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This Instant Pot lentils recipe is so quick and easy! Here’s how to cook lentils in a pressure cooker, whether you want them straight up or seasoned for a fast dinner.
If you like eating plant based recipes, you’ve probably heard this: eat more lentils! Right? I’ve been eating my good share of lentils for years. But it can be hard to know where to start!
I’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! (My kids actually adore them.) The great part: pressure cooker lentils are totally hands off! Here’s my Instant Pot lentils recipe and all the ways I like to serve it.
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “These came out beautifully cooked, firm and soft, melt in my mouth lentils. They even tasted good. They’re now sitting in the fridge, heading for Taco Bowl dinner tonight. Thank you for publishing this recipe and all the information!” -Bernadette
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Oh my! These were so good! We bought green lentils and they were amazing! We served them with the sheet pan veggie bake and used fat free Greek yogurt as a dipping sauce. Sooooo good! My hubs did not even miss the meat!” -Sherelle
The Best Lentils for Instant Pot Cooking
Brown lentils are my favorite here: they’re cheap, they’re in every store, and they hold their shape after cooking. Green lentils are my second favorite and can be used as a substitute!
The type I would avoid here is red or yellow lentils. They’re split and skinless, so they break down into mush quickly: which is great for a red lentil soup, but not really what we’re going for here.
How to Cook Lentils in a Pressure Cooker
Making Instant Pot lentils is one of the easier things you can make in your pressure cooker! If you’ve used your Instant Pot a lot, you’ll know that many recipes call for a natural release, which can add a lot of time to a recipe.
I’m happy to report that this Instant Pot lentils recipe is seriously quick. The cook time for lentils in an Instant Pot is only 9 minutes, then you do a Quick Release and you’re done! Here are the basic steps, or jump to the recipe below for quantities:
- Combine everything. Broth, lentils, spices, salt, and pepper all go in at once. Give them a stir.
- Lock the lid and turn the vent to Sealing.
- Set the timer. Press Pressure Cook, confirm High Pressure, set 9 minutes. Keep in mind, the pot takes 5 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure first.
- Quick release. Cover your hand with a towel, move the handle to Venting, and keep your face away from the steam.
- Stir and rest. Open the lid, stir the remaining broth back in, and let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
My Water to Lentil Ratio
For my Instant Pot lentils recipe, I use 2 cups liquid to 1 cup dry lentils. Stovetop lentils usually call for something like to 3:1 because water evaporates as it simmers. A sealed pressure cooker loses almost nothing, so you don’t need the extra liquid you’d use on thestovetop.
These lentils come out perfectly spiced and very moist. One thing to keep in mind: 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).
Ways to Serve These Lentils
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 I like to serve them:
- As a bowl meal: 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 as Instant Pot Tacos.
- With eggs: They’re great for brunch with my best scrambled eggs recipe.
- On nachos: They’re the protein in the best vegan nachos.
- In a salad: Cooled, with feta and vinaigrette: see my easy lentil salad.
- Stuffed into sweet potatoes: Try baked sweet potatoes with Moroccan lentils.
Storage and Freezing
Cooked lentils keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water to loosen them back up.
They freeze beautifully, which is the real argument for making a big batch. Cool them completely, portion into freezer bags, press flat, and freeze for up to 3 months. Flat bags thaw in minutes under warm water. I keep a stack of them for nights when dinner needs to happen in ten.
Dietary Notes
This Instant Pot lentils recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, plant based, dairy free and vegan.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Lentils never need soaking, and soaking before pressure cooking will overcook them into mush at standard cook times.
Use 2 cups of liquid per 1 cup of dry lentils. A sealed pressure cooker barely evaporates, so the stovetop 3:1 ratio leaves you with soup.
Cook them in seasoned broth rather than plain water, and stir the leftover liquid back in instead of draining it.
Instant Pot Lentils
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!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 (about 4 cups) 1x
- Category: Base recipe
- Method: Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Mediterranean Diet, Vegan, Vegetarian
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.)
Some of my kidney function tests are getting to critical levels and I am looking for recipes that have low sodium. I did not see sodium mentioned in your brown lentil recipe, only magnesium and potassium.
Do you know the content of sodium in this recipe?
I am trying the brown lentil recipe in my smaller size instant pot as we speak. I have converted to loving lentils, brown rice, some quinoa, and all kinds of beans because they cook up so nice in an instant pot.
I have always been a fan of broccoli and have recently learned that I like brussels sprouts, so any recipes containing those items would be appreciated.
I love your straightforward way of presentation, so I’ll let you know how I like the lentil recipe.
Thank you
Becky
We know many people watch their sodium intake closely, so to be extra careful, we don’t include sodium in our recipe information. This is because ingredients like canned garbanzos and miso can vary in their sodium content, and we wouldn’t want to give you inaccurate info!
If you want, you can still get an estimated sodium breakdown! Just pop the recipe into this handy website: https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/
Thank you!
These always come out perfectly! I add a little Better Than Bouillon Zesty Italian to the broth.
Sigh. Success.
After years! Struggling to make an edible pot of Lentils, this morning l reached Lentil Nirvana.
