Here’s how to cook Instant Pot Lentils, using green, brown, black, or red lentils. Instant Pot lentils are an easy way to add plant-based protein to any meal, and most varieties cook in just 9 minutes or less. Below you’ll learn how to cook red, green, brown, and black lentils in your pressure cooker for perfect results every time. How to Instant pot lentils Lentils in the Instant Pot To cook lentils in the Instant Pot, you’ll simply combine dry lentils and water.
What I love about using an electric pressure cooker, is that you don’t have to wait for a pot of water to come to a boil first, and you don’t have to keep an eye on the pot as the lentils cook to perfection. The cooking process is completely hands-off! 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. 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. 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.
Do Lentils Need to Be Soaked? Lentils are quick-cooking and do not need to be soaked before you get started. 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 you’ll find some easy ways to serve the pre-cooked lentils.
To cook the lentils as part of a complete recipe, here are some easy recipe ideas to help you get started. 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 Convert a Recipe for the Instant Pot When I want to make a recipe in my Instant Pot, and don’t have directions for it already, I usually look at the ingredient that will cook the longest, and use that cooking time as a starting point. For example, if I want to make Lentil Bolognese in my Instant Pot, the green lentils will determine the cook time. In that case, I’d cook the lentil-based sauce for 10 minutes under high pressure, so that the lentils are tender. I always err on the longer side of cooking lentils if they are cooking in a tomato sauce, as the acid in the tomatoes may slow down their cooking process.
Can You Cook Lentils with Salt? This is definitely the case when you cook lentils with soy sauce, so don’t add soy sauce to a recipe until after the lentils are tender. In my experience, this happens more often with pressure cooking than with stove top cooking, and it usually happens more often when an acidic ingredient is in the recipe, too, like tomatoes or lemon juice. So, keep that in mind when cooking with lentils, and add the salt at the end if you want to stay on the safe side. How to Season Lentils The recipe below will guide you on cooking plain lentils that you can use in any meal or recipe, but if you want to season them at the same time, here’s my favorite combination for a taco-inspired flavor.