Warm up with a bowl of this delicious Instant Pot Vegetable Soup ... it's super healthy and so easy to make!
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If there's anything better on a bitter cold day than a hot bowl of soup, I can't think of one.
And this Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is my new favorite! This delicious soup is loaded with veggies and tons of flavor. It's hearty, but light enough for any diet.
Best of all, this recipe is easy to follow ... even if you've never used an Instant Pot before!
Ready to dig in? Then keep reading!
About This Soup
I don't know about you, but my Instant Pot is very well-loved. It's one of my favorite kitchen tools for easy, mostly hands off meals. So of course, I had to adapt my go-to Veggie Soup recipe to cook in my IP.
Cooking vegetables in a pressure cooker can be a tricky proposition. They are sooo easy to overcook, but thankfully, I figured it out. And this chunky Vegetable Soup is the result.
You are going to love this soup ... it couldn't be more delicious or healthy. I mean, just look at all those veggies! This recipe is also vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, and gluten free, so pretty much anyone can enjoy it.
My favorite thing about this tasty soup though? The veggies are super fresh tasting, and their texture is perfectly tender crisp.
Plus, this Instant Pot Vegetarian Soup recipe uses a combination of fresh, canned, and frozen veggies ... which means that it's easy to make and enjoy year round. And let me tell you, it's just as perfect for keeping you warm in winter as it is for using up garden fresh produce in summer!
Ingredients
Ready to start cooking? Here's what you'll need to gather:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Veggies: Onions, Carrots, Celery, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Zucchini
- Canned Diced Tomatoes
- Frozen Veggies: Green Beans, Corn, Peas
- Vegetable Broth
- Dried Basil, Oregano, and Bay Leaf
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt (I prefer Kosher salt.)
- Pepper
This recipe uses a combination of fresh, canned, and frozen veggies to keep things simple. I've used my favorite combination of veggies here, but feel free to experiment with others. You'll want to keep a couple things in mind though:
- As written, this recipe fills a 6-quart Instant Pot pretty much to max capacity. So if you add extra vegetables, then you'll need to cut back on others.
- If you plan to use a vegetable that cooks quickly (like spinach, for example), add it along with the peas and zucchini. That way, it won't turn into mush as the soup cooks.
As far as vegetable broth goes, I pretty much always make mine from Knorr Vegetable Bouillon. It’s convenient, affordable, and I actually prefer the flavor over the stuff in cans/cartons.
Another way to change up this vegan soup recipe is by using different herbs. I used basil and oregano here to give the soup an Italian flavor, but feel free to use your fave herbs instead. I'd recommend using a combination of fresh and dried herbs for the best taste.
You could also add more substance and protein to this delicious soup by stirring in a can of (drained and rinsed) beans. Since the beans are already cooked, stir them in along with the peas and zucchini.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Okay, let's start cooking! You're going to add most of your ingredients to the pressure cooker in a few simple steps, so make sure to prep everything before starting.
Prepare the Veggies
Vegetables can be tricky to cook in the Instant Pot (they overcook so easily), so it's important to prepare them as directed in the recipe:
- Onion - You'll dice these up. Size is not as important with onions, so aim for about ½-inch or smaller dice.
- Carrots and Celery - Slice these guys about ½-inch thick. If your veggies are especially large, cut them in half lengthwise first. That way, everything stays bite size.
- Mushrooms - Size is not as important here either, as mushrooms are pretty hearty. But to keep things on the chunky side, aim to slice them somewhere between ¼ to ½-inch thick.
- Potatoes - Because potatoes are easy to overcook, you'll want to cut them into 1-inch chunks. Don't worry if you have some smaller pieces ... throw them in, too. If you can find them, choose Red Skin Potatoes with smooth, shiny skins (my store usually sells them loose). I find they hold up better than rougher-skinned Red Potatoes (like I used here).
- Zucchini - This tender veggie cooks quickly, so you're going to end it at the very end of the cooking process. Because of this, you want to slice it very thinly, about ⅛-inch thick.
Prepping the veggies this way is going to give you a chunky soup with vegetables that are still tender crisp when it finishes cooking.
