This easy instant pot lentil soup with sausage recipe makes for a tasty lunch or even dinner on busy weeknights. The Italian sausage along with the veggies and spices make for a flavorful hearty soup that’s more like a meal in a bowl. And when using the pressure cooker it takes little hands on time to make but you can also make it in the slow cooker.
You might also like these spicy Mexican red lentils recipe.

I’ve been really loving my Instant Pot lately. I was looking through the recipe book that came with it and saw how easy it was to cook beans and thought I’d give it a shot with lentils too.
Then I remembered a lentil soup recipe my friend Mary used to make years ago. I didn’t have the recipe but I thought it had tomatoes and sausage so I came up with this easy Instant Pot lentil soup with sausage.
This lentil soup is one of the best soups I’ve ever made. The flavorful broth is so rich and tasty and the vegetables just melt away while the lentils give it substance without being mushy. It definitely could be a meal in of itself. And it’s low calorie (189 calories), high fiber (8.8 grams) and high protein (13.5 grams)!
Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.
This soup is full of healthy ingredients. I used olive oil, carrots, onions, celery, canned tomatoes, fresh baby spinach, mushrooms, fresh garlic cloves, brown lentils, beef or chicken broth, salt, black pepper and Italian sausage.
Italian Sausage
I used sweet Italian pork sausage because I love how flavorful it is with all those spices in it. You could use the hot variety if you like some heat or you could also use breakfast sausage in a roll. And while I used links and took off the casings if you can find it loose bulk sausage and not in links that would be easier. Also note I used raw sausage and not cooked sausage.
Dry Lentils
While I used brown lentils, you could also use green lentils. Above you can see all the different colors of lentils that are out there, however you don’t want to use red or yellow as they will dissolve in the pressure cooker. Just use green or brown which are the most readily available in grocery stores.
Vegetables
I use onions, carrots and celery in most of my soups and the fresh spinach and fresh mushrooms were to add color and texture. You could add other veggies like bell peppers, peas or zucchini if you want or eliminate the spinach or mushrooms but I would keep the onion, carrot and celery.
Canned Tomatoes
I used fire roasted tomatoes in this recipe to give it a little more flavor but you can use just regular diced canned tomatoes. You could use fresh tomatoes like plum tomatoes which are heartier but canned is more convenient.
Also if you are vegetarian, you can skip the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth. I would add a few extra spices though. I have a homemade Italian sausage post and the seasonings I would add to create that flavor is fennel seeds, salt, black pepper, paprika, hot pepper flakes and Italian seasonings. you can also check the spices in this low carb veggie soup where I use these spices to add tons of flavor to the vegetables.
About the Instant Pot.
In case you are wondering about the Instant Pot, it’s a pressure cooker that you can also use to saute, slow cook, make yogurt, cook rice, etc. It’s very useful for making soups, stews and many other things.
I have quite a few Instant Pot recipes so check them out if you are interested.
How to make Instant Pot lentil soup with sausage.
Note I’ve added a video in the recipe card of this post to show you how easy this recipe is in the Instant Pot.
Step 1: Press saute function button on the Instant Pot and increase the temperature with the + button and get it nice and hot. Pour in the olive oil and then the onion, carrots and celery to pot. Saute for a couple of minutes to soften them.
Step 2: Next take off the casings off the sausage links and break it up into little pieces with a wooden spoon. Then add to the pot and brown sausage for a few minutes.
Step 3: Lastly rinse lentils with water and add to the pot along with in the rest of the ingredients (crushed garlic, spices, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and broth) and stir. Hit the cancel button and then put on the lid on. Push the pressure valve to the back to seal. Then press the manual button for 25 minutes.
Step 4: When time is up, turn the valve to back to vent. This is a quick release of pressure. When it’s finally done letting the steam come out, take off the lid and serve.
You can garnish this soup with fresh parsley or even add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and hot pepper flakes if you want some more heat.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. If you plan to freeze it, let it cool before placing in the freezer where it will keep for 3-6 months.Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
This lentil sausage soup is a very hearty soup and you can eat it with slices of crusty bread or just a nice green salad. It also freezes well so you can use it in your meal planning or prep.
