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.
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
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:
Wendy H
I am new to the Instant Pot and my family loves split pea soup. I used our leftover Christmas ham in this recipe and it came together so quickly! The only slight change I made was to add 1 Tbsp minced garlic and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I don’t normally modify recipes, but those ingredients were in the split pea soup recipe on my bag of split peas). When I first opened the Instant Pot, the soup seemed less thick than I wanted, but it thickened up quite nicely as it cooled. It reminded me of the hearty Split Pea Soup that was so popular at the the restaurant where worked in college. In fact, I think this one is even better! Thanks for the great recipe. Will definitely be making this again.
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked the recipe!! I thought mine was too thin as well- it’s amazing how much it thickens on its own. Thanks for the comment!
Julie
This is the second time I have made this recipe since getting my Instant Pot late November. I love, love, love how easy and tasty this is. I have passed the recipe on to other new users because I am so confident they will love it too. Thank you for posting my new favorite soup recipe
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked the recipe! Thanks for the comment and for passing the recipe on ????
Lisa Durant
I made this recipe using our Christmas ham bone (I hate just tossing it out!) It is incredible :) My go-to split pea soup recipe for sure now :)
Elizabeth
Yay! So happy you liked it ???? happy new year!
Carolyn
Do you need to soak the split peas overnight?
Elizabeth
Nope! That’s the great thing about split peas (and lentils)- I normally soak beans and larger pulses, but split peas do fine without soaking. I just give them a bit of a rinse before adding them to the pot.
Stacy R.
This is the second time I have made split pea soup in my Instant pot. I don’t recall which recipe I used the first time, but suffice it to say that since this was one of the first I happened upon today, which seemed relatively uncomplicated, I decided to go for it.
I too had leftover ham (from Christmas if that matters), and all of the fixins’ to make this. Let me just back up and say that I have made split pea many times before, just not in the Instant Pot, which I am ashamed to admit sat in a box for 1 1/2 years before I finally got around to using it. But I digress.
So I’m not real fussy about measuring, except when it comes to liquids, and I did measure that. Ham I just chopped up until it seemed sufficient; same with carrots, celery and onion. I usually don’t stray wildly from recipes, and this was no exception. The only thing I did add was oregano, because the recipe I have always used from my bag of peas calls for it.
After the initial 15 minutes, I waited for the Instant pot to shut off. Now maybe I was impatient or just don’t recall how long it takes for this shut off to occur, but after about 17 minutes (clock counts upward as it releases I guess), I hit the manual off button and did the forced release (at least that’s what I’m calling it)! ;) Maybe you can refresh my memory on how long this auto shut off should take. Long story longer, it was really good! Consistency was spot on and taste (though I did add more salt & pepper) was perfect. It’s amazing how much hotter soup not only comes out in the Instant Pot, but maintains a hot temperature!
PS: Never worry about split pea being “too thin”, as it always thickens up, and forget bout cutting this recipe in half (even if you are only 2 like us), as this is one soup that freezes very well! Thanks for the recipe! The End.
Elizabeth
My Instant Pot sat in the box for months before I opened it, too! I’m always hesitant to try new things, especially in the kitchen, where I’m already comfortable using traditional cooking methods. But so glad I did :-) Thank you for the thorough comment and suggestions! For the “auto shut off,” the clock will continue to count upwards for a long time (I’ve let it go for over an hour before). I don’t think it actually will stop and turn “off.” The count is for low long the IP has been depressurizing naturally. You can tell when it’s completely depressurized naturally when the little silver button on top sinks back in and isn’t elevated. The IP will be set to keep the food warm throughout this time, which is great because you could make this hours before dinner and it will be ready and delicious when you are ready to serve! Definitely agree about never cutting this recipe in half, especially because it is SO CHEAP to make in addition to being freezable. Happy new year!
DesignChick01
I have a frozen ham bone with some ham still attached. How much should I add to the cooking time for frozen?
Elizabeth
Hm. That’s a good question. Since the ham is already cooked (I’m assuming), having it be raw won’t be a problem. I’m not an Instant Pot expert yet (getting there!), but my guess is that it shouldn’t matter. It may take a bit more time to come up to pressure- I used partially frozen chicken stock to make black eyed pea soup in it the other day, and it took a little longer than usual to come up to pressure, but the soup came out great. If you’re worried about it, you can always set it out to defrost for a couple hours before cooking, or defrost in the microwave! Wish I could speak with a bit more authority on the matter, but I hope this was a little bit helpful :-)
Janice
I loved this soup! I didn’t have a ham bone so I used leftover ham and Better Than Bouillon Ham Base. I also used the Instant Pot. Wow, delicious and creamy texture.
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it!!
Agalia
I can’t print off the recipe. Is it me?