I’ve had no luck cooking lentils, not even sure I liked them at all with their mudlike consistency, gritty uncooked bits and lackluster taste. It was a war, a standoff.
But as we move toward WFPB, dirty vegan-hood, l saw more and more recipes using healthy beneficial Lentils.
I researched and found Your IP method and braved the voices in my head. I put them in the Instant Pot plain, set the 9 minutes, waited the extra 10 and opened the pot.
Beautifully cooked, firm and soft, melt in my mouth Lentils. They even Tasted good. They’re now sitting in the fridge, heading for Taco Bowl dinner tonight. Thank you for publishing this recipe and all! The information.
So glad you enjoyed! Thank you.
I love this recipe but when I go to my parents house they don’t hace an instant pot. How can I make this recipe on the stove?
Great question! You can use this Stovetop Seasoned Lentils recipe.
Is the serving for these 1 cup?
Hi, Nicole,
Does this help your question about lentil servings?
One-half cup of cooked lentils has: Calories: 140. Fat: 0.5 grams. Carbs: 23 grams.
https://www.webmd.com › benefits-…
Health Benefits of Lentils – WebMD
Great easy recipe that transforms lentils .
Oh my! These were so good! Thank you for telling me NOT to use red lentils, as they are what we had on hand and I did not like them when we made them before! We bought green and they were amazing! We served them with the sheet pan veggie bake and used fat free greek yogurt as a dipping sauce. Sooooo good! My hubs did not even miss the meat!
Second time making and they are delicious and great for meal prep. Curious if one serving is 1 cup?
I don’t think we measured, sorry!
So I have a bag of Autumn Blend lentils that I would like to cook in my instant pot. I read in your recipe to not use red lentils. The mix I have is red lentils, brown lentils, yellow moong dal lentils and yellow split peas. I’m curious why one should not use red lentils?
Hi! The spit peas, dal and red lentils will all turn to mush with these instructions. You would only need 3 to 4 minutes cook time for those.
The lentils were still hard. Had to cook an additional 5 minutes. And it was so salty I couldn’t eat it. My mistake for adding the salt at all. Better to add after it’s cooked and suit to taste.
I made this recipe, and my lentils were still half-hard when I took them out. I put them in for another 9 minutes and they still did not cook much more :(
We ate them a bit hard, then I put them back for 15 minutes and left them to release naturally for a couple hours. Then they were delicious. I will have to alter the recipe when I put it in my book. I think they could use some spice too!
I want to try this recipe, but I would like to have more veggies on the side than the tomatoes. What kind of salad would pair well with the lentils? Any suggestions?
Our sauteed veggies are quick and delish: https://www.acouplecooks.com/sauteed-vegetables/
Here’s my experience —
I live 4500 feet above sea level so I set the timer for 10 minutes instead of 9, and did a 10 minute natural release. The lentils came out a bit undercooked, but totally edible. I used the sauté function for a few minutes to cook them a bit more. Worked fine. Next time I’ll probably try 11 or 12 minutes with a natural release.
Also, as another commenter noted, using broth instead of water upped the salt content quite a bit, making the end product a bit too salty, but still salvageable. Next time I doubt I’ll add any extra salt at all, or at least significantly less than the recipe calls for.
On a more positive note, the flavor was INCREDIBLE. I absolutely loved the spice choices, versatile and delicious.
After some fine tuning this is sure to be a recipe I keep coming back to!
3 QT instant pot
In Mayer, Arizona not sure about altitude.
Amendment:
Time: Recipe needed additional 11 minutes to cook. Used quick release both times.
Salt: Too salty because the buillion used for vegetable base and seasonings like garlic and onion, both contain salt. Perhaps can be salvaged with water.
This recipe was perfect! That exact flavor I was looking for, and SO fast to make! Thank you!!
I was looking for instant pot cooking times for lentils and came across your recipe. These taste amazing! I did have to put mine back in for another two minutes to get the consistency I like. Otherwise, they are great and omg taste so good. I needed them for a lentil loaf recipe but if I keep eating them, I won’t be having a lentil loaf lol.
Haha! So glad you enjoyed!
Opps, ERROR …. in the fourth cycle, the text continues to say “all seeds intact”. That is not true. At this cooking level it would *NOT* work for a salad of something needing discrete seeds. There is a lot of mash. So great for burritos, and other presentations, but not for intact seeds. Sorry about that.
This is a real puzzle. I am finding I need more cook time. Comments vary significantly on cook time.
This is what I observe:
Recipe summary at top of recipe block says 10 minutes. Recipe says 9 minutes. One Alex & Sonja comments suggest 8-10 minutes. Okay.
Here are my results: I am using IP duo, 6 qt. Altitude: 1350 ft. Recipe as shown above but I used 10 minutes with quick release. It took 12.5 minutes to come up to pressure.
High Pressure Cook 10 minutes
Quick Release (about 2 min until safety float valve drop)
Result: uneven texture, many crunchy.
