Instant Pot Cauliflower Lentil Soup
Feb 06, 2020, Updated May 23, 2023
Cauliflower Lentil Soup made in the Instant Pot! This perfectly spiced soup gets it's creaminess from coconut milk and cauliflower! Vegan & gluten-free.
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Cauliflower Lentil Soup spiced with cumin, coriander and paprika.
This spiced soup is finished with coconut milk making it really creamy.
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I love cauliflower and I love lentils (well that’s given since I am an Indian).
So the other day, I wanted to make something comforting in my Instant Pot and I thought of combining two of my favorite things and came up with this soup.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but it turned out good.
In fact Sarvesh also enjoyed it, and it is not very often that he enjoys a soup!
For this recipe, I combined cauliflower with whole masoor dal (brown lentils). The plan was to use red lentils (dhuli masoor dal).
But once I started working on the recipe, I realized that I didn’t have the red lentils in my pantry.
And so I used the brown one and it worked well in the recipe. You may use red lentils here, the pressure cooking time will change then (see recipe instructions below).
This Cauliflower Lentil Soup
✓ is vegan and gluten-free
✓ is well spiced with coriander, cumin, paprika
✓ has a subtle sweetness because of the coconut milk
✓ really creamy because of the cauliflower and coconut milk!
✓ has a little tang from the lime juice
This soup has a thick, creamy consistency. And that’s because it has both cauliflower and coconut milk (my favorite brand is Chaokoh). Two ingredients that are known for their creamy goodness.
This cauliflower lentil soup is flavored with coriander, cumin, turmeric and paprika.
I love adding spices to my soup and since this had lentil I thought they would all just go well together.
The recipe is really simple and takes around 10 minutes of prep time.
Most of the cook time is actually hand-free cooking time where the pot is coming to pressure and then actually pressure cooking the soup.
Can you use Red Split Lentils? Yes, actually that’s what I wanted to use initially. But since I didn’t have it, I ended up making the soup with brown lentils.
If you use red lentils, pressure cook for around 6 minutes on high pressure and quick release the pressure.
The red lentils cook quite fast compared to the brown ones in the IP.
Substitute for Coconut Milk? You can add cashew cream, just blend cashews along with non-dairy milk and then add it to the soup once it’s pressure cooked.
You can also use half n half if you don’t care about the soup being vegan.
Spices: If you prefer a kick in your soup, you may add some cayenne pepper or add a jalapeño.
Also, feel free to adjust the quantity of spices used in the recipe.
Freezing the soup: This soup should freeze well. Let it come to room temperature and then freeze in freezer safe containers.
If you are in the mood for a comforting soup that’s packed with flavors then give this cauliflower lentil soup a try!
Method
1- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the garlic, ginger, onion, carrot.
Cook for around 3 to 4 minutes until onions are soft.
2- Then add the cauliflower florets and brown lentils (rinsed).
3- Add all the spices- cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine.
4- Add in 2.5 cups water (or veg broth) and mix.
5- Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
6- Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and puree the pressure cooked cauliflower and lentil using an immersion blender.
You may also use a regular blender, in that case just remember to let the mixture cool down for 10 to 15 minutes and then blend it.
If you blend it when it’s too hot, it will all blow up from your high speed blender.
7- Once pureed, press the saute button again and add black pepper. Also add lime juice and stir.
8- Add coconut milk and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. I also added an additional cup of water at this point to thin out the soup a little.
Taste test and adjust salt and seasoning to taste.
Garnish the cauliflower lentil soup with cilantro and serve warm!
More Instant Pot Vegan Soups
Instant Pot Vegan Thai Curry Soup
Instant Pot Mediterranean Lentil Soup
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Cauliflower Lentil Soup Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, I used avocado oil
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 large carrot cut into rounds
- 1 small cauliflower cut into florets, around 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 1/3 cup brown lentils whole masoor dal, 68 grams, you may also use red lentils (masoor dal dhuli)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3.5 cups water/broth divided, I used water
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small lime juice of
- 1 cup coconut milk 8 oz
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the garlic, ginger, onion, carrot.Cook for around 3 to 4 minutes until onions are soft.
- Then add the cauliflower florets and brown lentils (rinsed). You may also use red lentils (see notes).
- Add all the spices- cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add in 2.5 cups water (or veg broth) and mix. I used water here.
- Close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and puree the pressure cooked cauliflower and lentil using an immersion blender.You may also use a regular blender, in that case just remember to let the mixture cool down for 10 to 15 minutes and then blend it.If you blend it when it's too hot, it will all blow up from your high speed blender.
- Once pureed, press the saute button again and add black pepper. Also add lime juice and stir.
- Add coconut milk and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. I also added an additional cup of water at this point to thin out the soup a little.Taste test and adjust salt and seasoning to taste.
- Garnish the cauliflower lentil soup with cilantro and serve warm!
Notes
- If using red lentil (masoor dal dhuli) pressure cook only for 6 minutes followed by a quick pressure release. Follow rest of the steps as it is.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great instant pot recipe–easy and very yummy!
Thank you for your wonderful recipes Manali,
Soup was truly scrumptious! 😋
Although I cooked traditional way in a pan.
thanks for trying Julie!
This was very good. And easy.
Excellent recipe! Turned out perfect. Thank you!
glad to know!
Hi Manali. Love this recipe, super tasty! If I already have cooked brown lentils on hand, what would you suggest for timing on the instant pot?
if lentils are already cooked, 3 minutes on high pressure will be enough
Just googled “cauliflower lentil instant pot” bc that was all I had on hand, and it’s perfect! Thanks for saving Christmas!
awesome! Merry Christmas!
I just made this (with red lentils) and it was soo delish! I’m not sure why no one else has made it yet, but it deserves a try. It’s filling and wholesome and the spices are just perfect.
Thanks Manal, glad you liked it!
This sounds delicious but I don’t have an instant pot. How long should it cook on the stovetop?
cook the brown lentils first, around 20-25 minutes on stove-top. then add the cauliflower and cook for around 10 minutes until very soft.