Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage recipe is such an easy and flavorful meal. Serve the soup for a delicious lunch or dinner. This recipe is done in 40 minutes, with very little hands-on time.
As soon as it starts to get chilly outside, this Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage recipe is a welcome addition to your weekly meal plan. You can double the recipe to make twice as many servings, and it has even more flavor the day after you make it.
This recipe is also:
- gluten-free,
- full of protein and veggies,
- satisfying,
- and just so easy to make.
I’m a big fan of cooking lentils in the pressure cooker, especially since it cuts the cooking time in half as compared to the stovetop.
This lentil soup recipe is also great because you don’t have to soak the lentils before you cook them.
Why You Need This Recipe
- Lentils are budget-friendly, nutritious and full of fiber. Sausages pair really well with the lentils and add even more protein and flavor to the soup.
- While it can be tricky to cook lentils on the stovetop and get the right consistency, making Instant Pot Lentil Soup is super easy.
- You can use pork, beef, or even plant-based sausages in this recipe to adapt it to your dietary preferences.
Key Ingredients
Brown lentils are easy to find. Lentils have an earthy, neutral flavor when they are cooked. Just be sure to give them a rinse before adding them to the Instant Pot.
Sausages add protein and flavor to the soup and make it so hearty. You can use pre-cooked or uncooked sausages; I prefer to use Italian flavored pork or beef sausages in this recipes.
Chopped veggies including onion, celery, and carrots add more texture and nutrition.
Recipe Steps
Step One
The first step of this recipe is to get your lentils, vegetables, and sausages ready. Rinse the lentils and chop the veggies and sausages.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Two
Combine everything in a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot and lock on the lid. Set the time to 10 minutes.
Step Three
Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid and stir in the pepper and lemon juice.
Step Four
Serve your soup hot.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Or, place leftovers in a tightly-sealed container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, make sure to read the label on the sausage package.
- The total cooking time includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and a 10 minute natural release.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make this lentil soup vegan by leaving out the sausages, or using a plant-based sausage. You should also need to use vegetable broth, not chicken broth.
No, it is best to use green or brown lentils for this soup. If you only have red lentils on hand, then be sure to see my recipe for Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal.
If you just want to cook plain lentils, you can see my recipe for Instant Pot Brown Lentils.
It depends, but there will be carbs from both the lentils and the vegetables. In my recipe, there are about 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
More Healthy Instant Pot Soups You Might Like
- stant Pot 15 Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice
- Instant Pot Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Stew
Or, see my complete list of healthy Instant Pot Soup Recipes!
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Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage
This Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage recipe is such an easy and flavorful meal. Serve the soup for a delicious lunch or dinner. This recipe is done in 40 minutes, with very little hands-on time.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed in a fine-mesh sieve and drained
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 10 ounces uncooked or pre-cooked Italian or Polish chicken, pork, or beef sausage (about 4 pieces), sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Combine the lentils, carrots, celery, onion, sausages, broth, and dried thyme in the pot of a 6-quart or 8-quart pressure cooker.
- Lock on the lid and set to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the soup is done cooking, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes. Then, use the quick-release to get rid of any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the lid and stir in the pepper and lemon juice.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Or, place leftovers in a tightly-sealed container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, make sure to read the label on the sausage package.Â
- The total cooking time includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and a 10 minute natural release.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 336
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 835.1 mg
- Fat: 18.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.8 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 18.6 g
- Cholesterol: 43.1 mg
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
Sausage is not vegetarian
This might be one of my husband’s favorite recipes that I make.
Hey Carrie,
Pure comfort!! I absolutely LOVE lentil soup!
I have a question for you. Can you please write the post using Indian foods.
Thanks in advance will be waiting for your post.
I love my Instant Pot (notice the capitals – that’s how much, it’s like a person to me) Your lentil soup looks so delicious!!! Love the chunkiness of it! Perfect year round, as I love soup!!
We must have gotten your weather up here in Oregon because it was 65F and sunny today! Don’t worry, I hear we’re heading for cooler, wetter weather soon. Good thing I’ll have this hearty looking soup to keep me warm!
Ok, I’m so happy to learn about the lectin reduction using the Instant Pot – I really do love lentils but don’t eat them too much, so I’m super excited to learn that! This soup is on my to-make list! Thanks!
I got my Instant Pot a few months ago and love to try new recipes) Soup with lentils sounds really good, cannot wait to try it!)
I’ve never cooked with lentils, but I really need to change that cause I know they are so nutritious. I’m going to need to give this soup a try
I love a hearty, satisfying lentil soup, and this recipe looks like it fits the bill perfectly! I’m going to have to make this in my Instant Pot tomorrow when we get (what I hope will be) the last of this year’s snow!
This looks like a really hearty lentil soup! I can relate to the cold weather as we have had one of the snowiest winters I can remember. Great recipe! Can’t wait to try it!