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:
Charlie Rose 🌹
This recipe is brilliant and the best yet. I’ve done it at least three times now. The split pea soup consistency is perfect and I’ve varied certain ingredients; my touch is allegro spicy barbecue sauce along with smoked,, cooked, sliced ham. Thank you Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding bbq sauce… genius!
Steven
One word – OUTSTANDING. So simple to make.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jane C
As advertised, a “bowl of deliciousness”
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hah! Glad it was “on brand” :-)
Marsha Joyce Smith
Just bought smoked turkey butts. Will that change the flavor a lot?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Turkey does have a different flavor and texture than ham but the overall flavor of the soup shouldn’t be affected too much! I like using different kinds of smoked meats to make this – I’ve used pork ribs before, smoked chicken… it’s all delicious :-)
Shelly
This turned out so delicious on the very first try! Super simple ingredients and so easy to cook in the instant pot after a long Monday. I didn’t have a ham bone just threw in some cubed ham steak, but I bet the ham bone makes it that much yummier. I was able to freeze half as it was a lot of soup for just me. Looking forward to being able to have it again soon. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
leah simkins
This was amazing! I love to cook but rarely make anything that makes me proud. This was IT! I didn’t have ham hock or bone so I cooked some smoked bacon first and removed it before it got too crispy and then added the vegetables with diced potatoes to the instapot. I added the bacon back with the diced ham and cooked as directed. I served with a toasted baquette and my son ate 3 bowls. I will make this again for sure!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw yay! That’s such a great feeling to be proud of something you’ve cooked. So glad this recipe worked well for you and that your son liked it :-)
Andrea
This recipe came out absolutely great. My husband went back for thirds! I added three small yellow potatoes bc I had them and didn’t know what else to do with them. It thickens beautifully after it cools for a while. My new fav instant pot recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and great way to use up your potatoes!
Jennifer
Amazingly fast and delicious! My family can’t get enough. Have made this two weekends in a row and it is devoured. Thank you for such an easy and tasty recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your family like it!
Hilary Van Drunen
I don’t like Pea soup and have never made it…but my in-laws do so I’d like to make it for them (my hubby likes it too). What do you mean by “sort through” the split peas? Thanks. :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sometimes when you get a bag of dried split peas (or any other beans/legumes), you’ll come across a tiny pebble or something else as a result of harvesting. It’s a good idea to sort through any bag of dried legumes to make sure there aren’t any rogue pebbles or things of that sort! Hope your in-laws like the soup, it’s nice of you to make it for them even though you don’t like it!
Karen
Delicious! My mom says it’s better than hers. I always make a double batch so I can share with my neighbor!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you (and your mom) liked it!
New2instantpot
Split pea soup is my favorite soup. So, I was happy to find a quick and delicious recipe with my new instant pot. I added a ham shank with no nitrite added and low sodium chicken broth to keep the sodium count low. I garnished with parsley and olive oil. Amazing!!
The only question I have about the directions is regarding setting the pot for 15 minutes to pressure cook and then quick release after 10-15 minutes. Do you count the 10-15 minutes after the cook cycle OR do you count the 10-15 minutes as soon as you see steam releasing?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! You count the 10-15 minutes after the cook cycle. So as soon as the pressure cooker beeps to indicate it’s done cooking, just let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Mine has a countdown but you can set a timer if yours doesn’t have one. Hope that helps!
David S Carter
I made a double recipe and had to add additional 10 minutes to the cook time …after checking from the original 15 min cook time, the peas were still hard. I let the steam out after the original cook time of 15 mins plus 15 mins of natural steam release.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for this feedback for doubling the recipe!
JANET M
Absolutely the best Split Pea Soup I have ever made! Thank you. Of course I didn’t make it to exact, I don’t measure anything, it was still super delicious and perfect consistency. I did add a few tablespoons of minced garlic toward the end of sauteing the onion, carrot and celery. I also added 6 cubed large B size potatoes. No ham hock, just cubed ham. Probably used about 7 cups of bone/Chicken broth. I also cooked for 17 minutes to make sure potatoes got cooked and let it cool down for 17 minutes before I released the pressure. Oooooh soooo goooood. Thanks again. I will be using this recipe over and over again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Pam
Made exactly as directed and it was the most perfect split pea soup. Will definitely make again and again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
SMac
This recipe is awesome! I only had regular broth so didn’t add any additional salt. I had ham hocks on-hand and they were fairly small so I put two in (I’ll probably even use three next time!) and the soup was absolutely perfect! Great consistency (kind of thick the next day though) and the taste was delicious. My husband loved it! It’s such an inexpensive and easy meal to make, too, so it’s a win-win. Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it!
Annette
So I made this tonight in my 6 quart Instant Pot. It was really good, and easy. I used a full ham bone. However (my bad), I didn’t trust the amount (1 lb) of split peas and thought it may have meant 1 cup. So clearly 1 cup was wrong and the soup came out watery. So I added potato flakes to thicken it, and it was still super good. I will definitely make it again and next time I will trust the recommended 1 lb of yellow split Peas!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hah! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve not trusted a recipe I see and made a similar mistake. Hope it works out better for you with the 1 lb next time and glad you liked the recipe anyway! :-)
Charles Thompson
This is one of the BEST split pea with ham soup. Just follow instructions and comes out perfect.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa Y
I love this recipe it’s quick and easy and has really good flavor are used 4 cups of low salt chicken broth And 2 cups of water to cut down on the salt. I thought the consistency was perfect! I froze half so I can have it for my lunches next week.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Frog
We always add some cubed potatoes to our soup. It makes the pea soup thicker and creamier.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the tip!
Heather
The ratio ended up being too watery for me. 6 cups? 👀 Maybe it will thicken. I’m going to cook for another 15 in the instant pot. Fingers crossed. Any tips for that?
Elizabeth Lindemann
It should thicken as it cools! If for some reason it doesn’t, you can simmer it for a little while so some of the water evaporates. Hope that helps and hope you liked it!
Carol Ferrier
Nice flavor and speedy meal :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
Christine
Best split pea soup ever! I add a pinch of savory, it reduces the “gas effects” of the peas !
Elizabeth Lindemann
That’s a great trick I haven’t heard of! Thank for sharing and glad you liked it :-)
Kk
What is savory?
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s an herb related to sage, mint, and rosemary! https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/what-is-savory-spice/
Leslie WONG
This is my go-to split pea soup recipe. With ham bone, you can’t go wrong! I often will use neck bone or whatever they have at the market..
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I actually just made a batch the other day with leftover BBQ rib tips and holy smokes (pun intended because of the smoky flavor) was it delicious. You can use anything you want really!
Melinda Barrable
This is the best split pea soup and will be my ‘go to’ recipe. I planned on freezing half but instead had lunch for 4 days (2 people) and was sad to get to the last drop yesterday. Today, yellow split pea…yes, it’s that good!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!