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
- Instant Pot 6 qt. minimum size, see recipe notes for more info.
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:
Joe
I followed your recipe and it was very tasty. Unfortunately, I used six cups of salted broth but had the presence of mind to not add more salt. Six cups of the broth made it too salty (not your fault as your recipe says to use unsalted broth. I added hot water and it was very good. It did turn paste-like as it cooled but I’ll add water when I reheat. Along with leftover ham from the Thanksgiving dinner, it was a very nice dish. Thanks for the options on ham, too – I needed the assistance. Your recipe is a keeper.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked the recipe! I’ve made that mistake before by using better than boullion when I was out of chicken broth, and it was quite salty. Better luck next time!
Sharon
I’ve made split pea soup so many times without success! I had hope a fail proof pressure cooker would be the key to my success along with a 5 star recipe…it didn’t fail me absolutely the BEST PEA SOUP EVER! Recipe super easy..
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy this recipe worked well for you!
Susi Myre
Holy cow! Delicious, perfect the way it is
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Kathy
When you are looking for instant pot recipes they are definitely hit or miss, this was my 2nd attempt at split pea soup. I’m not sure where I found the first one, it was a miss and I had to really spend some time fixing it up after it was done so we could eat it. I’m happy to say this 2nd attempt was a definite hit. Right from the pot perfect, I didn’t have to do anything but ladle it into our bowls. This recipe has been pinned and will be my go to from now on, delicious! Thank-you ❤️
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! Glad this was a success for you :-)
Cheryll12
Soooo good. Thank you for sharing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
Beatrice C
Such an easy to follow recipe and it turned out delicious. I used my leftover ham from the our Thanksgiving dinner and it was yummy! Even my 4 years old gave it a thumbs up. 😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your kiddo liked it!
Jacquelynne
Mine always thickens, I just add chicken broth until I achieve the desired consistency.
Jacquelynne
Absolutely delicious. Used 3 carrots and 3 celery stalks and added 3 cloves of minced garlic
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Linda
This soup was delicious the day I made it. I changed nothing. This is the second time I made it. You don’t say which type of split pea to use. I don’t remember if I used green or yellow the first time, but this time I used yellow. I even added more liquid than the 6 cups. By the second day, after being refrigerated, the soup was like paste. Does the type of split pea make a difference? I was really disappointed. Perhaps you can help me out here. The flavor of the “paste” was still delicious, but not soupy.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good question! In my experience, I’ve had different results multiple times with this soup, even with the same color and brand of split peas. The color shouldn’t really affect it, but sometimes the age of the peas, the size, etc. can affect the cooking time and the final texture of the soup. Cooked split peas turn kind of gelatinous, and the soup thickens significantly as it cools. It can sometimes seem paste-like, especially if the split peas overcooked a little bit and they don’t hold their shape at all (which is very easy to do- there’s a fine line between cooked and overcooked when it comes to split peas!) When you reheat the thickened soup, it may thin out, and if it doesn’t, you can just add some water to thin it to the consistency you like. Hope that helps!
Dani
That typical happens wit pea or bean soup. Just add some water to it when you reheat and give it a stir to blend it in. 💕
Kathleen A Heagney
I’m a recent Instant Pot user and I’m very much enjoying the simplicity of preparing great meals in a shorter time than on the stove or in the slow cooker. This split pea soup was perfect! Sadly, it was so good, both my husband and I enjoyed two bowls!!! I didn’t change anything other than to add a dollop of sour cream when serving. I thought it added a nice touch. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked the recipe!
steffany baker
This is seriously the easiest, most delicious soup! I personally never liked pea soup. But we just got the instapot and this was our first time using it. We had leftover ham and my husband and mom love pea soup. Well, I like pea soup now. Only thing we did was leave out carrots and only because I had forgotten to buy some. Very, very good :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much, and so glad you like pea soup now!
zizzyphus
leave the pressure cooker on saute for the 15 minutes???
Turn pressure cooker to the “sauté” setting. Melt butter (3 tablespoons) and sauté onion, celery, and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, 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.
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.
Elizabeth Lindemann
No, turn off “sauté” before you close it and set it to manual high pressure for 15 minutes. Good catch- I’m going to update the instructions now! Thanks!
Brian Fratzke
Great Inst Pot version of soup I have made in a slow cooker for 25 years. This version is just as good and so much quicker?
