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Close-up of a bowl of Instant Pot lentil soup with wilted spinach, smoky broth, and grated Parmesan on top

Instant Pot Lentil Soup

A hearty, smoky, and deeply satisfying lentil soup made in the Instant Pot with fire roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, and fresh spinach. Ready in about an hour with mostly hands-off pressure cooking time.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Inactive Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes
Servings: 7 portions
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Calories: 266
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped into 1/4-inch rounds or half-rounds
  • 2 ribs celery chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 15 oz fire roasted crushed tomatoes one can
  • 1.5 cups dry green or brown lentils picked over and rinsed
  • 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
  • grated Parmesan cheese optional, for serving

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (6 or 8 quart)
  • Wooden spoon
  • Chef's knife and cutting board

Method
 

  1. Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté function and heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until softened and the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then press Cancel to turn off the Sauté function. Watch the garlic closely — it burns quickly.
  3. Pour in the vegetable broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This prevents a burn warning during pressure cooking.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes and rinsed lentils and stir to combine. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid, then move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
  5. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and set the cook time to 8 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take about 25 minutes to reach pressure before the timer begins counting down.
  6. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes without touching the pot. Then carefully switch the steam release valve to the venting position. Wait for all steam to escape and the float valve pin to drop fully before opening the lid.
  7. Stir the chopped fresh spinach into the hot soup. It will wilt in about 1 minute from the residual heat. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve topped with grated Parmesan if desired.

Notes

Red lentils can be substituted but will break down more, creating a creamier texture. Reduce pressure cook time to 5 minutes if using red lentils. Soup thickens as it sits — add a splash of broth when reheating. Freezes well for up to 3 months.