If you are looking for a bowl of healthy, comforting soup, this recipe for Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is for you! It is hearty, healthy, and full of incredible flavor thanks to a few ingredients! Made in just over 30 minutes, this plant based instant pot recipe is a must make meatless meal!
Serve up this Vegetable Soup with some Dutch Oven Bread and a Spinach Avocado Salad for a delicious healthy meal the whole family will enjoy!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup has always been a soup I either LOVE or HATE.
Depending on how the soup is prepared and flavored, Veggie Soup is either incredibly full of flavor and hearty, or it is bland, watery, and boring.
I have a few secrets that help develop the most incredible Vegetable Soup, and it is prepared easily in the Instant Pot.
There is nothing fancy, no odd ingredients, and you can probably have all the ingredients needed right now to make this Vegetable Soup. My secret is to add in a bit of red wine, spices, and balsamic vinegar to add depth and flavor to an otherwise simple soup recipe.
It is a delicious plant-based recipe that makes a perfect meatless meal or healthy lunch!
Key Ingredients
- Vegetable Broth--I use my homemade vegetable broth. It is SO incredibly flavorful and easy to make. It really adds to the flavor of this simple soup. But feel free to use your favorite store-bought vegetable broth.
- Red Wine--A bit of wine really adds dimension to this recipe. I use a dry red wine such as a Merlot or Cabernet. If you don't drink, feel free to omit.
- Vegetables--This soup is full of vegetables. The base is built with onions and celery, but also features green beans, carrots, and potatoes are added to the soup. Feel free to add corn if desired.
- Diced Tomatoes--I love to use Italian seasoned diced tomatoes for extra flavor. If you use regular diced tomatoes, I would add additional garlic and oregano.
- Spices--Garlic, oregano, and a bay leaf add flavor to this simple Veggie Soup. They all work together to bring out the flavors of the vegetables and complement the vegetable broth.
- Greens--I finish this soup with baby kale or spinach to add a hefty dose of nutrients. If you have super picky eaters, feel free to skip adding the greens. My husband NEVER complains if I omit them! HA!
- Vinegar--This may sound like an odd addition, but trust me. By finishing this soup with a bit of balsamic vinegar, your palate is open and the flavors really pop in your mouth. It is a secret addition that makes this soup out of this world!
How to Make Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot
This soup is SUPER simple to make. The hardest part is chopping the veggies! It comes together with just a few steps and thanks to the Instant Pot, this Vegetable Soup develops really rich flavors in a very short amount of time.
The first step to preparing this soup is to saute the vegetables. Hit the saute function on the Instant Pot and let it heat up for a minute. Some models will read HOT, once heated, but it only takes a couple of minutes for the instant pot to heat up. Once heated, add in the olive oil, celery, and onions and saute until the onion is just beginning to soften, then add in the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds longer. You don't want to saute the garlic too long, or it will cause your garlic to burn and ruin the soup.
Next, add in the wine and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot--this helps prevent a burn warning. Let the wine simmer for just a minute and then turn off the Instant Pot. Add in the vegetable broth, vegetables, diced tomatoes, and seasonings.
Once the soup is prepared, place the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure your vent knob is sealed. Set cook time for 5 minutes.
After cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. This is really important. If you try to release pressure before 15 minutes have passed, the hot liquid will spew out of your vent knob and make a mess and potentially burn yourself.
After pressure has been released, stir in greens and vinegar and just let the greens wilt--this takes just a minute or two. Then serve up this soup and be prepared to be blown away with how good this simple, economical vegetable soup tastes!
More Plant-Based Instant Pot Recipes
- Cauliflower Tikka Masala
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Instant Pot Rice and Beans
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely minced
- 2 ribs celery finely minced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup dry red wine optional
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon oregano seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into coins
- 1 cup fresh green beans cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, Italian flavor
- 1 cup finely chopped baby kale or spinach
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute mode. Add onion and celery, cook and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add in red wine, and let cook for one minute. Turn Instant Pot OFF.
- Add in vegetable broth and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add in potatoes, carrots, green beans, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, and bay leaves and stir.
- Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes
- Stir in greens and balsamic vinegar and let sit in the inner pot until greens just wilt.
- Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- If using a 3 quart pressure cooker, this recipe would need to be cut in half. It can be doubled in an 8 or 10 quart instant pot.
- For the red wine, use a dry red wine such as a Merlot or Cabernet.
- For the potatoes, you can use red potatoes, gold potatoes, or russet potatoes.
- If you use regular diced tomatoes, I would add in an additional ½ teaspoon minced garlic and ½ teaspoon oregano.
- Feel free to add in 1 cup of frozen corn as well to this soup if desired (add with the green beans, carrots, and potatoes.)
- If you don't have balsamic vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar in it's place.
- Do not be tempted to release pressure before 15 minutes has elapsed after cook time passes. This can result in a huge mess, as hot liquid will spray from vent knob.
- If you prefer to cook without oil, use a bit of vegetable stock in place of the olive oil to saute the garlic and onions in.
MarySue
Delicious
Felicia
WHat if I want to make this recipe for 12 people? I see I can change the servings, thus the ingredient amounts, but how does that affect cooking in the Instapot? I'm new at the Instapot use. Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Felicia, the cook time will remain the same regardless of increasing the ingredients. Just keep in mind that not to fill the inner pot more than 2/3rd of the way full when making soup (there needs to be room for pressure to build) and that it will take longer for pressure to be reached and to be released. Enjoy!!
Doug Smith
We love this recipe! The only change we made is to add a couple of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (and a little of the sauce). Gives it just a little heat!
Kristen Chidsey
What a great addition for heat! Thanks for sharing Doug!
Denise Hudson
I had a craving for vegetable soup and this recipe sounded good. OMG it is delicious! I will never buy canned soup again. So much flavor and versatile. I did not have corn or wine, but all other items were in my fridge. Next time I will add wine and maybe meat
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed so much Denise! Thanks for sharing!
Lynn
Just like I make, except for the herbs and balsamic. Can’t wait to try this! I would love to freeze some of this for future lunches and week night suppers. Do you know which kind of potatoes will not turn watery when frozen?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lynn! I am excited for you to try this! I typically don't suggest freezing soups with potatoes, but using waxy potatoes, such as fingerling or new potatoes, would be the best option if you do want to freeze the soup. I have in the past and it worked well for me. Enjoy!
jennifer self
This is my go- to vegetable soup recipe-- My whole family loves it with some cornbread! I always make a double batch and freeze some. I and usually add some protein when I reheat (ground beef or sausage, or leftover rotisserie chicken). I sometimes even use canned potatoes :o, or white beans or pasta instead of potatoes. it It's perfect for taking to someone in need of a meal since the base gluten and dairy free, and vegetarian, but also tasty and comforting.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you and your family enjoy this so much, Jennifer!