A delicious and creamy Instant Pot red lentil soup that is easy to make and loaded with wonderful flavors. With simple seasonings and just a touch of fresh ginger, this hearty and vibrant soup is perfect for any time of the year. This is one of my favorite Instant Pot soup recipes and i’m excited to share it with everyone.
What Are Red Lentils?
Red Lentils don’t get enough credit in the legume world. They have a wonderful, delicate, slightly sweet flavor and provide a wonderful texture when cooked into a soup. They readily take on the flavors that are added to it, while providing a heartiness all their own. Red lentil soup shares some of the texture and consistency of split pea soup, while being a bit on the lighter side.
A Simple Mirepoix Base, Seasonings and Ginger
This recipe starts with onion, celery and carrots, when diced and sauteed in a little butter. This is called a mirepoix. It’s the base for many popular soups. The aroma will have everyone asking “what smells so delicious?” After the vegetables are sauteed, we add a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. I’m a huge fan of fire roasted tomatoes and they further accentuate the heartiness of this soup with rich, deep flavors. Then we add a half teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric. Both seasoning will further deepen the flavor profile and the ginger will add just a bit of vibrance.
Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth?
Both chicken broth and vegetable broth provide the liquid base for the soup in similar ways, but I find that a good chicken broth fills out the flavor profile the best.
Blend to Desired Consistency
Once our soup is done cooking in the Instant Pot, it’s time to blend it. An immersion blender is a great tool for soup recipes. Just place it directly into the pot and blend for about 20 seconds to leave the soup with a little bit of a thick and chunky texture.
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Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
An absolutely delicious, thick and creamy red lentil soup with a hearty flavor and a perfect zest from the ginger.
Ingredients
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 4 cups lower sodium chicken broth
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5oz)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, fresh grated
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- salt to taste (about ½ – 1 teaspoon)
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to “saute” and add butter. When hot add carrot, celery, onion, pepper and saute until softened – about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, ginger, turmeric, cumin, pepper, salt, can of diced tomatoes and split red lentils and stir it all together. Secure lid, set vent to the “sealing” position and pressure cook (manual on some Instant Pots) for 10 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure. Remove lid and use an immersion for about 20 seconds. Leave some of the soup chunky for the best consistency.
Notes
*This recipe has been updated September 2020 to include turmeric, cumin and ginger.
Bernie
Not really a success. I think there were two issues. One, I didn’t have a “vanilla” can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes. I used a can that had green chilies added. Used this in other dishes and hasn’t added a lot of spice. Two, too much pepper. This seems to be recurring with recipes on this blog. Soup had way to much heat and the pepper, even though I was shy the amount called for was overwhelming. If I try this again I’ll use “vanilla” diced tomatoes and with the pepper mill on the table people can add their own black pepper.
Used whole red lentils and they were completely dissolved following the recommended time and quick release so I can confirm split lentils aren’t needed. Texture after blending was great. Just too much spice/heat. Disappointing since I bought a bottle of Turmeric just for this dish.
Lyudmila Ianosel
I’m thinking of making this soup since my husband just purchased 25 pounds of red lentils. My lentils are regular, NOT split. Can I still use these in this recipe?
RecipeTeacher
Now that’s gonna be a lot of soup! 🙂 you can make it with whole lentils no problem. Everything will be the same.
TERRI D.
Delicious! Used my own frozen, roasted Roma tomatoes from last summer.
Served with grilled cheese sandwiches. There are no leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Darn, I may have to make it again.
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
We love this soup too! And grilled cheese is the perfect sandwich to accompany it. Thank you for the feedback, Terri!
Kim
I made it today. DELICIOUS!,,
RecipeTeacher
Thanks, Kim! Yeah we love this soup too.
Amy D
I made this soup tonight for dinner. Once again, my family enjoyed another souper soup recipe from you. My 2 little daughters ate their soup so quickly and love it. Thank you so much! 🙂
★★★★★
RecipeTeacher
Thanks again Amy! I love this soup too.