This Instant Pot vegetable soup is a delicious, one-pot meal made very easy by using an electric pressure cooker.
I know it’s been a while since my last recipe, but I’ve been keeping busy. I’ve spent the last few weeks helping my daughter pack for college, sitting on the board of directors of my church, helping to launch a new group for professional women in Mississippi, and adopting a dog. Now, I know that you are duly impressed by all of that, but what you really want to know about is the dog! And so…
Meet Herman!
[Sadly, Herman died suddenly January 29, 2017. This post is in memory of him.]
I first saw and fell in love with Herman on Facebook. A friend reposted his photo after it had appeared on the Facebook page of CARA–Community Animal Rescue and Adoption (the same group my daughter E volunteered for in high school). Later that day, E and I tuned in to the local news to see Herman as the Pet of the Week, and we just knew he was meant to be part of our family. We rushed to the shelter, hoping to get there before all of the crowds of people who were sure to want Herman, and we did. Herman turned out to be a sweet, joyful older dog who gets along great with cats (by “great” I mean he totally ignores them).
We were able to bring Herman home with us that day, but not before being told a few depressing truths. Herman has heartworms, and the treatment for them is not easy. He’ll have to be kept quiet for weeks–no activity that could get his heart rate up or cause him to pant. Right now, he’s having some other health issues that we’re trying to get under control before we put him through the heartworm treatment.
Herman has had a bit of a hard life. He was obviously someone’s pampered pet, but he was found close to death after having been attacked by a larger animal. The vet didn’t think he would survive, but to meet Herman is to love him, so CARA insisted on paying for his surgery and treatment. They nursed him back to health and sent him home with an adoptive family–who brought him back a few months later! We don’t know why (he is seriously the easiest dog to care for) but we’re glad because it gave us the opportunity to make him part of our family. He especially loves his sister E.
I have a lot more info and many photos of Herman on my personal Facebook page. His photo album is open to the public, so if you like Herman, you can see more of him here.
Now, about that Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Last month, Amazon had a sale on Instant Pots, and a lot of my readers purchased one through my affiliate link (THANK YOU!) I heard from a few that they were intimidated to use the IP for the first time, and they suggested I write a tutorial or do a video. Well, it’s taken me a while to get it done, but I’ve finally made a video of one of the easiest meals I make in the Instant Pot. I say “meal” because this soup has it all–vegetables, beans, and grain–and is a perfect one-pot meal. It’s a version of my Dirty Little Secret Soup, but using the Instant Pot means I can dump in all the ingredients and walk away until it beeps.
Watch How Easy It Is
Check out my video! From start to finish, it takes about an hour (less time if you use thawed vegetables), but the beauty of the Instant Pot is that you don’t have to stand over the stove, stirring and adjusting the heat. If you don’t have an IP, you can still make this soup with a little extra water, but I recommend following the Dirty Little Secret Soup recipe.
Need more Instant Pot recipes? I have over 50 of them here!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 12 ounces frozen California vegetables
- 12 ounces frozen Italian vegetables
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes fire roasted preferred
- 1 15- ounce can cannelloni beans or other white beans undrained
- 1 15- ounce can pinto beans, kidney beans, or your favorite beans undrained
- 1/4 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups boiling water
Optional
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
- 1-2 cups fresh spinach optional
- chopped fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except optional ingredients) to the Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Stir. Secure the lid and set the vent knob to Pressure. Choose Manual or High Pressure and set the time to 2 minutes (use the minus button on the IP).
- The Instant Pot will turn on and pressure will begin to build (this can take a while, from 15-30 minutes, depending on the temperature of your ingredients). When high pressure is reached, the counter will change to 2 and begin counting down. When it beeps, use the Cancel or Off button to turn off the cooker.
- Very carefully, turn the vent knob to Steam (or use whatever quick steam release your cooker provides). To be extra careful, you can use a long-handled spoon to turn the knob so that you don't risk being burned by the steam. When the steam has all been released, the Instant Pot will unlock so that you can remove the lid, carefully angling it so that you don't get steamed.
- Stir the soup. If you'd like it to be thinner, you can add water or vegetable broth. Check the flavor and add more seasoning as necessary. Add optional ingredients as desired.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Enjoy!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
Dana Price
February 4, 2017 at 4:36 pmI am so happy right now. I made this soup for lunch and it was delicious. I and my grown daughter did not expect to actually like it. After all… it IS a vegetable soup. But we were both delighted and I will certainly make it again. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Susan Voisin
February 4, 2017 at 5:03 pmHa! I’m so glad it surprised you! 🙂
Jill
February 8, 2017 at 7:25 pmI pureed part of it to make it creamy. Just because my new immersion blender is now attached to my hand and I’m pretty much pulverizing everything in my path. Great recipe, good mix of spices. I added leftover Yukon potatoes. Cooked on the stovetop and will definitely make again.
