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A bowl of red lentil soup cooked in an instant pot.

Easy Red Lentil Soup

Creamy and delicious Red Lentil Soup is perfect when you're looking for a soup that's full of rich and hearty creaminess but good for you too! All you need are a handful of pantry staples and fresh veggies to make it!
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Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot red lentil soup, red lentil soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Pressurizing and Releasing: 20 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Servings: 6 - 8 servings
Calories: 223kcal
Author: Lyn Croyle

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or other vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 carrot sliced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 ½ cups red lentils
  • 6 cups broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 6 ounces fresh greens spinach, kale, or arugula, chopped
  • 1 fresh lemon zest and juice
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon salt amount needed will vary by broth used and to taste.
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Olive oil sumac, and /or fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the oil using the saute setting of your Instant Pot. Add onion, carrot and celery to the Instant pot. Cook until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more.
  • Add lentils, broth, tomato paste and bay leaf. Cover with lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Deactivate the maintain heat setting.
  • Allow the heat to release naturally for about 5 minutes and then open the lid.
  • Remove bay leaf. Add red pepper flakes and fresh greens. Stir the greens into soup to wilt.
  • Add the lemon zest and juice to the pot.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Tips

  • The lemon really adds a brightness to the soup that makes it taste amazing so I really recommend not skipping it! Sprinkle with a bit of sumac when serving for a stronger burst of lemon.
  • If you prefer a creamy consistency, you can blend the soup after it cooks and before adding the spinach.
  • You want to use quick release after five minutes so the soup doesn't continue to cook while the pot is depressurizing.
  • Turn off the maintain heat setting which keeps the soup warm while it is depressurizing, but I find it continues to cook the soup so I prefer to disengage it when making this soup, so my lentils retain a bit of texture.
  • I find slicing the carrots and celery works best as they cook a bit more evenly and quickly than small dices.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 1223mg | Potassium: 772mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5072IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 5mg