Instant Pot Brown Lentils (2024)

Types of Lentils

Lentils are a type of legume that come in various colors. The most common lentils you’ll find in the market include:

• brown or green lentils (the most common types)
• red or yellow lentils (often used in Indian cooking and for dishes like Instant Pot Red Lentil Dal)
• black lentils, also called beluga lentils
• French green puy lentils

Here’s a picture I snapped in the bulk section of my local health food store so you can see the variety of colors.

You’ll notice that what we typically call green lentils are actually more brown in color. That’s why green lentils are also known as brown lentils.

Recipe Steps

The easiest way to cook lentils is in an electric pressure cooker. It’s faster and more efficient to cook a batch of lentils in the Instant Pot as opposed to using the stovetop.

Step One

Rinse and drain your dry lentils (use brown or green lentils). Pick them over for any debris.

Step Two

Combine the rinsed lentils with 1 3/4 cups of water into the base of your Instant Pot.

See the recipe card below for even more specifics.

Lock on the lid and set the timer to high pressure. The cook time will depend on what type of lentil you are cooking (see below).

Step Three

When the cooking time is up, wait 10 minutes, use the quick release to get rid of any remaining pressure, and then remove the lid.

Here’s a handy chart with pressure cooker cooking times for the different types of commonly found lentils:

• Brown lentils (most common): 10 minutes
• Green lentils (sometimes also called brown lentils): 10 minutes
• Red lentils: 3 minutes
• French green puy lentils (these are smaller than the other type of regular green lentils): 6 minutes
• Black lentils: 6 minutes

You can feel free to add salt or other seasonings into the pot before you cook your lentils.

It’s common to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of ground black pepper. It just depends on how you are going to use the cooked lentils.

UnitsScale

• 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed well and drained
• 1 3/4 cup filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

1. Place the rinsed lentils and water in the base of a 6-quart pressure cooker. Add the salt and pepper.
2. Lock on the lid and set the time to 10 minutes at high pressure.
3. When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes. Then, use the quick-release to release any remaining pressure.
4. Serve the lentils hot or at room temperature.

1. Store your cooked lentils in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze cooked lentils in a tightly-sealed container for up to 2 months.
2. You can feel free to add salt or other seasonings into the pot before you cook your lentils. It’s common to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of ground black pepper. It just depends on how you are going to use the cooked lentils.
3. Cooked lentils can also be made into a complete meal by adding cooked rice or cooked quinoa, plus a simple vinaigrette dressing. See my Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad for an actual recipe.