Gale
February 17, 2017 at 9:47 amHi Susan:
I loved your blog for some years now and want to thank you for your dedication and creativity. My husband and I love the flavor of this soup. But I do have a question. I have a Deni electric pressure cooker and when I tried this recipe for the first time, it could not get to high pressure automatically. After what seemed like a ridiculously long time, I finally did the manual release. Everything was cooked–even a little charred. I went back and read the Deni manual and it seems that the problem was not enough liquid for the amount of solid food. Are all electric pressure cookers different with regards to the amount of water needed? Do you have a suggestion for adjusting? Next time, I think I will try cutting the recipe by half and using more liquid. Any thoughts on this?
Susan Voisin
February 17, 2017 at 10:04 amI’m sorry about that! It does sound like your pressure cooker has different requirements for water than the Instant Pot. I think your solution is a good one. You could also try making it as written but put only half the beans and vegetables in during the pressure cooking and then add them after you release the pressure, allowing them to warm in the soup for a few minutes.
Cindy
February 27, 2017 at 7:17 pmWe had this soup for dinner tonight. Very easy and quick introduction to the Instant Pot as my first-time use.
I always drain the cans of beans, so I added extra water. Instead of water, next time I’ll use vegetable broth.
A nice and warming soup!
Heema
February 28, 2017 at 12:14 amHi Susan, Thanks for another great recipe and also thanks for the video, first time I ever got a really clear idea about instant pot vegetable soup.
Diane
March 5, 2017 at 10:57 pmI just got my Instant Pot and remembered your video. This was SO easy, just dump everything in& set the timer. Yummy! Thanks Susan for another winner.
Jamie
March 11, 2017 at 7:32 amI found this recipe last week and have already made it twice for my family. We LOVE it!!
Robin Fetter
April 6, 2017 at 6:31 pmSomeone call the ATF…because this soup is THE BOMB!!! Bad jokes aside, this soup was super easy to throw together and the flavor was off the charts delicious!!! If I served this to guests, they would think I did some serious witchcraft to make a soup so yummy with such little prep and little cook time. Make no mistake, anyone who makes this is going to put this in heavy rotation. I am definitely sharing this recipe with friends….or maybe I should make this my little secret…hahahaha!!! Thanks for posting such an impressive recipe 🙂
Mary Wolford
May 1, 2017 at 8:20 pmThis was a great tasting and easy recipe. Thanks so much!
Janet
July 3, 2017 at 10:04 pmThank you!! I made this recipe for my sick hubby, with some minor modifications. Hubby loved it and I can’t believe how quick and easy it was!!!
Darla Gillis
October 31, 2017 at 3:05 amthe nutritional info is that for the smaller cup and a half or the larger 2 and a half cup
Susan Voisin
October 31, 2017 at 10:04 amIt’s for the smaller serving (the whole pot divided by 6.)
carol himmelstein
November 28, 2017 at 12:46 pmThis is my go to soup. I make it all the time
Sandy
December 29, 2017 at 6:50 pmThis soup was a huge disappointment. Total mush. Will not make this again.
Andrea
March 6, 2018 at 11:05 amLooking to triple this recipe for a lunch and learn… would 3x the ingredients fit into one instant pot? and take the same amount of time to cook?
Susan Voisin
March 6, 2018 at 11:50 am3x the amount would be too much for a 6-quart Instant Pot, so unless you have an 8-quart, it wouldn’t be possible. Recipes that are doubled or tripled don’t take any more or less time to cook, but the proportions of liquid can change. Remember there’s a limit to how full you can fill the pot safely (I think it’s 2/3 full.)
Kathy Mander
March 17, 2018 at 1:13 pmCan I double this recipe in my instapot? I want to make big batches of things so I will have leftovers, but I’m new to the instapot and don’t know how much I can add. Is there a limit? Please email me. Thanks!
Your recipes look yummy! We are learning to cook healthier!
Susan Voisin
March 17, 2018 at 8:46 pmThere’s a limit to how full you can safely fill the Instant Pot—I think it’s 2/3 full for soups—and I’m pretty sure that would be too much, unless you have an 8-quart IP.
Scott
November 21, 2018 at 12:30 amMade it tonight—or rather, my 12-year-old did, for her WW-following mama—and Mom loved it and my kiddo asked for some and loved it too. Thanks for the recipe, Susan!
