Instant Pot Vegetable Soup with Rice
Instant Pot vegetable soup with rice is a delicious vegetarian soup that will keep you warm and cozy all winter long. This Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe gives you a classic family favorite in a fraction of the time of making vegetable soup on the stove.
Vegetable soup is one of my ultimate comfort foods. I love it. Growing up my Nana made the best vegetable soup ever. I used to beg her to make it for me on my birthday. My birthday is in July. This Instant Pot vegetable soup has all the classic flavors of the vegetable soup I loved so much as a kid in a fraction of the time.
I already shared a variation of that classic vegetable soup recipe with you guys once when I made this vegetable soup with quinoa a few years ago. That recipe is fantastic if you cook it on the stove and have an hour or so before you need dinner done. This Instant Pot vegetable soup is done in about half that time. Hard to believe a soup that used to take my Nana all day to make can be ready in half an hour!
The Secret to Making Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot: Don’t treat the Instant Pot like a Slow Cooker!
I’ll be honest. The first time I tried vegetable soup in the Instant Pot I was really disappointed. The soup came out watery and gross. Flavorless. Diluted. I couldn’t figure out why everyone raves about how delicious Instant Pot soup is when mine was anything but.
I researched. And came to some conclusions that seem like common sense now. Here’s what I figured out. Are you ready? It will change the way you approach cooking in the Instant Pot.
The liquid doesn’t cook down if you just pressure cook your food so the flavors don’t get a chance to intensify.
Serious light bulb moment. Huge. Jaw dropping. But seriously common sense.
So of course my initial Instant Pot vegetable soup attempt wasn’t as delicious as a soup that slow cooks all day long or even slowly simmers on the stove top. The liquid didn’t cook down allowing the flavors to intensify because I just dumped all the ingredients in the pot and pressure cooked it the way I would do with a slow cooker soup.
BIG FAT NOPE.
With this version of Instant Pot vegetable soup, I am using the saute feature in addition to pressure cooking it, allowing the liquid a chance to cook down. Plus I made a few adjustments to the recipe to give it more flavor and body than some of the sad watery Instant Pot soup recipes out there. The result? A hearty Instant Pot vegetable soup you’ll want to make time and time again.
Flavor Packed Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
A few of the changes from my stove top vegetable soup:
- Less vegetable stock. Instead of using 8-10 cups of stock, use 6 cups. If you use more stock the recipe won’t have the same rich, developed flavor that this recipe has.
- More tomato paste. For this recipe, we’re going to use an entire 6 ounce can of tomato paste. It will give the soup that rich, slow cooked taste and body.
- Add half of the stock sooner. When I make this on the stove, I only add about a half cup of the broth with the fresh vegetables. In the Instant Pot, I add 3 cups of the broth before I stir in the tomato paste. The reason? The Instant Pot gets really hot on saute mode and may burn the tomato paste if you add it first. Plus adding 3 cups of the broth allows it to come to a quick simmer and reduce and thicken slightly.
- Extra garlic. I want the extra flavor here. This soup does not have a very garlicky flavor but a mellow pop of flavor in the background that gives it a nice richness. Instead of using 4 cloves, I’m upping to 6-8 cloves.
- Add the bay leaves sooner to give them maximum time to release their flavor.
- Liberally salt and pepper the soup. With my stove top soup, I have an admittedly light hand with the salt. I am not a fan of overly salty food and I find that stove top soups cook down and the salty flavor from the broth intensifies. With the Instant Pot, I’m adding a lot more salt to get that same flavor.
- Don’t skip the rice. Brown rice in this soup gives the soup a heartiness and helps thicken the soup. Don’t want to use rice? Add diced starchy potatoes like russets or Idahos.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
To make Instant Pot vegetable soup, start by putting the inner liner into the pot and turning the Instant Pot on saute mode.
Add your olive oil. To the the oil, add your diced onion, pressed garlic, and dried bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes until the onions start to soften.
Add the diced peeled turnips and sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on. Toss them to coat them in the olive oil.
Then pour 3 cups of the vegetable broth in and bring it to a simmer. Because the Instant Pot gets so hot on saute mode, it will start to simmer very quickly.
Add in the whole 6 ounce can of tomato paste, stirring to fully incorporate it and bring it to a simmer again. Then, add the rest of the broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
When the broth has simmered for 5 minutes, pour in 1 cup of brown rice. Turn the Instant Pot onto manual by hitting cancel to turn off saute mode and then manual or pressure cook, depending on your Pot. Put the pot on the lid, making sure the valve is set to seal and set it for 4 minutes. When the pot beeps, do a quick release, then take the lid off. When you’ve removed the lid, turn the Pot back on saute mode. Stir in the frozen vegetables and bring to a simmer.
Turn the pot off and serve hot.
That’s it! Dinner’s done in a fraction of the time it takes to make soup on the stove! I like to serve this with a sprinkle (ok, a healthy shower) of Parmesan cheese and some crusty bread. It serves 4 and will store well in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Other Soup Recipes I Love
From the moment the weather turns cold, I am all about the soup. While this vegetable soup is one of my favorite recipes, I also love this Instant Pot butternut squash soup in the fall. Not a squash fan? This cheddar apple soup is a cheesy soup to die for. Looking for something lighter? This skinny broccoli soup feels rich and comforting and is packed with tons of hidden veggies. For a classic chicken soup to cure all your colds, you can’t beat this slow cooker chicken soup. And for a spicy exotic soup? Hello Thai vegetable soup, I’m looking at you.
Make this Instant Pot veggie soup tonight and see why I love it so much! Leave me a comment or tag it on Instagram @seasonedsprinkles to let me know how you liked it. Happy souping!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion or 2 small ones diced
- 6-8 pressed garlic cloves
- 3 dry bay leaves
- 2 purple turnips peeled and cubed
- 6 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 small can of tomato paste- 6 ounces total
- 1 cups of uncooked 10 minute brown rice
- 16 ounce bag of frozen mixed vegetables
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put the inner liner into the pot and turn the Instant Pot on saute mode. Add the olive oil. To the the oil, add the diced onion, pressed garlic, and dried bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes until the onions start to soften, stirring as they cook. Add the diced peeled turnips and sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on. Toss them to coat them in the olive oil. Then pour 3 cups of the vegetable broth in and bring it to a simmer. Now add in the whole 6 ounce can of tomato paste, stirring to fully incorporate it and bring it to a simmer again. Add the rest of the broth and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the broth has simmered for 5 minutes, pour in 1 cup of brown rice. Turn the Instant Pot onto manual by hitting cancel to turn off saute mode and then manual or pressure cook, depending on your Pot. Put the pot on the lid, making sure the valve is set to seal and set it for 4 minutes. When the pot beeps, do a quick release, then take the lid off. When you've removed the lid, turn the Pot back on saute mode. Stir in the frozen vegetables and bring to a simmer. Turn the pot off and serve hot.
