There’s just something magical about a bowl of comforting soup that can make any day better, and this Instant Pot red lentil tomato soup is just that and more. Super filling, nutritious and packed with incredible flavors- you’ve got to give this a try in your kitchen.
But before you do, scroll down and read on to get a quick peek into everything you should know about the recipe.
Jump to:
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need a very simple set of ingredients to make the soup.
- Mustard oil: 1 tbsp
- Onions (roughly chopped): ½ cup
- Tomatoes (roughly chopped): 1 whole
- Red lentil or Masoor Dal: ½ cup
- Tamarind paste: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
- Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
- Green chilies (slit): 1-2
- Water: 1.25 cup
For the tempering
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
- Curry leaves: A bunch
How to Make the Instant Pot Red Lentil Tomato Soup
Once you have everything ready, here’s the step by step process you’ll need to follow to make the soup from scratch.
Turn on the Instant Pot and set to Saute mode. Once it's heated, add in oil.
Once the oil starts to heat up, add in the chopped onions followed by all the remaining ingredients.
Add water and let it come to a quick boil.
Put on the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual Pressure Cook mode for 8 minutes, making sure that the valve is in the sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally before removing the lid. Give it a good stir.
Next, take a hand blender and blend the mixture into a thick consistency.
For the tempering, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves and let them sputter.
Pour the tempering over the soup. Enjoy it hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a lot that you can add to this versatile soup to bump up its nutritive value. Red bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, celery and even kale are all excellent choices. 
You sure can! Using your Instant Pot is a great idea because it really cuts down the cooking time of the soup, and is a fuss-free cooking method. But, if you don’t own an Instant Pot, you can still make the soup in a regular pot over the stovetop. Remember that if you opt for this method, the lentils will take longer to cook.
To tackle this, you can soak the red lentils overnight or at least for a few hours.
You can! This soup can be made upto 4 days in advance and refrigerated until it is ready to be served. Just remember to temper it right when you’re ready to serve, and not when you plan to store it. Also make sure you use an airtight container to keep the freshness of the soup intact. 
You sure can! Add the canned tomatoes into the Instant Pot along with the lentils, and give it all a good mix. Fresh tomatoes are always a great choice though, and if you want to go the extra mile, you can roast the tomatoes in the oven until they have that nice char to them, remove their skin, and then use them for the recipe. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Instant Pot Red Lentil Tomato Soup
While replicating this red lentil tomato soup recipe is actually quite easy, you might want to keep these little tips and actionable hacks in mind to make sure you nail the recipe.
- The recipe calls for the use of mustard oil, which lends a nice earthy flavor to the soup. If you don’t have it, you can make do with any other neutral oil of your choice.
- Tamarind paste lends the soup a nice tanginess, but if you don’t have it, you can use lemon juice instead.
- Don’t have green chillies or just prefer a toned-down version of the soup? Use red chilli flakes instead.
- To add an extra depth of flavor to the soup, you can use stock instead of water to cook the lentils.
- If you’re not too fond of the tempering, you can skip it and drizzle some fresh cream or sprinkle a bit of feta cheese on the top, right before you drive.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This flavorful Instant Pot red lentil tomato soup tastes fantastic all on its own, or when paired with some crusty bread. To make it a complete meal, you can also whip up a quick salad with greens and serve it on the side, or team it up with a simple pasta dish.
Love using your Instant Pot to whip up some delicious meals? Here are a few more Instant Pot recipe ideas for you to try out.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Red Lentil Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Soup
- 1 tablespoon Mustard oil
- ½ cup Onions , (roughly chopped)
- 1 whole Tomatoes , (roughly chopped)
- ½ cup Red lentil or Masoor Dal
- 1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 pcs Green chilies , (slit)
- 1.25 cup Water
Ingredients for the tempering
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 bunch Curry leaves
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot and set to Saute mode. Once it's heated, add in oil.
- Once the oil starts to heat up, add in the chopped onions followed by all the remaining ingredients.
- Add water and let it come to a quick boil.
- Put on the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual Pressure Cook mode for 8 minutes, making sure that the valve is in the sealing position.
- Let the pressure release naturally before removing the lid. Give it a good stir.
- Next, take a hand blender and blend the mixture into a thick consistency.
- For the tempering, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves and let them sputter.
- Pour the tempering over the soup. Enjoy hot.
Leave a Reply