This hearty and delicious Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Red Lentil Soup ticks all the boxes: healthy, vegan, gluten free and Slimming World friendly. Quick to make it in your Instant Pot or stove.
A reader and personal favourite with dozens of five star reviews! ★★★★★
Our Instant Pot has been working overtime to keep us fed and warm with a variety of curries, stews, chilis and soup – I am starting to comprehend why some people have as many as three pressure cookers on the go at once.
And I have a new soup obsession – Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Red Lentil Soup. OMG it is so good that even my husband who thinks soup ‘is not food’ came around. Have made this baby twice in less than a week, that’s how yummy it is. 😋
I debated quite a bit about what to name it before coming up with this mouthful of a title… Is it a sweet potato soup? Yes… But it is also a red lentil soup AND a chickpea soup and so all three had to take top billing in the end. Count your lucky stars I didn’t add any more ingredients!
Here’s why it’s a must make
- It is simply packed with plant-based power and goodness
- Low in calories but hearty and satisfying
- Vegan and gluten-free
- Budget conscious with easy to find purse-friendly ingredients
- Cooks in 10 minutes in a pressure cooker or 30 minutes on the stove
- FREE on the Slimming World plan provided you replace the oil with a cooking spray (such as Fry Light).
- Suitable for freezing (see tips)
Instant Pot method
STEP 3. Now add your sweet potatoes, chickpeas, red lentils, stock and finally the chopped tomatoes.
STEP 4. Set vent to sealing and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
STEP 5. Transfer a couple of ladlefuls of the soup to a jug or a blender. The more blended soup you add the thicker the serve.
STEP 6. Blitz using an immersion stick or in your blender.
STEP 7. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and stir to combine.
STEP 8. Stir in some lemon or lime juice to add some acidity – I used 1 tablespoon.Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the soup garnished with chopped coriander (cilantro), lemon zest and a handful of crunchy seeds.
Stovetop Method
This soup is just as easy to make on your stove. Heat the oil (or use a low-calorie cooking spray for Slimming World version) in a deep pot. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. Follow steps 5-7 of the Instant Pot method.
TIPS, TRICKS AND FAQs
- This recipe straddles the line between soup and stew – it is very thick and really satisfying. If you wanted to add a bit less stock and serve it over rice or quinoa, then I say go ahead!
- You could also pack it with even more nutritious yumminess by adding some chopped spinach right before serving so that it wilts.
- Replace the sweet potato with cubed butternut squash or use a bit of both.
- Dry or cooked chickpeas: I used ready cooked (canned) chickpeas here, but you could also use dried chickpeas if you wanted. If you use dry chickpeas they will need 40 minutes cooking on high pressure if unsoaked and 25 minutes cooking if soaked overnight. On the stove, cook soaked chickpeas for 40 minutes until soft.
- Don’t forget to reserve the chickpea brine (aquafaba) – it may come in handy if you want to make vegan macarons!
- The soup will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Cool completely before storing.
Freezing instructions
If you wish to freeze the soup then cool completely, portion into suitable containers, label and use within three months.
Allow the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight or transfer to a microwave safe bowl and blast for a couple of minutes.
Break the soup up and then heat for two minutes on full power, stir and heat for another minute or until piping hot.
More Instant Pot Soups
- Pressure cooker Italian chicken soup
- Creamy vegan corn chowder
- Hearty chicken vegetable soup { vegan | Simming World }
- Instant Pot Moroccan Harira Soup { vegan | Simming World }
Have you made this recipe? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Sweet potato, chickpea and red lentil soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g (7 oz) canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger paste or finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 400 g (14 oz) canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled cut into small cubes
- 200 g (1 cup) dry split red lentils rinsed and drained
- 1.2 litre (5 cups) vegetable stock (broth)
- Lemon juice to taste
- Finely chopped coriander cilantro
- Lemon zest to garnish
- Handful mixed seeds to garnish
- Pinch dried red chilli flakes to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Heat the oil in your pressure cooker using the ‘sauté’ function. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.
- Add the spices, salt, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, chickpeas and stock and stir.
- Set vent to sealing and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then release the pressure manually.
- Stir in some lemon or lime juice to add some acidity – I used 1 tablespoon.
- Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer 2-3 ladlefuls of the soup in a blender and process until smooth, or blitz using an immersion blender. Stir this back into the soup.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed.Serve the soup garnished with chopped coriander (cilantro), lemon zest and a handful of crunchy seeds.
Stovetop Method
- Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened.
- Add the spices, salt, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, lentils, chickpeas and stock and stir.
- Bring to a rolling simmer and then reduce heat and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer 2-3 ladlefuls of the soup in a blender and process until smooth, or blitz using an immersion blender. Stir this back into the soup.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed.Serve the soup garnished with chopped coriander (cilantro), lemon zest and a handful of crunchy seeds.
Video
Notes
TIPS, TRICKS AND FAQs
- This recipe straddles the line between soup and stew – it is very thick and really satisfying. If you wanted to add a bit less stock and serve it over rice or quinoa, then I say go ahead!
- You could also pack it with even more nutritious yumminess by adding some leafy greens – stir in some chopped spinach right before serving so that it wilts.
