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
- 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:
Samantha M
Seriously the best split pea and ham soup I have ever had! So easy to follow. I had chosen to Cooke a spiral ham to use the bone and ham in the soup. Absolutely delicious! I will make this again!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Dee Osborne
Delicious! Easy and Healthy!❤️
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
JoAnn
I made this in my 8 quart pot and doubled the recipe. I cooked for 10 additional minutes just to be sure it was cooked all the way. Also I didn’t have a ham bone so I used chopped ham from the meat section. I am a fan of Anderson’s Split Pea Soup and if you have ever been to one of their restaurants they have a traveler special which includes a bottomless bowl of soup with little side dishes of chopped green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, diced ham and croutons. They also serve Tony Catchers Creole Seasoning to add a little kick. So tomorrow when I serve seconds I am going to add the sides. Tonight I just topped it with shredded cheddar cheese. This is a very tasty and hearty soup! Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Such a fun idea about adding those sides.
Barbara
So easy and tastes delicious. My husband wants me to make it every week.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Erin Kurinsky
Delicious! I made this as directed using a ham hock and the hock wasn’t quite there. I would recommend sauteing the veggies and then pulling them out. Add the broth and ham hock to the IP and pressure cook for 10 minutes (NPR). Then add back in the veggies, split peas and spices (I grew up using marjoram and basil in addition to the bay leaves) and continue from there.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Roni Bruner
Loved this recipe! Ez and delish! Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Susan Brown
I used smoked hamhocks with cubed ham pieces Delicious !!! Great recipe
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
janice wellman
I let it cool down 20 min. it came out perfect..
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Rick
Had lunch with wife at a well known Honey baked ham store. They had buy two ham bones and get one free.
I’m 74 years old, was taught how yo cook by a full blooded German self taught Gourmet cook. Was a single Dad and taught my son’s to cook at an early age. Youngest worked at
Le Bec-Fin in Philly. A five star. He went back to school and now is a Nurse Anesthetists in Boston.
Your recipe is in my Instant Pot with 14 minutes to go. No need to tell you how it will turn out. The smell is off the charts. NOW living the dream in FL as a snowbird with my finishing wife. True home, Ohio.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope it turned out great!
Pati
Know this will be great, bit need to know if safe to double recipe AND how to adjust cooking time with a double batch. Planning to cut some of ham off bone to add back after cooking + extra ham.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never doubled this recipe in my instant pot (which is 6 qt.). I think you would be safe to double it in an 8 qt. Or do it on the stovetop instead of pressure cooker. You shouldn’t need to adjust time – it might take longer to come to pressure because there are more ingredients but all your settings should be the same. Hope that helps!
Bob
My wife said “super delicious”. I didn’t add any salt and followed the recipe and cooking time. Nice cold weather meal with some rolls.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
allie
This was fantastic, exactly how I wanted it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amy
Perfect texture! We didn’t add any extra salt before cooking (ham and bullion both had some) and didn’t feel it needed any after either. We may throw a russet potato in next time, our old recipe that I misplaced called for one along with the celery and carrots.
Already printed the recipe off and added to my 3 ring binder!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Nash
My split peas are still hard after 15 min of high pressure and 15 min natural release. Should I cook it longer
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes, I would cook a little longer. It could be the peas you are using are little older, which can make them take longer to cook. Give it another 3-5 minutes or so.
Nash
That worked. It is a little thin but delicious. Next time I make it I will use a little less broth. Thanks
Kathleen King
Made this exactly as posted for my 93 year old Gram!! She said best split pea soup she has ever had!! Thank you so much!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw so glad you and your Gram liked it!
Margaret
Delicious! Needed to add more liquid after it cooked but other than that was perfect.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Laura
Or I know why this recipe got 5 stars from everyone! It’s super easy and delicious! I was a little skeptical that the peas wouldn’t cook down in the 15 minutes but they did! This will be my go to recipe for split pea soup!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Niki
A few years ago my son-in-law convinced me to make a bone-in ham with pineapples and cherries like his mum used to make. He loved it! but my hubby and I decided that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Anyway, I had the ham bone and decided to try your pea soup recipe in my new Instant Pot. It was so delicious! However, there was not going to be another bone-in ham in my life, so the next time, I made it with a few pieces of thick bacon chopped up and some ham steak cut in small pieces. Delish! Your recipe is so quick and easy, and I have been making it like this ever since. My husband asks for this almost every week in the winter – we have it for dinner one evening then he has the leftovers for lunch for a few days. Now that I came to your site to write this review, I’ll have to poke around and find some more recipes to try!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hah! So glad you liked it, and thanks for sharing this funny story about the pineapple and cherry ham!
Cutefrogg
This was so simple and delicious. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jessica Weiss
Hi there! Just got 7” of snow and have a good hunk of ham carcass but only canned organic peas — no dried splits. Will this still work?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Canned peas are already cooked so it won’t work for this recipe with the instant pot timing or the liquid amount. Try looking at this recipe for this – https://thecookful.com/green-pea-soup/ – hope that helps!
Cheryl A
Great recipe! I used a smoked turkey neck and since I didn’t have any fresh carrots on hand, I used a can of carrots drained. It came out perfect. Thank you!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!