The BEST Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
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This Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is filled to the brim with hearty vegetables, black beans, and barley. It provides incredible nutrition plus amazing taste. I wanted to lick the bowl clean!
“So quick and nourishing. Made for a sick day in our home. Didn’t have barley or chickpeas so I opted for some yellow potatoes. Will definitely make again with barley. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️” – Charity
4 Reasons This Soup Is the BEST
Why is this Instant Pot Vegetable Soup the best, you ask? I’ll give you four reasons to get ya started…
Tasty Nutrition in a Bowl
For starters, you’ll slurp up the very best healthy, vegetable-based foods that are filled with vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and more PLUS enjoy incredible taste in one bowl. We’re talking 6 different vegetables, beans, and whole grains. I have a hard time stopping eating this soup…but, hey, that’s not a bad problem when it’s this good for you!
Satisfies Both Vegetarians and Meat Eaters
Thanks to the beans and barley, this soup is filling and will satisfy even the meat-lover in your life. (I’m looking at you, hubs).
15 Minutes of Hands-On Cook Time
Your hands-on prep time (chopping and sautéing veggies) will only take 15 minutes. Then, press a button and the pressure cooker will do the rest. Expect the hands-off time to take about 20 minutes–including the time it takes to come to pressure, cook, and release the pressure.
Includes a Secret Ingredient
This recipe, unlike others, includes a secret ingredient that jacks the flavor waaay up. I learned this from a chef friend! Read more about this incredible secret ingredient below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Check out this all-star line-up that will have you licking your bowl clean…
- Onions, Celery, and Carrots – You’ll start with the traditional triumvirate of French aromatics referred to as mirepoix (pronounced: meer-pwah). Chop these into evenly-sized, bite-sized pieces.
- Garlic – Adds pungency, which is a very good thing in the right balance with other flavors. Also, you can read more about the health benefits of garlic here–it’s impressive.
- Salt, Pepper, and Red Pepper Flakes – Salt helps bring out the natural flavors of the vegetables, and the peppers add a little heat in the background. I like to use Himalayan Pink Sea Salt because it hasn’t been stripped of valuable minerals.
- Broth – Use vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian or feel free to use a good chicken stock instead. You can make your own easily!
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes – These canned tomatoes are my go-to for soups because they have a notably more complex flavor than just regular ole diced tomatoes. A bonus to using canned tomatoes is they add in Vitamin C, and fiber, and are an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene, which is shown to help lower the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer, and macular degeneration (poor eyesight as you get older). Boom!
- Bay Leaf – The aroma and flavor of the dried bay leaf is subtle, with “a pleasantly minty taste and notes of warm baking spice” according to this Huff Post article. The pressure cooker helps to bring out the oils from this little leaf and infuse it into the soup.
- Parmesan Rind!! – This is the SECRET INGREDIENT, friends. Adding the rind (the tough outer part of a giant round of Parmesan) will infuse the entire soup with a salty, umami flavor. Absolutely delicious and what will take this soup to the next level!
Where to Buy a Parmesan Rind
Ask at the cheese counter if you can buy a piece of rind- that is 2-3 inches long. This is the cheapest and easiest way to get your hands on this ingredient (mine was under $2). Or you can purchase a wedge of fresh Parmesan from the specialty cheese area and cut off the rind for the soup. Then, use a grater to add fresh Parm to the soup when you serve a bowl.
- Pearled Barley – This is one of the cheapest whole grains you can find. I find it in the bulk bin in the health food section. The barley holds its texture well in the soup, which surprised me the first time I tested this. It does much better than pasta or orzo, which can get mushy pretty quickly. I am officially a pearl barley fan. A gluten-free substitution is chickpeas.
- Black Beans – One of nature’s greatest gifts to man, this tasty and nutrient-dense bean packs in protein, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. Look for BPA-free canned beans to make your life easy. Or, you can always prepare your own from scratch by following the dried bean packaging directions. Check out all the benefits of eating black beans here.
- Kale – Stemmed, chopped kale adds beautiful color and potent antioxidants at the end of this recipe. The flavor becomes very mellow once it wilts into the soup.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
You’ll build flavor all along the way as you sauté, season, and pressure cook your ingredients all in one pot.
Sauté and Season the Aromatics
Begin by building a firm foundation of flavor. Sauté the classic aromatic combination of chopped onions, celery, and carrots. You’ll season these veggies with garlic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Pressure Cook the Soup
Stir in vegetable broth (I prefer organic), fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, barley, a dried bay leaf or two, and the secret ingredient–a Parmesan rind–into the Instant Pot.
