The Instant Pot is one the mostly heavily used kitchen gadgets in our house! It makes homemade meals easy, quick, delicious and healthy. Here are 10+ Vegetarian Instant Pot recipes that are frequent flyers in our house! Plus, my favorite Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe!

Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes
The other day, Ken casually mentioned that he wanted to try going vegetarian for the month of August.
“You know, just to see how I feel. Don’t feel like you have to do it too,” he said.
I am all for using yourself and your own nutritional guinea pig. Trying out something new to see what makes you feel awesome….and what really doesn’t. We all have such unique bodies with unique needs and switching it up sometimes can teach us how to best fuel our bodies best.
And while I totally appreciated the fact that my husband didn’t want me to feel like I had to sign on for his nutritional experiment, I am someone who totally believes in and loves the challenge of more veggies in ones life. So bring on the plants!
Easy Vegetarian Recipes
Oh yeah, August is when school goes back into session for my elementary school daughter. And we have decided to homeschool her for this school year because the world is currently upside down. And my husband and I are both working from home.
So yeah, break out the EASY vegetarian recipes for this self experiment. Because time and energy is not something we have oodles of at the moment.
Why the Instant Pot is great from vegetarian recipes
I think the Instant Pot is often associated with cooking meat based meals super fast. Which it totally does! But it is also handy dandy for cooking vegetarian meals to perfection and making dinner more streamline no matter your eating style and preference.
Here is why the Instant Pot is so great for making vegetarian meals…
- Great for cooking dry beans and lentils in a flash. Dry legumes are one of my favorite plant based proteins to enjoy. They are affordable, rich in so many nutrients, and quite versatile. However, cooking beans in the slow cooker or on the stovetop takes planning ahead…which sometimes I am not awesome about doing when it comes to meals. So my Instant Pot cooks them up for me quickly, even when I am not on top of my dinner game.
- Awesome for cooking rice or quinoa in a flash! Even if you have the main course covered, your pressure cooker can get a side in the table super easily!
- Doesn’t heat up your kitchen. We are currently in late July, so I am thinking up allllll the ways to skip out on adding heat to the house. Instant Pots are great for cooking up dinner but not adding to an already hot kitchen.
- Less dishes! There is a saute function that is great for cooking veggies and spices that would normally be done in a skillet. And you can use the same function to cook down soups and sauces that you prefer a bit thicker. Plus, the stainless steel lining pops out and is dish washer safe, so you know I am all about that.
- Has a delayed cook feature. So if you know you are not on top of your game come dinner time, load up your IP ahead of time and program it to start cooking at the time you want a meal to get started.
- Works for all meals. Make oatmeal for morning (in fact, set it up to cook the night before), hard boil some perfect eggs for lunch or a quick snack, and make some great dinner recipes in your Instant Pot. It really is a gadget that you will use a ton once you get the hang of it and see how it can simply making healthy vegetarian meals.
Zucchini Carrot Instant Pot Oatmeal
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto
Instant Pot Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Artichokes
The BEST Instant Pot (or slow cooker) Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Instant Pot Black Beans
Instant Pot Broccoli
Mashed Instant Pot Potatoes with Cauliflower
Instant Pot Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
Strawberry Beet Instant Pot Applesauce
Veggie-Loaded Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Slow Cooker/ Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes: Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Equipment
- slow cooker
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 large yellow onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils rinsed
- 1 cup salsa I used mild to make it family-friendly
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 6 cups broth or stock
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
For Instant Pot
- Add oil to Instant Pot and turn on sauté function. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off sauté function. Add remaining ingredients except the baby spinach, salt and pepper to Instant Pot . Stir to combine
- Place lid on Instant Pot and lock it into place. Make sure the valve is switched to sealing.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual, High and set for 18 minutes. It will take your Instant Pot about 10 minutes to get up to pressure. Once cook time is finished, set valve to quick release.
- Once the pressure is released, remove lid from the Instant Pot.
- Remove bay leaves. Stir in baby spinach, salt and pepper. Let spinach wilt in hot soup and then taste. Adjust flavor to fit personal preference
- Serve warm on its own or with quinoa or rice.Top with cheese or freshly chopped parsley if desired.
For Slow Cooker
- Add oil to a large pan and warm over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Place cooked garlic and onions in your slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except the baby spinach, salt and pepper. Stir to combine
- Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- Once soup is done cooking, remove bay leaves and stir in baby spinach, salt and pepper. Let spinach wilt in hot soup and then taste. Adjust flavor to fit personal preference
- Serve warm on its own or with quinoa or rice.Top with cheese or freshly chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
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