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.
I recently replaced my slow cooker with it (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!
Did you make this Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
Recommended Equipment
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 ham can also be used
- 1 lb. dry split peas sorted through and rinsed
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth or veggie stock, water, or a mixture
- 2 bay leaves
- kosher salt and black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- 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.
- 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 adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately, or store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Notes
- 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).
- 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
Amicia
So is this recipe the French Canadian version? and… what are the differences?
I have history in Midwest, Southwest and way north, British Columbia. Ham bones? anyone who lives near a ‘Honey Baked Ham’ can buy bones at their stores… I have them cut and keep in the freezer- just the two of us now so make less and in an enameled cast iron soup pot. I have been cooking long enough to tell this is a great recipe and close to my own. Like your blog and other recipes look good also. However this reached my mailbox… glad to have you here.
Elizabeth
Unfortunately I don’t know much about the differences of American and French Canadian split pea soup! Great tip on buying a bone from honey baked ham- I’ll have to try that next time!
Amy
Great recipe, used a smoked turkey leg instead of the ham bone because I hate ham. Super delicious, whole family asked for more.
Elizabeth
So glad you liked this! I LOVE the idea of using a smoked turkey leg instead of a ham bone, especially for those who don’t eat pork! Adding it to the recipe notes now :-)
Greg T
Hi –
Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to try it. I have two questions:
1. If I use a smoked ham hock instead of a ham bone, is the cooking time still the same?
2. Is there any benefit to soaking the dried peas before cooking?
Elizabeth
Cooking time should be the same for a ham hock! Soaking the peas before will cut down on cooking time and the amount of liquid needed, and it also helps break down some of the indigestible parts of beans (which are more prevalent in red beans, chickpeas, etc.). I haven’t found that it’s necessary with split peas, but I do it with other legumes. Hope that helps answer your question!
Min karaphillis
Simple, easy, and delicious, Loved the result! I did the chicken stock version tonight, I think I’m gonna do the water version next. Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it!
Aimee Hawkins
I want to try your recipe but my ham bone is frozen. Can I put it into the instant pot only for a longer time? What would you suggest? Also if I double the recipe do I double the liquid?
Elizabeth
Hi! You should be fine with a frozen ham bone. No need to adjust the cooking time. However, the colder it is when you turn it on, the longer it will take to come up to pressure, so just keep that in mind! As for doubling, my 6 qt. IP was pretty full when I made this. If you have an 8 qt, or if you make it on the stovetop, you may be able to double it, otherwise I’d keep the proportions as is. If you do double it, double everything except the ham bone. Hope that helps!
Fernand LeBlanc
I’ve been making split pea soup for many years, one of my favorite! Now at age 73 I have found the ultimate recipe!!!!!! OMG! Even though I doubled the recipe, it turned out awesome. I had 2 bowls in a row which I never did before. I can’t say enough about it. THANKS SO MUCH FOR INTRODUCING ME TO YOUR VERSION.
Elizabeth
Wow, what an amazing comment! Thank you so much, this made my day! Happy you liked it :-)
Linda Lee Stradley
Hi! I am NOT the Linda Stradley that has a cooking show in Seattle! I am Linda Lee Stradley.:-)
Elizabeth
Haha good to know! :-)
Linda Stradley
Hi. I just found this today since I’ve thawed out my ham bone from New Year’s Eve and want to make French Canadian Split Pea Soup in my Christmas gift (my new InstaPot)!
I thought it was funny that I found it from an American site, as opposed to a Canadian site. LOL!
I grew up in Canada (British Columbia is about 5000 km away from Quebec), but my very English-speaking Mom (not British, just a normal Anglophone from Manitoba) made this frequently, because it was healthy and inexpensive. She just bought a ham bone at the butcher, rather than the whole ham (which we only had once a year).
But it sounds delicious! I can’t wait to eat it! I’ll post my thoughts on it after I’ve tried it, but I have no doubt it will be scrumptious!
Elizabeth
I didn’t even realize that there was such as thing as French Canadian split pea soup! I love Canada- my husband and I went to Quebec City for our honeymoon. Growing up in Massachusetts, it was such a quick drive to Canada! Hope you liked it :-)
Fagel Brooks
I have been married for almost 47 years and you can bet I have made plenty of split pea soup in my day — meaty versions, vegan versions, international versions. But this recipe is FABULOUS. I am new to the Instant Pot world, but am loving it — definitely not the pressure cooker I had as a young bride, which scared me to death whenever I used it. (I got rid of with the birth of our first child.) I cut the butter back a bit, added a diced parsnip and a bunch of chopped collard greens (because I never miss an opportunity to put greens in anything.) I skipped the salt (since I used chicken broth and ham) and used Aleppo pepper flakes instead of black. I let it cool naturally for 30 minutes and the texture was perfect. I will be snooping around on this site in the future for more ideas! Thanks!
Elizabeth
Oh yay! So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding sneaky greens to it and Aleppo pepper. Thanks for the suggestions and the comment!
Michelle
Just made this with a left-over ham bone that had a lot of meat on it. Delicious! One change I would make: it you’re using a store-bought ham bone, cut out the extra salt altogether. There’s plenty of salt in the ham itself.
Elizabeth
Great tip-thanks! So glad you liked it!