How Much Does 1 Cup Of Lentils Make
When I made my green lentils recipe in the instant pot, I made 2.5 cups of green lentils with 5 cups of vegetable stock, and this is how much it made:
This is a LOT of green lentils and we used them for a LOT of air fryer lentil burgers as well as in a lentil stew.
Therefore, divide it by 2.5 and one cup of lentils is still sufficient for a family dinner or for one batch of burgers.
Best Way To Serve Lentils:
Lentils make a great side dish or base , but there are plenty of other ways you can enjoy this pulse!
Try adding lentils to a curry, soup, or stew for an extra boost of fiber and nutrients. Cooked lentils can also be used as a meat substitute theyre delicious in chili or tacos!
You can easily serve a medley of different colored lentils with fresh herbs and sauteed vegetables.
Or of course, you can make this delicious Lentil Soup Recipe !
Tips For Flavoring Lentils:
- 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.
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More Easy Indian Recipes And Lentil Recipes
- HAPPY NEWS! This Instant Pot Lentil Curry has become one of my most popular recipes. It turns out you all love curry flavors in the Instant Pot as much as I do . Ive also added a recipe for Instant Pot Butter Chicken, Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, AND Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala. All are super flavorful, easy, and healthy Instant Pot recipes!
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How To Cook Lentils In Pressure Cooker
If you dont have an instant pot, a pressure cooker is the next best thing. One of the best things about this method is that you dont have to monitor their firmness as often. Theyll be firm but tender every time. Brown or green lentils really are the best for this method, since red lentils turn to mush under pressure.
To cook lentils in a pressure cooker:
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Do Lentils Have To Be Soaked Before Using
While soaking lentils prior to cooking isnt necessary, I prefer to soak a few varieties. The soak time may be different for each variety. Some lentils only need a rinse, while some benefit from a 10-minute soak, and others for a few hours.
Long ago, when I researched the reasons to soak, this is what I learnt:
- The shells of lentils contain anti-nutrients such as lectin and phytates, which can be hard to digest. Soaking lentils helps neutralize those and makes lentils easier on your stomach.
- It gets rid of the anti-nutrients that can keep the body from fully absorbing the nutrients.
- Just like beans, lentils contain sugars that can cause flatulence and bloating, soaking and rinsing, helps minimize that.
- Soaking lentils prior to cooking cuts down on cook time as well.
To soak your lentils, rinse them first. Add them to a large bowl and cover them with enough fresh water. Depending on the kind of lentil, let it soak for 10 minutes to overnight. After theyve soaked, rinse them again before cooking.
How To Make Lentils & Brown Rice Mujadara In Instant Pot
We can make this Mujadara with brown rice with some minor modifications. Soak brown rice in hot water for about 2 hours. Do not soak the brown lentils. Then follow the recipe, just change the pressure cooking time to 15 mins on high pressure, followed by a 10 min natural pressure release. This means let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
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Do You Have To Soak Lentils Before Instant Pot
No, you dont. In fact, its one of the main reasons for buying an instant pot. You can load green lentils into the instant pot with liquid and simply pressure cook.
Cooking lentils in the instant pot, regardless of whether they are red, green, or brown is all about simplicity.
Then once cooked and you see your perfect lentils you will be wondering why you didnt do instant pot lentils years ago.
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Yield: Prep Time: Additional Time: Total Time:
Cook lentils in half the time with your Instant Pot and don’t worry about soaking them. This foolproof method delivers perfect lentils with a tender texture. Serve them as a main course or a side dish.
- 1 package lentils
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
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Tips For Making The Best Lentils
- Cook them in broth, not water. This will infuse the lentils with lots of flavor.
- Spices! You can definitely cook them in just broth and have super versatile lentils to mix into whatever you like, but I like to pump up the flavor with a little bit of this and that from the spice cabinet.
- Let the pressure release naturally. If youre in a hurry, you can release the pressure after it sits for 10 minutes, but that extra sit time allows them to really soften and soak up all the broth.
- Use brown lentils, not red. Red lentils are smaller and will turn to mush in this recipe. Save red lentils for recipes like this Lemony Lentil Soup. They make it so rich and creamy.
- Lentils freeze great. Make a big batch so they are ready at any moment from the freezer.
How Long Do Lentils Last After Cooking
- Once you have learned how to cook lentils, they can be placed in a nice airtight container and stored inside the refrigerator for up to a week.
