Moroccan Instant Pot lentils made with sweet potato, tomatoes, carrots, and a variety of warm spices! Vegan comfort food at it's finest, this recipe is gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and delicious.
The Instant Pot is the true hero when it comes to meal prep, making it easy to bulk prep many recipes - from Moroccan Instant Pot lentils to Instant Pot dal, and this incredible Instant Pot lentil soup!
Moroccan Instant Pot lentils are perfect for meal prep, and they BEYOND easy to make! With no sauteeing and minimal chopping, you can make a big batch for leftovers, and stock up the freezer. No sauteeing means that we can assemble ahead and freeze as an Instant Pot freezer meal, or get it into the pot cooking as quickly as possible.
Made with spices including ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, and paprika - this recipe is bursting with flavor. Perfectly balanced with sweet and savory flavors thanks to the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Best of all, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, meal prep friendly, and freezer friendly!
reasons you'll love this recipe
- the spices pair perfectly with the sweet potatoes and lentils
- it can be meal prepped two ways: as a freezer Instant Pot meal, or cook and portion out leftovers for lunches!
- there's no sautéeing required, and minimal chopping
ingredient notes
- Lentils - This recipe was tested with both whole brown lentils and green lentils. Either one works great! We have not tested with red lentils and suspect that they would overcook and become very mushy in this recipe.
- Sweet potato - add some subtle sweetness. They break down while cooking and add thickness and body to this recipe.
- Veggies - we're using carrot, celery, onion. You could try adding other veggies, although they may break down due to the longer cook time.
- Spices - a blend of paprika, cumin, cinnamon, clove, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne adds depth of flavor and warmth to this recipe!
- Maple syrup - for some sweetness without any refined sugar. You can swap for honey, but note that it will no longer be vegan.
step by step directions
combine
Combine all ingredients except the lemon juice in the base of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot.
Note - this recipe works in either a 6 quart or 8 quart Instant Pot
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Cook
Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
Natural Pressure Release
Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
Serve
Stir in lemon juice and serve with rice, naan or quinoa.
To assemble Instant Pot freezer meals
Instant Pot freezer meals are a staple in our freezer and they make cooking dinner SO easy! Here's how to assemble Moroccan Instant Pot lentils as a freezer meal:
- assemble all ingredients in a sturdy gallon freezer bag or large glass meal prep container (Ikea has 3 quart ones that will fit this meal!)
- freeze for up to 3 months
- thaw completely before cooking as directed above
FAQ
Disclaimer here, we have not had a chance to test this in the slow cooker. But, reader Kyle reported, "I made this in the slow cooker...6 hours low, 2-3 hours warm and only used 1 cup of water and consistency was perfect!" Please let us know in the comments if this works for you!
You can, but you'd want to add them in after cooking, since 15 minutes will disintegrate most veggies 😉 Try stirring in a few handfuls of spinach, kale or frozen peas after cooking. Alternatively, you could cook ingredients like cauliflower, green beans or zucchini separately, adding them in just before serving.
While we haven't tested it, it should work out no problem and some readers have reported back that they had success with preparing this recipe on the stovetop. Unfortunately, we do not have cook times for you. Leave us a comment below if you give it a try!
storage + meal prep
- Fridge - let leftovers cool completely, then portion out into 2 cup meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freeze - cool leftovers completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw - completely overnight in the fridge
- Reheat - until steaming hot in the microwave
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Moroccan Instant Pot Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole brown lentils or green lentils; uncooked; note 1
- 19 oz can of diced tomatoes juices included
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 4 cups sweet potato cubes 1 inch; 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes; note 2
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne increase it for spicy, omit for non-spicy
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup brown sugar or honey work as well
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Add after cooking
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- parsley optional
Instructions
- Combine - all ingredients except the lemon juice in the stainless steel insert of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot.
- Cook -Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Natural pressure release - Allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
- Serve - Stir in lemon juice and serve with rice, naan or quinoa.
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Tips:
- red lentils will not work for this recipe
- we leave the skin on, but feel free to peel if you'd prefer
- Assemble all ingredients except for the lemon juice in a heavy-duty freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or large meal prep container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as indicated above.
- Fridge - let leftovers cool completely, then portion out into 2 cup meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freeze - cool leftovers completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Thaw - completely overnight in the fridge
- Reheat - until steaming hot in the microwave
Nutrition Information
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Kate says
I made this tonight and it was amaaaaaaaaazing! I omitted a couple of spices I didn't have and it was still so good. Thank you for sharing
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kate, we're so glad to hear that you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Brittany Wirthman says
Can you use redskin?
Maddie says
I made this for meal prep this week and it is DELICIOUS! I was nervous because my Ninja Foodi is only 5-quarts but thankfully it was fine. I didn't have cloves, so I used allspice instead. Also, I used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of a 19 oz can. I ended getting 5 good-size servings out of this. Would make again and again!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Maddie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the lentils, and that it worked in your Ninja Foodi. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Robin says
This was easy and super delicious, thank you! I made this in my Mealthy Multipot and experimented by cooking some brown basmati rice using the pot-in-pot method at the same time as cooking your recipe. I did not change any of your times for pressure cooking and releasing, and the rice came out perfect! For the PIP method I used 1 cup of brown basmati rice with 1.5 cups of water in a covered stainless steel pot I put on the trivet. I will be making this quite often. Thank you so much!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Robin! That is so smart of you to cook rice at the same time. I still need to try pot in pot! Thanks so much for reporting back with directions for how to do it, that's so helpful.