Elizabeth
I need to update my recipe plugin- I don’t think you can print from mobile, but it should work on a desktop. So sorry for the inconvenience!! Will update in the next couple weeks. If you can’t do it from he desktop I just suggest copying and pasting it into an email or a note and printing from there.
Elizabeth
Hey! Just wanted to let you know that I updated my plugin and converted this recipe (I still need to do the others on my blog, but wanted to get this one done ASAP). You should be able to print easily now. Please let me know if it doesn’t work- you can reply to this comment or email me at elizabeth@bowlofdelicious.com. Thanks!
Agalia Baker
This was my first ever attempt to make split pea soup. It was requested by my ex military son who was stationed in Bosnia. He said a pot of pea soup was always available for cold night watch rotations and he missed the comfort this soup brought. His review was 5+. This was so easy to make it is unbelievable that I’ve waited so long to try it. I’m new to Instant Pot and this recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks.
Elizabeth
Thank you SO much for the nice comment. I teared up a little bit when I read it aloud to my husband! I’m so happy that you and your son liked it. Thanks to him for his service :-) Happy New Year!
Julie Quest-Brooks
First try with the Instant Pot. Would recommend this youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NcCbTvbbtY The recipe turned out so good. I think I will probably cut in half next time since there’s just two of us and this is so quick and easy to make.
Elizabeth
So happy you liked the recipe, and thanks for the link!
Donna
I have the 8 qt IP. Since this recipe is for the 6 qt, do I need to add more liquid? I’m a newbie :) Thinking this is going to be my first IP meal, after the water and egg test.
Elizabeth
No, just keep the ingredients as is and it should be fine! Hope you like it- the IP definitely has a learning curve but it’s awesome once you get the hang of it!
Margie Smith
HI there I made this after Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I will be making it again, but double the batch using 2bls peas in my 8qt. Do I double everything and what time settings should I use? I concerned about doubling the liquid. I have read about soups spurting out or overflowing.
Elizabeth
I’m so glad you liked it! I’m fairly new to the instant pot world, so I’m 100% positive on how to answer this question. I, too, am paranoid about things overflowing. The only thing that overflowed/spurted out for me was when I made chicken stock and filled it up high. When I flipped the valve to depressurize, it went crazy! So I’d suggest that if you do this, and if you are nervous, allow the soup to depressurize naturally for as long as possible. It will stay warm in the instant pot, so if you can let it sit there for even like an hour after it’s done cooking, this might help. But I wouldn’t do anything different to the ingredients- just double everything. You could also theoretically use a little bit less liquid and then add a bit more after it’s done cooking if it seems too thick. The other thing that I’ve heard especially with split pea soup is to make sure your valve is clean after, as split peas can crust up and clog things up. Hope that helps!
Dana
Love split pea soup, and this one was so easy to make and turned out perfectly. It’s only the second recipe I’ve made in my instant pot, but I am now hooked.
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked it! Enjoy your instant pot… it’s a lifesaver!
Amanda
Could you add potato chunks to this without making changes to liquid and cooking time?
Elizabeth
Good question! Love this idea. I think you should leave the cooking time the same, but I would add a bit more liquid. You shouldn’t need too much, and you can always add more after cooking if the soup comes out too thick. And alternatively, if you accidentally add too much and the soup is too thin, you can switch the setting to “simmer” after the soup is done in the instant pot, and some of the liquid will evaporate and the soup will thicken. I’d try adding about an extra cup of liquid with 2-2.5 cups potato chunks. Hope that helps!
Shannon
Thanks for this recipe! It was the first I tried with my new pressure cooker and it worked like a charm!
Elizabeth
So happy you liked it! Enjoy that pressure cooker :)
Faeth
I made this last night and it was so good! I used turkey broth I had leftover from thanksgiving and the flavor was out of this world! Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for the comment :)
Kelly
Would this freeze? I think it will make plenty to eat some and save some. Making it tomorrow!
Elizabeth
This would definitely freeze! Hope you like it :-)
Mary Beth Andrews
What size Instant Pot do you use for this recipe? I have the small (3 qt) version. I suspect I should cut this recipe in half?
Elizabeth
Yes, I would definitely cut it in half! I used a 6 qt. one.
Janet Tokich
So easy and So Good !
Elizabeth
Thank you! :)
Dan Friesen
We had some leftover ham from Thanksgiving and found this recipe when looking for ideas. This soup was fantastic! We weren’t lucky enough to score the leftover ham bone, so I just diced up the ham slices we had. Have tried several other recipes on the stovetop and they were good, but this one done in the instant pot topped them all!
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked it!
G. Phelps
Made this in my Instant Pot today and it was fabulous!!! So happy to have found your recipe !
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment :-)