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    Home » Recipes » Potato Recipes

    Easy potato lentil soup with kale (Instant pot & stove top)

    Modified: Jun 3, 2025 Published: Dec 10, 2021 by Sravanthi Chanda. 8 Comments

    646 shares
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    4.41 from 22 votes
    Detailed Steps Jump to Recipe

    This potato lentil soup with kale is a wholesome and comforting meal on any day. With simple pantry ingredients and detailed instant pot and stove top instructions, you can make a delicious meal easily at home. This vegan and gluten-free soup will satisfy your taste buds for sure.

    potato lentil kale soup in a bowl

    Ingredients

    Brown lentils: This soup recipe uses brown lentils, and we need not soak them. As we are using potatoes also, brown or green lentils work perfectly in this recipe. You can also use a combination of red, brown, and green lentils to make this lentil kale soup. 

    Veggies: I used only potatoes and kale in this lentil soup. Other veggies like carrots, beetroot, bell peppers, corn go well in this soup. 

    Spices: This soup is mildly spiced, and even kids can enjoy it. Instead of red chili powder, you can also use ground black pepper, curry powder, or red pepper flakes to make this soup. And if you can get fresh thyme, you that instead of dried thyme. Other herbs like oregano, basil will also go well with this soup.

    Prep work

    • Wash the lentils once or twice with clean water. Drain and keep it aside.
    • Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, and other veggies if you use them.
    • Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into 1 to 1.5-inch cubes.

    Instant pot Instructions

    • Start Instant pot in saute mode.
    • Once it is hot, add oil, chopped ginger, garlic, onions, and bay leaves.
    • Saute the onions for a couple of minutes and add chopped tomatoes.
    • Let the tomatoes soften a bit and add spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, dried thyme, ground cumin, coriander powder, and salt. Stir everything well.
    •  Now add potato cubes, lentils and mix them once.
    • To this potato lentils mixture, add water and give a good stir. You can check the salt at this stage and adjust it as required.
    • Stop the Instant pot saute mode and close it with its lid. Then, seal the vent and start the instant pot again in manual or pressure cook mode. Cook it for 10 minutes on high pressure. 
    • Once the instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure. 
    • To this lentil soup, add chopped kale and stir it well.
    • Close the instant pot with its lid and let it sit for ten more minutes. The residual heat will cook the kale. Or you can start instant pot in saute mode and let it cook for a couple of more minutes.
    • Absolutely delicious Instant pot lentil soup is ready to serve! Enjoy it warm with a dash of olive oil and some seeds and nuts for added crunch.
    instant pot potato lentil soup in a bowl

    Stovetop Instructions

    • Heat a thick-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
    • Add oil, bay leaf, finely chopped garlic, ginger, onions, and saute them for 3 to 4 minutes.
    • To this sauteed onions, add finely chopped tomatoes and let them soften a bit.
    • Add spice powders - ground cumin, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, dried thyme, and salt to the tomato mixture and mix it well.
    • Then goes the potato cubes, lentils and stir it well.
    • Add water and cook the lentils over medium heat for around 30 to 35 minutes. Stir the soup in between for even cooking every 10 minutes or so.
    • By this time, potatoes will also cook thoroughly. If not, you can simmer for a few more minutes.
    • Now add chopped kale and simmer for a couple of more minutes. The hearty kale lentil potato soup is ready to serve!
    potato kale lentil soup in a bowl topped with cashew cream

    Recipe Notes & Variations

    • This soup is mildly spiced and can be enjoyed by adults and kids. If you want to make the soup spicier, you can use half teaspoon of curry powder or freshly ground black pepper.
    • Don't like kale? Skip it or use other leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, bok choy.
    • Instead of potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes to make this soup. If using sweet potatoes, I prefer to reduce the Instant pot cooking time to 6 minutes and soak the brown lentils for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  
    • Do you love creamy soup? Then replace a cup of water with coconut milk. Or you can add half a cup of thick coconut milk before you serve the soup.
    • I used plain water to make this lentil potato soup, but you can use vegetable broth or chicken broth to make the soup more flavorful.
    • Instead of fresh diced tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes or tomato puree.
    kale potato lentil soup in a bowl

    Serving suggestions

    As this lentil soup has potatoes, it is a complete meal by itself. So you can serve this as it is with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and some pumpkin seeds for a crunch.

    To make this soup more filling, serve it along with some toasted bread. And I usually serve the leftover soup as a side dish for rice, quinoa, or millet.

    Storage

    This lentil soup keeps well for 8 to 10 hours at room temperature. And you can refrigerate it for around two days and freeze it for a couple of months.

    It is good to freeze this soup in portion sizes and thaw the required amount. And do not freeze the thawed soup again. It's better to consume it immediately.

    instant pot potato lentil soup in a bowl

    FAQs

    Do lentils need to be soaked before making soup?

    No, lentils cook pretty fastly, and we need not soak them. But soaking will reduce the cooking time.

    What can you pair with lentil soup?

    We are using potatoes in this lentil soup, and this will be a complete meal. But toasted bread, rice, tortilla, naan bread will be good side dishes for this soup.

    Why are my lentils still hard after cooking?

    Aged lentils take more time to cook. If you know that your lentils are aged over a year, I recommend soaking them for at least an hour or so. Or you can increase the cooking time by five more minutes. And if your lentils are still hard after pressure cooking, add a cup of water and again pressure cook for 5 minutes.