Lock and seal the lid and cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure after it’s done.
Stir in the Kale
Fish out the bay leaf and Parmesan rind with tongs. (Tip: You can let the Parm rind cool and freeze it to use again!) Lastly, stir in the chopped kale. It will wilt into the hot liquid fairly quickly. Taste and season the soup with more salt and pepper, as needed. Serve each bowl with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some homemade wheat bread or our wheat rolls.
Recipe FAQs
Let the soup cool and place in a storage container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, package tightly in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can cook this on the stove for 15-20 minutes, or until the pearl barley is tender, and stir in the kale at the end.
Dairy-Free Version: Omit the Parmesan rind and grated Parmesan at the end. Add at least 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Gluten-Free Version: Barley contains gluten, so replace this grain with 1 can of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed.
This recipe was written primarily for vegetables but you could easily stir in fully cooked meat at the end. Shredded chicken or cooked turkey meatballs would be a great addition!
Yep! We have loads of information about freezing soup. Read below!
Make It a Freezer Meal
As freezer cooking experts (15 years of experience!) and authors of two freezer cooking cookbooks, we love sharing our best tips for prepping and freezing meals for later. If you’re wondering what to freeze your soup in, we’ve narrowed in on the best freezer storage containers here.
Freeze It For Later:
Method 1 (Before Cooking): Follow Steps 1-2 in the recipe below. Transfer the uncooked soup to a gallon-sized freezer bag or round container. Seal and freeze. Tip: Place freezer bag in a bowl until frozen to freeze in the shape of the Instant Pot.
Method 2 (After Cooking): After cooking, let the soup fully cool. Then freeze in small portions for individual meals or freeze the whole recipe in a round container or freezer bag. Tip: Place the freezer bag in a round container in the freezer until it freezes in the shape of the Instant Pot.
Prepare From Frozen:
Method 1 (Before Cooking): Turn on the Sauté function. Sauté the frozen soup for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press Cancel. Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 12-15 minutes at high pressure and use a quick release. Follow Steps 4-5.
Method 2 (After Cooking): For individual portions, thaw and warm up the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. For an entire frozen batch, drop the frozen soup block in the Instant Pot and saute for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Then, lock and seal the lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release.
More Healthy Soups For the Instant Pot
If you like this recipe, we think you’ll enjoy these nutritious options, as well. Some of these have Instant Pot directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog post.
Time to fill your pot and get cooking the BEST Instant Pot vegetable soup, in my humble opinion.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
This Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is filled to the brim with hearty vegetables, black beans, and barley. It provides the nutrition you need this winter to boost your immune system and fight off sickness plus amazing taste that will make you want to lick the bowl clean.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced garlic)
- 1 quart (32 ounces) vegetable broth (sub: chicken broth)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (sub: petite diced tomatoes)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup pearl barley (gluten-free sub: 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (2-3 inch) Parmesan rind*
- 2–3 cups chopped kale, stems removed (sub: chopped baby spinach)
- Optional Toppings: grated Parmesan cheese*
*Omit if making a Dairy-Free version and add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Turn on the Saute function and heat the oil. Saute the onions, celery, and carrots, stirring frequently, until the vegetables softened, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, as they cook. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes the last 30-60 seconds. Press Cancel.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, barley, bay, and Parm rind, and stir to combine.(Option 1 freezing instructions begin here.)
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 7 minutes at high pressure and use a quick release when done. Remove the bay leaf and Parm rind (or leave the rind to add more flavor as it sits, if you want).
- Stir in the kale and let it sit for about 3 minutes, until softened. Taste and adjust salt and pepper amounts, to taste.
- Serve warm in individual bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Freeze For Later:
Method 1 (Before Cooking): Follow Steps 1-2. Transfer the uncooked soup to a gallon-sized freezer bag or round container. Seal and freeze. Tip: Place freezer bag in a bowl until frozen to freeze in the shape of the Instant Pot.
Method 2 (After Cooking): After cooking, let the soup fully cool. Then freeze in small portions for individual meals or freeze the whole recipe in a round container or freezer bag. Tip: Place the freezer bag in a round container in the freezer until it freezes in the shape of the Instant Pot.
Prepare From Frozen:
Method 1 (Before Cooking): Turn on the Sauté function. Sauté the frozen soup for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press Cancel. Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 12-15 minutes at high pressure and use a quick release. Follow Steps 4-5.
Method 2 (After Cooking):
- For individual portions, thaw and warm up the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- For an entire frozen batch, drop the frozen soup block in the Instant Pot and saute for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Then, lock and seal the lid and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release.
