My SO was craving vegetable soup on a random Sunday and we didn’t have any. We did have a lot of random veggies that were looking a bit ugly and didn’t necessarily go together, so he proposed to try making one in the Instant Pot. We quickly chopped those veggies, added some veggie broth and spices to the Instant Pot and then we let it do its work. The results? We haven’t bought store bought soup ever since. And because I’m all about not throwing away food, I want to share this recipe with all of you: so here it is, our instant Pot (zero waste) carrot & sweet potato soup recipe.
Before we head into the recipe, I want to clarify that you are going to be judging your own vegetables here. I know the veggies I used were still GOOD to eat even if they were a bit ugly looking. If your carrot smells funny or has some MOLD in it, please don’t eat it, use it for compost. Follow your own judgement! This recipe is to use vegetables that will soon be not good for consumption, but you still want to use them and therefore, not waste them.
🇫🇷 La recette en français est disponible tout en bas !

Ingredients
I’ve noticed that we rarely (and by we, I talk about all of us who post stuff on the internet), talk about “ugly looking vegetables” or as Id like to call them “Vegetables that are still freaking delicious but are not too Instagramable so we ain’t going to put them in a picture”. We all know what vegetables I’m referring to and we all have had this situation. I’m going to list some ingredients but honestly, just use whatever you have in your fridge that is starting to look a bit meh but will still taste quite good.
I have made this recipe several times, but in most situations I used:
- Carrots : I buy a lot of carrots because they are so good but sometimes some of them go to the back of the fridge and they are usually the main ingredient in my soup.
- Tomatoes: when they go super ripe, sometimes it’s hard to eat them. In Spain we use tomatoes for a lot of things, specially if they are ripe, but you can use a ripe tomato for soups, or even for homemade tomato sauces.
- Celery: Specially the leaves. Sometimes they go dry from being in the fridge, but don’t throw them. Add them in the soup and the flavor will be outstanding.
- Onions, Garlic and Sweet Potatoes : Other stuff that I always add not because it’s going bad but just because I love it
- Veggie broth: you can either use homemade, or store-bought.
- Spices: I mostly use curcuma and basil. They give really nice flavors.
How to make this Instant Pot Soup? (no matter the vegetables)
Chop all the veggies in dices and add them with a generous amount of olive oil. We are going to saute them for like 3 to 5 minutes, then we will add the broth to deglaze the bottom.

Once that is done, we will close the Instant Pot with the lid and place the valve to sealing position. We will cook this soup 5 minutes in High Pressure. The pot will take around 10 minutes to reach max pressure. Once the timer is at 0:00, we will carefully do a Quick Release.
Now, this is a technique I always use when making soups or similar: I take out the liquid by cups and I set them aside. I do this because I’d rather add liquid to the soup than have a soup that is way too liquid. Unplug the Instant Pot and start blending the vegetables with a handheld blender. Add the liquid until you reach the desired consistency. If you have some leftover broth, you can totally store it and use it later.
Serve with some salt and pepper, and you can also add a splash of milk. You can also add some cheddar cheese or some toasted bread and even some chives!

Result
This recipe is perfect for those days where you need something heart-warming and cozy. Also, super simple to make. The flavors of this soup are just amazing and I think that is one of the main reasons why the Instant Pot is such a great thing to have in your kitchen (I swear I am not being paid by them, I wish). The beauty of the Instant Pot is that it enhances the flavors by 10 in half of the time (in certain recipes).I know for sure store-bought soup is a thing of the past, and this zero waste vegetable soup recipe is my now and future.

This recipe is perfect for those days where you need something heart-warming and cozy. Also, super simple to make. The flavors of this soup are just amazing and I think that is one of the main reasons why the Instant Pot is such a great thing to have in your kitchen (I swear I am not being paid by them, I wish). The beauty of the Instant Pot is that it enhances the flavors by 10 in half of the time (in certain recipes). I know for sure store-bought soup is a thing of the past, and this zero waste vegetable soup recipe is my now and future.
Do you have any recipes (instant Pot or not) that have changed your mind about store-bought products? I know my lasagnas are another one of those examples, and also my homemade granola. Not only these recipes are nicer, they are also much cheaper and more environmental friendly (less packaging!).
What are some things that you tried at home and said “no more” to the store? Tell me all in the comments!
P.S: If you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag #tofucado on Instagram and make sure to follow me there!
Instant Pot Carrot and Sweet Potato soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 sweet potato
- 2 large carrots
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 Celery sticks
- 3.5 cups of veggie broth
- 1 tbsp curcuma
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oli
- Pepper and salt to taste
- A handful of grated cheese, chives, toasted bread, pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Dice all the vegetables. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and select the sauté option.
- Cook the veggies for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the broth and deglaze the bottom.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing and click on manual. Set the timer to 5 minutes. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to reach pressure.
- When the timer goes off, do a Quick Release (QR). Turn the sealing valve to venting carefully and let the steam come out.
- When it's safe to open the lid, open it and unplug the Instant pot. With the help of a handheld blender, blend the mix until you reach the consistency you want. You can add some milk if you want it creamier.
- Serve in a bowl with some grated cheese, chives, pepper, toasted bread, or as you want. Enjoy!
Ingrédients
- 1 oignon
- 4 gousses d’ail
- 1 patate douce
- 2 carottes (grosses)
- 2 tomates
- 2 branches céleri
- 500 ml bouillon végétale
- 1 cuillère à soupe de curcuma, une autre d’huile d’olive et 1 cuillère à café de paprika
- Sel et poivre pour assaisonner
- Optionnel: croûtons de pain, fromage râpé, ciboulette, …
Instructions
- Couper tous les légumes en cubes. Ajouter l’huile d’olive dans l’instant Pot et sélectionner l’option “sauté”
- Cuire les légumes pendant 3 – 5 minutes.
- Ajouter le bouillon et déglacer le fond du pot.
- Fermer l’instant Pot, vérifier que la sealing valve est bien sur Sealing. Sélectionner le mode “Manual/Pressure cooker” et ajouter le timer à 5 minutes. L’instant Pot prendra 10 minutes à arriver à la pression maximale.
- Quand le timer arrive à 0, effectuer une Quick Release. Bouger la sealing valve de “sealing” à “venting” pour permettre la vapeur de sortir. Quand la floating valve est descendue, vous pouvez ouvrir l’instant Pot.
- Déconnecter l’instant pot, et à l’aide d’une mixeur de main, mélanger tout jusqu’à obtenir la consistance souhaitée.
- Servir avec un peu de lait, ou fromage, ou même de la ciboulette coupée très finement. Ajouter du sel et du poivre selon votre goût.
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