You can also make this soup in a slow cooker.
You basically make this the same way in the slow cooker or crock pot. You can either brown the sausage and vegetables a bit first or just throw everything in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Cooking time may vary.
If you like lentils or just lentil soup, you have to give this recipe a shot. This pressure cooker sausage lentil soup so tasty I wish I would have made more. It’s pure comfort food to me. I like to have some in the freezer for a cold days. Enjoy!
If you like soup here are more delicious recipes to try.
The nutrition for 1 serving is: 189 calories
5.1g fat / 22.3g carbs / 8.8g fiber / 12.1g protein = 13.5g net carbs
Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage
This easy instant pot lentil soup with sausage is a tasty, hearty soup that's more like a meal in a bowl. Easy to make in the pressure cooker this soup is also low calorie, high fiber and high protein!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 large stalk of celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 5 large mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups of broth or stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
- ½ pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup brown lentils, dry
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 15 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes (regular diced work too)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Press saute button on the Instant Pot and increase the temperature by pressing the + button to high. When it's nice and hot pour in the olive oil and then the onion, carrots and celery. Saute for a few minutes to soften.
- Take the casings off the sausage and to the pot. Break up the sausage into small pieces and brown for about 3 minutes.
- Rinse lentils and athen add in the rest of the ingredients and stir. Hit the cancel button then secure the lid and push the lever to the back to pressure cook.
- Press the manual button for 25 minutes. When time is up, push the valve to vent for a quick pressure release. Take off the lid and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
- This soup freezes well too. You can also garnish this soup with fresh parsley or even add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and hot pepper flakes if you want some more heat.
Notes
The nutrition for 1 serving is: 189 calories
5.1g fat / 22.3g carbs / 8.8g fiber / 12.1g protein = 13.5g net carbs
While I used brown lentils, you could also use green lentils. Also while I used beef broth, you could also use chicken broth. If you want to add a little heat, you can try some hot pepper flakes too.
Or you could make it a vegetarian meal but eliminating the sausage and using vegetable broth. However I would add some extra seasonings to mimic the flavor. Use a bit of these spices: fennel seeds, paprika, hot pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Libby
Can it be easily reduced in half – I am thinking of getting a 3-quart IP.
Denise
Hi Libby I can’t see why it wouldn’t work but I’ve never tried it. Also you could freeze it. I’ve frozen lentil dishes it’s it’s been fine. Good luck!
Mary
I made this soup tonight with spicy italian sausage and it was a hit with my husband who is very picky! Looking forward to adding this to our fall/winter dinner rotation!
Denise
Hi Mary, so glad you liked this. This is an old recipe that I need to redo. Thanks for reminding me as I really liked it but forgot about it!
Evelyn Syvertsen
Just got an instant pot for Christmas. So far this is absolutely my favorite recipe. My husband is a lot pickier than me and he loves it too. A real keeper!
Denise
So glad you liked it Evelyn! I haven’t made this for awhile and you reminded me how much I liked it. So glad you hubby liked it too.
Carol
Love this soup! It’s quick, simple to make, healthy and delicious. One of my favorites. Thank you!
Denise
Hi Carol, so glad you like it!
Julie Beun
We are so in love with this soup!,
Denise
Hi Julie,
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for coming back and commenting …. I really appreciate it!
Rachel
I made this tonight and added oregano, basil, parsley, all dried and garlic powder (in addition to fresh garlic), plus a little bit of crushed red pepper. The spices enhanced the dish. I also used the can from the tomatoes to add a can of water. It needed more liquid.
Denise
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for sharing your tips! I’m glad you liked it and I’ll have to try the added spices.
Bev
This does look wonderful. From the comments it is. I need to make for a group of people. Can I double the recipe? I have not used my Instant Pot yet and this will be my first time. Thank you in advance.