Notes/Tips
Dairy-Free Version: Omit the Parmesan rind and grated Parmesan at the end. Add at least 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Gluten-Free Version: Barley contains gluten, so replace this grain with 1 can of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed.
Stovetop: You can cook this on the stove for 15-20 minutes, or until the pearl barley is tender, and stir in the kale at the end.
Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart
After testing hundreds of Instant Pot recipes, we have honed in on the best timing and methods for cooking different types of meals in the Instant Pot.
This is THE vegetable soup!! So yummy and easy. I don’t have an instant pot at the moment so I just let it simmer for a while in a pot. I almost never have parmesan rind and it’s fine without. And I’ve also added other things like potatoes or frozen green beans depending on what I have on hand or need to use up! Pro tip- keep your vegetables in larger chunks so they aren’t mush by the time the barley is softened.
Wonderful suggestions Rachael! Thank you for taking the time to let others know what substitutions/additions you make sometimes.
Oh, I forgot to say we always have Jiffy Cornbread made in the waffle iron with this delicious soup.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for the tip Mary!
The flavor of this soup is amazing! Must be the parm rind. I was so surprised. And it is very easy to make. This will be in my regular rotation.
So glad you found this easy and delicious Amber. Thank you for taking time to leave a review.
I made this soup for my next door neighbor who was in a horrible car wreck. His jaw is broken and is wired shut so I wizzed it up with the immersion blender and it is absolutely delicious! It came together so fast in the InstantPot! I’ll definitely be making this for our family, too!
So glad this worked for your neighbor Kelly. How kind of you to provide and take steps to blend the soup. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let others know that this works for those with their mouths wired shut. Prayers for your neighbor’s recovery.
Absolutely the best!!!
Yeah! So happy you liked it, Mary. Thank you for the review.
So easy and flavorful!! Used a can of chickpeas cause I was out of barley. Really healthy and such a hearty meal! I recommend some crusty bread on the side!!
Thanks for the review Janice and letting us know how your substitution turned out!
Taste is GREAT!!! Love the Parmesan rind and bay leaf. However, I wonder if doing it in a slow cooker would lead to slightly less mushy vegetables, especially the tomatoes. I left the canned black beans out until after the cooking was done for that reason. However, the other ones were still slightly mushier than I would like. Love adding the kale at the end. for the added texture. I also wonder if the vegetables would be even more mushy if I froze this before putting in IP.
You could pressure cook the soup a little less time, maybe 4 minutes. That might help! I’m sure the slow cooker would be better too. Glad you liked the flavor!
Hello! This soup looks delicious and I look forward to trying it. My question is if I don’t own an Instant Pot and I use a stock pot on the stovetop does it alter how I cook the recipe?
Hi Tanika. You can certainly make this on the stove. The only change would be how long you need to cook it on Step 3. Likely, it would be 15-20 minutes, but you’re looking for the pearl barley is cooked tender.
So quick and nourishing. Made for a sick day in our home. Didn’t have barley or chickpeas so I opted for some yellow potatoes. Will definitely make again with barley. As always, thank you for the lovely recipe.
Thanks for the review and letting us know of your tweaks Charity! Hoping the sickness is gone and stays away!
This was soooo good and easy! It had the umami of a soup with meat, without the addition of meat. My husband and I loved it. My grocery store wax out of barley, so I subbed some bulgar I already had. Delicious!
Thanks for the review! I’m so glad you liked it. That Parm rind really helps take it over the top and add that umami. Bulgar is a great idea, thanks!
I’m confused about the directions for prepping from frozen. You have it state sauté from frozen for 5 minutes then pressure for 15 then in the next paragraph you state pressure for 5 mins. Why the difference if both are preparing from frozen
Sorry for the confusion. I rewrote the freezing instructions to make them clearer. Let me know if you have any questions.
does the parmesan rind do something different than regular parmesan would do? I wouldn’t know where to get just rind here in Canada…
It’s an optional flavor add-in. If you have a cheese or deli meats counter at your grocery store, you could ask them to cut you off a piece. Or just buy a small wedge of fresh parmesan and cut the end/rind off. But, if you can’t find it, it would still be delicious to sprinkle Parmesan on top at the end.
How long do I cook everything if I don’t have an instant pot? Looks delicious and will be nice to have something that isn’t a heavy holiday meal!
You can cook this on the stove for 15-20 minutes, or until the pearl barley is tender, and stir in the kale at the end. I hope that helps!
It does! Thank you