Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup (Gluten Free)

This Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup is hearty, budget friendly and packed with lentils, potatoes and vegetables. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free and vegan, making it an easy family dinner when you want something filling without spending a fortune.

Soup is always in heavy rotation at our house once the weather cools down. My kids love it, it’s an easy way to get more vegetables on the table, and most soup recipes make enough for leftovers, which means tomorrow’s lunch is already handled.

This lentil soup is especially good when I’m trying to keep the grocery bill under control. Lentils are inexpensive, the rest of the recipe uses basic vegetables and pantry staples, and the Instant Pot does most of the work.

Why You’ll Love This Lentil Soup

Great for leftovers: Make a big batch and you’ve got lunch handled too.

Budget friendly: Lentils, potatoes and vegetables make this an inexpensive way to feed the family.

Easy to make: A little sautéing at the beginning and then the Instant Pot takes over.

Naturally gluten free and vegan: No dairy, meat or gluten needed.

No tomatoes: If you’re looking for a lentil soup without tomatoes, this is it.

Hearty and filling: Potatoes and lentils make this substantial enough to serve as dinner.

We eat a lot of soups in our house because my kids love them and it’s a great way to sneak in veggies. Weekly we enjoy Gluten Free Lasagna Soup and Whole30 Hamburger Soup, but one of my most popular recipes on the blog is my Vegetable Soup.

I knew I needed to get this hearty vegan lentil soup recipe up on the blog for everyone to enjoy.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need simple ingredients to make this Instant Pot lentil soup.

Red lentils: This recipe uses red lentils. Rinse them thoroughly before adding them to the soup.

Potatoes: Peeled and diced potatoes make the soup extra hearty and filling. Try to cut them into similar-size pieces so they cook evenly.

Carrots, celery and onion: The classic soup trio. They add flavor, texture and plenty of vegetables.

Garlic: I use plenty because three tablespoons of garlic is apparently the amount my heart tells me is appropriate.

Vegetable broth: Use your favorite gluten-free vegetable broth. Broth can be a sneaky source of gluten, so always check your labels.

Avocado oil: Used to sauté the vegetables before pressure cooking.

Seasonings: Salt, cumin, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and parsley give the broth plenty of flavor without making this recipe complicated.

You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Vegan Lentil Soup in the Instant Pot

Start by turning your Instant Pot to Sauté mode.

Add the avocado oil, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the rinsed red lentils and stir everything together. Continue sautéing for another 2 minutes, then turn off Sauté mode.

Pour in the vegetable broth, then add the diced potatoes, salt, cumin, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and parsley. Stir well, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Secure the Instant Pot lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to Sealing.

Select the Soup setting and allow the Instant Pot to run through its Soup program.

Once the cooking cycle is complete, release the pressure according to your Instant Pot model’s instructions. Carefully remove the lid once the pressure has fully released.

Remove the bay leaf, stir the soup well and serve.

Do I Need to Soak Lentils Before Making Soup?

No. You do not need to soak the red lentils before making this Instant Pot lentil soup.

Simply rinse the lentils thoroughly before adding them to the recipe. The Instant Pot takes care of the rest.

One less thing to remember is always a win around here.

What Kind of Lentils Should I Use?

Use red lentils for this recipe.

Different varieties of lentils cook differently and can produce a different texture. This recipe was developed using red lentils, so that’s what I recommend.

Red lentils soften considerably as they cook, which helps create the hearty texture of this soup.

Why Did My Lentil Soup Change Color?

Don’t panic if your soup looks darker after cooking.

Lentils naturally change color as they cook, and the other ingredients and seasonings in the soup can also affect the finished color. That’s completely normal.

Is Lentil Soup Gluten Free?

Lentils are naturally gluten free, and this recipe is made without gluten-containing ingredients.

The ingredient you’ll want to pay particular attention to is the vegetable broth. Not every packaged broth is gluten free, so check the label before using it, especially if you’re cooking for someone with celiac disease or a gluten allergy or intolerance.

What to Serve With Lentil Soup

This soup is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but obviously I will never argue with adding bread.

Try serving it with:

• Gluten-free sandwich bread
• Gluten-free dinner rolls
• A simple green salad
• Roasted vegetables

My gluten-free sandwich bread recipe is an easy option, and I also have a dinner roll recipe in my cookbook, 101 Incredible Gluten Free Recipes.

Which Instant Pot should I Buy?

I use the 8 qt Instant Pot. I also have the 6 qt, that was my first Instant Pot. However, I wanted a larger one so that I could double recipes and make bigger pots of soup and chili. The 8 qt is perfect! 

How to Store Leftover Lentil Soup

Allow the soup to cool before transferring it to an airtight container.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the soup gently on the stovetop until heated through.

Lentil soup can thicken considerably as it sits, so add a splash of vegetable broth when reheating if you’d like a thinner consistency.

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Lentil Soup

Use red lentils. That’s the variety this recipe was developed with, and other lentils can change the cooking time and finished texture.

Rinse your lentils. Give them a good rinse before adding them to the Instant Pot.

Dice the potatoes evenly. Keeping the pieces approximately the same size helps them cook at the same rate.

Don’t skip sautéing the vegetables. Those few extra minutes help build the flavor of the soup.

Check your broth. If you need the recipe to be gluten free, make sure your vegetable broth is labeled gluten free.

Add broth to leftovers if needed. The soup will continue to thicken in the refrigerator, so a splash of broth can bring it back to the consistency you want.

More Gluten Free Soup Recipes

If it’s officially soup season at your house too, try my Gluten Free Lasagna Soup, Gluten Free Zuppa Toscana, Hamburger Soup, Vegetable Soup or Chicken and Rice Soup next.

 

 

 

Want more delicious gluten free soup recipes? I’ve got you covered…

• Gluten Free Lasagna Soup
• Gluten Free Zuppa Toscana
• Whole30 Hamburger Soup
• Vegetable Soup (Gluten Free and Vegan)
• Easy Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe (gluten free)
• Chicken Tortilla Soup (Instant Pot)