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!
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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
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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, make sure valve is on "sealing," 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, sauté the veggies in a skillet in the butter, then transfer them and add all other ingredients 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 reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It 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:
Nancy
Definitely a bowl of delicious soup. Made exactly as directed and wouldn’t change a thing. This soup will be a repeat at our house.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and glad “Bowl of Delicious” is living up to its name!
Tracy
Excellent! I used a spicy broth and added some shallots. Thank you for a great recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amy
Flavor is great, but it was SO RUNNY! Less split pea soup, more soup flavored with split peas. I think I might try the recipe again and increase the split peas by half again. This wasn’t any thicker than my chicken and rice soup! I added some texture by mixing in potato flakes at the end, so I was able to save it. The cook time also wasn’t enough to soften up the smoked ham hock at all, so I think I’ll save those and my ham bones for my white bean soup that cooks longer, and use some of the chopped ham I usually keep in the freezer for this. The flavor really is great, though, and I love that it’s made with all things typically I have on hand and in the garden!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked the flavor! A runny soup may result for a few different reasons. It may mean the peas weren’t cooked for long enough (cooking times can vary based on age/freshness of the peas – older split peas, and all dried legumes, can take longer to cook). Sometimes different pressure cookers, even different generations of the Instant Pot, can cook differently from each other, and also sometimes it can be an error such as not having the lid fully sealed or something (which may explain your ham hock also not softening). And it might just mean that it needs to sit and cool to thicken for a while – which it will! I find with this soup that when it immediately comes out of the pressure cooker, it’s very soupy, but after putting it in the fridge, the next day I have to practically slice it from a block of soup to put it into a bowl to reheat in the microwave. Hope that helps!
Brian Morkavich
Easy PEA-sy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Haha! So glad you liked it!
Shannon
Quick and delicious
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Sara Palmer
Sooooo delicious and easy to make, Thank you! My new go to for split pea soup! I had it for dinner put the ham bone back in and let it slow cook over night and yum…. with and easy over egg for breakfast the next morning 🤤 Perfection ❤️
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! LOVE the idea of having it for breakfast with an egg!
Sheri
Great recipe! I made it early and let it sit on the warm setting for an hour with the lid off. That gave it time to thicken up. It was absolutely perfect and delicious! I’m saving this recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great idea to let it sit for a little on warm to let it thicken. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Sam
Honey Baked Ham company sells ham bone that always has a ton of meat on them. Like over 1.5 lbs plus. Best part is they are only $5.00
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great tip! Thanks!
Brenda
I have made this recipe multiple times over the last couple of years and I love it! It is so simple yet very flavorful and the pressure cooker makes it even easier. It freezes very well also which is a bonus because I’m the only one in my household that will eat split pea soup so I freeze in individual portions so I can have a warm bowl of soup when I feel like it during the colder months. Sometimes I do need to thin it out with an extra bit of broth or even water when reheating but that is easy to do!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Darla
I have made this recipe a many times and it never disappoints. I always use a ham bone & add fresh garlic & smoked paprika. Delicious and easy to prepare.
This is my go to recipe and a family fav. ❤️
Thank you Elizabeth!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
AJ
I made this exactly according to the instructions and what I was left with was a dry mush. There was no liquid at the end. I had to throw the whole thing out after it cooled down and go to sleep hungry. Not sure where it went wrong.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Dry mush? That’s a new one for me. Here are my guesses as to what may have happened.
1) It could have been an accidental error in the measurements. If there was too little liquid or too many peas, this would happen.
2) For the pressure cooker, if it wasn’t sealed properly and steam escaped during cooking, it may cause that dry result you describe.
3) It could have been the age/quality/type of split peas. Sometimes old peas don’t absorb liquid or cook all the way through. Some people use whole peas instead of split for this recipe.
Hope you got a good breakfast in your belly this morning, and better luck next time!
Lori Decker
Easy & delicious! Love your recipes & thoughtful substitution ideas.
Carol
Love this recipe but added a small potato and a little garlic. I make homemade croutons.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tom
It might be a good idea to mention that the soup is pretty thin when first ready. I’m sure that it’ll thicken up.
Nonetheless it was delicious. Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
The texture of the soup will definitely thicken as it cools, and it may depend on different factors such as the age of the beans or how much liquid evaporates from the vegetables. Glad it was yummy!
DENNIS SWEENEY
I’m a veteran pea soup guy – both green and yellow (and this recipe is very good). What I’d like to express gratitude for is the pressure cooker TIMING and release suggestions. Instant Pots are great except they are a bit of a “black box” when it comes to checking your recipe in progress . . . . thanks for doing the research so I don’t need to convert recipes by trial and error.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and I’m happy to hear the timing was helpful for you! I agree – it can be hard to find definitive answers on timing for pressure cooker recipes, so I tried to be as specific as possible!
Jacques Boudreau
Great, quick and simple Instant Pot recipe especially when using a ham bone. Um Um good!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Nancy
I’ve used this recipe a few times now and it always comes out perfect! Thank you for sharing😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Ali
The soup wasn’t as thick as I was expecting, although it has thickened as it has cooled, so expect it to possibly be spoon up thick tomorrow. Great flavor though. Definitely dice your onion small (mine didn’t break down enough) and perhaps give a little more time to cook as not all the split peas had softened enough (which I did see in a few comments). I will definitely use this recipe again and just keep those things in mind. We salt and peppered our servings individually as we don’t all have the same flavor preferences when it comes to seasoning.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yup, it will thicken is at cools! The cooking time of the split peas may vary based on their age since harvesting – older legumes take longer to cook. So glad you liked it.
Vicki Walker
This was very easy, quick and delicious! I did add a bit of garlic after sauteing the onions, carrots and celery and also added some red pepper flakes (we like spicy food).One bowl was filling but it tasted so good that I had another helping. Will definitely make it again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Janice L
Made this soup the first time using my Instant Pot and it is so good!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Carolyn
I made as directed (I opted for diced ham this time). It was SO good! I love that it took less than 10 min to throw together (I cheated and used pre-cut mirepoix so I wouldn’t have to chop the onions, celery and carrots), then I got to completely ignore it for more than 30 min. You know those meals that take forever to make but taste so good they’re worth it? This soup being so good while taking so little effort it amazing. It is officially in my regular rotation. Bring on soup season!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Happy soup season!!