Healthy Vegan Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

Today I’d like to introduce you to my new vegan minestrone soup that your whole family will love! Packed with flavor and ready in under an hour in your Instant Pot or on stovetop, this vegan minestrone will become a star of your family weekly menu. Add it to your list of favorite Instant Pot vegan soups!

The beauty of vegan minestrone is in its ingredients. You can use as many or as few vegetables as you’d like, and as long as you keep to a few main staple ingredients (tomatoes, pasta, cabbage, and beans), your soup will most likely be a success.

I’ve been making this recipe for years (here’s my earlier vegan minestrone version from the blog), adding or subtracting a few ingredients here and there. But it took me a while to adapt it to the Instant Pot – mainly because I didn’t want to cook everything into a mush while pressure cooking this soup.

Eventually I decided to give it a try, and it turned out a success! Below are a few tips I followed to make it happen. These tips will also work both for other Instant Pot vegan soups.

This delicious Instant Pot minestrone is:

• healthy
• light yet filling
• oil-free
• entirely plant-based
• made without meat or dairy
• full of nutrition
• easy to make
• approved by adults and kids
• ready in 40 minutes

Tips for Making Vegan Minestrone Soup in the Instant Pot

1. Make sure to prep all ingredients in advance. Peeling, slicing and chopping takes time, so if you prep and start cooking the first few ingredients, they may be done before the rest of the ingredients are ready.

2. Divide prepped vegetables between 3 bowls, and add everything to the Instant Pot in 3 steps. In my recipe below, bowl #1 will have diced onions, carrots and celery; bowl #2 – cubed potatoes, shredded cabbage, and sliced mushrooms; bowl #3 – zucchini and canned beans.

3. Boost flavors by adding garlic and spices in two steps. Split them in half, then add the first half when sauteing the vegetables. Add the second half later, after pressure cooking, along with pasta and zucchini. Pressure cooking tends to mute the flavors of garlic and spices, so by adding them in two steps, we’re avoiding this.

4. Don’t add all broth or water at once – the larger the volume of food you’re planning to pressure cook, the longer it takes for the pressure to build up. So initially, add only 6-7 cups of broth before closing the lid. Once the pressure cooking cycle is over, feel free to add more broth when the soup is simmering on Saute function.

5. After adding pasta, cook it for a very short time, just until it starts getting al dente. It will continue cooking after you turn off your Instant Pot, so you don’t want to overcook it here.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I’ve included the stovetop cooking directions in the recipe card below.

And if you have an Instant Pot but haven’t cooked in it much because it intimidates you, check out my 5-step guide to using an Instant Pot for beginners that will help you ace pressure cooking in no time!

Also, see other Instant Pot recipes from the blog.

What is vegan minestrone soup made of?

Traditionally, minestrone soup contains beans, small-shaped pasta, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and broth. I’m also adding cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, lentils, mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, and kale (the last four are optional).

Minestrone lends itself perfectly to being vegan. However, a lot of recipes for this soup call for broth made with animal parts, or for a sprinkling of parmesan cheese at the end.

To bypass those while adding a rich flavor, I’m using a variety of spices, garlic, and nutritional yeast.

Is minestrone soup kid-friendly?

Yes! Of course, this may vary from child to child, but my 2 year-old loves this vegan minestrone. She first picks out pasta and potatoes, then demands that I give her pasta and potatoes from my bowl, then dips bread in what’s left in front of her – fun times 🙂

By the way, check out these 15 kid friendly vegan recipes from this blog that my toddler enjoys.

What do I do if my minestrone soup becomes too thick?

If your minestrone soup becomes too thick towards the end of cooking, or after it cools off, just add more water or broth. Mix it in and adjust seasoning if needed.

How do I store vegan minestrone soup?

Store vegan minestrone soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze it, split the soup between freezer-proof individual serving size containers, and freeze up to 2 months.

What do I serve vegan minestrone soup with?

I love serving my vegan minestrone with freshly baked bread (French baguette or sourdough bread pair really well). It’s amazing with a dollop of my vegan kale pesto. A sprinkling of nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan are also nice.

