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You really wont miss the meat in these flavorful, filling, and healthy Instant Pot Lentil Tacos! Ready in 20 minutes, and easily adaptable to use ingredients and toppings you already have, this vegetarian instant pot recipe is a WINNER.
I'm a big fan of mixing up our dinners with some meatless meals. I'm not a vegetarian (far from it 🙂 ) but I also don't like my family eating heavy servings of meat every single night.
One of my favorite vegetarian meals is black bean burgers — so dang easy and TASTY! I love that I usually always have what I need to make them.
I feel like Mexican flavored dishes are even easier to make meatless because of all of the delicious flavor and spices you can add to the dish. These sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, and these black bean and corn quesadillas, for example, always leave us feeling satisfied.
What I really love about these Mexican inspired lentil tacos are how hearty the mixture is–you wont even miss the meat! They are soo flavorful, and delicious, and one of my absolute favorite vegetarian instant pot recipes.
The Instant Pot makes this meal even more genius. Throw everything in the pot, and give it a stir. That's it! Cook it for 15 minutes on high pressure, and you're ready to eat. No babysitting the lentils, no stirring the pot. You don't even need to let the pressure naturally release!
This Instant pot lentil tacos recipe is also really easily adaptable to what you have on hand.
Substitution Ideas:
Chopped onion for onion powder.
Use the saute function on the instant pot to saute 1 cup chopped onion in a little bit of oil, before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Water for chicken broth.
You can use water if you don’t have chicken broth. I just like the extra boost of flavor that the chicken broth adds. Or you could add 4 teaspoons/4 chicken bullion cubes to the water.
Tomato sauce instead of salsa.
Additional veggies:
Try adding corn, diced green chilies (if you like it spicy), or another chopped vegetable, like zucchini.
More great Instant Pot Dinner recipes:
Instant Pot Chicken Taco Bowls
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Instant Pot Lentil Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry lentils, , green or brown
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, (or vegetable broth)
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Topping ideas:
- corn or flour tortillas, , for serving
- shredded cheese
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- avocado, , chopped (or guacamole)
- fresh cilantro
- green onion, , chopped
- olives
- sour cream, (or plain Greek yogurt)
- salsa, , or hot sauce
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to instant pot and stir to combine.
- Close the lid and move valve to sealing position.
- Cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, cover the valve with a towel and switch it to quick release to release all of the pressure.
- Open lid and gently stir.
- Allow to cool while you prepare toppings.
- Serve warm, inside corn or flour tortillas, with desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe adapted from My Plant Based Family.
Nutritional label is based off a ¼ cup servings (to fill 1 taco). Does not include toppings.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
Followed the amounts exactly and when they were done cooking it was like soup! Less broth perhaps.
This recipe is delicious! My insanely picky toddler who only eats pbj and cheese and crackers devoured this! (We added “rainbow toppings” aka colorful veggies.) My 8 month old ate some. The adults ate it. This was truly delicious and a family friendly recipe. Only change I made was adding chopped mushrooms that I needed to use up. Thank you thank you thank you!
I’ve been trying to make a conscience effort to eat less meat. With this recipe… who needs it? This is delicious.
The only issues I had, was my own error I assume. I have never had an issue with my Instapot, but today, I heard the button drop on it part way through, it had siphoned a bunch of water into the overflow, I didn’t need to vent the pot at the end at all – just removed the lid, there was a good portion of the meal burned onto the bottom of the pot. The remaining product is delicious though. Any Instapot experts to tell me what I did wrong? Is my seal going bad? Thanks for a great recipe. I will likely not make ground beef taco meat again:)
I’ve made this recipe several times and my husband has deemed it “the best tacos he’s ever had.” Thanks for making my life easier with such a ridiculously quick crowd pleaser!
Would this recipe work in a slow cooker (crockpot)? Would any ingredients change? How long would it need to cook?
These were delicious and so easy!
So tasty and quick!! My favorite companion to lentil taco filling is cubed chipotle roasted sweet potatoes, for that spicy sweet combo. Top with cilantro and pickled purple onions and it is heaven!
I don’t have an instapot nor crock pot. Will there be a problem using my regular, big stock pot?
Thanks,
Joan
I cut the recipe in half and did them in a saucepan on the stove and it was delicious!
I love this recipe but it makes a ton! Can you freeze the leftovers? Or if I wanted to cut the recipe in half would the proportions and cook time be the same?! I’m very new to using my instant pot so wasn’t sure. 🙂
Yes, the leftover lentil filling will freeze well!
I still cannot believe how good these lentil tacos taste.
We are fairly new to the plant based diet; having started it because of my husband’s health. Being Hispanic I knew I’d like the lentils and I could tell the spices were spot on. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to use my Insta Pot for a quick effortless meal.
My family was amazed! Especially my 80 year old aunt. She really liked the lentejas (lentils). And there is plenty left over for is to use with some potatoes and tortillas on Friday night (meatless Lent meal).
Thank you for this delicious recipe.