    Can we skip tomatoes in this lentil soup?

    Yes, you can safely skip the tomatoes in this soup. Instead, add a dash of lime juice before serving the soup to get that tanginess.

    As you are here, you will like my other lentils and beans recipes.

    Kidney beans and veggies soup

    Chickpea coconut curry

    One-pot lentils and rice

    Have you tried this recipe? Provide your feedback by giving a star rating and/or leaving comments. And don't forget to share the recipe with others on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.

    Recipe

    potato lentil kale soup in a bowl

    Easy potato lentil soup with kale (Instant pot & stovetop)

    By: Sravanthi Chanda
    This potato lentil soup with kale is a wholesome and comforting meal on any day. With simple pantry ingredients and detailed instant pot and stove top instructions, you can make a delicious meal easily at home

    Rate this recipe by clicking the stars!

    4.41 from 22 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine Global
    Servings 4
    Calories 282 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot
    • Dutch oven
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    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup brown lentils
    • 3.5 cups water
    • ½ lbs potato around 2 cups chopped potatoes
    • 2 cups kale chopped
    • 1 cup chopped tomato
    • ½ cup onion chopped
    • ½ teaspoon garlic finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon ginger finely chopped
    • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1.5 teaspoon salt adjust according to your taste

    Instructions
     

    Prep work

    • Wash the lentils once or twice with clean water. Drain and keep it aside.
    • Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, and other veggies if you use them.
    • Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into 1 to 1.5-inch cubes.

    Instant pot Instructions

    • Start Instant pot in saute mode.
    • Once it is hot, add oil, chopped ginger, garlic, onions, and bay leaves.
    • Saute the onions for a couple of minutes and add chopped tomatoes.
    • Let the tomatoes soften a bit and add spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, dried thyme, ground cumin, coriander powder, and salt. Stir everything well.
    • Now add potato cubes, lentils and mix them once.
    • To this potato lentils mixture, add water and give a good stir. You can check the salt at this stage and adjust it as required.
    • Stop the Instant pot saute mode and close it with its lid. Then, seal the vent and start the instant pot again in manual or pressure cook mode. Cook it for 10 minutes on high pressure. 
    • Once the instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure. 
    • To this lentil soup, add chopped kale and stir it well.
    • Close the instant pot with its lid and let it sit for ten more minutes. The residual heat will cook the kale. Or you can start instant pot in saute mode and let it cook for a couple of more minutes.
    • Absolutely delicious Instant pot lentil soup is ready to serve!

    Stovetop Instructions

    • Heat a thick-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
    • Add oil, bay leaf, finely chopped garlic, ginger, onions, and saute them for 3 to 4 minutes.
    • To this sauteed onions, add finely chopped tomatoes and let them soften a bit.
    • Add spice powders - ground cumin, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, dried thyme, and salt to the tomato mixture and mix it well.
    • Then goes the potato cubes, lentils and stir it well.
    • Add water and cook the lentils over medium heat for around 30 to 35 minutes. Stir the soup in between for even cooking every 10 minutes or so.
    • By this time, potatoes will also cook thoroughly. If not, you can simmer for a few more minutes.
    • Now add chopped kale and simmer for a couple of more minutes. The hearty kale lentil potato soup is ready to serve!

    Notes

    Nutrition values are my rough estimates. Please feel free to use your calculator if you rely on them for your diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 16gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 993mgPotassium: 1021mgFiber: 17gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3522IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 6mg
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    Comments

    1. Megan says

      December 11, 2023 at 12:01 am

      5 stars
      Awesome soup - I love my Instant Pot but didn’t know how to add the kale, because I prefer it a bit al dente. Love just putting it in after the pressure cooker step and letting it cook gently! I added turmeric and cumin to give it some additional warmth and spice. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. srimayyia says

      September 01, 2022 at 3:00 pm

      5 stars
      A great recipe.I loved it. Keep Sharing.

      Reply
    3. celia lavalle says

      March 13, 2022 at 8:19 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! the whole family loved it.

      Reply
      • Sravanthi says

        March 14, 2022 at 8:05 am

        I am so glad you all loved it 🙂 Thank you for sharing the feedback.

        Reply
    4. Michelle says

      March 13, 2022 at 6:26 am

      5 stars
      Thank you, Sravanthi! This was delicious and so filling on a cold winter day here in New Jersey, USA. Namaste!

      Reply
      • Sravanthi says

        March 14, 2022 at 8:06 am

        My pleasure 🙂 Thank you for sharing the feedback, Michelle 🙂 Namaste 🙂

        Reply
    5. Liza says

      December 26, 2021 at 9:40 pm

      4 stars
      Lovely hearty soup, thank you.
      You forgot to list the ginger and garlic in the ingredients though.

      Reply
      • Sravanthi says

        March 12, 2022 at 8:30 am

        Thank you so much Liza. I have updated the recipe.

        Reply
    4.41 from 22 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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    Sravanthi Chanda author of everydaynourishingfoods

    I'm Sravanthi Chanda and I share Indian lunch and dinner recipes on my blog. These easy-to-follow recipes are made from scratch using fresh ingredients and come with step-by-step photos, perfect for family meals.

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