Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is a great way to make use of your pressure cooker! The soup is heart-healthy, full of flavor and ready in under 30 minutes! Plus, the entire recipe is made in the Instant Pot, so clean up is a breeze.
This Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is a warm, comforting meal that's full of veggies. It's hearty, healthy and a great excuse to bust out your Instant Pot (as is my Instant Pot Spanish rice... just saying!).
Lately, I've been playing around with my pressure cooker and figuring out the best uses for it. This article outlines a handful of common uses for the Instant Pot. Not surprisingly, one common use is soup, which I found to be super easy and intuitive.
Recipe features
- It's loaded with--wait for it--VEGETABLES, along with potatoes, making it super flavorful
- It comes together in 30 minutes total and is both gluten free and vegan
- You only need one dish (the Instant Pot) for this recipe, so clean up is a breeze
Ingredients
- Onion, garlic - An absolute must for almost any soup recipe.
- Carrots, celery, green beans - These make up the bulk of the vegetables, so I don't recommend any substitutions.
- Parsley - Fresh parsley adds even more flavor, so don't skimp on it! If you have to, you can use dried parsley. Start with 2 teaspoon and then add more as needed.
- Russet potatoes - also called Idaho potatoes. You can peel them if you want, but it's not necessary.
- Canned diced tomatoes - LOVE using fire roasted diced tomatoes because they have so much more flavor to them. In a pinch? Regular diced tomatoes work just fine, though if that's what you use, I would add ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the Instant Pot.
- Italian seasoning - 1 tablespoon may seem like a lot, but I pinky promise it's the perfect amount.
- Vegetable broth - this is a no-brainer, but you need vegetable broth in order to make vegetable soup. If you're not vegetarian, you can sub chicken broth if you prefer.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Sauté the vegetables. Add 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil to your Instant Pot, then add the onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, parsley, and Italian seasoning and press "Sauté". Sauté the vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Step 2: Pressure cook the soup. Add the potatoes, green beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Then, lock the lid in place and make sure the valve on top is on the "sealing" setting. Hit the "Pressure Cook" button (make sure it's set to high pressure) and set the timer to 10 minutes.
It will take around 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, so don't worry if it seems like nothing is happening at first.
Step 3: Naturally release the pressure. Once the 10 minutes is up, the IP will beep, and then begin a new timer to let you know that the pressure is naturally releasing. Naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes, then carefully switch the valve from "seal" to "vent", which will manually release the rest of the pressure.
Once that's done, carefully open the lid, then stir the soup before pouring it into a bowl. Do a quick taste test and add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes to taste.
Tips and FAQs
- Vegetable substitutions: If you're looking for other delicious veggies to use instead, try cauliflower, sweet potato, diced butternut squash or even diced bell pepper.
- Want to make this a creamy vegetable soup? Once it's done cooking, add a ½ cup milk (any kind!), heavy cream or half and half and stir to combine.
- Want to add some protein? Sauté ground turkey or beef after you sauté the aromatics.
- Garnish the soup with shredded parmesan cheese, lemon juice or additional fresh parsley.
Is there a preferred way to dice the potatoes?
Not necessarily. The good thing about soup is that it's pretty forgiving, and how you cut the vegetables doesn't really matter. With that said, I chose to keep the potato skins on, and then I sliced the potatoes into rounds before cutting them into fourths.
How long does this soup need to cook?
Honestly, not long. The thing about vegetables in the Instant Pot is that they cook really quickly vs. meat, which takes a little longer to fully cook. You want the vegetables to be soft, but not soggy, so 10 minutes is the perfect amount of time!
Can I use frozen vegetables?
Yes! Feel free to use frozen carrots, peas and/or frozen green beans if that's what you have on hand.Â
What should I serve with Instant Pot veggie soup?
Honestly, it's pretty delicious on its own with a slice of sourdough, cornbread or my vegan garlic bread. Other delicious options include a side of zucchini fritters, a salad like my kale and brussels sprouts salad or these air fryer chicken tenders.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Â
- Freezer: Allow the soup to cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 4 months.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating it in a saucepan over the stove. It's the quickest way, and it's a good way to make sure the heat gets evenly distributed. However, you can reheat in the microwave if you prefer.
Favorite Instant Pot Soups
More easy soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 russet potatoes diced
- 1 cup green beans cut in half
- 1 can canned diced tomatoes, fire roasted (14 oz.)
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the Instant Pot; then, add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley, and Italian seasoning. Press "sauté", then sauté everything for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables have slightly softened.
- Add potatoes, beans, tomatoes, broth, salt, and pepper, lock the lid and make sure the pressure release handle is in the "sealing" position, then set the pressure cook time to 10 minutes. It will take 10 minutes or so for the pot to fully come to pressure, then it will begin counting down from 10.
- Once the timer beeps, that means the soup is done. Allow 5 minutes for the pressure to naturally release before carefully flipping the pressure release handle to "vent" mode and manually releasing the pressure. Slowly remove the lid, stir the soup and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in September 2019. It was updated with new text in March 2023.
Shaul says
My country doesn't sell commercially-packaged vegetable (or any other kind of) broth. What did cooks do in antiquity before there was packaged broth?
Kat says
My grandmother used to make all her own vegetable broth from vegetable scraps during the week. She would cut the heads off the carrots, onion peels, tomato tops, celery tops, etc and save them in a container and then boil simmer them in water on the stove with other sauteed fresh vegetables and herbs. She made all her own beef broth and chicken broth this way as well. Hope this helps. If you have any kind of vegetable bullion that would work as well.
Diane says
I made this yesterday. Substituted a sweet potato for the regular one and omitted the tomatoes (nightshade free). I also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Still really tasty and filling. Thanks
Erin says
Thanks for the comment + substitution ideas -- I'm glad you enjoyed the soup!
Heather says
I’ve made this soup twice in one week. It’s outstanding. Followed the recipe to a T first time. I used homemade broth which I think is so much better than store bought. Second time I added a bay leaf and a can of chickpeas for protein. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes veggie soup.
Erin says
Thanks for your comment, Heather -- and LOVE the addition of chickpeas!
Arpita Patel says
love my Instant Pot and I can’t wait to make this! I eat soup all year long!
Shari says
I made this last night and my boyfriend had three bowls! He said it was well seasoned. Thank you!
Erin says
That's amazing -- glad he liked it so much!
Lisa says
This soup is very tasty! I omitted the salt, since the soup was salty enough with the broth. I was concerned that 10 minutes would not be long enough of a cooking time, but the soup came out just right. Thanks for this great Instant Pot recipe!
Katie Henry - Produce On Parade says
The pressure cooker is the best thing to has ever happened to our kitchen. I got a stovetop one as a gift around 2005 and it is the most used thing in our home! This soup looks amazing, such beautiful veggies!
Erin says
I'm so glad you're a fan! I think you'll like this soup then 🙂
Nazmin Sarker says
Hi Erin,
Your pressure cooker very helps my family cook. I love this pressure cooker. Thank you so much! Keep up the good work.
Amber Haun says
I am making this tonight! Would you increase the time if you double it? I have 6 kids so I have to double most recipes 😉
Erin says
Hi Amber! I've never tried doubling it, but this article explains how: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/ -- with that said, vegetables cook VERY quickly in the Instant Pot. You might want to try pressure cooking for only 5 minutes, and then naturally releasing for 10 minutes. That's my best guess -- please let me know how it turns out!