Instant Pot Soups and Stews

This thick lentil soup, oil-free and plant-based, takes “comfort food” to a new healthy level. The layered flavors and textures make the soup interesting and satisfying. Combine it with a salad and baked potatoes, rice, or whole grain flour tortillas, and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal.

This delicious plant-based stew comes from the unexpected combination of green lentils and millet. The curry flavoring here is on the mellow side, and softened even further by the miso. From a health standpoint this stew checks all the boxes: legumes, whole grains, and leafy greens. With a salad and optional bread, this stew makes a brilliant winter meal.

This simple-to-make plant-based black bean soup is the epitome of the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” So few ingredients, so much tasty satisfaction. Plus, it’s low in fat (no oil used) and very high in fiber, which has been shown to offer many health benefits.

This wonderfully complex soup used to take over 24 hours with soaking time. Now it’s done in 90 minutes with the Instant Pot, mostly hands-off time. The subtle blend of spices will keep you coming back for more.

This soup has a simple, deep flavor—the red wine vinegar at the end is the key. You can always load up on garnishes to dress it up if you’re feeling fancy.

Based on an old tradition in the Southern U.S., this stew showcases that lovely legume with a beauty spot, the black-eyed peas. In this plant-based version, I use smoked paprika and mushrooms to get a smokiness and earthiness similar to pork flavor. The Instant Pot makes this dish a snap.

This soup is related to the traditional Moroccan stew harira. I kept all the key flavors—tomatoes, turmeric, cinnamon, and cilantro—and made it into a simpler lentil soup, made even simpler using the Instant Pot.

It’s fun to use those soup mixes you can buy that have a mix of split peas, lentils, barley, and tiny pasta. With some zucchini and a few spices you can just put everything into the Instant Pot or a pot on the stove and let it cook until everything is wonderfully mushed together.

This comforting soup requires more spices than others, but it’s totally worth it. This tasty, substantial soup can serve as an entrée in its own right.

This is the ultimate healthy soup. The lentils add heft, while the cumin, coriander, mint, cilantro, and jalapeño contribute incredible flavor. You may be surprised how addictive this soup is.

Red lentil soup is a great soup for your regular rotation. It’s quick, cheap, and filling. It works well any time of year and is perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather.

The combination of vegetables, spices, and cashew milk make this soup special. No single ingredient stands out—they blend into a unique, unmistakable mulligatawny flavor. The Instant Pot speeds up the process, making this from-scratch approach take less than an hour.

Use your Instant Pot or stovetop for this recipe. This soup is so easy to make and it’s perfect for a week of lunches or for dinners, including for picky eaters. Without oil, this soup is super-healthy and provides a lot of plant-based protein and fiber.

Zucchini and curry play well together. This easy soup is thickened with beans and rice. No oil and whole-food ingredients mean this soup is super-healthy and low-calorie, though it doesn’t taste like it.

This is one of those comforting soups that helps you relax. The combination of green and yellow split peas gives it a golden-green glow, and the vegetables provide welcome chunkiness and variety.

The alluring taste of this soup will make your family or guests think you worked all day on it. Plant-based without oil or high-fat coconut milk, it’s not only delicious, but healthy.