Denise
Hi Bev, I don’t see why you should have any problem. You just have to make sure you don’t go past the maximum fill line inside your pot. Not sure how big your instant Pot is but if it doesn’t seem to be going higher than that line you should be ok. Good luck!
Kerrigan
Any ideas on how to make this with pre- steamed lentils? I was thinking about adding it after cooking but wasn’t sure how the absorption is affected.
Denise
Hi Kerrigan,
I have never tried this with cooked lentils but here are my thoughts. You are mostly cooking this soup soup to get the lentils cooked so I would say cut the cooking time down to about 10 minutes and then add the lentils. Let it simmer for a few minutes and it should be fine. However I am just guessing. Hope that helps!
Kerrigan
Hello!
Does anyone have ideas how I could alter the recipe with pre-steamed lentils from trader joes? I was thinking about adding them in at the end but not sure how it would affect absorption etc. Thanks!
Jolina
I like how we can make this in our slow cooker too. We don’t have an instant pot (yet!). Also that it freezes well. Perfect for the crisp fall days coming our way!
Denise
Yes you can make this in a slow cooker or just on the stove top if you like!
Marisa Franca
We’ve just recently discovered how much we love lentils. I don’t know what took us so long. Now adding the sausage to the soup I can imagine how rich and flavorful the soup is. We don’t have an Instant Pot yet but I bet I could take your ingredients and just make them in our Dutch oven or even our slow cooker.Can’t wait to make it.
Denise
That would work just as good Marisa! Thanks for stopping by!
Veena Azmanov
Oh I love lentils and sausages and making it in an instant post sounds so perfect. I love how simple and easy this recipe is. The best thing about cooler weather is the soups you get to eat almost every day. I need to try this one soon. Yum.
Denise
I hope you like it Veena! It’s very easy in the Instant Pot.
Andie
Soup season is upon us and this soup really hits the spot! Very hearty, comforting, and nutritious. I add a little extra chunky veggies (to help them hold up to the 25 minutes of pressure cooking) and sausage. I also only had kale so substituted that for spinach. My whole family loves this soup! ❤️🍲
Denise
Hi Andie, so glad you liked it. I’m all for adding more veggies to a soup!
Gloria
I will be the first to admit I HATE (yes I know that is a strong word) the COLD weather. I am already dreading it…last year it lasted for 6 months!! However, comfort food season in my opinion is one of the most delicious. If I can wrap my hands around a bowl of goodness, it makes me a happy girl. This soup is pefect for comfort food season.
Denise
I love the first snowfall…then it’s down hill from there. 😉 This soup does make it easier!
Ro Ma
Hi Denise,
I just tried this great recipe and both my wife and I loved it (I’m the Instant Pot cooker in my family). It has earned its way onto my VGDA (very good do again) list.
No changes are necessary, but some ingredient alternatives can be considered if not all the ingredients available:
– Kale can be used in place of spinach.
– A mix of mushrooms will work if you don’t have enough of one kind; I used white button, cremini and shiitake mushrooms and they came out just fine. (Using a few extra mushrooms doesn’t hurt.)
– I used beef broth/stock, but I think chicken broth/stock would work in a pinch. (I use the Instant Pot to make my own broths, but store-bought works fine as long as it’s not too salty.)
– I doubled the carrots and celery, which bulked up the soup and tasted great. The extra carrots also provided a boost of color contrast.
– I used mild Italian sausage, pre-ground, which I broke into smaller pieces for cooking. If some of those dining like more heat, offer red pepper flakes on the side.
Thanks again for the wonderful recipe.
Denise
Hi Ro Ma,
Thanks for all the tips! I’m sure my readers (and me) will love to mix it up a bit. So glad you liked it!
Margo
Would it be ok to double this in the Instant pot? Would I just double the cook time? Thanks!
Denise
Hi Margo, I think you use the same cooking time, it may just take longer to come up to pressure because you have more in the pot. However make sure you do not fill over the max line or 2/3rds of the way full. Here’s a good article about doubling pressure cooker recipes. https://www.hippressurecooking.com/how-to-double-a-pressure-cooker-recipe/
Courtney
I made this today and it was delicious. I mean reallllly good stuff!!! Insanely easy to make too!
