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Wondering how to cook Instant Pot lentils? Here’s how to cook lentils in a pressure cooker, whether you want them straight up or seasoned for a fast dinner!
If you’re looking to eat more plant based recipes, you’ve probably heard this: eat more lentils! Right? Alex and I have been trying to eat our good share of lentils for years. But we admit: it can be hard to know where to start! We’ve created this recipe to be a delicious basic lentil recipe that can be served many different ways: as part of a bowl meal, in a taco, and more! (Our two-year-old Larson adores them.) The great part: pressure cooker lentils are totally hands off! Keep reading for our Instant Pot lentils recipe and more about how you can serve them.
Want to make these on the stove? Seasoned Brown Lentils
How to make lentils in an Instant Pot
Making Instant Pot lentils is one of the easier things you can make in your pressure cooker! Now that we’ve become Instant Pot experts, let me be the first to admit: I’m all about the Quick Release. Why? Because I’m impatient. If you’ve used your Instant Pot a lot, you’ll know that many recipes call for a natural release: which is perfectly well and good, except it does tack on extra time to the recipe.
We’re happy to report that this Instant Pot lentils recipe is seriously quick. How long do you cook lentils in an Instant Pot? 9 minutes. Then, do a Quick Release and you’re done! The only other time you have to factor in is the “preheat” time, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes depending on your Instant Pot. Overall, this Instant Pot lentils recipe has about 5 minutes of hands on time, and 15 to 20 minutes start to finish.
For our Instant Pot lentils recipe, we wanted to add seasonings so that you could serve these lentils as part of a dinner recipe without having to add anything more. Here are the pressure cooker lentils ingredients:
- Brown or green lentils (either will work)
- Vegetable broth (you can sub water in a pinch, but veggie broth adds great flavor)
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Salt & pepper
And that’s it! The lentils come out perfectly spiced and very moist. You’ll notice that the bowl of the pressure cooker comes out with a bit of broth left over: stir it in and the lentils will absorb the broth upon sitting. They turn out perfectly moist (being overly dry can be a complaint when cooking lentils)!
How to serve these lentils
As I noted above, Alex and I wanted to make this Instant Pot lentils recipe to function as a base recipe. It will work both if you need lentils for another recipe–but it’s seasoned so that you can eat it as an easy lunch or dinner recipe!
If you’re making these Instant Pot lentils as a component for another recipe, you can omit the spices: unless you think they would go with the flavor! Keep in mind that this recipe uses salt: so if you use them as a component in another recipe, adjust the salt accordingly based on that recipe.
If you’re making these Instant Pot lentils as an easy lunch or dinner, here are a few ways that we would serve them:
- As a bowl meal (pictured): Throw them in a bowl with pita bread, a dollop of Greek yogurt, tomato wedges, and chopped cilantro
- In a taco: Throw them into a tortilla with salsa and sour cream: or try them in place of the filling in our Verde Lentil Tacos
- With eggs: This morning Alex and Larson ate a delicious brunch of scrambled eggs and lentils! Here’s our Best Scrambled Eggs recipe.
Looking for lentil recipes?
Here are a few of our favorite lentil recipes:
- Quick Coconut Lentil Curry
- Hearty Lentil Stew
- Tuscan Artichoke Lentil Stew
- Instant Pot Tacos with Smoky Lentils
- Baked Sweet Potatoes with Moroccan Lentils
- Red Lentil Curry with Rice (Mesir Wat)
- The Best Vegan Nachos
- Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
- Easy Dal Makhani
- Lentil to Water Ratio
- What are Lentils?
- How to Cook Lentils
- 15 Lentil Recipes
This Instant Pot lentils recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, plant based, dairy free and vegan.
Print
Instant Pot Lentils
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 (about 4 cups) 1x
Description
Wondering how to cook Instant Pot lentils? Here’s how to cook lentils in a pressure cooker, whether you want them straight up or seasoned for a fast dinner!
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 ½ cups brown or green lentils (do not use red lentils)
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, place all ingredients and give them a stir. Lock the lid and place the vent in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on high pressure for 9 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button (making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected) and set the time for 9 minutes. Wait while the Instant Pot cooks. (Note: It takes about 5 to 10 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Quick release: Vent the remaining steam from the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. Open the pressure cooker lid.
- Open the lid and stir; there will be some leftover broth but the lentils will soak it up as they sit and become perfectly moist. Serve warm. (Storage info: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator; reheat on the stovetop.)
- Category: Base recipe
- Method: Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keywords: Instant Pot Lentils, Lentils Recipe, How to Cook Lentils
Looking for Instant Pot recipes?
Outside of this Instant Pot lentils recipe, here are some of our favorite things we’ve made in our Instant Pot (pressure cooker):
- Basics: Sweet Potatoes | Chickpeas | Lentils| Eggs | Quinoa | How to Cook Rice: White Rice & Brown Rice| Refried Beans
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Creamy Instant Pot Pasta
- Vegan Instant Pot Recipes
- Sweet Potatoes with Thai Peanut Butter Sauce
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls
- Smoky Lentil Tacos
- Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
- Granola Instant Pot Apple Crisp
- Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pecans
Do you let the lentils soak before cooking, and if so how long?
No! Straight into the pot.
Perfect! Great recipe and I loved the spices you used. I added some cumin for fun.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
How much is 1 serving? 1 cup or 1/2 c cooked??
SO GOOD!!! This is my new go-to lentil recipe. Can this be doubled in a 6 quart pot?
Glad you love it! We haven’t tried it, but I think it would still work to double in a 6 quart.
Of course!
Do you know the time difference for red split lentils rather than whole brown or green? I would assume it’s less because of size and split but not sure how much less. Thank you for this recipe, though!
Hi! We haven’t tested red lentils yet, but it would definitely be a few minutes less.
I tried 6 min with red split lentils and it came out a bit mushy but still good, might try 4 min next time.
Thanks for the comment! We need to add a version for red lentils :)
Wish I’d seen this before cooking my red lentils. Ended up with a dish the consistency of refried beans. Still tasty, but not as good looking as the picture
Me too! I normally read comments but was in a rush.
Same! Horrible outcome for red lentils. I wish I had read or seen some disclaimer before starting the whole process. Now I just have lentil mush. Such a waste.
This recipe is for brown or green lentils, as specified in the ingredient list. Red lentils cook much faster and should not be substituted! I added a note to the recipe so that it says “brown or green lentils (do not use red lentils)”. Thanks!
Red lentils are another creature. They dissolve when cooked. They really don’t substitute for green or brown lentils.
Came out perfect at 10 minutes on high for my elevation (1200ft). Used 6qt IP. Out of oregano substituted cumin. Out of broth substituted beef bouillon. Ate it on a flour tortilla. Would make a great taco bowl too. Thank you for this recipe
This is awesome! I am fairly new to using my IP, and I love lentils, but every time I cook them on the stove they turn into mush. This was perfect thank you!
Just made this and it was sooo good! Only had 3/4 cup lentils so I halved everything and did a little less paprika since I only had smoked paprika. It is soooo good alone as it is! Quick and delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed.
Mine were mushy. Not happy with the turnout.
Timing on this is spot on for lentils that are not mushy. I doubled the recipe keeping the timing the same and they came out great! Big thanks for this recipe.
I should have read the comments before making. Without thinking, I used a mixture of brown lentils and red lentils. The red lentils were mushy, but the flavor is good and I will still be eating them, though not in the salad I had planned. haha
The cook time on this is perfect! I saw other recipes with a much longer cook time and was skeptical. So glad I tried yours instead. Thanks for the great, easy to follow recipe!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed.