Quinoa Lentil Soup recipe is loaded with hearty vegetables, lentils, and quinoa, also is nutrient-dense, delicious, and comfortable food in each bite prepared in an Instant pot pressure cooker or stovetop. We can also call quinoa soup a superfood and detox soup. Vegan, dairy-free & gluten-free.
Growing up in India, I often had lentils for both lunch and dinner, mostly paired with roti or steamed rice. We never consumed them as soups. Only after coming to the USA, I started using lentils and grains for making soups and salads. Green lentil soup, moong lentil soup are favorites in our home. There is another lentil soup recipe which we all love, its non other than lentil quinoa soup.
This wonderful quinoa and red lentil soup recipe are very high in protein, with all the essential amino acids, and also very high in fiber, much higher than most grains. Also, gluten-free, and perfect for people with gluten intolerance.
I have added mixed vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and celery to this quinoa lentil soup recipe. Feel free to add any vegetables of your choice. This soup is healthy, kid-friendly, and an excellent option for a quick lunch or dinner on busy weekdays.
Instructions for Instant Pot and Stovetop are included below. If you don't have time, just dump all the ingredients and cook in the Instant Pot.
Check out more Quinoa Recipes
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Ingredients
- Lentils: Red lentils (masoor dal) are used. I did not soak the lentils before adding them to the lentil soup.
- Quinoa: White or red quinoa would work here.
- Garlic: I have minced fresh garlic in this recipe, You can also add garlic powder instead.
- Vegetables: onions, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and tomatoes are added to the soup. You can also swap for other vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, and cabbage.
- Vegetable broth (or water): use vegetable broth if you want vegetarian or vegan lentil soup. If you don't have, you can use water.
- Spices: I have used ground cumin, turmeric, red chili powder (paprika), and garam masala to make Indian lentil soup. If you don't have these spices, use curry powder.
- Greens: I have used baby spinach here. You can replace greens like kale, mustard greens, or chard with spinach.
How to Make Quinoa Lentil Soup in Instant Pot
Firstly, wash and rinse ½ cup of quinoa and ½ cup of red lentils (masoor dal), and keep them aside.
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and once it’s hot, add 2 bay leaves, 3 garlic cloves (minced), ½ inch ginger (minced), ½ cup onions (finely chopped), and saute until they soften.
Then add the following ingredients:
- ½ cup carrot, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 1 cup), diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala or curry powder
Pour 5 cups of vegetable stock (or water) into the Instant pot along with some salt and black pepper.
Furthermore, close the lid on the pot, and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
Set the instant pot to SOUP mode for 6 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, Quick Release (QR). Open the lid.
Lastly, add 2 cups spinach, and juice of half lemon, and stir it all up. Adjust water and spices at this stage.
Instant Pot quinoa lentil soup is ready to enjoy!
Stovetop Pot Method
I haven’t tried this recipe personally on the stovetop, but you can follow the same steps as the instant pot in a large pot. Cook covered for about 20-25 minutes until lentils & quinoa are cooked well.
Serving Suggestions for Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Serve this quinoa lentil soup with crusty bread and a chickpea cucumber salad for a complete meal.
Variations
- Other Veggies: You can also add other vegetables of your choice, like green bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli.
- Leafy Greens: You can replace greens like kale, mustard greens, or chard with spinach.
- Lentils: You can use yellow lentils (split moong dal) instead of red lentils (masoor dal).
- If you dont have celery or bell pepper, you can still make this dish without those. Tastes divine!
Storage Suggestions
- Make-Ahead: This soup is an excellent make-ahead meal. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day until you're ready to serve it.
- Refrigerator: You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days in an air-tight container.
- Freezer: This soup freezes well. Divide them into individual portions and freeze them in freezer-safe zip-lock bags for up to two months.
- Reheating: You can reheat in the microwave or stovetop until warm.
More Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup Recipes
Vegetable Quinoa Lentil Soup - Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa
- ½ cup red lentils (masoor dal)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 2 bay leaf
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup carrot diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 1 cup)
- juice of half lemon
- 2 cups spinach
- 5 cups water (Or vegetable stalk)
- salt adjust to taste
Dry spices:
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala or curry powder
- black pepper powder adjust to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Firstly wash and rinse the quinoa & red lentils, keep aside.
- Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot add bay leaf, minced garlic, ginger, onions and saute until they soften.
- Then add carrot, celery, red bell pepper, tomato, quinoa, red lentils, dry spices like turmeric, ground cumin, red chili powder, curry, or garam masala powder into the pot.Pour vegetable stock or water into the Instant pot along with some salt and black pepper.
- Furthermore, close the lid on the pot, and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position. Set the instant pot to SOUP mode for 6 minutes.When the instant pot beeps, Quick Release (QR). Open the lid.
- Lastly, add in the spinach, lemon juice, and stir it all up. Adjust water and spices at this stage.
- Vegetable Quinoa Lentil Soup is ready to enjoy!
Stovetop Pot Method:
- You can follow same steps as instant pot in a large pot and cook covered for about 20-25 minutes until lentils & quinoa are cooked well.
Video
Notes
Variation:
- You can also add other vegetables of your choice like green bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli.
- You can also replace greens like kale, mustard greens, or chard also with spinach.
- If you dont have celery or bell pepper you can still make this dish without those. Tastes divine!
- You can use yellow lentils (split moong dal) instead of red lentils (masoor dal).
Nutrition
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Stephanie
Delicious! Nice way to use up the garden bounty. Even my heavy meat eater of a partner enjoyed it! Thank you so much.
Anonymous
Oh my gosh this is delicious 🤤. I truly love it. I forgot the lemon juice and it was still delicious. I added a full bag of baby spinach because I felt it just wasn’t enough. Will definitely be making it again
eve corrin
I am looking forward to trying this recipe but can i use green lentils and cook for slightly longer instead of red (or yellow)?
Bhavana Patil
Hi Yes, you can use green or brown lentils and cook longer however, i feel quinoa may turn mushy. They generally take 15 minutes to cook in instant pot.
I would recommend to soak green lentils for 4-5 hours or overnight and cook for 8 minutes. Let me know if you give it a try.
Derb
Making this for my week's work lunches, and so far so good. I upped the quinoa and lentils and added a bit more water too. I also upped the curry and garam masala, and added ground coriander and cardamon because those floral notes & flavors make me very happy!
Your wouldn't happen to have a shawarma- or samosa-esque soup recipe floating around somewhere, would you? My teen loves those flavor profiles but needs to eat plant based (stage 1 kidney disease).
Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Bhavana Patil
Hi Derb, I am so glad you liked the recipe. I am vegetarian, so I do not have shawarma recipe in my blog.
Lorri e Castle
This is so good! I made on stovetop and instead of the chili powder, I used Turkish spice blend containing Aleppo pepper.
Bhavana Patil
That's so good to know Lorri that you liked the recipe...:)
Judit
Is the red chili powder you use the same red chili powder that is used in Mexican dishes?
Bhavana Patil
Mexican Chilli Powder is relatively mild, due to the inclusion of paprika and cumin in the blend. This is Indian red chili powder which is made 100% from dry red chilies. However, you can substitute red chili powder with cayenne pepper. Hope this helps.
C D
Delicious! A keeper. I used rainbow chard instead of spinach and added the sliced stems with the celery for additional color.
Bhavana Patil
Thank you so much C D 🙂 I am super glad you loved it, have a great day 🙂
Susan
This soup is so good! It warm, and comforting, and so good for you. I Love it. Thank you Bhavana!
bhavana
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback ,glad you liked it ...If you have not tried adding coconut milk to it,please do try next time.