Instant Pot Mediterranean Lentil Soup is packed with tons of flavors and comes together in less than 30 minutes! Vegan & gluten-free.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 18 minutes
  • Total time: 23 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 1 medium yellow or red onion (use yellow preferably)
  • 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried mint flakes
  • pinch of sugar
  • 2-2.5 cups water or vegetable broth (I used water)
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • parsley or cilantro (to garnish)

Method

  1. Press the saute button on your Instant Pot. Wait till it gets hot and then add olive oil to the pot.
  2. Once oil is hot, add chopped onion and saute till it becomes light golden brown in color. (use yellow onion if possible, I only had red so used that)
  3. Add chopped garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground sumac, red chili flakes, dried parsley, pinch of sugar and dried mint flakes.
  4. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Add water (or vegetable broth) and give a stir.
  6. Add the lentils and also add salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Close the Instant Pot and set valve to sealing position.
  7. Cancel saute mode and press "Manual" button on your IP. Adjust the timing and set it to 8 minutes on high. Once 8 minutes are up, wait for 5 minutes and then do quick release.
  8. Stir the soup, add lime juice.
  9. Serve the mediterranean lentil soup with a side of pita bread!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.