Tania says
Hi! Can I add some chicken thighs into the recipe and keep the cooking instructions the same? Sounds delicious and would love some extra protein! Thanks 🙂
Denise Bustard says
Hi Tania! In theory you could add the chicken thighs, though I normally cook them for 10 minutes (boneless skinless) or 12 minutes (bone in skin on). I do worry that at 15 min + 10 min NPR they may be overcooked. Would you let me know how it goes if you give it a try?
Kelly says
Hi I’ve frequently cooked chicken this way and it’s certainly not over cooked.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Kelly, good to know! Thank you for your feedback!
Gabrielle Clissold says
This is a FANTASTIC a recipe. Literally 30 minutes between prepping, chopping and done1. I was VERY a hesitant to use the ground cloves-but I did and I do believe it added A LOT To the flavor. I did as suggested and doubled the cayenne (also good idea) and I had a big can of tomatoes, so I ended up adding the whole 28 Oz can in...also VERY good. I highly recommend making this delicious dish! So good with cous cous, tahini chicken and vegetables!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Gabrielle! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reporting back with your modifications, that's so helpful for others <3
Victoria says
Super tasty! I made it with a savory couscous side. Ended up not having cloves and it still was very flavorful. My guests and I were happy not only for dinner but lunch the following day. Will definitely make again.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Victoria! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Darlene says
Amazing and so easy to make! Has become my favourite recipe.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Darlene! WOW, I'm so happy to hear that you like this recipe so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it 🙂
Froggie Doodle says
Fabulous and flavorful!!. I used a 14 oz can of tomatoes.. Came out perfect..I've already shared the recipe with several friends. Thank you for a winner of a recipe. Will file it as a staple go to recipe.
Denise Bustard says
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. It's one of my favorite lunches! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review.
Deeksha says
This looks so healthy and tasty. I love this recipe. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Chris says
Great recipe! I tried this in the slow cooker roughly following from your advice. I used 28oz canned tomatoes and added two cups of water. I did 6 hours of the slow cooker on low followed by 2 hours on warm. It was a little more liquidy than I was hoping, so I gave it ~30 minutes more on high with the lid off. It turned out great! Next time I will probably try the same expect with only 1 cup water. Thanks for the fantastic meal!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Chris! Thank you SO MUCH for reporting back with these details. That's so helpful! I'm glad you enjoyed, and really appreciate the time you took to come back and write that out 🙂
Jim says
Great recipe. Thank you. Steamed cauliflower and uncooked chopped spinach worked well as addditions after cooking. If you use a 14.5 oz tomato can then you may want to cutdown the cloves as the taste is strong
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jim! Thanks so much for reporting back with your modifications, I really appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Laurel says
I like to try different flavors of instant pot lentils and this is by far the best one I have found!! so easy and so flavorful. I also love how the flavors are so different than most typical recipes I find. Thank you so much!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Laurel! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this, it's one of my favorites! Thanks so much for combing back to leave a review 🙂
Rosalie McGraw says
Delish!!! I made this recipe in my ninja Foodi and will definitely be making this again. So easy.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Rosalie! Thank you so much for reporting back, glad to hear it worked in your ninja!
Theresa says
Hi, I want to make this but I am allergic to tomatoes, any ideas of what would I substitute for that can of tomatoes?
Thank you
Denise Bustard says
Hi Theresa, apologies for my late reply! I am really not sure what would work in place of tomatoes as they add body, moisture and acidic flavor to counter the sweet potatoes. I hope someone else can chime in if they have some ideas.
Cami says
Will any dry beans work?
Denise says
Hi Cami, this recipe was specifically tested using lentils. Dried chickpeas and black beans have a much longer cook time and different liquid ratios so they won't work in this recipe. I am unsure how you'd have to change the liquids and cook time if you were to use canned beans. Sorry!
Kim says
What setting on the pressure cooker, I put 15 min but I didn’t know what setting.
Denise says
Hi Kim, I only have experience using an Instant Pot but it should work the same in a regular pressure cooker? I cooked on high pressure for 15 minutes, then did a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
Júlia says
Just made this recipe, and loved it!
I did not have fennel seeds so I put in a fennel bulb (sliced) instead. I use it in other recipes with lentils and they go very well together (however, I will try to find fennel seeds the next time I make this!)
I really loved the flavour of the spice mix. Thanks for another great instant pot recipe, Denise!
Júlia says
Lol, just realised that the recipe did not include the fennel seeds (mixed it up with the tuscany style chicken stew). Still very good with fennel 😂
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed, even with the fennel! I bet it added a unique flavor twist 🙂
Skye says
Yum! What could I replace the ground cloves with?
Denise says
Hi Skye! I would just leave them out if you can't find them 🙂
Lisa says
Is the 19oz can of tomatoes correct? I feel like I only see 14.5 or 28oz cans at my store.
Denise says
Hi Lisa! I am in Canada and for some reason we have 19 oz cans. a 14.5 oz can should work just fine in this recipe! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Emily says
I have to pre-soak my lentils (I get bloating lol), so I was wondering how much liquid I would need instead. Also i'm allergic to celery, do you have any other suggestion that would go well with this? Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Emily! Unfortunately I have only tested as written. Soaking your lentils will significantly change the recipe cook time and liquids and it might not end up the same at all 🙁 As for the celery, you can leave it out.