This easy vegan friendly vegetable soup is something that you must try this winter. It is light, nutritious and tasty. And here is the good part- this healthy soup takes just 15 minutes to put together. Honestly, it is almost as simple as dump everything into the Instant Pot, sit back and relax.
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May it be winter or any other season, my family loves soups for dinner. My little one loves hearty soups like these. A lot of texture and flavor, apparently. Here is why you should try this flavorsome soup-
- Vegan friendly.
- Gluten free recipe.
- Lots of veggies. Lots of colors.
- You can make this a low calorie soup in the blink of an eye.
- Batch-cooking and freezer friendly meal.
- Above all, you can make this in less than 15 minutes.
Jump to:
You probably have all of the ingredients needed for this soup. While most of them are pantry staples, the veggies and herbs can be adjusted based on what you have on hand.
Most vegetable soup recipes call for using tomato. But this one uses no form of tomatoes. Delicious, nevertheless.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – for sautéing the vegetables.
- Ginger and garlic– for flavor and Umami.
- Onions- I have used white onions but purple or red ones work really well too.
- Lime leaves and lemon grass- for an Asian twist. If you cannot source lime leaves, use lime zest. Substitute fresh lemon grass stalks with 1/2 tsp dried lemon grass.
- Bell pepper- for the crunch and flavor.
- Vegetables- like carrots, corn, beans, celery, leeks, spring onions and cabbage.
- Water or broth- I ran out of broth the day I made and shot this. But trust me, using vegetable broth makes this recipe incredibly yum.
- Salt and pepper
- Corn starch slurry- to thicken the soup.
- Cilantro-for garnish. Use parsley if you think cilantro feels like soap or you just don’t have it on hand.
As a person who experiments with food, I prefer recipes to be adaptable or easily customizable based on local produce. So here are some variations for this recipe.
Variations
- More Asian twists- Stir in some white miso and soy sauce for a pronounced Umami factor. You will need 1 tsp white miso and 1 tbsp light soy sauce for this recipe.
- Great for clearing out fridge scraps- I love this soup because it is so versatile. Feel free to add vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, squash, broccoli or Bok Choy to this recipe.
- Different ways to season- bored of pepper as seasoning? Try lime and chili seasoning for a change.
- Stir in some cooked pasta- short pasta like elbow, orzo, Rotelle and Ziti work well here. I will not recommend cooking the pasta along with the soup because the timings will vary to a great extent.
- Include some beans like cooked chickpeas or navy beans for more protein in the soup.
- Add some tomatoes, if you must. This is a tomato-free soup. However, you can add 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes if you desire to this soup. In case you are adding tomatoes, you can skip the corn starch slurry.
- Use frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones to cut down on prep time. This hack has saved me hours of standing in the kitchen. Economical and easy to find, frozen veggies are a must have in everyone’s pantry.
Low calorie soup with vegetables (detox version)
Counting calories? Fret not. I have you covered. You can make this soup without any oil.
Insert your inner pot into the Instant Pot. DO NOT PLUG IT IN. Simply dump the ginger, garlic, onions, bell pepper, lime leaves, lemon grass, salt, veggies and water along with ground pepper.
Stir well to combine, scraping down any vegetable bits stuck to the sides of the pot.
Now, close the Instant Pot and turn the VALVE to SEALING. Plug in, press PRESSURE COOK- HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 2 minutes.
Allow cooking cycle to complete. Wait for 10 minutes NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE. When done, open, stir well, finish with cilantro and serve hot.
Serving suggestions
Initially, my daughter never took to soups. It took me a while to figure out that she didn’t find it interesting enough. Over the years, I have learned how to make soup exciting.
Here is how-
- Add some croutons as toppings. Kids love it! Use gluten free bread croutons if you are looking for a GF option.
- Or garnish with some spiced roasted chickpeas– more protein and texture.
- Roasted nuts like almonds or cashews work fabulously as toppings too.
- Try popped quinoa in different flavors as toppings, for a guilt-free treat.
Shelf life, freezing and storage
This soup keeps well in the fridge for 3 days, when stored in a clean air tight container. To reheat, bring to room temperature and gently heat in a sauce pan till hot.
Freeze leftover soup in 1.5 cup portions after it has completely cooled down. Frozen vegetable soup keeps well for 2 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge. Transfer to a sauce pan and reheat on gentle flame. Alternatively, you can microwave thawed soup on high power for 1 to 2 minutes.
