Based on a recipe from my Aunt Gloria Patterson, this Instant Pot Vegan Red Lentil Soup is a healthy, quick and delicious soup. Even for those who are not vegan, you will find this soup supremely satisfying. I never miss the meat!
Check out the mini video tutorial for our Instant Pot Vegan Red Lentil Soup below:
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Instant Pot Vegan Red Lentil Soup?
- Olive oil – Light or extra-virgin olive oil work well.
- Diced onions – Yellow or white onion recommended.
- Diced carrots – Peel and dice whole carrots for more nutrition and flavor compared to baby carrots.
- Diced celery – Look for firm stalks of celery. Trim off any brown spots.
- Minced garlic – Either fresh or bottled.
- Dried, split red lentils – The fastest cooking beans around and with a mild taste.
- Tomato paste – You can freeze the remaining portion of tomato paste in ice cube trays.
- Ground red pepper- This is also known as cayenne. It will add a bit of heat to the dish. You can adjust the amount according to your preference.
- Ground cumin – Ground from whole cumin seeds.
- Sea salt – Regular table salt works as well.
- Vegetable broth – Any type of broth will work if you're not concerned with the recipe being vegan.
Instructions:
Heat oil in instant pot over sauté setting.
Add diced onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté about 3 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in red lentils, tomato paste, cumin, pepper and broth.
Set instant pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes on manual setting. Allow to pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
Using an immersion blender, purée until desired consistency. If not enjoying this as a vegan recipe, you can add a tablespoon of plain yogurt to each serving. Serve with a side of chips or wedges of Heavenly Armenian Pita Bread.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegan Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 med. onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 ribs of celery diced
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 cup dried split red lentils
- 2 T. tomato paste
- ⅛ tsp. ground red pepper
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. sea salt more to taste
- 5 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in instant pot on sauté setting.
- Add diced onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté about 3 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in red lentils, tomato paste, cumin, pepper and broth.
- Set instant pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes on manual setting. Allow to pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
- Using an immersion blender, purée until desired consistency. If not using this as a vegan recipe, you can add a tablespoon of plain yogurt to each serving. Serve with a side of chips or wedges of Heavenly Armenian Pita Bread.
Heather says
This looks delicious! I would love to try it. I’ve never even seen dried split red lentils! Can you find them in any grocery store? I’m excited to try this recipe, thanks for sharing!