- If you would really like to prolong their life, you can place them in your freezer for up to three months and use them whenever you have a recipe in mind that you are eager to try.
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Where Can You Buy Lentils
Lentils can be purchased at almost any grocery or health food store. You can purchase them in bags or sometimes even in bulk bins at a lower price.
The only downfall is that most grocery stores in America will only offer the common lentils mentioned above, unlike in other countries in the middle east, India and Asia where they offer all varieties due to their popularity.
Canned lentils are fairly high in sodium, and typically you only get a limited selection of them, so its really good to learn how to cook lentils at home.
How Long To Cook Lentils
Most lentils cook in just 9 minutes, with a quick release. Keep in mind that it can take up to 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, so be sure to factor in that extra time when planning your meals.
Heres how long different varieties need to cook:
- Green lentils: 9 minutes
- Brown Lentils: 9 minutes
- Black Lentils: 9 minutes
- Red Lentils: 5 minutes or more
In each case above, I use a quick release when the cooking time is completed. That means I move the steam release valve to venting to release the pressure as soon as the screen reads LO:OO on my Instant Pot. If you dont hear the pressure cooker beep when its done, its okay if you dont release the pressure right away the lentils will just be a little softer when you get around to them.
To see a demonstration of the quick release be sure to check out my How To Use Your Instant Pot tutorial, where I show you the 10 things you need to know about your Instant Pot in a quick 3-minute video.
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What Kind Of Lentils Can I Use For This Recipe
I normally cook with Brown Lentils. But you can use Black Lentils or Green Lentils also for this recipe. Red lentils are split so they will cook faster. Therefore this time and water ratio wouldnt work for red lentils. Check out our Red Lentils Dal Recipe for the right measurements and timings. Dry lentils cook really well in Instant Pot.
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Do Lentils Need To Be Soaked
Lentils are truly a low-maintenance ingredient. They do not need to be soaked before cooking although it is best to rinse them under water to remove any impurities.
The one downside to lentils is that they can take awhile to cook on the stove top. I love whipping up a batch of lentil soup in a Dutch oven but this isn’t always an option when in a hurry. The Instant Pot the perfect way to speed up the cooking process for things like lentils.
I love the pressure cooker for speeding up the cooking process of dried ingredients. This Instant Pot Wild Rice is one such example – Once I started using the Instant Pot for cooking wild rice I never looked back!
If you love healthy and economical dishes be sure to check out these ones!
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Where To Buy Red Lentils
Red Lentils are quite easily available at grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts or on Amazon.
This time I got these red lentils from Thrive Market. I like the convenience of getting pantry staples at home, rather than having to go looking around in stores. Thrive Market is known for selling organic foods and natural products at 25-50% below traditional retail prices. Now who does not like that..and dont forget delivery to your doorsteps! Give them a try if you have not already. Here is a special discount from Thrive for my readers 25% first order + one month free trial!
How To Cook Instant Pot Lentils + Video
A recipe for how to cook lentils in the Instant Pot with perfect results every time. Using this super easy water to lentil ratio and cook time makes for the best, tender lentils in your electric pressure cooker.
It seems whenever Im cooking bean-based dishes lately, I always use the Instant Pot. It saves so much time, and I love how hands-free it makes the cooking process with no soaking. Ive made Instant Pot Refried Beans, Instant Pot Red Beans & Rice, Instant Pot Chickpeas and Instant Pot Bean Soup with Pesto. And while Ive made Instant Pot Lentil Soup and Instant Pot Cheesy Southwestern Lentils, I thought it was time to just write a straightforward post on how to cook lentils in the Instant Pot, with simple seasonings, to use in other recipes or to just eat plain on their own, perhaps with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro?
As with other Instant Pot recipes Ive tested, I find that when cooked in the Instant Pot, the spices in recipes become a bit less noticeable. So, I amped up these Instant Pot Lentils with a few of my favorite spices cumin, onion powder and paprika. I also used my homemade Instant Pot Bone Broth as the stock , but you can swap it out for some boxed chicken or beef broth too.
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Adding More Flavor To Lentil Soup
Open the lid and you will see this beauty.
- Greens: Now is the time to add spinach or kale. Tip: If you see organic box of spinach on sale buy it and freeze it. Use to make spinach stuffed chicken breasts, green smoothies or spinach dip.
