Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup
This Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup is a delicious, vibrant vegan soup made with coconut milk and spices. Dump it all in one pot and dinner's ready in 20 minutes!
OMG you guys I have found my most favourite soup recipe EVERRRRRRRR (next to this Zucchini Noodle Pho anyway…)
This Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup is not only a delicious soup recipe, but it's also made in the pressure cooker so you don't have to spend an hour in the kitchen slaving over a hot pot of soup waiting for the flavours to mingle.
Another reason I love the Instant Pot. Instant soup! (almost…lol)
This is another dump everything and push start kind of meal coming right at ya, and it's playing right into the turmeric trend that I'm really obsessed with these days (in case you missed my turmeric tahini dressing in these buddha bowls NOMZ)
Turmeric is supposed to have all kinds of health benefits from being an anti-inflammatory to helping to increase anti-oxidants in the body. We've seen turmeric on the rise as a foodie trend in all kinds of recipes from turmeric lattes or golden milk (which I have yet to try by the way!) to soups, stews, curries, buddha bowls and more. I've even seen it included in cold-pressed juices!
It's only been very recently that I've even seen the turmeric root itself in stores – it's super cool and kind of looks like ginger root except it is bright orange inside and the roots tend to be smaller in size.
This Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup uses just the dried stuff to give off this bright yellow colour and it's really all you need to keep on hand in your pantry. A couple of spices, a can of diced tomatoes, some broth, coconut milk, lentils and whatever veggies you have on hand and you're well on your way to a delicious soup.
I love the Instant Pot because it speeds up the cooking time of this soup but you still get the slowly simmered flavours that develop with a stovetop soup.
I used veggies that I tend to buy every week because they are just so versatile and tend to work with just about any type of recipe. Grabbing a bag of carrots, celery and onions makes your life so much easier when you go to do any cooking during the week since so many recipes call for them. So with the addition of these veggies and some spinach, this Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup is basically a soup made from pantry staples.
Now let's talk about some substitutions you can make here.
I used red lentils and found they kind of broke down into the broth by the time they were finished cooking. I like the texture because it makes the broth a bit thicker with more substance, but the lentils are mush by this point so if you're looking for more of a lentil texture I would suggest adding French or green lentils because they will hold their shape better.
I also recommend using diced tomatoes and crushing them a bit finer with your hands before adding so you still get the juices without there being too many chunks of tomato. I also tried this recipe with crushed tomatoes and really didn't like the taste or texture with the coconut milk so be sure to use diced tomatoes.
And of course, use full-fat coconut milk for a creamy soup, but know that you can substitute in light coconut milk if you're looking to cut calories. Sub in any other greens for the spinach in the end and I think next time I'm also going to stir in some red peppers when I throw in the spinach for a bit of extra colour.
I can't even tell you how much I love this Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup!
Will you be making this Instant Pot Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup?
When a soup is this vibrant and delicious you can be guaranteed to please a crowd with a big pot of this! Try freezing your leftovers to save for a cold, rainy day you don't feel like cooking – it tastes just as delicious re-heated!
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe.
Note: You need to buy red lentils for this recipe; other varieties won't work.
Stock up on coconut milk here!
Instant Pot Turmeric Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (from a can in their juices)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups spinach, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot 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!
Nutrition
Is 3 onions a typo? It doesn’t look like you put nearly that much in the video
3 small onions or 2 medium works 🙂
You say 20 minutes cook time but then you say only 3 minutes on high. Not sure which it is.
Hey Kate! It takes about 15 minutes to come to pressure, then pressure cooks for 3 minutes so overall the process takes about 20 minutes. Sorry I thought that was clear in the instructions!
Will it make a huge difference if I leave out the coconut milk?
Hey Kathy! So sorry for the delay I was on vacation last week – you could try leaving the coconut milk out but honestly the flavour and consistency would not be the same at all. If you’re feeling more of a tomato-based soup then I say go for it and give it a try! If you’d like a creamier consistency, be sure to use the coconut milk. Hope that helps!
Hi! I only had one can of coconut milk on hand so used a partial can of condensed milk and added a little more broth. It worked well as a substitute but I imagine a second can of coconut would be the sweet spot. Unfortunately I was also out of coconut extract otherwise that might have worked in my situation. I also used mixed greens instead of spinach which worked as well. Just didn’t feel like heading to the store today. Great recipe thank you!!!
