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Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Spinach (+Step by Step Video!)

This delicious Instant Pot lentil soup with spinach has an incredible aroma and a bold flavor thanks to a simple spice mix inspired by the traditional Indian cuisine. An easy meat-free, dairy-free, vegan lentil spinach soup that’ll surely become one of your favorite vegan Instant Pot soups!

This recipe includes an oil-free and coconut-free option. Also: find a step-by-step video of me making this soup at the bottom of the recipe card below.

Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Spinach

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I’ve made this easy and tasty vegan lentil spinach soup in the Instant Pot numerous times in the past months.

You can’t beat how easy it comes together. Basically, you just sauté onions, garlic and ginger; add lentils, tomatoes and spices; pressure cook for 10 minutes; mix in coconut milk, spinach, and lemon juice – and that’s it!

Lentils are a true superhero of the plant-based nutrition world. Every 1/2 cup cooked lentils has about 12 grams of protein, 4-9 grams of fiber (depending on the lentil variety), zero sugar, and barely any fat (source).

Want to boost the protein and fiber content of just about any soup? Add some red lentils! While the soup is cooking, the red lentils completely disintegrate. Once the soup done, you won’t find any traces of lentils, yet the broth will be quite a bit more nutritious, and have a lovely golden color.

A few examples: my vegan wild rice with mushrooms and sausage, mushroom-barley soup with chickpeas, and even Instant Pot minestrone soup all have 1/2 cup of red lentils added for that reason.

Want to see a step-by-step video of how I make this vegan lentil soup in the Instant Pot? Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post, or watch this video on YouTube over here.

Interested in more “beans and greens” soups? Check out my vegan black eyed peas and collard greens soup (Instant Pot + stovetop instructions).

Ingredients of Instant Pot Lentil Spinach Soup

(Also see Useful Substitutions below.)

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 knob ginger (about 1 inch), grated
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
  • 1.5 cups dry red lentils
  • 1 cup dry French lentils (or regular green lentils)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin*
  • 1 tsp paprika*
  • 1 tsp turmeric*
  • 1 tsp garam masala*
  • Dash cinnamon*
  • Dash cayenne pepper*
  • Salt, pepper to taste
  • 6 cups water/veggie broth, plus more as needed
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.66 oz)
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (more or less, to taste)
  • Cooking oil (or sub veggie broth for oil-free)

*Feel free to omit any of the spices that you don’t have on hand – the soup will still come out flavorful.

Useful Substitutions

➡️ If you can’t find French lentils (also known as De Puy lentils), feel free to use regular brown-green lentils that you can find in most grocery stores. Alternatively, try using black lentils (also known as Beluga lentils) – these work well too.

➡️ If you don’t have some of the spices listed in this recipe, just skip them. The flavor of the soup may not be exactly the same, but it’ll still be pretty good.

➡️ If you can’t eat coconut (or don’t have any coconut milk on hand), skip it and add 1.5 cups of water or vegetable broth instead (in addition to the water/broth you’ll be using in the last stages of this recipe).

NOTE: I’ve heard from my YouTube followers that they used unsweetened plain soy yogurt instead of coconut milk with great results. I would suggest mixing yogurt into your soup once you serve it (i.e. adding it into your bowl, not the main pot). This way you can adjust the flavors to your liking.

➡️ Don’t have spinach on hand? Alternatively, use a similar amount of torn kale. If you do that, make sure to add it to the soup 2-3 minutes before turning your Instant Pot off to allow them to wilt. (Spinach takes much less time to do that.)

➡️ Want to cook this soup with no oil? Use 2-3 tablespoons of veggie broth instead of oil in the initial phase of cooking onions.

Vegan Lentil Spinach Soup in Instant Pot

How to Make Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Spinach

(Please scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card and a step-by-step video.)

First, press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot to preheat the inner pot.

Once it’s hot, add a splash of oil (or veggie broth for oil-free), and cook diced onions for about 3 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, and cook about 30 seconds until they release their aroma.

Cooking onions and garlic in Instant Pot

Next, add diced tomatoes. TIP: to make sure tomatoes fully break down and enhance the flavor and texture of your soup, squeeze the tomato pieces in your hands before adding them to the pot. Here’s what it looks like:

Adding diced tomatoes to lentil spinach soup

Once the tomatoes are in the pot, add red and green lentils, spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne pepper) and salt and pepper.

