Instant pot lentils are fast and easy to make and super tasty!
These Instant Pot lentils have been our go to meal in our household lately. I love that lentils are so inexpensive, filling, high in protein, super easy to make, and very versatile on the different ways you can eat them.
The Instant Pot is my new favorite kitchen appliance. Not sure what took me so long to get one, but cooking meals like these lentils have become super easy and have drastically reduced the cook time of many of our meals. I have the 6 QT Instant Pot Duo Plus (affiliate link) and love it.
Lentils are one of my favorite plant-base proteins. They are great source of fiber, iron, protein and have other great benefits. They are a good meat replacement and a great add-on to balance any meal.
My favorite ways to eat lentils:
- Straight out of the pot
- Over rice
- In salads
- Tacos "lentil tacos"
- Burritos
- Mixed with meats as a filler
- Toss them over anything really...
Cooking lentils on the Instant Pot:
- If you're like me and love the smell of sautéd fresh onions and minced garlic then you do not want to skip step 1. If you want to speed things up, skip step 1 and use onion and garlic powder instead.
- Once onion and garlic are combined and fragrant, add your broth, rinsed lentils and spices to your pot.
- Set your Pressure level on high for 15 minutes and let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes
- Release any left over pressure carefully, open lid and stir lentils and serve!
No instant Pot? cook these lentils on the stovetop:
These lentils taste just as good on the stovetop.
- Rinse lentils with water before adding to the pot
- Add 2 ½ cups of broth or water (with one chicken bouillon cube) in a pot
- Add all spices, splash of olive oil and lentils
- Bring to a boil and lower heat
- Cover pot with a lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes until lentils are nice and tender
Instant Pot Lentils
Equipment
- 6 QT Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 2 ½ cups broth (I use low sodium chicken broth)*
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil (I use olive oil)
- ¼ cups chopped onion*
- 1 minced garlic*
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste (I use ½ teaspoon sea salt)
Toppings
- cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the instant pot and add olive oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent for a minute and then add fresh garlic until fragrant
- Add your broth, spices and lentils
- Cover lid and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and natural release for 10 minutes
- Release any leftover pressure carefully and open lid
- Stir lentils and serve with your favorite entree or just eat alone
Notes
- Don't have broth on hand - you can use water with 1 cube of chicken bouillon
- Want to make this quicker? Skip step 1 and start with step 2 and replace with ½ tablespoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead
- Recipe tested on 6 QT Instant Pot Duo Plus
* Some links in this post contain affiliate links and will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. The price you pay will not change.
Alex C.
Been meaning to try this recipe for a while now and I finally did!
I've never been one for lentils, but these had an amazing aroma and flavor to them.
Definitely recommend this recipe!
Ana
Glad you tried and liked them Alex! thanks for sharing 🙂