- You can replace the sweet potato with cubed butternut squash or use a bit of both.
- Dry or cooked chickpeas: I used ready cooked (canned) chickpeas here, but you could also use dried chickpeas if you wanted. If you use dry chickpeas they will need 40 minutes cooking on high pressure if unsoaked and 25 minutes cooking if soaked overnight. On the stove, cook soaked chickpeas for 40 minutes until soft.
- Don’t forget to reserve the chickpea brine (aquafaba) – it may come in handy if you want to make vegan macarons!
- The soup will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Cool completely before storing.
- If you wish to freeze the soup then cool completely, portion into suitable containers and use within 3 months. Allow the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight or transfer to a microwave safe bowl and blast for a couple of minutes. Break the soup up and then heat for two minutes on full power, stir and heat for another minute or until piping hot.
Michelle says
Loved this! New to the instant pot and enjoying vegetarian stews. My husband, who eats meat with every meal, loved this too. I put in way more ginger than the recipe called for also as we love ginger. Thanks for the recipe!
Ro Owen says
OH YUM!!!! This was AWESOME. Will now be a regular in our household…..THANK YOU xxx 🙂
david says
what is the difference between split lentils? i cannot find split red lentils. i have split green peas, split yellow peas, and red lentils. but no split red lentils. can something else be used?
Lucy Parissi says
You can use red lentils
KT says
Absolutely delicious!! So much so I also made it twice in one week. Even had someone try it & they also are making this.
Thank you for this!
Eileen says
We loved this – it’s even better the second day when it’s marinated in the fridge overnight. REALLY good flavor!!!
Penny says
Excellent will make again I made exactly as what was listed without lemon or lime at end it’s PERFECT
Don says
Made this recipe as a first time try from the instapot. WOW!!! I cant say enough how great it turned out and it couldn’t have been easier!
Lucy Parissi says
So glad you liked it Don!
CV says
How would you prepare this in a slow cooker?
Lucy Parissi says
Yes I should think it would be fine if you cooked for 4 hours on high then check how tender the vegetables are
Intothewoodsgj3 says
Made it tonight I have been vegan only 7 months & felt very deprived or very over processed, I am getting the swing of unprocessing my diet & this Soup was a refreshingly and delightful surprise very tasty savory full of flavor and textures I loved it ❤️ & in 20 mins and it’s enough for my meal prep throughout the week win-win thank you for sharing the recipe this will be something I make over and over again
Lucy Parissi says
So glad you liked it! It is a keeper for sure!
Liz says
Made this yesterday and it’s almost gone already!! Love all the tastes together and that it is nearly fat free and loaded with fiber.
Henry Lord says
This was an excellent recipe. I did add a few veggies laying around ready to be eating. The spices made this quite tasty. I will make it again and I would recommend it.
Shelley says
I’m making tonight. Looks yummy. Sooo I’m thinking chopped Tomatos is Diced? Where I live there are no “chopped tomatoes” in cans.
I think it will work. And I’ll report back tomorrow.
😊
Lucy Parissi says
Yes that’s right 🙂
Juliette B says
So yummy and quick!!! My husband loved it. Recently switched to veggie/vegan and have been having a hard time finding quick healthy recipes. Loved this one! Added some spinach at the end, and used the whole can of chickpeas. Added some squeezed lemon with my serving too and it was delicious. Will be making this forever! Thank you so much.
Ashlee says
Do I have to soak lentils? I have never worked with lentils before but did buy a bag or dried red lentils last week.
Lucy Parissi says
You don’t have to soak red lentils, just rinse them well
Brenda Hollingsworth says
I made this on the stove last night. Super delicious. I love soup and am always looking for vegan soups with higher protein.
Cassie says
Made this for my meat loving parents and they absolutely loved it! My 2 year did as well – kept taking the leftover jar from me 🙂
I added a few handfuls of chopped spinach and kale after pressure release and closed the lid for another 10mins. Making this again tonight so everyone in our house is excited
Lucy Parissi says
So glad you all enjoyed it Cassie!
Emily says
I made this as written, except that I used a bit of tomato paste in lieu of tomatoes because I had none on hand. It was delicious and very filling. My boyfriend has been annoyed with all of the vegetarian recipes I’ve been making lately, saying they’re boring or weird, but he loved this and went back for seconds!
Lucy Parissi says
That’s quite the endorsement Emily! SO glad you both liked it 🙂
Stephani says
This was absolutely delicious!!! My daughters and I enjoyed it for dinner and I will be making it again!
Lucy Parissi says
So glad you liked it Stephani! It’s a keeper 🙂
Doreen says
Delicious and satisfying!!!! I used the whole 14oz can of chickpeas (couldn’t find 7oz). I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you!
Dee says
This made a great stew served with brown rice.
I amped up the spices – extra ginger & garlic, some mushroom umami seasoning from Trader Joe’s, a little PickAPeppa hot sauce, a hint of cinammon. Added spinach for color when serving. Used entire 15 oz. can of chickpeas.
DH didn’t want the sweet potato in the stew, so baked it separately and the stew was fine without it.
Definitely a keeper. Thanks!