This Instant Pot Split Pea Soup, made with a leftover ham bone (or any other ham), is a game-changer. The pressure cooker cuts the cooking time in half and imparts the flavor of the ham into every scrumptious bite. It’s so simple, but SO delicious. And it’s ridiculously easy to make!
What are split peas?
Dried split peas are part of a food group known as pulses, which include beans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils. I love cooking pulses in my pressure cooker because it takes such a short amount of time, meaning you can start it on a weeknight and have it ready in less than an hour for dinner. My last pressure cooker pulse creation was this Instant Pot Chili, made with dried kidney beans and ground beef.
I love cooking with split peas because they have many of the same health benefits as other pulses, but take a shorter time to cook and don’t require pre-soaking. And they are just so tasty!
And my favorite part about pulses: you get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck. They are one of the cheapest and healthiest foods out there- a whole 1lb. bag of split peas cost me only $0.89 when I made this recipe.
How to make split pea soup with a ham bone
If you’re planning on having ham this holiday season, do NOT throw out the bone! And don’t let the person hosting throw it out either. I fully plan on being “that person” who asks to take the turkey carcass home after Thanksgiving at my in-laws so I can make homemade turkey stock. I don’t care, I am who I am :-)
Adding a ham bone to split pea soup elevates it to a whole new level. There is a ton of flavor in the bone itself, as well as marrow and gelatin, which infuses into the soup as it cooks (which both thickens it and gives it many of the same health benefits as bone broth). And there’s also still likely a lot of meat left on the bone, which will easily come off after letting it simmer in the soup for so long.
Confession: I actually bought a whole ham JUST so I would have the bone to make this soup. Such is the life of a food blogger.
What to do if you don’t have a ham bone
You don’t have to be like me and buy a whole ham just for the bone! If you don’t have a ham bone – since it’s not very often in life that we come across them, is it? – you can definitely just use thick-cut diced ham, or a ham hock.
You can use a smoked turkey leg if you want a pork-free version.
And you can even make this soup vegetarian or vegan by omitting the ham and making a few other changes (see notes in recipe below).
What kind of pressure cooker to use
I made my Instant Pot split pea soup in (you guessed it!) an Instant Pot. It’s a very popular and high-quality pressure cooker, and I’ve been LOVING it.
You can even replace it for your slow cooker (it has a slow cooker setting as well). Pressure cookers not only cut the cooking time of things like pulses and tough cuts of meat wayyyyy down, but I find it also tends to cook things with better flavor than a slow cooker. It also has a sauté function, so you can cook up the mirepoix (that’s the fancy word for the celery, carrots, and onions) right in the pot.
Keep an eye out for black Friday sales- I got my six quart Instant Pot for only around $60 last year (what a deal!).
Don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot? Just look at the recipe notes below for how to make this on your stovetop or in your slow cooker.
Other Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa with Cheese
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Fish Stew
Here’s a link to all of my pressure cooker/instant pot recipes! For a plant-based version, try this vegetarian split pea soup with potatoes, lemon, and dill.
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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 ham bone a smoked ham hock or 6 oz. diced deli ham can also be used
- 1 lb. dry split peas sorted through and rinsed
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth or veggie stock, water, or a mixture
- 2 bay leaves
- kosher salt and black pepper (see notes)
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker to the "sauté" setting. Melt butter (3 tablespoons) and sauté onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the split peas, chicken stock (6 cups), ham bone (or hock or 6 oz. diced cooked ham), and the 2 bay leaves. Turn off the "sauté" function.
- Cover pressure cooker and set to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes. Then, quick release the pressure valve.
- If you used a ham bone or hock: remove the it from the soup and remove the ham meat that’s still attached to it. Add the ham meat back into the soup.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary (see notes). Serve immediately, or store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Notes
- A note about salt: if you use salty chicken broth, you may not need to add any salt at all since ham is also usually very salty.
- The peas may take longer to cook depending on their age – the older dried legumes are, the longer they take to cook. This can vary based on brand, how long they’ve sat on grocery store shelves, or how long they’ve been in your pantry.
