How long to cook lentils in pressure cooker?

Lentils cook in the Instant Pot in just 9 minutes or less, making them a quick and convenient way to add plant-based protein to any dish. Learn how to prepare red, green, brown, and black lentils in your pressure cooker below for consistently excellent results.

Tips for cooking lentils in the Instant Pot

Lentils don’t require pre-soaking when prepared in the Instant Pot, unlike when prepared on the stove. Another advantage is that you won’t have to keep an eye on the lentils to prevent them from burning or turning mushy. Simply place all the ingredients in the Instant Pot, go take a nap or go somewhere else, and then return when the pressure has been released.

1 3/4 cups liquid (vegetable broth or water) for 1 cup of lentils

• additionally, add half a teaspoon of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• You can also add additional seasonings, such as dried chile peppers, bay leaves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, etc. , depending on what flavor you’re going for.

Once you combine everything, select the Pressure Cook setting and cook for the desired cook time (see the previous section for recommended cook times based on lentil variety).

Once the cook time is done, allow a natural pressure release on the Instant Pot for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining steam.

• In actuality: after the timer sounds, leave the pot alone for 10 minutes without touching it. To release any remaining pressure, turn the pressure release valve from the Sealing position to the Venting position. The float valve will drop once the pressure has been released, allowing you to open the pot.

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However, you’ll need to add more flavorings (obviously) if you want to give your lentils more flavor. Because lentils are like sponges, they take on the flavors of the ingredients used to prepare them.

Before cooking my lentils, I like to sauté some aromatics in oil, like onion and garlic. Additionally, I frequently sauté some chili peppers because I enjoy spicy food. Before adding the lentils when making Indian food, I’ll also add the cumin seeds and ginger. Alternatively, if I’m cooking lentils with a Mexican flavor, I might sauté an onion, a green pepper, and a jalapeo pepper.

After you cook your aromatics, it’s time for more seasonings. With just salt and pepper, you can keep it simple, or you can add a variety of your favorite spices, like cumin, paprika, or turmeric. The specific spices you use will depend on the cuisine you are cooking and the flavor profile. For more flavor depth, I also like to add fresh herbs to the cooking liquid. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, and bay leaves are strong herbs that work particularly well.

Finally, since it gives the lentils a little more richness and flavor, I prefer to cook the lentils in vegetable broth rather than water.

Find four incredibly simple Instant Pot lentil recipes below. Here are some more Instant Pot recipes that use lentils and other legumes in case you like them (why wouldn’t you?).

Here’s a sampling of just some of the lentil recipes in my book, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, if you want to see more than 90 incredible vegan Instant Pot recipes.

Spiced Lentil, Kale and “Sausage” Soup

Red Lentil Almond Curry

Red Curry Rice Noodle Soup

Lentil-Walnut Gyros with Vegan Tzatziki

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Khichdi / Kitchari (Indian Rice and Lentil Porridge)

How Long to Cook Lentils in the Instant Pot

Your eyes did not deceive you. Green lentils can be cooked in a pressure cooker in just 9 minutes. With this technique, cooking green lentils is incredibly quick and simple. Lentils cook much more quickly in the Instant Pot than on the stovetop, even after the roughly five minutes it takes to build pressure.

Lentils can be cooked in the Instant Pot for 10–12 minutes for softer lentils. My personal preference is 9 minutes, as they are nicely firm and retain their shape when added to other dishes like salads.

How Long Does it Take to Cook Lentils in the Instant Pot?

The cook time to make pressure cooker lentils is 10 minutes, however, you need to also take into account the time it takes for the pressure to build in the pot. It will take about 15 minutes for the pressure to build, then the countdown timer will start. So, in total, it will take about 25 minutes to cook instant pot lentils.

The water to lentils ratio for cooking lentils in the Instant Pot is 2:1. So, if you are cooking 1 ½ cups of lentils, use 3 cups of stock or water. You can easily double or triple the recipe as well. The cook time will remain the same, though it will take longer for the pressure to build and release in the pot.

Add spices when the lentils go into the instant pot – I like to add cumin, onion powder, and paprika. But you can use any spices you enjoy – cayenne, oregano, thyme and rosemary are all great additions.

Before cooking, use the saute function of your Instant Pot to brown up some onion and garlic. Then, add in the lentils and cook.

I like to cook my lentils in broth to give them great flavor.

When the lentils have finished cooking, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice will add some great acidity and brighten the lentils up a bit.

Fresh herbs sprinkled over the cooked lentils are delicious. Try parsley or cilantro.

How to Batch Cook Lentils in the Pressure Cooker