Instant Pot Kale Soup

This easy vegan Instant Pot kale soup with quinoa is very unforgettable! This creamy soup is packed with protein, and essential nutrients, and is naturally gluten-free. Ready in just 30 minutes.

This Instant Pot soup recipe is like no other kale soup recipe you have ever tasted!

It’s so warm and comforting that even my toes were warmed up after just one spoonful.

Do you know what this soup is like? It’s like wearing a warm sweater while sitting in front of a fireplace and holding a cup of hot chocolate!

Originally published on December 15, 2021 at 4:30pm. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.

Ingredients

Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the bottom of this post.

Quinoa – This is a superfood! Quinoa is considered a complete protein and should be consumed as a meal whenever possible. It’s a great source of protein for vegans.

Purple kale – This color of kale has one amazing ingredient. The polyphenols in it are important for your brain and overall mood. Purple kale is also packed with antioxidants, fiber, and essential nutrients. Did you know that they have a masterclass on Kale?? That’s a class I want to try.

Broccoli – It is one of my favorite veggies of all time! Broccoli has so much nutrition, like Vitamin C, Iron, and Potassium. It’s also our ally in the fight against cancer. Source: National Kidney Foundation.

Mushrooms – Whenever I post mushroom recipes on my social media, many people respond that they dislike them. That just saddens me because there is so much nutrition in it. Check out FreshCap’s deep dive into this fungi!

Red Beans – Who would think these tiny beans are packed with protein and vitamins!? They are also easier to cook than the large beans. If you don’t have them on hand, sub with ¼ of red kidney beans or black beans.

If you don’t want to use mushroom stock, try this homemade vegan chicken bouillon recipe made with pantry ingredients.

🥬 Substitution tip: The beauty of this recipe is that you can add any veggie of choice. Add things like zucchini, cauliflower, and green beans.

Freezing and storing this soup

I am so happy I made a soup recipe that can be used later! It doesn’t happen often, so I am doing a little dance of joy right now.

This instant pot kale soup with quinoa will taste just as delicious when eaten a few days later. Make a big batch and then store it for future use or in meal prep recipes.

I put the soup into individual portion containers so they are easy to freeze and thaw when needed. I thaw the soup just enough to transfer it into a soup pan.

Then, I heat it for about 5 minutes on the stovetop. The flavors were retained during the freezing and thawing process, which is very good news.

P/S: You can also make purple kale salad with pomegranate.

🥬 Substitution tip: Don’t have purple kale? You can put in any kale you find in your local grocery store.

More ingredients to add

• Veggies like cauliflower, squashes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
• Seasonings like Creole seasoning, Italian seasoning, Old Bay, or any seasoning blend.
• Add ingredients like capers and spicy brown mustard for a more tangy taste.
• More proteins like brown rice, tofu, and tempeh.
• Add any veggies you have on hand. If you have stray veggies, why not pickle them?

For me, having beans in my soup is a must. It adds texture and protein to my soup, making it hearty. If you are a bean soup lover, you must make this Tuscan white bean soup! It’s so hearty and delicious.

Don’t skip the mushrooms in this recipe. They add so much texture to the soup. If you are like me and love mushrooms in soups, then this Hungarian mushroom soup is right in your wheelhouse.

🫘 Handy Tip: If you have time, use dry small red beans soaked overnight. In the morning, cook them in the pressure cooker before making the soup.

What to serve with instant pot kale quinoa soup

• Spinach Salad – A spinach salad goes well with this quinoa soup.
• Tomato sandwich – Soup and sandwich is a time-honored tradition.
• Beet Chips – Top your soup with these chips for added nutrition and flavor.
• Brussels sprouts pilaf – This is a hearty dinner recipe made with easy ingredients.
• Sweet potato wedges – These wedges are a perfect substitute for French fries. They are made with sweet potatoes and oven-baked.

The Instant Pot is not the only appliance for making soup. How about an Air Fryer? Katy Kicker did just that! Check out her Air Fryer Roasted Tomato Soup.

🍽 About this recipe: This recipe is vegan-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, and low-carb friendly too.

How to make Instant Pot kale soup

1) Open your Instant Pot lid and set it to “Saute”.

2) Add 1 Tbsp coconut oil to the pan and let it melt

3) Put 1 tsp cumin seeds in the oil and let them brown for about 30 seconds

4) Add 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp black pepper

5) Add 3 cloves of diced garlic and 1 Tbsp of minced ginger to the pan. Mix it and cook for 30 seconds

6) Put in 1/2 cup of red beans

7) Add 1/2 cup of diced mushrooms, 1/2 of a yellow or red bell pepper, and 1 cup of broccoli florets. Optional: ¼ of a red onion, diced.

8) Give it a quick stir

9) Add the 2 tsp pink salt

10) Add a 1/4 cup of quinoa

11) Pour 2 cups of water into the instant pot (you can sub water with vegetable broth).

12) Add 1 tsp cumin powder and 1 tsp red chili powder (½ teaspoon, if you can’t handle this spice). Mix well and close the lid

13) Choose the “Rice” option and remove the “keep warm” option. Also make sure that it is set at high pressure.

14) Once the instant pot is done cooking and the valve has dropped, gently open the lid. Do a quick stir of the soup.

15) Add 2 Tbsp mushroom stock

16) Pour in 1 cup of coconut milk

17) Finally, put in 4 leaves of roughly chopped purple kale.

18) Close the lid again, choose the “Pressure Cook” option, and set the time to 5 minutes. Remove the “Keep Warm” option

19) Let the instant pot go through the cook cycle and wait for the pressure valve to drop. Open it up gently, add 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice, and give it a final stir.

20) This quinoa vegetable soup is ready to serve. Optionally, garnish with fresh herbs.

A few more soup recipes

Acorn squash soup

Making these amazing acorn squash soups is my take on Panera’s acorn squash soup. My soup is vegan-friendly.

Butternut squash soup

Give yourself a soup break by making this Latin-inspired soup recipe made with butternut squash zoodles

Sweet potato soup

A creamy and delicious vegan sweet potato soup that everyone will love.

Healthy recipes like this quinoa soup are easy to make. Check out my collection of the easiest healthy recipes. I also have an Instant Pot quinoa and small red beans with Cuban flavors that is super delicious.

What do you think about having quinoa in soup?

Sharing is caring!

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Version 1

From time to time, I will go through old recipes to update the content. Sometimes, I update just the images and sometimes, I give the recipe a complete makeover

This recipe was not changed and the ingredients/instructions are still the same as the original. What was changed was the text in the post itself to remove grammar errors and make the whole post more readable.

To see this original post as it was, click here.