Instant Pot Lentil Stew
Entrees | Gluten Free | Instant Pot | Recipes | Soup | Vegetarian
Healthy, delicious and creamy lentil stew made in the Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes! This family-friendly recipe will be your new favorite easy weeknight meal.

What You Need:
- Avocado Oil
- Carrot
- Onion
- Celery
- Potato
- Garlic
- Brown or Green Lentils
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- Chicken Broth
- Bay Leaves
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Salt & Pepper
- Parmesan Cheese
Let’s Make Lentil Stew:
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add in the avocado oil. Once it is heated up, add in the carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes
- Add in the remaining ingredients (except the cheese) and stir. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and move valve to seal. Hit manual pressure (high) and set timer for 15 minutes
- Once timer goes off, do a quick release of the steam. Remove the bay leaves from the stew and stir in the parmesan cheese(if using)
- Serve and enjoy!

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Curried Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup
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Instant Pot Lentil Stew
Healthy, delicious and creamy lentil stew made in the Instant Pot in less than an hour! This family-friendly recipe will be your new favorite easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbls Avocado Oil
- 1 Carrot peeled & diced
- 2 stalks Celery diced
- 1 Small Yellow Onion diced
- 1 Russet Potato peeled & diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1.5 cups Brown Lentils or green
- 14.5 oz Can of Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Cumin
- 1/4 Grated Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute mode and add in the avocado oilOnce it is heated up, add in the carrots, onion, celery and garlicSaute for 2-3 minutes
- Add in the remaining ingredients (except the cheese) and stirPlace the lid on the Instant Pot and move valve to seal Hit manual pressure (high) and set timer for 15 minutes
- Once timer goes off, do a quick release of the steamRemove the bay leaves from the stew and stir in the parmesan cheese (if using) Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To keep this meal vegetarian, use veggie broth instead
If you prefer to use the dump and go method, add in all the ingredients except the cheese and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. Do a quick release. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the cheese
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 15gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1284mgPotassium: 832mgFiber: 17gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2133IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @thebetteredblondie
Love love love! This was my first ever Instant Pot meal, and I must say it was fantastic. I can’t believe it was so easy to make something to healthy and delicious. I too used vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian. Can’t wait to make it again😃
I am so happy you loved the recipe and that your first IP meal turned out well 🙂
This was so good!! I’ve tried several lentil stews and this was our favorite. Even my kids liked it! Thanks!
Question: are the lentils dry lentils or from a can. Thank you!
Love this recipe! I used low sodium vegetable broth (store bought) and through everything in the instant pot for 18 minutes. I didn’t use any oil and added a tsp. of vegan Better Than Bullion for some added flavor instead of salt. Came out perfect and served it over some farro. I’ll probably make some brown rice for tomorrow night’s dinner. My husband had two servings and said this one was a keeper. Thank you!
Love the recipe but would prefer it to be way less liquidy. How many cups of broth would you suggest to use rather than the 4 cups? ( I am still an Instant Pot novice). Thanks!
I just add more lentils. Usually 2 cups makes it pretty thick and then you can always add more liquid if it’s too thick.
This was delicious and super easy. I also added some spinach I had on hand. I’ll keep this in steady rotation.
I made this for our Sunday family dinner and everyone loved it! I have an 18 year old who is vegan, a husband who is gf & df and my daughter & I have a host of food intolerances and this stew was perfect in meeting all our needs plus it was DELICIOUS!!! The only substitute I made was using a vegetable broth instead of a chicken broth!
I am so glad that this soup worked for the whole family! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This recipe is phenomenal! My husband and I adopted a plant based diet 3 months ago and this meal is a tasty game changer! I was not the biggest lentil fan before trying this dish. It’s delicious, nutrient packed and a breeze to make. Love serving on basmati rice when we want something extra satisfying. Thank you for sharing this!
Could I use a sweet potato instead of russet?
Yes, but it will be softer than a russet. Still delicious!
It was my first time using my Instant pot so I really wasn’t expecting much, but it’s honestly delicious.
Thanks for the recipe !
Skipped the oil, skipped the salt but the veggie broth i used had sodium in it anyway so it wasn’t completely bland. Believe it or not- it was still fabulous. Thank you so much for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it Mike!
Good flavors, but it was way over cooked and turned into a dal, not a stew.
Yummy! Thank you!
This is a great recipe as written. I’m a garlic lover and rarely salt anything so I added a little more garlic and a little less salt. Per the suggestion, I also used homemade vegetable broth (no salt added) and omitted the cheese to keep it vegan. My husband and I agreed the flavors weren’t bland or overwhelming and everything was cooked perfectly. Next time, I might even add some spinach after it cooks and let it wilt before serving to get even more nutrients (even though there are already plenty in this recipe as it is!) This one’s a keeper for us!
So glad that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe Michelle, thank you for sharing!