Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
This Instant Pot lemon red lentil soup is creamy, tangy and unbelievably easy to make. Inspired by Lebanese style Shorbet Adas soup. You can puree it at the end or leave it with texture, either way is sure to please.
This soup is vegan, gluten free and super satisfying, especially since it consists of only a few ingredients. You will be amazed at how quick the lentils cook up into one of the creamiest soups without cream.
Red lentils are inexpensive, shelf stable and full of vitamins and minerals. If you are looking for ways to get more lentils in your diet, give this soup a try!
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Ingredients Used in Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
- Red Lentils — red lentils are readily available, inexpensive and quickly cook into a creamy texture that makes for an extremely satisfying vegan soup.
- Onion — diced, if you don’t like the texture of diced onion, you can grate the onion. Or you can puree the soup with an immersion blender after cooking.
- Carrot — grated, you can include carrots in this soup or leave them out. We prefer this soup with carrots but you will love it either way.
- Vegetable Stock — best if you use organic vegetable stock. You can use homemade vegetable broth or a carton for convenience.
- Garlic — cloves, minced
- Lemon Juice — freshly squeezed
- Cumin — ground
- Hot Sauce — Optional, we use Frank’s Red Hot for convenience, 4-5 shakes, or you can add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- Salt — Himalayan, ground, enhances the flavor of the soup.
Health Benefits of Lemon Red Lentil Soup
Red lentils are packed with protein, fiber and iron. They are low in calories but provide a creamy texture that satisfies, as a great alternative to cream based soups. The soup is vegan and gluten free.
Kitchen Tools Needed for Lemon Red Lentil Soup
We use a 6 quart Instant Pot to make this soup. A lemon juicer and garlic press are helpful but not necessary. A colander to rinse and drain your lentils, after rinsing I set my colander aside with a plate underneath to catch any water that drips.
How to Cook Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
STEP 1 — Gather and Prepare your Ingredients
You will need to gather your ingredients and spices and prepare your vegetables and lentils. Lentils should be washed well and drained, rinse them in a colander until the water runs clear. Wash (scrub well) and trim ends from carrot, then grate it. Dice your onions and grate or put your garlic cloves through a garlic press. Wash a lemon, cut it in half and squeeze the juice from it.
STEP 2 — Fill Your Instant Pot
Combine the ingredients in your Instant Pot. First add the rinsed red lentils, then vegetable stock, and all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT lemon juice.
STEP 3 — Cycle Your Instant Pot and Add Lemon Juice
Fasten the Instant Pot lid securely. Set the valve to SEALING and set to HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. Once complete, you can quick release the pressure. If you forget and it natural releases the pressure, that’s ok. When the pressure pin drops, it is safe to open the lid. Add the lemon juice and stir.
STEP 4 — Serve and Enjoy your Creamy Lentil Soup!
You can choose to give it a quick blend with an immersion blender, or keep it as is for its lovely texture. Transfer to individual bowls and allow to cool sufficiently. Serve as is or enjoy with any combination of salads, rice, eggplant chickpea stew, grilled vegetables or meat, pita bread and dips.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
Instant pot lemon red lentil soup is a perfect addition to many dinners. It is commonly served with grilled vegetables and meat and with salads like tabouli or fattoush. We like to make a variation of quinoa parsley tabbouleh.
My favorite combination is to serve red lentil soup with Instant Pot Eggplant and Chickpea Stew (maghmour), pita bread wedges and basmati rice.
Either of Instant Pot Basmati Rice with Vermicelli or Instant Pot Basmati Rice are quick and easy to cook.
You can include some dips with your meal or as appetizers:
Whether you choose to serve as is, or as part of a larger meal, you will love this soup!
How to Menu Plan for a Larger Meal
For large family cooking, or ease of preparing restaurant menus at home, read about the Benefits of Owning Two Instant Pots. We regularly put our two instant pots to good use.
For a super satisfying vegan Lebanese dinner, we make this lemon lentil soup in one Instant Pot and eggplant chickpea stew (maghmour) in the second Instant Pot. Alternatively, you can toss all of the ingredients for the lentil soup in a slow cooker if you plan ahead a few hours.
Storage Tips
Lemon red lentil soup can be kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Because it lasts a few days it can easily be prepped and made ahead.
This soup can be kept frozen in a freezer safe container for up to five months. It is an excellent soup to prep ingredients ahead and store in a freezer bag, ready to go.
You’ll Also Love
This easy Instant Pot eggplant and chickpea stew, inspired by Lebanese maghmour is quick to make and full of flavor. It has a kind of sweet and sour tang from garlic, tomatoes, onion and pomegranate molasses.
We love it with vermicelli rice, salads and of course, this lemon red lentil soup. You’ll definitely enjoy this comforting and very satisfying, vegan meal.
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Instant Pot Lemon Red Lentil Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Red Lentils, rinsed well and drained
- 1 Carrot, grated
- 5 Cups Vegetable Stock, organic
- 1 Cup Onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Cumin , ground
- 1 teaspoon Salt, Himalayan, ground
- ¼ Cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Hot Sauce, Frank's red hot, or cayenne
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Instructions
- Rinse lentils well and drain.
- Place red lentils into Instant Pot.
- Add vegetable stock to the Instant Pot.
- Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT lemon juice (shredded carrot, diced onion, minced garlic cloves, cumin, salt and hot sauce) .
- Secure lid and set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 15 minutes.
- When Instant Pot has completed its cook time, you can quick release the pressure. Open lid and add in the lemon juice. Give it a good stir.
- Use an immersion blender to puree or leave as is if you prefer some texture.
Nutrition
Note
The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. If you are following a specific diet or have dietary restrictions, please use your preferred nutritional calculator. If you have a food allergy please ensure that none of the listed ingredients are part of your restrictions. As well, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature of the food items.