Stir everything and add 6 cups of water or veggie broth.

Stirring Instant Pot lentil soup before pressure cooking

Press Cancel, then cover your Instant Pot with a lid and lock it. Set the pressure cooking timer for 10 minutes.

It will take the pressure a few minutes to build up, then the timer starts the countdown from 10 to 0.

Closing Instant Pot lid when cooking lentil spinach soup

Once pressure cooking is over, follow 10-minute natural release opening method: let the timer reach 10 minutes, then press Cancel and carefully turn the pressure knob to release steam. Be careful not to burn yourself when the steam starts coming out!

After the steam comes out (it may take 2-3 minutes), remove the lid and give the soup a stir. It will be very thick, more like a stew than a soup:

Instant Pot lentil spinach soup after pressure cooking

Press the Sauté button.

Add the canned coconut milk, both the solid and the liquid parts. Stir the soup to allow the coconut solids to “melt” into the lentils.

Adding coconut milk to Instant Pot lentil soup

If the soup still looks too thick, add more water/vegetable broth to thin it out.

TIP: At this stage you want the soup to be thinner than what you’d normally prefer – it will thicken considerably as it cools. Tomorrow it will be super thick!

Finally, add the lemon juice and spinach. Press cancel (we don’t need the spinach to cook too long). Mix everything well.

Instant Pot lentil spinach soup is ready

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. If it tastes a little bland, add more lemon juice and/or salt. If the spices aren’t coming through, sprinkle in some more.

How to Store Vegan Lentil Spinach Soup

Store the leftovers of this vegan lentil spinach soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You’ll notice that it will thicken quite a bit. However, when reheating this soup, do not add any additional liquid: even really thick soup will thin out when reheated.

More Instant Pot Recipes from the Blog

Easy Vegan Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Hearty Vegan Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup (Olive Garden copycat)

Hearty Vegan Mushroom-Barley Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach

Easy Vegan Instant Pot Jambalaya (white or brown rice)

Vegan Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms and Sausage

Yield: 10 servings

Easy Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Spinach

Instant Pot Lentil Soup vegan recipe

This easy Instant Pot lentil soup with spinach is easy to make, yet it tastes like something you've put a lot of effort into. The flavorful spice mix inspired by the traditional Indian cuisine adds an incredible aroma and a bold flavor to this delicious vegan lentil spinach soup. Find a step-by-step video at the bottom of this recipe card.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Instant Pot Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 knob ginger (about 1 inch), grated
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
  • 1.5 cups dry red lentils
  • 1 cup dry French lentils (or regular green lentils)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Dash cinnamon
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • Salt, pepper to taste
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (13.66 oz)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (more or less, to taste)
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 6 cups water/veggie broth, plus more as needed
  • Cooking oil (sub veggie broth for oil-free)

Instructions

    1. Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot. Once the inner pot is hot, add a splash of oil (or veggie broth for oil-free). Add diced onions, cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.

    2. Add diced tomatoes*, red and green lentils, spices (cumin, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne pepper), salt, and pepper. Pour in 6 cups of water or veggie broth.

    3. Press Cancel, then cover your Instant Pot with a lid and lock it. Press Pressure Cook button, and set the timer for 10 minutes.

    4. Once the time is up and your Instant Pot beeps, follow 10-minute natural release opening method: let the timer reach 10 minutes, then press Cancel and carefully turn the pressure knob to release the steam. (Be careful not to burn yourself when the steam starts coming out!) It may take 2-3 minutes for all steam to come out. Remove the lid and stir the soup. It will look very thick.

    5. Press the Sauté button. Mix in the canned coconut milk. If the soup still looks too thick, add more water/vegetable broth**, 1/2 cup at a time.

    6. Finally, add the lemon juice and spinach. Press cancel. Mix everything well.

    7. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup rest for 10 minutes or more before serving (it gets tastier as it sits).

    8. Store the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. When reheating, do not add any additional liquid (even really thick soup will thin out when reheated).

Notes

* To make sure tomatoes fully break down and enhance the flavor and texture of your soup, squeeze the tomato pieces in your hands before adding them into the pot.

** At this stage you want the soup to be thinner than what you'd normally prefer - it will thicken considerably as it cools. Tomorrow it will be super thick!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 bowl

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 136Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 167mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4.5gSugar: 7gProtein: 12g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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Hope you enjoy my vegan Instant Pot lentil soup with spinach as much as we do in our family!

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.

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