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:
Mark
I’m embarking on a real effort to follow recipes as stated. This was one of my most sincere attempts. Aside from having only a goodly amout of ham scraps left over from the last ham bone (the instant pot yielded another great white bean creation from that) I meticulously adhered to your instructions while preparing it on the stove top. Half the ham bits went in with the broth and peas and the rest followed just before finishing up. Following your advice to taste before salting I only had to add a bit of sea salt and a touch of onion powder to bring it into delicious balance. Everyone, including myself, had seconds. Well done and thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Vince
I made this tonight with a hambone I had frozen after New Years dinner and used chopped up veggies from the store. It was excellent.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
KLM
Oh, my gosh! I cook a lot, and I mean A LOT. Picked up a bag of dried peas today, took hambone (w/juices, ham was cooked in crock pot) out of the freezer, had the rest of the ingredients on hand, and… WOW. This soup was crazy easy to make and seriously delish! Knew from the first bite this was the best soup I’ve tasted in a very long time. To anyone who ever throws out the hambone (save juices too!), you’re just missing out. This is the BEST!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jan
Made this soup & the only thing I did different was I used a dry soup mix with barley. Gave some to my neighbors ( they gave me the ham bone ) they both said it was delicious. It is an easy soup to make & I will definitely make it again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
BokehJo
Delicious, I used a 12 oz ham steak diced up, and 12 oz split peas. I would of liked a little bit more smokey flavor but it’s still the best pea soup I ever had.
Thank You for Sharing
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Try adding liquid smoke or smoked paprika for a little more smoky flavor.
stacy Hughes
Sounds fantastic, thank you. One thing, I have the whole ham bone, but I also have a bunch of the ham left over as well. When should I through the cooked ham in?
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can add all the ham at once in the beginning. The ham bone itself should be cooked/smoked, so it shouldn’t make a difference with other cooked ham. Hope that helps!
Gabi
I just made this recipe for my clients (I’m an in-home caregiver)….I added 3 slices of hickory smoked bacon chopped up and sautéed with the onion, celery, and carrots! I used about 8-10oz of ham. This recipe turned out AMAZING. I’ll be going home to make a pot for myself!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! What a wonderful, nourishing meal to make for your clients.
Aubrey C Smith
This is THE split pea soup recipe! I have now made it several times, shared it with friends, now very comfortable tweaking it (extra carrots- YAY!!, Extra celery- YAY!!!). Add a tablespoon or 2 of “liquid smoke”…. OHHHHH Baby. Takes me back to childhood; warm hugs from my mommy. Thank you for a family weeknight easy favorite!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! It warms my heart to know this soup brought back good memories of your childhood :-)
Lucia Harrison
I grew up with Dutch Pea soup (Erwtensoep). Always loved it, but this Instant Pot recipe is a game changer, easier and still so tasty. Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Anne
I thought this was a great recipe to use as a jumping off point. Peas were totally cooked and mushed out as you’d ideally want for pea soup.
I had made a stock earlier from a baked ham, so wanted something quick.
Used 7 cups ham stock, 1 lb split peas (washed, not pre cooked) and used 16 oz. Chunked leftover ham (we like ham-forward pea soup)- and it was tender and perfect! I did use veggies in proportions of recipe, no salt. I also kept to recipe for time of cook/NR.
Delicious! Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Christel Kiley
Can I use whole dried green peas that I still have to make this sop? please let me know. It looks so delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Whole dried peas will take longer to cook. Here’s what I would try: I would soak them before, for at least 6 hours or overnight. Then, the cooking time will be about the same and you can proceed with the recipe as written. Hope that helps, and works for you!
Mary
Why can one not use uncooked ham bone?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So I’ll first say that most ham bones are cooked – they’re either leftover from a roasted smoked ham, or they are smoked (which is cooked). A raw ham bone won’t cook in the amount of time designated in this recipe, so you risk undercooked pork in the final product. Hope that helps!
Beth
Hands down, this is the best split pea soup I have ever tasted! The recipe is perfect as is; no embellishments necessary. Thanks, Elizabeth, for making my holidays more delectable!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Bridget
Do you need to soak the dry peas?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Nope! Just give them a little rinse and add them in. Split peas are the only legume I don’t soak.
Michele kittelson
I have used this recipe many time. So simple but delicious 😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jay T. Smith
Excellent flavor and so easy! I used 8 oz of diced ham plus the meat from the bone after pressure cooking. This is the perfect use of the leftover ham after the spiral slices are served for the holiday meal. Many thanks for the memory of “how mom used to make it!” Truly a #BowlofDelicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and I’m happy to hear it brought back good memories for you!
Annette
Fantastic and so easy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Brian
My experience was it needed 2 more cups liquid (8 total) for 8 servings.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for sharing! Sometimes depending on the age or size of the split peas it may need more liquid.
Jenny Allen
So easy! Just dump everything in the pot and walk away. Husband loved it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Trish
AMAZING. I just made this from our Thanksgiving ham bone and used our Instant Pot. It was ridiculously simple. I never thought I would absolutely love split pea soup!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ll be following you for more!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!