Glad you were able to make these sub ins Lisa! And so happy you liked it too 🙂
I made this for lunch today, and we really enjoyed it! This recipe is a keeper!
OMG I am SO happy to hear that Cathy!!!! Thank you so much for sharing with me!!! 🙂
Dry lentils or cooked lentils?
Hi Alexis! They’re dry lentils!
This soup was amazing! Thank you for the recipe. Even hubby loved it despite not being a huge fan of vegetables or soups. Because both of us like a little heat, I added some red chili flakes for a bit of zing. Delish!
Ooooh I love the sound of red chili flakes, great idea! Thanks so much for sharing with me Kate, so happy you liked it 🙂
I made this soup today and it is delicious! We paired it with Einkorn sourdough bread, grain milled by me, homemade sourdough starter, bread bake dough I Dutch oven. Perfect combination!
Hey Lisa – I’m soooooo happy to hear how much you liked this!!! That bread sounds amazing, what an awesome pairing! So happy this turned out well for you 🙂
This soup is delicious. I used petite diced tomatoes and they were perfect. I appreciate the nutritional information but didn’t see the serving size. I’m sure I ate way more than a serving because it’s so good.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Patti, so happy to hear that!!! 🙂
I don’t have an insta pot. What would be the cook times if I have say a normal crock pot. This soup looks delish and I’d love to try it.
Hey Ashley! I haven’t tested this recipe in the crock pot so I can’t guarantee results, but if you’d like to try it, I would say to cook everything on low for 6-8 hours. Hope it turns out for you 🙂
Do you need to to increase time to double the recipe? Thx.
Hey Lauren! I haven’t tried it myself but I would add another minute to the cook time if you’re doubling it. Hopefully it turns out!
Will a double recipe for in a 6 quart Instant Pot?
Hey Serena – this recipe already makes a ton of food so I wouldn’t recommend doubling it.
Thank you for your quick reply! I am feeding 6 adults and 6 kiddos and the serving size said 6. Just want to be sure I have enough food. I do plan on making rice on the side for the kids to serve the soup over. Do you think it will be enough? Thanks!
Oh wow that is a lot of people! I maybe would recommend doubling the recipe just in case but I’m just not sure that it would all fit in the 6 quart. Unfortunately you may need to make separate batches – I wish I could be of more help 🙁
I made this on Friday and I love it. How long do you think the leftovers will keep in the fridge? Eating it all by myself 😊
OMG yay, I’m so happy you like it Lori!!! I would say the leftovers would keep up to 5 or 6 days. I kept it all in mason jars and just heated up what I needed – you could also freeze it, I would imagine it would reheat just as well if you’re eating it all yourself!
I’ve never cooked with coconut milk, does it give it a strong coconut flavor? What do you think about subbing soy milk for coconut milk?
Hey Deb – I would not recommend subbing in anything else for the coconut milk. The coconut milk is really what gives this soup its flavour and I promise it’s really tasty! Give it a try 🙂
My soup is nowhere near as yellow and creamy as your pictures look. We used the correct ingredients???
Sometimes different types of turmeric have differing shades of colour…you get the bright yellow colour primarily from the turmeric. I know I have seen containers of turmeric at the store that were more of a browny-yellow than a bright yellow like the kind I used. Also, if you made the soup at night and were looking at it from under a florescent light or yellow lighting, it may appear darker than if you were to look at it in daylight. Finally, I have a high quality camera that picks up the saturation in food a little bit better than it would appear to the naked eye, so all three of those factors combined may have added to you not feeling as though the soup was exactly the same colour. More importantly, did you enjoy the taste? Many commenters here really enjoyed it so while I’m sorry you feel it did not turn out the same colour, I hope you enjoyed it regardless.
Made this soup tonight! What a surprise! Not what we expected but were very happy. Love it! Looked just like your pics! Gonna pass it on to all my Instant Pot friends!
OK. That was legit yummy. I kicked into sauté mode for the stuff in the beginning, but, honestly, after tasting it I’m pretty sure that it was pointless (if you don’t count the joy I get when the room fills with onion and garlic browning). Well done!
Can you use reduced fat/lite coconut milk or does it have to be full fat?