- Fresh garlic: Nothing brightens up a soup like fresh garlic, said Ukrainian me. There is a huge difference between cooked and fresh garlic flavour. HUGE! You have to trust me on this one because Im Ukrainian of all Ukrainians.
- Parmesan cheese: Stir and serve soup hot garnished with Parmesan cheese. If you are strict vegan, skip Parmesan. If you are strict vegetarian, I believe they sell vegetarian Parmesan cheese or skip.
All those layers of healthy flavors! Enjoy!
How Do You Cook Lentils
Lentils have thin skin that should be rinsed off before being cooked.
In the United States, most lentils you buy at the grocery store have already had the skins removed and are split.
While lentils dont require soaking, they do need to be boiled for 10-25 minutes until tender.
In general, the larger the size of a lentil, the longer it will take to cook.
Before cooking any type of lentils, be sure to check that there are no black or yellow dots, which may be small stones.
Discard any lentils with these specks before cooking them to avoid accidental choking!
You can add salt about halfway through this process to enhance flavor and a small piece of kombu seaweed for a burst of minerals.
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Why I Love This Easy Lentil Soup
A lover of sun and warm weather, I struggle during this stretch of the year, when the sparkle of the holidays is behind but summer still feels forever away. However, one of the things that brings me cheer all winter long is making recipes that shine their brightest when the cold is at its worst.
While Id happily eat Instant Pot lentil soup any night of the week and in any temperature, it tastes especially satisfying when the wind is blowing and the frost is creeping into the corners of our windows. Each bite instantly transports me to a place of warmth, comfort, and deliciousness.
Lentil soup is healthy, super filling, warming, and the best kind of recipe to have in your refrigerator. It reheats like a dream and tastes better and better as the week goes along.
How To Make Instant Pot Lentils
If making lentils to serve on a salad, only season with salt and omit the garlic and onion.
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How To Serve Lentils
The recipe below will teach you how to cook lentils on their own, so you can use them in a number of different ways as part of your meal prep routine.
Below youll find some easy ways to serve the pre-cooked lentils.
- Toss them with BBQ sauce for a vegetarian sandwich
- Serve them over a salad for plant-based protein
I hope this tutorial will help you get more comfortable with using your Instant Pot, and will make you more confident in converting any recipe for your electric pressure cooker, too.
How To Cook Lentils
- To cook lentils, you must wash and rinse them first. Lentils usually have some dirt or grime on them. First, soak your lentils in tap water and rub them with your fingers.
- You will see the water turns murky when you do that.
- Then throw that water and rinse your lentils with fresh water and repeat the step unless the water runs clear. This process effectively removes any dust or debris on the lentils.
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What Are Red Lentils
Red Lentils are the quickest cooking lentils. They have a mild subtly sweet flavor. As they cook so quickly, they are perfect for soups, stews, and curries. They can be cooked without soaking in just 15-20 minutes.
Red lentils are called Masoor Dal in Hindi. You can find whole or split red lentils.
Lentils are also perfect to make when cooking on a budget. They are healthy and satiating. Add some veggies while cooking them and enjoy with rice for a complete nutritional meal.
How To Cook Lentils In The Instant Pot
How to cook lentils in the Instant Pot! Includes different lentil varieties, suggested cook times, the proper water:lentil ratio, and two easy lentil recipes to make in your Instant Pot!
Learning how to cook lentils in the Instant Pot literally changed my life. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but it really took my meal prep and batch cooking game to the next level. But it wasnt always that way.
I never used to cook lentils before I got an Instant Pot. The idea of soaking them overnight, draining them, and babysitting them on the stove felt too time-consuming. Instead, I just bought canned or boxed lentils at the store.
But the Instant Pot makes it SO much easier to cook lentils, not to mention so much more flavorful. You can throw them in the Instant Pot with liquid, walk away, and come back to perfectly cooked lentils.
Over the last few years, I have cooked literally hundreds of pots of lentils, so now Im sharing all my tips on cooking lentils in the Instant Pot. And, this blog post also features two incredibly easy Instant Pot lentil recipes!
As for the Instant Pot itself, even the most basic model will cook your lentils perfectly. For most home cooks, the 6 quart DUO60 or DUO60 Plus is the best option. If you want a more recent version that has nifty features , try the DUO Evo Plus.
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