So… quickly close up and come to pressure: 3 min
Cook at high pressure: 1 min
(This gives a total high pressure time, 11 min) (total atmospheric “boiling time” = high pressure time plus warm up time plus QR time = original 10 min at pressure, plus 2 min quick release + 3 min re-pressure time + 1 minute extra high pressure time + 2 minute second quick release = 18 minutes)
Result: Some crunchy
So…. quickly re-pressurize and cook 3 more minutes: Total time at pressure: 14 min, Total time atmospheric pressure boiling: 25m 45 s.
Result: Crunch gone, some are grainy or mealy.
So… added 1/2 cup water for the quick release losses and quickly re-pressurize and cook 2 more minutes.
Total time at pressure: 16 min, Total time atmospheric pressure boiling: 32 minutes
Result: All seeds intact. Grainy texture gone, Most seeds are smooth texture , some are verging on too soft.
So what is going on here? Do we have different seed quality? Are some using whole seeds and some split seeds? Are Instant Pots so wildly different in calibration of temperature and pressure. Are the Overhiser’s or some of the other contributors seeking a different mouth feel than I am?
For my palate, the 10-minute crunch is impossible. I like where I ended up with all seeds intact and mostly smooth (16 minutes high pressure time, plus additional 16 minutes atmospheric boiling time during quick releases and re-pressurizing heating.
As to the other flavoring, for my palate, the tastes are too strong. I like the flavor mix – but I will the amount of spices in my next try. Thanks.
I posted another comment but do not see it appearing ….so I hope you read this here:
**ERROR** this fourth cycle of cooking says the seeds are all intact. They are *not*. This is not suitable for use in a salad as separate seeds. It will be great for burritos, and other presentations – but there is a lot of mash. Sorry about that.
Didnt work for me. I absolutely will do slow release for a good ten minutes next time. Undercooked.
This recipe does not disappoint! You both nailed it again! Eating them directly out of the pot! Thank you! No more store bought for us!
90% dry mush and 10% hard lentils that feel not cooked all the way. :/. Still edible but nothing like lentils cooked on the stove.
Sorry it didn’t work for you!
9 minutes and mine were a bit mushy. I’ll try 7 minutes next time. The spices are delicious!
Hi there :) I’m curious if you’d decrease the time if only making 1 C of lentils, as opposed to the full 1 1/2 C. I’d scale down the water to 2 C, but wasn’t sure about changing the time. By now, I’m feeling pretty confident about cooking rice, steel cut oats, and eggs in the IP…but I’m getting used to other things. Thanks for so many great recipes on your blog!
Hi! I think it’d be pretty close to the same. The overall “heating up” time would decrease because of the lower liquid amount so I’d maybe try a 10 minute pressure cook.
This was so good! often green lentils taste funny or go mushy but this recipe was so easy and I found myself eating them straight from the pot.
Glad you loved it!
Made this today using green lentils and they turned out great. They were a bit on the soft side, which was perfect b/c I was mashing them into a plant-based meatloaf. For dishes where I want them whole, I think I will decrease cook time by one minute and see what happens! Great recipe and I will make again and again!
Growing up my mom made lentils all the time, I love them! Your instant pot recipe made it fast, easy and delicious. I drizzled olive oil and fresh cracked peppercorn medley on top so good! I should have read the comments first though, I doubled the recipe and added 3 minutes cooking time. Still getting to know the IP. Some of it came out soft but I didn’t mind. Next time I’ll stick with the 9 minutes. Thanks for the recipe, It’s a keeper!
This was so delicious , weekly recipe for sure !!!
Thank you soo much ❤️ I am a vegan , so lentils are essential , now I have supper yummy ones in my meals because of you 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you for the recipe. Very good !
I loved that I could choose 2x or 3x for the recipe. The adjustments were great not only for the ingredients (which wouldn’t have been too hard to figure) but for the duration of time cooking was very helpful in not having to guess how much longer doing a recipe at double or triple would be. How can I save this to my pinterest board so I don’t have to remember where to find this recipe again?
Hi! You can just press the “Pin Recipe” button right above the ingredient list.
Loved the recipe. Didn’t have onion powder so subbed TJ’s onion salt (1tsp instead of 1 1/2 tsp) and lowered amount of kosher salt to just a couple of pinches. Used some chicken bone broth I just made instead of veggie broth, too.
At 9 mins cooking time mine turned out slightly mushy, but was cool with it. Everyone was happy. Even, to an extent, my 3 YO :-)
Quick question; would you advocate freezing? Or do you think it’ll ruin them?
Thanks for the comment! We have noticed that there is some variation in Instant Pots, so you may want to try 8 minutes next time just to compare! Re freezing, good question: you can! It does make them a little more mushy, but with lentils that’s ok and not offensive texture-wise. Let us know if you try!
If I like my lentils softer, do you think I should up the time? Or just allow for a natural release and keep the 9 minutes cook time. I’m weird and I like mushy lentils.
I’m not positive, but I’d try a 9 minute cook time with 5 minute natural release. I think this would allow for a softer bite without them falling apart.
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.
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
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.
Mine were mushy. Not happy with the turnout.
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.
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!
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
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.
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 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??