Instant Pot Green Lentil Soup (Vegan)

5 from 2 votes

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Canadian

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 1

Servings: 3 bowls

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Kelly

Cost: $0.51 per serving

A tasty dump-and-go vegan lentil soup that’s high in fiber and protein. It’s perfect for meal prep and can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.

1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup green lentils or brown lentils
1 carrot or potato
1 rib celery
1 bay leaf
3 cups vegetable stock (I used water + 2 tbsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
salt (to taste; depending on your stock, you may not need any extra salt)
2 cups baby spinach
¼ cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, thyme, sage (*optional)

Dice the onion, carrot or potato, and celery. Finely mince or crush the garlic.
Add all the ingredients except spinach and herbs to an Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Slow cooker: leave on High for 3 hours or Low for 6 hours. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the spinach.
Instant Pot: use the Pressure Cook setting on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. Stir in the spinach, and cover for another 10 minutes.
Stir in fresh herbs if using. Ladle into bowls and enjoy hot.

The last time I made this, I sauteed the onions and garlic in 1 tbsp of sesame oil before adding the other ingredients. It adds a richer, more satisfying taste and texture to the soup. If you have time for this step and are not bothered with a slightly higher calorie count, I recommend adding some oil to make it more flavourful.
This recipe is super forgiving and easy to customize! For example, if you want a thicker stew-like meal, just reduce the water by a quarter. You can substitute the fresh herbs for dried (use half the amount since dried herbs are more concentrated in flavour). Add some red pepper flakes to make it spicy. The spinach can be swapped out for kale or swiss chard, or left out altogether.