And needless to say, there's no need to get out the measuring stick here ... it's fine to eyeball things!
Saute the Veggies
Once the veggies are prepped, you'll saute the onions, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil.
Season the vegetables with a little salt and pepper, then cook them until the onion starts to turn translucent around the edges (about five minutes). Make sure to stir them frequently, so nothing sticks or burns.
Sauteing the veggies adds extra flavor to the soup without requiring a lot of time. And more flavor is always better, right?
Stir in the garlic next, then cook it just until fragrant and delicious smelling ... about 30 seconds or so.
Add the Other Ingredients
Once the garlic starts smelling amazing, add the vegetable broth.
You'll want to stir really well here to make sure none of the veggies are stuck to the bottom of the pot. A wood spatula works perfectly for this.
After you've done that, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, corn, and spices. Mix everything together well.
Tip: Do you use vegetable bouillon to make broth, like I do? Just crumble up the cubes and add them along with the other ingredients ... no need to mix it with water first.
Cooking the Soup
Once you've added all the veggies and herbs, secure the lid on your Instant Pot. Then, cook the soup for one minute on high pressure. (Using the Pressure Cook button, not the Soup button.)
That's all it takes, I swear!
I've seen a lot of Instant Pot Soup recipes that call for longer cooking times, but personally, I don't like mushy veggies in soup (or anywhere else). And one minute is all you need to get perfectly tender vegetables.
To finish the soup, stir in the peas and zucchini. Cook them just until they're hot and tender ... it should only take a minute or two. Then stir in the fresh parsley and season your soup generously with salt and pepper to taste.
And that's it ... time to eat your amazing Instant Pot Vegetable Soup!
Tip: this soup takes a long time to come to pressure in the Instant Pot (longer than any IP recipe I've made before), so the word instant is a bit of a misnomer! Mine took about half an hour ... make sure to factor that extra time into your dinner plans. Where this recipe does save time, is in hands on cooking time.
What to Serve with Vegetable Soup
This delicious vegetarian soup is super healthy and fresh tasting!
Enjoy it on its own for a light, healthy meal, or pair it with your favorite crusty artisan bread for a little more substance. It would also be amazing with my favorite Garlic Bread for dipping.
You could also round out the meal with a delicious salad. A simple Green Salad would be perfect, or try this Quick Chopped Salad or Easy Kale Salad.
I also like pairing this Instant Pot Veggie Soup with a sandwich. My Brie and Apple Sandwich, Broccoli Rabe Grilled Cheese, or Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches would all be perfect. Or for something heartier, serve it with a veggie burger.
Related Recipes
If you loved this easy Veggie Soup, I have more pressure cooker recipes that you'll enjoy, too!
This Potato Soup is a favorite and total comfort food, as is this Risotto. And you are sure to love these Stuffed Peppers, too.
If you're looking for pasta recipes, then you need to try my easy, cheesy Mac and Cheese or my yummy Pasta with Feta, Olives, and Basil.
Finally, if you have a Ninja Foodi or a IP Duo Crisp, then you're going to love this Veggie Pot Pie ... it is amazing! You could also make it in a regular IP and bake the crust separately.
Looking for similar recipes? You can find all my Soup Recipes here!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced ½-inch thick
- 1 large stalk celery, sliced ½-inch thick
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 ½ cups frozen cut green beans
- ⅔ cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅔ cup frozen peas
- 1 small zucchini, sliced ⅛-inch thick
- ⅓ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- salt
- pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Press Saute button on Instant Pot. Add olive oil.
- When pot is hot, add onions, carrots, and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then saute until onion starts turning translucent on edges (about 5 minutes).
- Stir garlic into veggies and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add broth, then stir well to remove anything that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Turn off Instant Pot (press Cancel).
- Mix mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, corn, basil, oregano, and bay leaf into soup.
- Secure lid and set pressure release valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook button, then set to High Pressure for 1 minute.
- When time is up, do a Quick Release, then open lid.
- Stir in peas and zucchini. Cook until veggies are hot and tender, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Mix in parsley, then season soup generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve soup hot. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