Never refreeze after thawing any frozen food.
Recipe Notes
- The pressure cooking time for this soup is just 2 minutes because we want the veggies to have that crunch but still be cooked. Please do not increase the cooking time.
- Fish out and discard the lime leaves and lemon grass before serving. I recommend this, especially if you are serving it to kids.
- If you find the soup too thick, add 1/2 cup more water to adjust the consistency.
More Instant Pot Soups
Method
Prep work
Chop all the vegetables. Gather the remaining ingredients and set aside.
Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot. Plug in and press SAUTE-NORMAL and set the timer to 8 minutes.
Steps 1 and 2
When the display reads HOT, add the olive oil. After 30 seconds, tip in the garlic and ginger.
Steps 3 and 4
Now, add the onions and stir to combine. Cook till onions are soft and translucent.
Steps 5 and 6
At this stage, add the lime leaves and lemon grass. Give a quick stir and tip in the finely chopped bell peppers.
Steps 7 and 8
Saute for 30 to 40 seconds and immediately, add the remaining chopped vegetables ( carrots, beans, corn, cabbage, celery, leek, spring onions or any other vegetables you use).
Steps 9 and 10
Stir well to combine. Add water and salt. Mix well.
Steps 11 and 12
Finish with ground pepper. Press CANCEL.
Ensure that the sealing has been fitted properly into the Instant Pot lid. Close the Instant Pot and set the VALVE to SEALING.
Press PRESSURE COOK- HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 2 minutes. Wait for the cooking cycle to be complete.
When cooking cycle has completed, do a QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE after 5 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.
All this means is that you don’t do anything for the first 5 minutes after the cooking cycle has completed. When 5 minutes are up, turn the VALVE to VENTING carefully.
Steps 13 and 14
Open the lid and give everything a stir. Add the corn starch slurry and mix well. Press SAUTE- NORMAL and set the timer to 3 minutes.
You will see that the soup begins to thicken as it simmers in SAUTE mode. Wait for the SAUTE cycle to complete.
When done, finish with finely chopped cilantro. Serve hot.
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- 1 six quart Instant Pot
- 1 chopping board
- 1 set of knives
- 1 set of measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 2 lime leaves
- 2 inches lemon grass stalks
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup shredded Beijing cabbage or Napa cabbage
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels
- 1 cup chopped green beans
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped leeks
- 2 tbsp chopped spring onion whites
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups water
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
Prep work
- Chop all the vegetables. Gather the remaining ingredients and set aside.
How to make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup?
- Insert the inner pot into the Instant Pot. Plug in and press SAUTE-NORMAL and set the timer to 8 minutes.
- When the display reads HOT, add the olive oil. After 30 seconds, tip in the garlic and ginger.
- Now, add the onions and stir to combine. Cook till onions are soft and translucent.
- At this stage, add the lime leaves and lemon grass. Give a quick stir and tip in the finely chopped bell peppers.
- Saute for 30 to 40 seconds and immediately, add the remaining chopped vegetables ( carrots, beans, corn, cabbage, celery, leek, spring onions or any other vegetables you use).
- Stir well to combine. Add water and salt. Mix well. Finish with ground pepper. Press CANCEL.
- Ensure that the sealing has been fitted properly into the Instant Pot lid. Close the Instant Pot and set the VALVE to SEALING.
- Press PRESSURE COOK- HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 2 minutes. Wait for the cooking cycle to be complete.
- When cooking cycle has completed, do a QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE after 5 minutes of NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.
- All this means is that you don't do anything for the first 5 minutes after the cooking cycle has completed. When 5 minutes are up, turn the VALVE to VENTING carefully.
- Open the lid and give everything a stir. Add the corn starch slurry and mix well. Press SAUTE- NORMAL and set the timer to 3 minutes.
- You will see that the soup begins to thicken as it simmers in SAUTE mode. Wait for the SAUTE cycle to complete.
- When done, finish with finely chopped cilantro. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- The pressure cooking time for this soup is just 2 minutes because we want the veggies to have that crunch but still be cooked. Please do not increase the cooking time.
- Fish out and discard the lime leaves and lemon grass before serving. I recommend this, especially if you are serving it to kids.
- If you find the soup too thick, add 1/2 cup more water to adjust the consistency.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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