This Instant Pot Turmeric Lentil Soup is a vibrant vegan soup made with immunity-boosting turmeric that's ready in just 20 minutes.
How to make this recipe
- Add everything to the Instant Pot in order except the spinach and lemon juice.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 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.
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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
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!
Comments & Reviews
Lauren says
Do you need to to increase time to double the recipe? Thx.
Taylor Stinson says
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!
Serena says
Will a double recipe for in a 6 quart Instant Pot?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Serena – this recipe already makes a ton of food so I wouldn’t recommend doubling it.
Serena says
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!
Taylor Stinson says
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 🙁
Ashley Wase says
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.
Taylor Stinson says
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 🙂
Patti says
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.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Patti, so happy to hear that!!! 🙂
Lisa says
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!
Taylor Stinson says
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 🙂
Kate Michael says
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!
Taylor Stinson says
Ooooh I love the sound of red chili flakes, great idea! Thanks so much for sharing with me Kate, so happy you liked it 🙂
ALEXIS says
Dry lentils or cooked lentils?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Alexis! They’re dry lentils!
Cathy says
I made this for lunch today, and we really enjoyed it! This recipe is a keeper!
Taylor Stinson says
OMG I am SO happy to hear that Cathy!!!! Thank you so much for sharing with me!!! 🙂
Kathy says
Will it make a huge difference if I leave out the coconut milk?
Taylor Stinson says
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!
Lisa says
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!!!
Taylor Stinson says
Glad you were able to make these sub ins Lisa! And so happy you liked it too 🙂
Kate says
You say 20 minutes cook time but then you say only 3 minutes on high. Not sure which it is.
Taylor Stinson says
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!
Jennifer says
Is 3 onions a typo? It doesn’t look like you put nearly that much in the video
Taylor Stinson says
3 small onions or 2 medium works 🙂