Continue to Content

Yield: 10 servings

Vegan Instant Pot Minestrone Soup

This delicious vegan minestrone soup makes a wholesome, light, yet filling meal. An easy to make Instant Pot minestrone the whole family will love! Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients - a lot of them are optional.

Serve with fresh baked bread for a complete meal. If you don't have an Instant Pot, see stovetop cooking instructions below.

Print

This delicious vegan minestrone soup makes a wholesome, light, yet filling meal. An easy to make Instant Pot minestrone the whole family will love! Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients - a lot of them are optional.

Serve with fresh baked bread for a complete meal. If you don't have an Instant Pot, see stovetop cooking instructions below.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 lb yellow baby potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 5 cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1.5 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup uncooked red lentils
• 3/4 cup small pasta*
• 1 15-oz can navy beans**, drained and rinsed
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into half-moons
• 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water (plus more if needed)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Avocado oil (or water/veggie broth for oil-free)

Spices***:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp paprika
• Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Press Sauté button. Add a splash of oil (or water/broth for oil-free), then sauté onions, carrots and celery until softened, 3-4 min.
2. Mix in garlic and spices, cook 1 min.
3. Stir in canned tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms (if using), cabbage, lentils, salt, pepper, and 6 cups of broth/water.
4. Press Cancel. Lock the lid and press Manual/ Pressure Cook (High). Set for 4 min.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta* in a separate pot of salted water until just before al dente. Drain, toss with 1 tsp of oil (or skip oil for oil-free). Set aside.
6. Once the Instant Pot timer reaches 0, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then press Cancel and carefully release the steam.
7. Open the lid and press Sauté. Add zucchini, navy beans**, parsley, and nutritional yeast. Add more broth/water if the soup looks too thick.
8. Bring to a boil, then press Cancel. Taste and adjust seasoning.
9. Let rest 10-15 min before serving. To serve, add a scoop of pasta into each bowl, then pour in the soup.
   

Stovetop Instructions:

1. In a large pot, sauté diced onion, carrots, and celery with a splash of oil (or water/broth for oil-free) until softened, 3-4 min.
2. Mix in garlic and spices, sauté 1 min until fragrant.
3. Stir in diced tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms (if using), lentils, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth/water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook 15-17 min, until potatoes become fork-tender and lentils soften.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta* separately until just before al dente. Drain, toss with 1 tsp of oil (or skip oil for oil-free), set aside.
5. Add navy beans**, zucchini, nutritional yeast, parsley, and more broth/water if the soup looks too thick. Bring back to a boil, then turn off heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Let the soup rest 10-15 min. To serve, add a scoop of cooked pasta into each bowl, then pour in the soup.

Notes

* Use small shells, elbows, tubatini, or even orzo.
** Cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or even red kidney beans will also work.
*** Alternatively, use 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning + 1 tsp paprika.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through affiliate links on my blog, I receive a very small commission that helps me run this blog, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

• 
  Anthony's Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes (1lb), Verified Gluten Free
• 
  Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker 6 Qt 7-in-1
• 
  Eden Organic Cannellini White Kidney Beans, No Salt Added, 15-Ounce Cans

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 582Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCarbohydrates: 109gFiber: 39gSugar: 7gProtein: 33g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

Follow Vegan Runner Eats on Pinterest for more recipes!

If you want to Pin this recipe, click on the round pin button at the top of this card.

I hope you enjoy my vegan Instant Pot minestrone soup as much as we do in our family!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, share it with your friends on social media! And stick around for more awesomeness – subscribe to Vegan Runner Eats to receive the latest posts (I’ll send you my free 10 Easy Vegan Dinners e-book as a thank you), or follow the blog on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan of 12+ years, a passionate blogger, YouTuber, and a mom. She helps new vegans and their families navigate a vegan diet and lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable way. Check out her new vegan meal planning app, Veg Easy, designed to make meal planning a breeze for everyone.

See Full Bio