Lentil Soup with Roasted Red Peppers & Harissa (vegan).

Name: Lentil Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8 bowls
Ingredients: 1 cup red pepper diced; 1 Tbsp vegetable oil; 1 cup onion diced; 1/2 cup carrots diced; 1/2 cup celery diced; 1 Tbsp garlic minced; 1 cup lentils any color; 1 tsp harissa paste sub with chili paste; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon; 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz); 4 cups water; 1 cup spinach chopped

This satisfying vegan lentil soup is quickly made in the Instant Pot. Broiling the red peppers beforehand brings out extra flavor.

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By Shan · Updated October 26, 2026

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Total: 20 min
Serves: 8
Ingredients: 16

Recipe

Lentil Soup

This satisfying vegan lentil soup is quickly made in the Instant Pot. Broiling the red peppers beforehand brings out extra flavor.

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Ingredient batch: 1.5× original. Base yield: 8 bowls.

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Yield: 12 bowls
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

355 mL red pepper diced (volume measure)
22 mL vegetable oil (volume measure)
355 mL onion diced (volume measure)
177 mL carrots diced (volume measure)
177 mL celery diced (volume measure)
22 mL garlic minced (volume measure)
355 mL lentils any color (volume measure)
7.4 mL harissa paste sub with chili paste (volume measure)
3.7 mL ground coriander (volume measure)
3.7 mL smoked paprika (volume measure)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt — package or uncertain unit retained; no metric conversion
22 mL apple cider vinegar (volume measure)
22 mL vegetable bouillon (volume measure)
1 1/2 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz) — package or uncertain unit retained; no metric conversion
1420 mL water (volume measure)
355 mL spinach chopped (volume measure)

Base draft — original amounts

The original draft batch is shown here for comparison; no public structured data is emitted. Base yield: 8 bowls.

1 cup red pepper diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup onion diced
1/2 cup carrots diced
1/2 cup celery diced
1 Tbsp garlic minced
1 cup lentils any color
1 tsp harissa paste sub with chili paste
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon
1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz)
4 cups water
1 cup spinach chopped

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to highest position. Spread red pepper on a baking sheet and broil for about 2 minutes or until slightly blackened. (optional but recommended)
Add oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, red pepper, lentils, coriander, and smoked paprika to the Instant Pot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Use 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar to deglaze bottom of the pot. Then add the vegetable bouillon, harissa paste, crushed tomatoes, and water. Stir contents of pot.
Put the lid on the pot, seal the valve, and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Do a quick release when done.
Add chopped spinach to the pot and put the lid on for 2 minutes to wilt the spinach. Serve with bread or crackers.

Notes

To make this on the stovetop, simmer for 30 minutes after adding the water.

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This satisfying vegan lentil soup is quickly made in the Instant Pot. Broiling the red peppers beforehand brings out extra flavor.

Many people believe that being a vegan means going broke trying to buy food. But that's actually just a myth. Many vegan foods, including this lentil soup, are inexpensive, nutritious, and can serve many people.

I made this lentil soup even better by cooking some harissa chili paste into it. A little bit adds a lot of complexity and just the right amount of heat to the soup.

This recipe is a great one to have on hand because things like the lentils and canned tomatoes in the recipe are typical pantry staples. You can stock up on them when they're cheap to keep your grocery costs low.

Instructions for making this soup on the stove are in the recipe notes below.