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
Gloria says
What other methods can I make this soup if I don’t have an instapot?
Taylor Stinson says
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 🙂
Roni says
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!
Taylor Stinson says
Yay I’m so happy you liked it Roni! Those substitutions sound like a good way to cut the calories a bit more!
Page says
I just made and ate this soup and I cannot tell you how much I loved it. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Page!! Thanks for sharing with me <3
Emily says
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!
Taylor Stinson says
I am so happy to hear that Emily!!! Thanks for sharing with me <3
Janey says
Can you use reduced fat/lite coconut milk or does it have to be full fat?
Taylor Stinson says
You can use reduced fat but you definitely won’t get the full flavour without using the full fat!
Steve says
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!
Toni Leli says
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!
Kevin says
My soup is nowhere near as yellow and creamy as your pictures look. We used the correct ingredients???
Taylor Stinson says
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.
Deb says
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?
Taylor Stinson says
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 🙂
Lori says
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 😊
Taylor Stinson says
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!