Cozy, hearty Instant Pot sweet potato lentil soup uses simple ingredients and is packed with veggies and FLAVOR! It's perfect for lunch or a chilly evening's dinner.
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This creamy Instant Pot sweet potato lentil soup is a meal I threw together on a busy weeknight using items we already had in the pantry and freezer. And it was so delicious, that I had to go back and test it, so I could share it with y'all!
The soup is SO easy to make! Just do a quick sauté in your Instant Pot, add the lentils, sweet potato, and spices, and cook at pressure. Meanwhile, you make a quick cashew cream sauce in the blender that you add to finish the soup at the end.
When the soup is done cooking, puree it to your preference, then stir in the cashew cream and some frozen spinach. Cook the spinach through by bringing the pot to pressure one more time, and then you're ready to serve.
I use frozen spinach in this soup, which minimizes prep work, but you can use fresh instead. Just use triple or quadruple the amount and the same cooking instructions.
Serve this for a quick dinner on its own or with some crusty bread or garlic bread for dipping.
Ingredients and substitutions
- oil - To sauté the aromatics. You can broth fry, if you prefer.
- aromatics - This soup starts by sautéing red onion, garlic, and ginger with a little bit of salt until the onions turn golden.
- sweet potato - You can peel the sweet potato or not, depending on your preference. I don't peel, because I don't want to do the extra work, and my family doesn't mind the peels.
- red lentils - Red lentils cook down and thicken this soup to give it an amazing texture and a protein boost!
- vegetable broth - Use your favorite veggie broth! Homemade or store-bought is fine.
- spices - You'll season this soup with yellow curry powder and smoked paprika.
- cashews - Soaked cashews blended in water add so much amazing creaminess!
- frozen spinach - You can actually use fresh or frozen spinach to add veggies to this soup! If you use fresh spinach, just triple or quadruple the amount, because you know how fresh spinach likes to disappear when you cook it. You can also use the same amount of other veggies, instead, like frozen cauliflower or broccoli. Just cook until heated through.
How to make Instant Pot Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Start soaking the cashews in hot water, if you haven't already.
Press your Instant Pot's sauté button, and add the oil. Once it's hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and sprinkle on the salt. Cook until the onion starts to turn golden, adding splashes of water, if needed. About 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the sweet potato, lentils, broth, and spices. Lock the lid and cook at pressure for 6 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
While the soup is cooking, add the cashews and water to your blender, and puree until completely smooth.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, but leave some chunks in there, if you like. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can let the soup cool and blend in an upright blender, then return it to the Instant Pot.
Stir the spinach and cashew cream into the pureed soup in the Instant Pot, lock the lid again, and cook at pressure for 1 minute with a quick release. Stir and serve!
Helpful tips
- If the onions start sticking during the sauté, add a little splash of water to get things moving.
- You don't need raw cashews to make the cashew cream! The soaking will soften even roasted cashews. Salted is fine, too, because most of the salt will soak off.
Storage directions
Leftovers will keep for up to four days in the fridge.
This soup also freezes like a dream! Store in a freezer-safe container for up to six months, and thaw overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours on the kitchen counter, then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Frequently asked questions
Red lentils work best in this recipe, because they break down during cooking, thickening the soup.
It's totally your call. For this soup, I just cut away any gnarly parts and leave the peels on. But if your family is peels-averse, go ahead and peel them.
More Instant Pot soups
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Immersion Blender - or upright blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1" piece ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potato cubed (Peel if you like!)
- ¼ cup red lentils
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup cashews soaked in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes
- ⅓ cup water
- 8 ounces frozen spinach
Instructions
- Start soaking the cashews in hot water, if you haven't already.
- Press your Instant Pot's sauté button, and add the oil. Once it's hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and sprinkle on the salt. Cook until the onion starts to turn golden, adding splashes of water, if needed. About 7 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the sweet potato, lentils, broth, and spices. Lock the lid and cook at pressure for 6 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
- While the soup is cooking, add the cashews and water to your blender, and puree until completely smooth.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, but leave some chunks in there, if you like. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can let the soup cool and blend in an upright blender, then return it to the Instant Pot.
- Stir the spinach and cashew cream into the pureed soup in the Instant Pot, lock the lid again, and cook at pressure for 0 minutes with a quick release. Stir and serve!
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!