- If you want to use a frozen ham bone, you shouldn’t need to adjust the cooking time, since ham bones are technically already cooked, you’re just reheating it! Keep in mind though, the colder your ingredients are, the longer it will take to come to pressure.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the ham, use more salt and pepper, and make sure to use vegetable stock or water instead of chicken. For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter.
- If you don’t eat pork, you can substitute the ham bone for a smoked turkey leg.
- To make this in your slow cooker, add all ingredients (omitting the butter) to slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, or until split peas are cooked to desired tenderness.
- To make this on your stovetop, sauté veggies as instructed in a large pot. After adding the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for approximately one hour (or until split peas are cooked to desired tenderness).
- Ham usually comes cured/smoked, which means it’s cooked and ready to eat. However, sometimes stores sell “fresh ham,” which means it’s uncooked. Do NOT use fresh ham for this recipe- use already cooked, smoked, and/or cured ham.
- This soup will likely thicken once it cools and is refrigerated, especially if you use a ham bone to make it because of the gelatin. Thin out with water and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- I made this recipe in my 6 qt. Instant pot. It should work the same in an 8 qt., but you may need to cut the ingredients in half for a 3 qt. mini. You should also be able to double the batch in an 8 quart pressure cooker.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Windy Rodriguez
I make this a couple of times a month. It’s absolutely delicious! I always add extra ham & carrots because I like more then the recipe calls for. 5 stars 🌟 all the way! 😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jay
I have made this soup recipe before several (like another post, I put a diced potato in for extra texture and add an extra half cup of chicken stock). It not really ham season atm, and I got a great local made cherry wood smoked polish kielbasa at my farmer’s market…it was AMAZING !! Sliced about 1/2 inch thick, then cut in half…omitted the butter and browned the kielbasa first, adding the mirpoix to the pot and proceeded from there. Soooo much flavor, and a different take on it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding kielbasa… yum!
Courtney Loreanne Duncan
I made this soup yesterday, and I was doubtful that it would turn out well because I’m so used to having to take forever to make split pea soup. But this turned out amazing! Between the ham and the chicken broth, I didn’t have to add even a grain of salt- I wasn’t able to get a ham bone, so just in case you are like me and have to use a ham steak, don’t add salt! Next time I might actually use low sodium broth, although it came out perfect. My whole family really enjoyed this recipe and I will definitely keep it in my mental index for next time. so very easy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Julie V
Very tasty. I cooked as directed.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
E Marie Ramczyk
Im worried about it being too runny. I added frozen diced celery. First time making it. Im nervous. I set it at pressure high for 15 minutes and it just says on. Does that mean it’s building pressure and will then count down?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope it turned out well for you! Yes, it will say “on” until it reaches pressure, then the countdown will begin. It doesn’t seem like enough time, but I promise it is! :-)
E Marie Ramczyk
Thank you and my husband said it was delicious! It makes a big batch so I froze two bowls full for him.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you both liked it!
Supriya Kutty
The dish featured in this recipe is a perfect example of comfort food done right, with flavors and aromas that evoke feelings of warmth and contentment.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Karen Berg
We cooked the ham and used the actual stock, plus the bone and bits of ham, which I now fully recommend. It was the best split pea soup I’ve EVER had!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
JA
I made with a large bacon hock but 15 minutes wasn’t long enough to cook it so it fell off the bone. No one else has commented on this so not sure what I did wrong- Soup tasted delicious though.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Was the hock already cooked/smoked? This recipe requires a fully cooked ham bone or hock or something similar. If it’s raw, it won’t cook fully with the time indicated – even if it does come up to temperature, it may not be fall-apart tender. So be sure to use a fully cooked ham bone! And if you did use a piece that was fully cooked, it might have just been an unlucky tougher piece of meat. Hope that helps!
Karisa
Is it necessary to soak the dried spilt peas?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Nope, not for this recipe! You can soak them if you want – split peas only need a few hours of soaking. Use less liquid in the recipe if you do this.
