This Instant Pot Turmeric Lentil Soup is a vibrant vegan soup made with immunity-boosting turmeric that's ready in just 20 minutes.
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How to make this recipe
- Add everything to the Instant Pot in order except the spinach and lemon juice.
- Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the steam.
- Stir in the spinach and lemon juice.
- Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Onions – you can use yellow or white onions.
- Carrots – parsnip has a similar texture but a slightly different taste.
- Celery – double up on the carrots or leave them out altogether.
- Garlic – jarred garlic or garlic powder would work in a pinch.
- Ginger – you can also try using ground ginger if you don't have any fresh ginger.
- Coconut milk – substitute for light coconut milk if you want to cut the calories or try soy milk (although it won't be as creamy).
- Can of diced tomatoes – you could also use freshly diced tomatoes, just make sure to add in the juices as well.
- Vegetable broth – for a non-vegan option, you can use chicken broth.
- Turmeric – saffron is an alternative, but is sweeter and doesn't have the same healing properties as turmeric.
- Cumin – ground coriander would also work here.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Red lentils – French or green lentils are another option.
- Spinach – any other greens will work like Swiss chard or mustard greens.
- Lemon juice – if you don't have any lemon juice, you could also try lime juice.
How much turmeric to add to soup
You don't need to add much turmeric to this soup to get all the benefits. One tablespoon is plenty – anything more might have an over-powering taste, so make sure not to overdo it. You'll still get the same tablespoon from one tablespoon as you would from any more!
Is lentil soup good for you?
Yes! In addition to this soup being low in calories, the lentils are full of nutrients like calcium, iron and potassium. They're also a great source of protein. Plus, this recipe includes turmeric, which can boost your immune system and provide a range of other health benefits.
What to serve with lentil soup
The lentils in this soup make it super filling so you can serve it on its own or as a side dish with sandwiches, wraps and salads. I like having it on its own on a chilly day with a piece of crusty bread!
Storing and reheating
You can store this soup in individual portions in the fridge up to 5 days. To reheat, simply microwave for 2-3 minutes. I prefer to use glass meal prep bowls to store the leftovers in because you can immediately reheat individual servings right from the fridge instead of having to portion out the food after the fact, however you can also store the leftovers in a large bowl with a lid.
Freezing this soup
You can freeze this soup up to 3 months as well! Simply store in individual portions and let defrost in the fridge overnight, or you can reheat in the microwave from frozen for 6-8 minutes, stirring halfway through the reheat time.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe - You need to buy red lentils for this recipe; other varieties won't work
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers
- Stock up on coconut milk here
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
is the version I use in this recipe
Instant Pot Turmeric Lentil Soup {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 (400mL) cans full fat coconut milk
- 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes (in their juices)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils
- 4 cups spinach, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot in the order in which they are listed, except for spinach and lemon juice, making sure you add lentils last. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure. Do a quick release of steam then open lid when it's safe to do so.
- Stir in spinach and lemon juice, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Christine says
What size is I stand pot for this?
Taylor Stinson says
It’s a 6 quart!
imsen says
This is the BEST lentil soup ever!! I literally make it once a week.
Daniel Zonis says
I just want to confirm that this is supposed to cook for 3 minutes on high pressure, right? Under the How to make this recipe section, it says 30 minutes, but in the actual recipe itself (and the video too) it says 3 minutes.
Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
It will take up to 10 or 15 minutes to come to pressure then a few minutes after that to release the pressure so the 30 minutes is just to account for how long it actually takes. But yes, it is 3 minutes on high pressure!
A P says
Can I use canned lentils?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes you can!
Coralie says
Made this last night and it was really good! I did get the ‘Food Burn’ message on my instant pot and had to add broth to make it more liquid. Just to clarify for the coconut milk, is it two cans of 400 mL, or two cans of 200 mL to make 400 total? Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Coralie – it’s two 400mL cans, I will update the ingredient list to reflect that!
Randy Kasper says
Enjoyed this just as written. Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed!!
Melissa Borden says
This was a good recipe. I used an heirloom mix of lentils (a mix of red, green and yellow lentils) and adjusted the cook time to 9 minutes and the lentils were perfect. Next time, I think I’d add cauliflower.
Holly says
Hello!
I’m allergic to coconut, is there something else I can substitute?
Thank you!!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Holly – the flavours would change without the coconut milk, but what you could try doing is subbing in regular whole milk (1 cup) or vegetable broth (1 cup). Hope that helps!
Mira says
Not sure why but it came a little bit undercooked. Another lentil soup recipe I made was 7 min in the instant pot that why I was a bit surprised for 3 min on yours but still tried. I’d definitely add more minutes next time.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Mira – red lentils cook super quickly so it’s very surprising yours can out undercooked! Wondering if you used a different type of lentil here? Also wondering if this is maybe an elevation issue? Very strange.