Are you ready for a fast and simple meal? This Instant Pot Lentils and Rice recipe is calling your name! The best part about making this tasty dish is that it's ready in just 15 minutes!
Not only is it fast to make, but it's budget-friendly, too. You can feed your family for just pennies per serving and love eating every bite. Perfect for vegans and vegetarians as well!
One of the healthy perks of making these lentils is that you're going to be upping your fiber intake for the day. There is also a good amount of protein that is found in this recipe, too - which is perfect for fueling your body for the day and giving you more energy as well!
Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The texture of rice and lentils is perfection. Instead of making Instant Pot rice and Instant Pot lentils separately, we’ve combined them both in a convenient one-pot meal!
Simple ingredients paired with big flavor is why we make this recipe over and over again. It's a great side dish that is not only filling but is super easy to whip up quickly, too.
- The flavor pairs with just about any type of main entree
- This can easily be a side dish or an entire meal on its own
- Making this in one pot means that clean-up is a breeze
Recipe Ingredients
Olive oil – I love using olive oil, but you could also use avocado oil or coconut oil as well.
Onion – Yellow onions or red onions work great.
Rice – I used long-grain white rice for this recipe, and this is the type of rice that I recommend. I would go with jasmine rice or basmati rice as my two rice options of choice.
Lentils – I used brown lentils here, but you can use red, green, or black lentils in this recipe. Choose any type or color that you want.
Vegetable broth – Vegetable broth adds great flavor and taste. You can also use water, but then you'd want to add in seasonings. Bone broth would work as well, but then it wouldn't be vegetarian or vegan, so keep that in mind.
How to make Instant Pot Lentils and Rice
Before getting started, make sure that you have all your ingredients on hand.
Step One: Press saute on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil.
Step Two: Saute the onion until golden and crispy for about 3-4 min.
Make sure that you're stirring the onions with a wooden spoon.
Step Three: Take out the onion and keep aside.
Add rice, lentils, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and vegetable broth to the Instant Pot and stir.
Step Four: Put on the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When cooking time is complete, do a quick release.
Step Five: Fluff with a fork, topped with caramelized onion, lemon slice and cilantro and serve 🙂
Variations
Change up the type of rice - Using varied types of rice will change up the look and texture. Experiment with it and have fun. You can use basmati rice, black rice or Jasmine rice.
You can use brown rice as well, but then cook on high pressure for 20 minutes instead of 10.
Change up the type of lentils - I'm using brown lentils for this recipe, but you can use red, green, or black lentils. You can also use white beans or black beans or make Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice.
Add delicious toppings - This recipe has a lot of flavors as is, but adding toppings is never a bad idea. Fresh cilantro is a delicious choice but don't forget that toppings are all about taste. A little bit of sour cream is a great topping, and you can also top with some spices like hot sauce as well.
Helpful Tips
- You do NOT need to soak the lentils beforehand in this recipe. The Instant Pot does all of the work for you and saves a lot of time.
- Fluff the mixture with a fork prior to serving it. It won't fluff up quite as much as plain rice does, but it will help with the texture.
Recipe FAQs
If you want to keep it a vegetarian dish, you can serve it with tofu. This is the perfect way to add in some extra protein without having to add in meat.
Or, for a lighter vegetarian one-pot meal, serve it into a bowl and enjoy.
If you don't mind adding in meat, added Instant Pot Garlic Chicken Breasts would be a great flavor, too.
Yes, you can eat lentils and rice cold - or hot. I like to eat this one-pot recipe fresh from the Instant Pot, and then I'll eat it cold the next day for leftovers.
You can also warm it back up easily in the microwave if you only want to eat it warmed up.
Yes, there are good gut health benefits from eating lentils! Since they're higher in fiber than most food items, they're great for helping regulate your days.
This recipe will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. It is easy to reheat in the microwave or stovetop, and it makes great leftovers!
Instant Pot Lentil Recipes
We have lots of great recipes for healthy dishes! Here are some of my favorites:
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Instant Pot Lentils and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup rice long-grain
- 1 cup lentils no-soak
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro for serving. optional.
Instructions
- Press the saute botton on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil.
- Saute the onion for a few minutes until golden. Once done, take it out and set aside.
- Add the rice, lentils, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and vegetable broth into the Instant Pot and stir well.
- Put on the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, do a quick pressure release and open the lid.
- Fluff with a fork, add caramelized onion and cilantro on top and serve 🙂
Nutrition
Notes
- You do NOT need to soak the lentils beforehand in this recipe. The Instant Pot does all of the work for you and saves a lot of time.
- Fluff the mixture with a fork prior to serving it. It won't fluff up quite as much as plain rice does, but it will help with the texture.
- Jasmine or basmati rice work best for this recipe.