Instant Pot Lentil Stew is a fast, easy, hearty vegan dish packed with vitamins and minerals. A great recipe for soup weather and ready to eat in just 30 minutes!
Bring on cozy comfort food season. The hearty dishes that soothe the soul and warm us up. Bring on soups and stews, chilis and pastas.
Truth be told, I could eat this kind of food all year long. In fact, I made this Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe a couple of times over the summer to recipe test it for the blog.
But now that there’s a chill in the air, this soup is tasting better than ever.
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🌟 Why you’ll love this recipe
So many reasons to love this lentil soup recipe! Here are a few:
- It uses pantry staples and other basic ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store.
- It’s a dairy-free and vegan soup.
- Full of lentils, this soup is low fat, high fiber, and packed with magnesium, which has been reported to reduce inflammation.
- It’s a great hearty meal all on its own.
- It’s done in just 30 minutes in your electric pressure cooker!
🍅 Ingredient notes
This delicious soup recipe is full of healthy ingredients. Here are a few you’ll need:
Lentils – They’re packed with protein and fiber, which can aid in the digestive process.
Celery and carrots – for some added texture. These fresh veggies are also good sources of vitamins.
Garlic – Garlic is full of nutrients, and research shows it can help reduce high blood pressure and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. This recipe calls for 3 garlic cloves, but feel free to adjust to your taste preferences.
Vegetable broth – As this is a vegan recipe, I use vegetable broth, but you can use chicken broth if you prefer.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Here’s how to make this easy instant pot lentil stew recipe:
1. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, lentils, and tomatoes to your Instant Pot, then season with kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Add vegetable broth and combine.
3. Set instant pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK on High pressure for 15 minutes.
4. When the pressure cooking is done, quick release to release any remaining pressure. This may take a couple of minutes. Remove lid and stir in spinach. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Green lentils are packed with great vitamins and minerals. According to the USDA, a half cup of dried green lentils provides 24g protein, 10g fiber, 80mg calcium, and 4mg iron.
I use green lentils for this recipe because they tend to hold up and retain their shape during the cooking process to give this stew a hearty texture.
Red lentils, on the other hand, can get mushy when cooked for a while. You could substitute brown lentils if you wish, as they cook similarly to green ones.
Yes! You can keep this instant pot soup in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months. It’s a great way to meal prep or simply save leftover soup for later.
This vegan lentil stew is great warmed up the next day. In fact, it should keep for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Simply warm soup up in the microwave or in a small sauce pan on the stove top for a few minutes.
🍽 Serving ideas
While eating bowlfuls of this hearty stew on its own makes for a satisfyingly full, one-pot meal, it also goes great with side dishes like Air Fryer Corn Ribs, Air Fryer Broccoli, or Homemade French Bread.
More soup recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Instant Pot Lentil Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots (1-2 carrots)
- ½ cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cup green lentils
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- kosher salt
- pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth (2 14.5 oz cans)
- 4 cups baby spinach
Instructions
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
- Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, lentils, and tomatoes to your Instant Pot.
- Season ingredients with basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Add broth and stir to combine.
- Set instant pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK on High for 15 minutes. Once the pressure cooker is done, quick release. Remove lid and stir in spinach.
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all ingredients to a dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, then cover. Cook for about 25-30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this for lunch today– totally delicious and very strongly seasoned in a good way.
As I was going back to leave this comment, I realized that I had totally forgotten to add a can of tomatoes! If anyone has trouble with tomatoes, I would recommend trying this without them because it’s really good and thick made without them.
I also used the vegetable base from Better Than Bouillon (which does have tomato).
Pinned this one… will probably add the tomatoes next time I make it.
I just received a 3 quart instant pot as a gift and want to make vegan lentil stew. Would I just halve the above recipe? Thank you.
Hi Teri! I have never used a 3-quart Instant Pot — all of my recipes are made for 6-quart or 8-quart pressure cookers. Since I have not halved this recipe for a smaller unit, I can’t tell you for sure whether it would work or not in your 3-quart Instant Pot. The main concern would be the liquid amount. If you do try it please let us know how it goes and any tweaks you made. Thanks!
I made this yesterday, and it was so tasty delicious! This recipe is a keeper. My husband who doesn’t really enjoy lentils all that much enjoyed it, and would love to have this again.
I LOVE easy instant pot recipes this time of year, especially when most everything is already in my pantry! your photos are stunning – this sounds SO good.
I’m obsessed with making soup in the Instant Pot, and I’ve been using it like crazy during this chilly week we’re having. This lentil soup looks so delicious – Can’t wait to try it!
I’ve been making and eating a lot of lentil soup lately, which I love because it’s so healthy and vegetarian. But I need to try out different recipes of lentil soup to mix things up at dinner. Thanks for this one – it looks delish. (And I know I can’t even believe it about the snow here in Oregon! Brr!)
LOVE easy Instant Pot recipes and it’s great that the ingredients are so simple.
I love my Instant Pot and finding amazing, healthy recipes to use it for. This soup will be made in my house often this winter season :)
This dish was such a hit with my whole family! Great recipe that I’ll be making again for sure!
This is delicious! I love all those veggies throughout.Yyummy and healthy too :)
This is totally going on my regular menu. I love everything made in the Instant Pot and I’m always on the lookout for more yummy ways to use lentils!
I’ve been looking for a new soup recipe to try this fall, and this is it! It’s so delicious!