You can use reduced fat but you definitely won’t get the full flavour without using the full fat!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! One of the best soups I have ever had. So easy and so much flavor and so nourishing. My husband was sick so I was looking for a healing soup and this will definitely be added to our regular rotation! I garnished with some diced avacado and an extra squeeze of fresh lemon. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that Emily!!! Thanks for sharing with me <3
I just made and ate this soup and I cannot tell you how much I loved it. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that Page!! Thanks for sharing with me <3
This soup is outstanding! BTW I cut the coconut milk in half and used “light” coconut milk, added a bit more vegetable broth. I will be making this all the time now. Thank you!
Yay I’m so happy you liked it Roni! Those substitutions sound like a good way to cut the calories a bit more!
What other methods can I make this soup if I don’t have an instapot?
Hey Gloria – stovetop or slow cooker should work! The method should be similar to dumping everything in the one pot and cooking until veggies are tender and lentils are cooked through. I can’t give exact times and instructions because I haven’t made it this way myself but based on my knowledge of cooking this recipe could definitely be made other ways 🙂
Excellent! Thank you for the delicious recipe. I just got my cooker today and this was my first instant pot dish. I am very pleased. The only change I made was i used 1 large white onion. I also use the wrong kind of lintels but they were just fine. I might cook it for 1 minute longer next time. I put it over rice. Nice!
So happy you liked it Chuck! Thanks for sharing with me 🙂
This looks gorgeous, do you think it would work with brown lentils?
Hey Joy! It probably would yes! I would add an extra minute to the cook time to be sure though, because brown lentils are a bit more firm than red.
Looks amazing! How do you recommend adjusting the coook time if I halve the recipe?
Hey Tabya! Thanks so much 🙂 I’ve heard cook time doesn’t need to be adjusted whether you are cutting a recipe in half or doubling it. You should be fine to go ahead and cook it the same amount of time!
Amazing recipe, I make it about once a week. I only use one can of coconut milk and whatever greens on hand. I’ve directed many people to this recipe. I often eat this for breakfast in a wrap with black beans. Best way to start the day! Thank you.
Wow glad to hear you love it so much that you make it so often Courtney! That’s wonderful!!!
Excellent soup! What a fast meal from prep to table! We will make this again.
Yay!!! So happy you liked it Marsha 🙂
This is a major staple in our house now! It’s so delicious, healthy and easy! Everyone loves it! I use bone broth that I also make in the old instant pot and it turns out super unctuous. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yay, I’m so happy you like it Erin!! Using bone broth is such a great idea, sounds delicious!!! Thanks for sharing with me 🙂
This is my first Instant Pot Recipe that I tried. I followed the recipe exactly except I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh (and thawed it first. ) My husband and myself loved it! Will definitely make it again.
Yay!!! So happy you liked it Barb 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so easy and SO delicious! I doubled the recipe during prep and froze the second batch for an easy dinner. Thanks for posting this!
So happy to hear you loved it Dara! And good to know you can double it too 🙂
OMG! Ive been scouring the net for some easy delicious Pulses recipes (lentils, beans, etc) as my.goal is to incorporate more plant based protein into my diet. Even my.fiance loves this soup and I can never get him to have a meal without meat! It’s absolute perfect and will surely become a go to in our household. Thanks for.sharing!
OMG YAY!!! I’m so happy to hear that Laura, so glad you love this soup so much. It’s definitely one of my faves as well <3
Delicious! I did use the reduced fat coconut milk. Thank you!
I made this last night and it is amazing! It’s delicious, comforting, and perfect on a cold winter night in Alaska. I followed the recipe as-is, with the exception of adding red pepper flakes for a little heat. This one is a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
So happy you liked it Lisa!! 🙂
Hi! I was wondering if you used fresh turmeric or dried. Also, if it is fresh, how do you prepare it? Do you grate it or mince it?
Hey Sumin! It’s dried turmeric 🙂
Right now it’s on my stovetop cooking the old fashioned way. Soaked the lentils on low for a few hours this morning, then sauteed the root vegetables before adding the coconut milk, broth, and seasonings. Strained the lentils and added them last. It’s almost 2 now, it smells and looks amazing. I love lentils, I’m excited to try this and hoping hubs will love it. He hates coconut so I’m not telling him about the coconut milk. He’s never had it in a savory capacity before, so I’m hoping to show him different sides of different flavors.