As an unexpected bonus my one year old slammed her face into it too and loved it!
Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Courtney
Denise
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I’m so glad you liked it and your comment about your baby made me laugh out loud!
Karen
I made this tonight with ground sausage and I added some Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. I also used chicken stock (that I made last week after making a roasted chicken in my Instant Pot). And I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes. It was SO GOOD! I can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow!
Denise
Karen,
I’m so glad you liked it! I think the sausage gives it so much flavor. I’ll have to try the fire roasted tomatoes next time.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Erin
Would it be ok if I just sliced the sausage instead of removing the casings?
Denise
Sure. I just like it when it’s more like ground beef but no problem just slicing it.
Danielle
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe and quick and easy too! I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top right before serving. Thank you for this great recipe! Loved it!
Denise
So glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Karen
What size of can for the tomatoes?
Denise
Hi Karen,
It’s the regular size 15 oz can of tomatoes.
I’ll go and fix the recipe. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
I hope you enjoy it.
Karen
Thanks for the quick response! Made it for supper tonight and it was delicious!
Denise
I’m so glad Karen!
Rachel
Are you using dried lentils?
Denise
Hi Rachel,
Yes I used dry lentils. I should jot that down in the recipe.
Thanks for pointing that out!
Jack B.
Hi Denise,
Do you have suggestions for substituting sausage? Would chicken work? We have to watch our sodium intake.
Thanks so much!
Jack
Denise
That’s a good question Jack. To me the flavor adds so much sausage. I think you can use any meat product (ground turkey, chicken, pork, beef) and while you are browning it, add a few more spices that would be in Italian sausage (paprika, pepper, Italian seasonings, cayenne, pepper flakes, garlic, fennel seed) I have a post where I make my own Italian sausage if that helps with the seasonings. Good luck and keep me posted!
Holly
I use chicken sausage cut into rounds. They have them at Aldi with spinach and feta or tomato and basil. Love it!
Denise
Sounds like I great idea! I have bought them too….I’m a huge Aldi fan!
Patti
This was fabulous, thanks! I made changes, not having mushrooms or spinach, I used more carrots and onions to make up for less veggies, also chicken stock and split red lentils. Next time I hope I have sausage, but I will say two slices diced quality bacon added to the onion on saute added just a touch of extra flavor.
Denise
That all sounds great Patti! You are making me hungry. I agree that the bacon and onions would add some good flavor. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Susan G
Delicious recipe! I used some leftover grilled brats, added a cubed sweet potato, used split red lentils, and used chicken stock but did everything else the same. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Denise
Thanks for taking the time to comment and I love your changes!
Joelle
Did you ever post the recipe for mudjudrah? That sounds amazing!!!! I’d love to know when you do!
Denise
I have not! I will someday though.
Sarah @ Girl Adulting
Yesss, lentil & sausage soup is honestly one of my go-to’s during the winter, but I so often get bored with my own recipe. This looks divine. I love the addition of mushrooms!
Denise
I hope you will give it a try Sarah!
Alison
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it out!
Denise
Thanks Alison! I think you will really like it!
Jonny
Do we just put dried lentils in the pot?
Denise
Hi Jonny,
Yes I just used dry lentils and add them to the pot. The pressure cooker will cook them quickly along with the vegetables.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Kim Tate
Are there any nutrition facts for this recepie? It states low-carb but nutrition facts would be nice
Denise
Hi Kim,
I’m sorry for the confusion but this is not a low carb recipe. Most of my recipes are but this is an older one and I did not do many low carb recipes back then. Here is the nutritional information based on 6 servings and I added to the recipe page too.
Again, sorry if this was confusing in any way. Please let me know if you have any questions.
189 cals / 5.1g fat / 22.3g carbs / 8.8g fiber / 12.1g protein = 13.5g net carbs