Thank you – Brian
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like it!
cher
wonderfully easy & delicious
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Toni Gould
Wonderful! For the broth I used bone broth I had made previously from smoked pork neck bones (saved the bones after cooking the smoked pork with cabbage); I’m not nuts about bay flavor so used just 1 bay leaf (perfect) plus 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, dash marjoram, and dash basil leaves. This was the first time I’ve made soup in the Instant Pot – next time, I will do a larger, chunkier dice on the celery and carrots, as I like these veggies to have a little more “tooth” (using a regular small dice, they finish melt-in-your-mouth soft). Overall, so satisfying and easy that this will be my “go-to” split-pea soup recipe from now on.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Misty
Hello! I plan on making this for dinner tonight. Have you ever added potatoes to this recipe? I ask because I found an Ina recipe and she added potatoes. I thought that sounded interesting but didn’t want it to turn to mush since it’s an IP recipe. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I haven’t added potatoes to this particular recipe but I have added them to split pea soup before with great results! I think if you dice the potatoes pretty small you shouldn’t have to worry about increasing the cooking time so the split peas will still cook at the same time. I would try adding 1 cup diced potatoes and 1/2 cup more liquid. Hope that works for you- if it does, I’d love to know how it comes out!
Susan Dyer
Made this today as my very first soup in the Instant Pot and it turned out amazing! So much flavor!!💜💜
Elizabeth Lindemann
Congrats on your first Instant Pot soup, and so happy you liked it!
Arlene Hoffman
Been making slit pea soup for years; today was first attempt using Instapot. Wow, what a breeze!
Modified ingredients and cook time a bit. I used a small Honeybaked ham bone plus one small ham hock. Sautéd them in garlic infused olive oil along with finely minced celery, carrots, leek greens. (I cannot eat either garlic or onions). I always add fresh herbs to pea soup. Today I had parsley, thyme, dill on hand. Also 2 dried bay leaves and plenty of whole peppercorns all tied up in a cheesecloth bundle. Used part chicken stock (also homemade in Instapot) plus water to fill line. Cooked on high pressure for 20 minutes plus 20 minutes natural release. Puréed with immersion blender, then boiled it down a bit to thicken by leaving open pot on saute setting. Added salt/pepper plus more ham diced from a steak in my refrigerator.
Delicious for tonight’s dinner.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
Sandi
Delicious!! So simple.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! So glad you liked it :-)
Tracey Larson
Waiting for the slow release to finish- I can’t wait to try it. Recipe was so easy- can’t beat it for a quick and hearty weeknight meal. I made enough to freeze for later. 😍
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good call making enough to freeze! Hope you like it :-)
Angela
Delicious and easy and takes no time at all for a beautiful dinner!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Irene
I loved this soup! I cut the recipe in 1/2 for my 3qt Instapot! Used a smoked ham hock & vegetable broth! SO good! Adding more carrots next time! 👍
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Joseph
I want to try this but I don’t have a scale, so I just asked Siri how many cups there are in a pound of dry split peas. According to howmany.wiki it’s about 2 cups. Be darned. You really can find anything on the internet.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Gotta love the internet! Thanks for the tip :-)
Joseph
Using 2 cups of dry peas for 1 pound, I have made this twice the first time as per the recipe, and the second time I doubled the onions, carrots, and celery to make a more variegated soup, and incidentally get another bowlful. I also used no salt, because my mother is very sodium restricted. It was still wonderful, as I expect the ham had a little bit of salt, although not too much for mom, and those who wanted more could salt their own bowls.
I’d like your opinion as to how this recipe might be adjusted to use fresh pork bones, which are sometimes available very inexpensively. Could they just be used as is? Sautéed with the vegetables? Cooked previously to make pork broth? What do you think? Thanks and have a good day.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and that you were able to accommodate your mother’s sodium restriction!
For the fresh pork bones, you won’t be able to follow the recipe exactly as the cooking time indicated is perfect for the split peas but might not cook the pork enough. I think browning the pork in the instant pot until the meat is cooked through, removing, and then sautéing the veggies in the grease, would impart a lot of flavor. I recommend seasoning them well with salt and pepper before browning them. Then, proceed with the recipe and add the cooked meat/bones into the soup as directed! YUM- I can’t wait to try this myself, thanks for the suggestion!
Cathie Armstrong
Really good. I used 8 ounces of diced ham. Super yummy.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Shari Giarraputo
Delicious. We all enjoyed it. I made it with smoked pork bones and a smoked turkey drumstick. We will definitely be making this again. I had a wonderful Honey Baked Ham bone, but in our last storm I lost power for 9 days and my Honey Baked Ham went in the garbage. Thanksgiving is coming and I will buy extra bones. Thank you for sharing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!