Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

Name: Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil; 1 yellow onion, coarsly chopped; 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 1.25 cups dried red lentils (* see notes); 1.5 lbs sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 medium or 3 small); 3 cups vegetable broth; 1 tsp garam masala; 1/2 tsp paprika; sea salt; pepper; 4 Tbsp sour cream (or coconut cream to keep vegan); 1 Tbsp black sesame seeds (optional); 1/3 cup cilantro leaves (optional)

Key Ingredients For This Creamy Soup

Ingredients used for Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup displayed on a kitchen counter.

Rinsed or soaked red lentils. I prefer soaked as they are easier to digest this way. 2 hours of soaking are already enough. After soaking always drain and rinse legumes.

Peeled and cubed sweet potatoes. You will need 1.5 lbs of sweet potatoes which are about 2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes. Peeling isn’t essential but it ensures your soup will have a beautiful color. Cubing is essential because else they won’t cook properly in such a short amount of pressure cooking.

Onion & garlic. Both give amazing flavor. Coarse chopping is enough. No need to spend much time on finely chopping. We will be blending them in at the end anyway.

Stock or broth. You can use vegetable stock to keep the soup vegan or you can use chicken broth.

Spices. Garam masala, paprika, sea salt and pepper are the best spices for this red lentil sweet potato soup.

Sour cream and cilantro. The best toppings ever. Not only because they look beautiful but because they taste amazing mixed in.

How To Make Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup In The Instant Pot

Photo collage of step-by-step instructions to make sweet potato soup.

Add onions and garlic. Preheat the Instant Pot by hitting the sauté button. Once the display says hot add a drizzle of avocado oil and chopped onion and garlic.

Sauté onions and garlic. Stir-fry until they become translucent and barely start to brown.

Add dry ingredients. First, turn off the Instant Pot, then add red lentils, peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, and spices (garam masala, paprika, sea salt, pepper).

Add wet ingredient. Add 3 cups of broth.

Pressure cook. Give everything a quick stir, put on the lid, and turn the valve to the sealing position. Then set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes on high pressure and after that let the pressure release naturally.

Blend. Turn the Instant Pot off and use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot until smooth and creamy, or transfer everything to a regular blender or food processor in batches.

Serve. Serve with a swirl of sour cream, a few leaves of cilantro, and a few sesame seeds on top.

Variations Of This Recipe

Spices – Feel free to play around with the spices in this recipe. Garam masala is great because it is a spice mix but other spices that go well with lentils are cumin, coriander, turmeric, and ginger.

Other vegetables – If you are not a fan of sweet potato you can easily replace it with any kind of creamy squash. Pumpkin, butternut squash, or acorn squash. It will be equally delicious.

Low-carb vegetables – You can also add some low-carb vegetables to the mix. Great options are 1 zucchini, 1 red or yellow bell pepper, or 3 stalks of celery.

Other toppings – My favorite are sour cream, fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds but the sky is the limit of course. Use coconut cream to keep to soup vegan and any kind of seed and fresh herb you like.

Regular pot – You can obviously make this soup in a regular pot on the stove as well. An Instant Pot isn’t essential. Simply follow the same instructions and then instead of pressure cooking, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes on the stove.

How To Store This Soup

Creamy sweet potato soups are perfect for freezing! You can easily double the recipe and freeze for another night when you don’t want to cook dinner.

The soup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will simply become thicker and thicker over time. You might have to add a splash of broth or water to the soup when reheating to make it creamy again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to soak red lentils?

It’s up to you. This recipe works with soaked and unsoaked lentils. I personally prefer to soak them because they become easier to digest that way.

What do you serve red lentil sweet potato soup with?

This soup is nutrient dense and balanced. No need to serve anything on the side. It serves as main dish or as entree.

Do you need to peel sweet potatoes before cooking?

It’s not absolutely crucial. The skin is edible. However, to avoid an ugly brown-colored soup and instead a bright orange soup you will want to remove the skin.