonderful soup recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! I halved the amount of salt and used regular (not French) green lentils instead of brown, and it was absolutely delicious – the whole family loved it. Easy to follow and easy to make.
So glad you liked it! Thank you for the review. 🙂
I only had green lentils but it turned out sooooo good I’m amazed by how quick, easy, and delish this is!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Can I make this recipe with canned lentils instead?
The lentil and spinach soup is to die for!! I did add a small a.ount of diced tomatoes as well as a little curry powder. So yummy.. Thank you.
Love those additions! Thanks Jennifer! 🙂