Janelle Humphreys
January 5, 2019 at 7:13 pmI liked the flavor of the soup, it was great. What I didn’t like was how big the pieces of frozen veggies were and I am used to making everything from scratch so in the future I would probably barley for the quinoa, and use fresh veggies cutting them into smaller pieces omitting the beans.
Robin
January 15, 2019 at 8:26 amMy go to soup! I change up the veggies from time to time. Perform a work week lunch w a small salad. Thank you for sharing,,,,
Kristine
March 5, 2019 at 12:45 pmMade this today and loved it!
Kristen
March 6, 2019 at 6:21 amBeen making this soup once a week for a year or two. It’s our side dish with a lot of our meal or just a hearty light lunch. I’ve probablu shared this recipe with 10 people who all have loved it and done their own spin on it.
Kerstin Decker
April 7, 2019 at 1:08 pmI made this soup just as written, but i had to add more spices to it. Too bland for me also i added sweet pots and some reegular pots to the soup to give it more bite. I think i stick to my soup, but i had this new IP Pot and need to learn, but this soup is too mushy for me
Lisa Henderson
April 7, 2019 at 2:39 pmI had to do some major tweaking – Walmart frozen vegetable blends no longer come in 12 ounce bags, but 10 ounce ones. And they aren’t carrying the Italian blend anymore (have checked more than once). So here’s what I did: 2 bags California blend frozen vegetables, 1 bag frozen sliced squash and zucchini, about half a bag of frozen chopped kale (why not?). I didn’t have oregano (must remember that for my next trip to the store), so I left it out. By the time I added everything else (pinto instead of white beans – I could have sworn I had some!), it didn’t seem to have enough liquid, so I added another cup or so of water. I added some bouillon even though I didn’t drain the beans, and I forgot the pepper. It still turned out GREAT! I was having people over to lunch after general conference (maybe not the best time to try a new recipe), but they all loved it. I love supremely flexible recipes like this one. I think I’ll be making this once a week from now on. I used to do vegetable beef soup and cornbread for Sunday lunch – I think I’ve finally found my replacement. Thanks!
MEL
September 1, 2019 at 4:04 pmI’m going to make this tonight. Why do you need to boil the water before? Will it work without doing that?
Susan Voisin
September 1, 2019 at 5:06 pmBoiling the water just makes it come to pressure and cook faster. You can use room temperature water if you want.
Tom R
October 7, 2019 at 4:38 pmSusan, love your site, and thanks for this awesome recipe. It’s now cooking (for the third time) in my IP. Delicious. Many thanks again! -Tom
Patricia
October 20, 2019 at 4:44 pmAnother winner! I have loved every recipe I have ever made from your site.
Susan Voisin
October 20, 2019 at 5:01 pmThank you! I’m so glad to hear thss AS t!
Casey
November 16, 2019 at 8:45 amI’ve been making your recipes for over 10 years, and this is absolutely one of my favorites. My sister asked the other day, “when are you making that soup with the hot sauce again?” I usually swap barley for the quinoa, and I tend to use whatever fresh veggies I have around. Like so many of your recipes, this is such glorious comfort food, but with the added benefit of knowing that it is made from wholesome ingredients. Thank you for all the recipes.
Susan Voisin
November 16, 2019 at 9:02 amThank you for letting me know! I’m going to try barley in it the next time I make it.
Susan
January 5, 2020 at 7:06 pmhi Susan. I just received an Instant Pot for Christmas and knew I could count on a reliable recipe from you. This is a very delicious soup and so easy! Thank you!!!!
Addi
January 22, 2020 at 8:33 amUmmm, I HATE asking stupid questions but I couldn’t find a link to watch the video so … do you put the frozen vegetables in still frozen or do you thaw them first? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
January 22, 2020 at 11:15 amNo need to thaw the vegetables. I’m sorry that the video didn’t play. It should be near the top of the post.
Sylvia
February 24, 2020 at 1:41 amLike many others have posted, this is one of my go-to recipes. I make it almost weekly in the cold weather months as it is a great substitute for a cold salad. I use veggie and mushroom broths instead of water. Some have complained about the size of the frozen vegetables, but they are so easy to cut up after cooking. I often share this on IP, vegetarian, vegan and WFPB groups.
Alice
October 12, 2020 at 8:53 pmThis is my “super lazy” soup that I make when I want something homemade but don’t have time or energy for anything complicated. If I have time, I’ll sauté diced onions and minced garlic at the beginning. Sometimes I’ll add about a half cup of red lentils because they cook quickly and thicken the soup. This recipe is so easy and flexible.
Carrie
December 27, 2021 at 4:27 pmA fall and winter favorite for many years! The only thing I change is the time from 2 min to 1 on the IP. Thank you, Susan!