Instant Pot Lentils
Instant Pot Lentils are EASY to make, made with lentils pressure cooked in vegetable broth and spices with diced tomatoes, ready in under 45 minutes!
Lentils are a great source of nutrition, and very budget friendly! For another recipe idea, check out this Vegetable Lentil Soup!
Instant Pot Lentils are a great weeknight dinner with a really filling hearty texture, and one of my family’s favorite recipes! They’re quick to throw together, great for meal prep, and very budget friendly. This entire pot of food cost me under $5 to make, and feeds an entire family. Plus they’re a great source of protein (pair with rice for a complete protein), fiber, and iron.
Cooking lentils is actually pretty easy. You don’t need to soak the lentils for this pressure cooking recipe, and they come out perfect every time! And only takes 2-3 minutes to throw together on a busy day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Lentils. Make sure the lentils you use are certified gluten free. Lentils are naturally gluten free, but can be cross contaminated with other grains when they’re grown and processed.
I use regular green lentils or brown lentils for this recipe. Green lentils and brown lentils are very common and easy to find (just make sure the brand is gluten free).
If you use a different type of lentil, it could turn out to be a different texture, need a different amount of liquid, have a different cook time, and the taste can be different.
Broth. For this recipe, I like to use vegetable broth, chicken stock, or chicken broth. Both add a ton of flavor to the lentils!
You can also use water if you don’t have broth, but you’ll lose the flavor the broth adds. We’re going for 1 part lentils to 3 parts liquid.
Diced Tomatoes. I like to use fire-roasted diced tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes will work, too. Just one regular 14oz can. You can also use a small amount of tomato sauce for flavor.
Garlic. Fresh garlic is always best for flavor, either minced or use a garlic press. If you don’t have garlic cloves, you can use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder per clove of garlic.
Seasoning. This recipe uses my Homemade Italian Seasoning, with some black pepper and kosher salt.
How to Make Instant Pot Lentils
- Add lentils, broth, spices, garlic, and diced tomatoes to the instant pot. Stir everything together until well combined. Place the lid onto the instant pot and lock into place, turning the steam valve into the sealing position. Set on high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to temperature, then the time will start.
- Once the time is up, let the instant pot naturally release for 15 minutes, then switch the steam valve to open and quick release the remaining pressure. Use an oven mitt, as the steam can be hot and will come out quickly!
- Once the pressure has completely released, remove the lid of the instant pot and stir, making sure you have really tender lentils. Once done, top with chives or fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper to taste, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lentils are similar to rice, as they will double or more when cooked. This means if you have 1 cup of dry lentils in a recipe, you’ll end up with roughly 2 – 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils.
I usually make 2 cups of dried lentils in the instant pot, and end up with about 4-5 cups of finished lentils. A serving of lentils is about 1/4-1/2 of a cup per person.
Lentils will be soft and tender, and easily mashed with a fork when they are done. If they haven’t reached this texture, place the top back onto the instant pot and add more pressure cooking time. Or turn on the saute button and simmer, stirring often.
It is not safe to eat undercooked lentils. You will have to add more cooking time if they’re still hard or gritty, until you have really soft lentils. If you’re adding cooking time, stir and add a bit of water if needed.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate instant pot lentils in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftover lentils in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months, defrosting in the refrigerator the night before.
Recipe Variations
- Make this spicy with some cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
- You can throw in other veggies for this dish! Try chopping up a yellow onion, a few more cloves garlic, green peppers, 1-2 stalks celery, french green beans, bell peppers, baby spinach, and more!
- Try adding fresh thyme and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to compliment the Italian seasoning. Or try some Indian spices like curry powder or garam masala instead, or your favorite spices. Spices add more depth of flavor, and are a great way to change a dish up each time you make it.
- Make this creamy by stirring in a can of coconut milk.
- Try breaking some cooked crispy bacon into pieces and topping with barbecue sauce.
- Lentils are a great plant-based protein, but you need to pair them with rice or brown rice to get all of the amino acids that make up a complete protein. Remember to think of complete proteins when you’re putting together your meal plans if you’re a vegetarian.
Cooking Tips
- Serve this instant pot lentils recipe over white rice, basmati rice, or brown rice, or with gluten free crusty bread and butter. You can also add some plain greek yogurt or sour cream, or top with parmesan cheese.
- Rinse the lentils before cooking, to remove any dust from them.
- You can also make this lentil recipe in a dutch oven. Add everything to the dutch oven on medium heat, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot and reduce heat to low, cooking for 20-30 minutes, stirring often until lentils are cooked through.
- Another cooking method, make lentils in the slow cooker! Stir all ingredients together in the slow cooker pot, then set on high for 3-4 hours, until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Add any veggies that you have, a can of tomato sauce, extra garlic cloves, and an extra cup of water for lentil soup. Top with fresh thyme or fresh parsley.
- “Natural Release” or “natural pressure release” means that when the timer beeps, just leave the pot alone. If the recipe calls for a set time to natural release, when the natural release time is up, flip the steam valve open and let the remaining steam out of the pot. The float valve should drop once the pressure is completely released.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Instant Pot Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 cups green or brown lentils, certified gluten free, rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth , gluten free
- 15 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes, (1 can) drained
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Instructions
- Add lentils, broth, garlic, spices, and diced tomatoes to the instant pot. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Place the lid onto the instant pot and lock into place, turning the steam valve into the sealing position. Set on high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to temperature, then the time will start.
- Once the time is up, let the instant pot naturally release for 15 minutes, then flip the steam valve to the open position to quick release the remaining pressure.
- Once the pressure has completely released, remove the lid and stir, making sure the lentils are completely cooked. Top with chives or fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- Rinse the lentils before cooking, to remove any dust from them.
- “Natural Release” means that when the timer is up, just leave the pot alone for the specified amount of time, then flip the steam valve open and let the remaining pressure out of the pot.
Nutrition
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