A hearty Instant Pot Lentil Soup made with simple, wholesome ingredients. Made in under 30 minutes thanks to your handy dandy pressure cooker!
An incredibly nutrient-dense soup that is perfect for busy weeknights and meal-prepping. This is one of my healthy soup recipes you’ll want in your regular recipe rotation!
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup is incredibly easy to make, yet still hearty and filling. I’m all about soups when it gets colder, and while I love them all, this lentil soup is special! It’s basically a hug disguised as soup when you’re cold to the bones. Ha! Enough of the poetry, let’s get right into it, shall we?
Should I Soak Lentils if Cooked in the Instant Pot?
Short answer: Yes!
Long answer: It’s an everlasting debate, and everybody has a different opinion. The people in the “no-soak” camp say it’s not “necessary”. The beans cook through without soaking and taste exactly the same and you save one step in the process of preparing them. But it’s not about the cooking time or the taste, in my opinion. It’s all about digestion. Unsoaked legumes are much harder to digest, and the consequences are “windy.”
I prefer to soak all my legumes because then I can enjoy eating large amounts of lentil soup without feeling all bloated. Lentils are 100 times easier to digest when soaked for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 12 hours. Just make sure you rinse them well under running water once finished soaking.
It is also important to note that by soaking the lentils they cook better. When they are not soaked for at least 2 hours, they absorb A LOT more liquid when cooking. The result is a drier and pasty texture instead of a more chunky and soupy consistency.
Same rules apply to my super simple Lentils and Rice recipe.
- Soaked legumes: A minimum of two hours of soaking is enough, but they can be soaked overnight for a maximum of 12 hours. After soaking, always drain and rinse legumes.
- Bacon: This is a crucial element for building flavor for the soup. And don’t toss the grease! You’ll use it to sauté the veggies. For a vegetarian option, you can skip the bacon altogether and just use a drizzle of olive oil.
- Veggies: For this recipe I used chopped carrots and celery, but you can use literally any veggie you like.
- Onion & garlic: Both give amazing flavor. Chop as coarsely or fine as you prefer.
- Stock or broth: I like using chicken broth for this Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe, but you can use vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Herbs & spices: Fresh thyme, fresh parsley, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and chili powder are the best seasonings for this lentil soup.
How To Make Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot
- Soak legumes in water for at least 2 hours to overnight before cooking.
- Cook the bacon in the Instant Pot insert on the SAUTE setting until crispy.
- Sauté onion and garlic in the bacon grease or olive oil until tender.
- Drain and rinse the soaked legumes, then add them to the pot with the bacon, onion, and garlic.
- Add remaining ingredients — chopped veggies, fresh herbs, dry seasonings, and chicken broth. Ensure that the legumes are just covered, and add more broth if needed. Secure the lid, turn the valve to the sealing position, and set for 25 minutes on high pressure.
- Let pressure release naturally, and then try the soup to see if it needs salt and pepper. This will depend on how seasoned the broth was.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Have fun with the toppings! This recipe calls for a simple garnish of fresh parsley, but you could also serve each bowl with diced avocado, some fresh cilantro, diced raw onion, and/or thinly sliced chili.
- Add more veggies! You can truly add any combination of vegetables to this soup. It’s a great recipe to make when you need to clean out the fridge! Bell peppers, zucchini, squash, white or sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and canned tomatoes would be great additions.
- Add some meat! Looking to make this lentil soup even heartier? Some browned ground beef, turkey, or chicken would be great mix-ins. Just sauté in the Instant Pot in the grease.
- Prefer a creamy lentil soup? Stick with just red lentils and blend everything together with an immersion blender after the soup has finished cooking.
- Want to make it vegan- or vegetarian-friendly? Just skip the bacon and instead sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
- For this Lentil Soup I’m using a 6-quarts Instant Pot. You can adjust the amounts depending if you have a smaller or bigger Instant Pot.
- No Instant Pot? No problem! You can still make this delicious Crockpot Lentil Soup in your slow cooker.
- Some people have asked if they can use canned beans (not lentils). If you only have canned beans at home, just follow the recipe as it is without the beans. Then, once the NPR is over, add the canned beans and bring the pot to pressure again for just 1 minute to heat them up. Then do a quick release and you’re good.
should you soak lentils before cooking
Do you need to soak lentils before cooking?
They have a mild, earthy flavor and they hold their shape well when cooked, making them perfect for this soup. Soaking lentils is not required for cooking, but soaking them in salted, hot water seasons the lentils for better flavor cuts the cooking time in half. Soak the lentils in water. Sauté the onions until translucent.
Can one replace meat with lentils?
As lentils are packed with protein, they can be a very good substitute for meat, in many plant-based dishes. Lentils can be used in burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, tacos, burritos, marinara sauce, etc. Lentils have no saturated fats (as meat has), and also contain iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B, and most of the essential amino acids.
How can I save time preparing lentil soup?
Another way to save time is to use pre-chopped vegetables and canned tomatoes instead of chopping fresh produce. Finally, consider making a large batch of lentil soup and freezing it for later use. This saves time in the future as all you need to do is defrost, reheat and enjoy!
Can you cook lentil soup with dried lentils?
Yes you sure can, and directions are provided in the recipe notes. But it’s better made with dried lentils because of the texture in the soup, there’s only 10 minutes difference in cook time and it’s more economical! Sauté your onion, garlic, carrots and celery over over low heat for almost 10 minutes.