James Ward
Easy and excellent recipe. A must have for your baked ham leftovers.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
jack gibson
tasty and quick. a go to recipe
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Holly
Made this for dinner, absolutely delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Arlene Jackson
I only have whole peas. How will this affect the recipe? Should I soak them for about 8 hours first? Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never used whole dried peas for this, so I can’t say for sure. But here’s what I would do! Yes, I do think soaking would be a good idea. Then drain and rinse well. I think once they are soaked, you should be OK with the liquid amount and time indicated on this recipe. If you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out and if the timing was OK after soaking! Good luck!
Cricket
I always use potatoes when I make this soup. Would I have to do anything different using the instant pot?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I haven’t made it with potatoes in the instant pot, but do be sure to add a little more liquid for the potatoes so they have something to absorb. You may also find the soup needs more salt. The timing should all be the same – just add diced potatoes in with the peas. Hope that helps!
Valerie
Delicious, but peas were not fully cooked in that amount of time. Had to put them back under pressure for another 10 minutes (25 minutes total).
Elizabeth Lindemann
The peas may take longer to cook depending on their age – the older dried legumes are, the longer they take to cook. This can vary based on brand, how long they’ve sat on grocery store shelves, or how long they’ve been in your pantry. Hope that helps!
Susan Durst
Delicious! First recipe I made in my new Instapot. Easy to follow and super good!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Linda
Excellent recipe, enjoyed it for a week.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Christina Vawser
Hi,
I’m gathering the ingredients to make it, as I write this. You mentioned using Mirepoix, but you didn’t mention how much, it would have been very nice to have included that in the recipe as I happen to have about 4 cups in my freezer right now!
I’ll be using uncut baby carrots, slightly larger slices/wedges of onion and slices of celery, dried parsley (as that adds a bit of a peppery flavor & I don’t have fresh right now.) and pre-chopped ham pieces. Will let you know how it turns out! ;-)
Thank you for the recipe,
Sincerely,
Tina
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hi! In this case, the word mirepoix means the carrots, onion, and celery combination in the recipe – not as a substitution. They are one in the same! But if you have pre-made mirepoix, that can work! Honestly, the exact amount doesn’t super matter here. That’s one of the reasons why you see 1 onion, 2 ribs celery, and 2 carrots – those can vary in size a LOT. And it doesn’t really matter for this soup. I’d say about 3-4 cups of a pre-chopped mirepoix will work just fine here! Hope that helps!
Carla Patton
Hi, I followed your Instant Pot recipe to the T, but after refrigeration, the next day, the consistency was almost like mashed potatoes 🤷🏼♀️ Not sure where I went wrong.
Elizabeth Lindemann
You didn’t do anything wrong – that’s just what happens with split pea soup! It gets kind of solidified and almost jello-like as it cools and over time. You can heat it up and it might thin out just fine, or just add a little water to it. You know how this happens with oatmeal too? That’s all the soluble fiber – it kind of gels up. Same with split peas. Hope that helps!
Pam
This split pea soup with the ham bone was the tastiest one I have ever made! The flavor jumped out at you. I must admit that I added worshestershire sauce, which I believe took it to the next level.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding Worcestershire sauce, thanks for the rec!
Victoria
I’m relatively new to using an instant pot but this recipe was excellent We had leftover ham and bone from Easter we followed the recipe with the variation of having used three medium sized potatoes cubed and added an additional roughly cup and a half of water to compensate for the starch. It was excellent We served with a homemade rye bread for dipping it was perfect! Also instead of using butter we rendered the fat from the ham to saute onion and garlic and we did not saute the veg otherwise we simply put it in the pot
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of using the fat from the ham to sauté the veggies.
Karen
Best ever split pea soup! Highly recommend giving this a try!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tanya Slonecker
Love this recipe! It’s so easy and delicious. I’ve also made it with vegetable stock, bone broth and Better than Bouillon, both chicken and vegetable flavors. I’ve made it with and without celery, with a hame bone and with deli ham. It’s always good! Sometimes I add garlic too.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!