How Long Do You Cook Lentils In Instant Pot

Want lentils quickly? Here's how you can cook lentils in the Instant Pot. In 9 minutes, you can have green lentils ready to go thanks to the pressure cooker!

How Long to Cook Lentils in the Instant Pot

Your eyes did not deceive you. It really does only take 9 minutes to cook green lentils in the pressure cooker. It's super quick and easy to cook green lentils this method. Even with the 5 or so minutes it takes to build pressure, lentils in the Instant Pot is much faster than the stovetop.

For softer lentils, you can cook lentils for 10-12 minutes in the Instant Pot. I personally prefer 9 minutes as they come out nice and firm, perfect for adding to other dishes such as salads without losing their shape.

What You'll Need to Make Green Lentils in the Pressure Cooker

green lentils
vegetable stock: I like using veggie stock to cook my lentils in to add flavour. However, you can always use water if you prefer.
garlic clove

What's the Water to Lentil Ratio in the Instant Pot?

For every 1 cup lentils, I use 1.5 cups of liquid. I find that this is the perfect amount!

How to Make Green Lentils in the Pressure Cooker

dried green lentils inside of the instant pot

Rinse and drain the green lentils to clean out any debris.
Add the green lentils to the pressure cooker alongside the liquid and garlic clove.
Close the lid and set it to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to 9 minutes and quick release immediately when done.
Set aside to serve or store in an airtight container for later.

Watch How To Make Dried Legumes

Here's my Youtube video on how I make dried legumes (lentils, chickpeas, and navy beans) in the Instant Pot if you're a more visual person!

uncooked lentils in the instant pot with vegetable broth and a garlic clove

Recipe Variations

Other "flavour enhancers" you can add to the green lentils in the Instant Pot include but are not limited to:

bay leaves
onion powder
dried oregano
dried basil
cumin
and more!

Do Lentils Have to Be Soaked Before Cooking?

Nope! No need to soak your lentils beforehand. Just make sure they are well rinsed.

What about other lentils?

Brown and black lentils should take around the same amount of time but I would half the time for red lentils as they will turn mushy in 9 minutes.

Ways to Serve Lentils

I love to meal prep buffet style. So I usually make my lentils in bulk then top off my lunches with them. In particular, I love making this simple lentil salad as well as this hummus with lentil salad recipe with pre-cooked lentils!

Can You Freeze Lentils?

Yes – I recommend freezing them in airtight freezer friendly containers or freezer safe bags in single portions so you don't have to thaw them all at once when you want to eat some!

bowl of green lentils that was cooked in the instant pot

1 cup dried lentils
1½ cup vegetable broth
1 clove garlic

Rinse and drain the green lentils to clean out any debris.
Add the green lentils to the pressure cooker alongside the liquid and garlic clove.
Close the lid and set it to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to 9 minutes and quick release immediately when done.
Set aside to serve or store in an airtight container for later.

Did you make this recipe? I'm always so happy to hear about it! I'd love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I'd really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Healthy, Instant Pot

More Instant Pot Basics

Instant Pot White Navy Beans
Instant Pot Garbanzo Beans
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Instant Pot Beets
Easy Peel Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Instant Pot Acorn Squash

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