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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup is a good recipe to use for leftover ham! Quick cooking and easy to make, this flavorful pressure cooker split pea soup is one of my most popular recipes. It’s really delicious!
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Turning on the Way-Back Machine, I can recall eating Split Pea Soup when I was still in a high chair! It has always been a favorite soup recipe of mine. This recipe is inspired by my Mom.
Use Leftover Ham
If you cooked a bone-in ham you can use the meaty ham bone to flavor this soup.
If you don’t have a bone, just use the ham meat, cubed. It will still add the flavor you want.
You can also use ham hocks. Best if not frozen.
A Faster Split Pea Soup
When I make Split Pea Soup on the stove, it takes 2 to 3 hours, though it tastes awesome!
I wanted to have a quicker cooking split pea soup, so I adapted my recipe for the Instant Pot®.
Pressure cookers are great for just this kind of recipe, as the flavors are extracted from the ingredients and make the broth taste delicious!
Pressure cookers speed up the process and cook the soup in way less time than on the stove.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup only takes about an hour, with the sautéing and natural release, so that’s a big time saver! The peas come out nice and soft, and the flavor is very good!
If you want a Vegetarian or Vegan pressure cooker split pea soup, omit the butter (for vegan), use vegetable broth, and try some liquid smoke to give the soup a nice smoky hint of flavor.
Instant Pot Potato Soup
Instant Pot Potato Ham Soup
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup)
Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
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If you make this yummy pressure cooker split pea soup recipe, let me know! Please leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Onion, diced
- 3 Stalks of Celery, diced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ¼ tsp Thyme Leaves, dried
- 3 Carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, pressed or finely minced
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth low sodium (use only 5 cups for a thick soup, 7 cups for a thinner soup)
- 1 lb Green Split Peas, rinsed and sorted (unsoaked)
- 1 tsp Liquid Smoke (Optional) for vegetarian version
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt (add last, after cooking, if needed) (1/4 tsp table salt)
Use any of these for your meat (or a combination of them)
- 6 slices Bacon (Optional) chopped
- 2 small Ham Hocks (Optional) Not very meaty, but add a nice smoky flavor and richness.
- 1 Leftover Ham Bone (Optional) I like to use this with the diced ham
- 2 - 3 cups Diced Leftover Ham (Optional)
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker on to the Sauté function. Let it warm up and add the olive oil and butter.
- Add the onion, celery, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to turn translucent.
- Add the carrots, garlic, bacon or ham, if using, and pepper. Cook for a minute.
- Add the broth and ham bone or ham hocks, if using (Add liquid smoke, if using, for vegetarian method). Let come to a simmer.
- Stir in the split peas.
- Place the lid on the pot and lock it in place. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Cancel the sauté function and Choose Pressure Cook/Manual, and use the + or - or dial to choose 18 minutes. High pressure. It will take a few minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
- When the cooking time has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes to naturally release some of the pressure. Then turn the steam release knob to Venting to quick release the remaining pressure.
- When the pin in the lid drops down, carefully open the lid, facing away from you. Remove the bay leaves and the bone or ham hocks, if you used them.
- Taste and add the salt as desired.
- Serve hot. The soup will thicken quite a bit when it cools, that is normal.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Split Pea Soup recipe and more
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Just made this for lunch in my new Instant pot, it turned out perfectly, made it with ham, so happy! Very filling and warming on a snowy Calgary day, thanks so much!
Delicious for a cold rainy day like it is here now! I don’t often make it as it takes a while and I really had luck with the slow cooker but I love my Instapot! I used a ham bone frozen from Christmas. Really great flavor. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Lucy, I’m so happy that you like this recipe! Ham bones are so handy! Thanks for leaving a review!
I have a split pea soup recipe very similar to yours for the slow cooker, but I didn’t get my veggies cut up before going to work. So….my recipe includes potatoes. Would I do anything different as far as cooking time?
No need to change the time. The time is to ensure that the split peas cook all the way. The potatoes will be very soft in that amount of time. If you want the potatoes firmer, you can cut them larger. Also, in regards to the veggies, if you have some frozen mixed veggies, or something like that, throw them at the end and let them heat through or sauté them for a few minutes first!
Made this for dinner last night and everyone raved. So easy. I used a different brand of Pressure cooker with no manual setting, so instead used the lentil bean setting on medium for 18 minutes and was done perfectly. I thought I may have had to add more time being medium not high setting but I judged correctly.
Thank you for your great recipes.
Hi Leslie! That’s so great! I do want these recipes to be used with any PC. I’m so happy that you liked it! Thank you for the great feedback and review!
Just made this for a quick and tasty Saturday lunch. I used both the ham and the liquid smoke for a wonderful smoky flavor and 6 cups of chicken broth (better than bullion paste and water). I was expecting to use my stick mixer to make it smooth but one stir with a spoon and the peas were perfectly done and creamy. My husband and I both loved it and this will replace my old presoaked pea, cook 4 hour recipe. Thank you for the great recipe! I love my instant pot…it has helped me make good wholesome food that tastes like what I used to take hours preparing like my grandma.
Hi Betty! How wonderful that you can make a soup that you and your husband love, in a fraction of the time. Thank you for your review, and have fun with your pressure cooker!
Just made this tonight! Wasn’t able to finish early enough to have it for dinner, but what I tasted… Yum! Need to get one more hock as the one I had didn’t have enough meat on it. I love that it has the same flavor as my full day simmered crock pot soup.
Definitely making this again.
Hi Ashli, I’m glad you like it! I agree about the ham hock. Good flavor, not enough meat. If you can get a ham bone with some meat on it, the flavor is also really good! Thank you for your review!
Ham shanks has a lot more meat then hocks
Just made this today and it is awesome! Instead of adding liquid smoke since I didn’t use any ham, I use smoked paprika. Very delicious.
I have an 8 qt pot. Could this recipe be doubled?
Hi Carla! Yes it can!
I just made a double batch tonight in my 8qt. In spite of the mistake I made, it was still delicious. I swear to God I thought your recipe called for a 1/2TBSP of thyme…still good with triple the thyme (way too much, but still good), and it inspired me to buy your book. I just have to make sure I re-read the quantities cuz it was a bit thyme-y after my mistake.
Hi Mick, I’m glad you liked the soup, despite the overly thyme-y taste. Would that be overthyme? Sorry, can’t resist a good pun! Thank you for the review, and for buying my book! I hope you enjoy making the soups!
Made this recipe tonight…OMG it is so tasty! Only recommendation, if using bacon, sautéed a little longer. So easy to do!
Awesome! Thank you for the review and the comment! I’m happy you liked the soup!
I made this today in my brand new electric pressure cooker. It turned out FANTASTIC! I had a very salty ham and very low sodium broth (4 cups) + 2 cups water, and it turned out just right. Thank you so much for making my first recipe experience so great! (from another WA girl in Puyallup)
Hi Linda! That’s awesome! I appreciate the feedback! I have family in the Puyallup/Sumner area!
I see recipes…. cook for hooooooours.. for split pea soup. You are saying buy the dry bag split pea and all is cooked in 20 minutes?
Hi David, well… The actual cook time starts when the pot reaches full pressure (that can take 5-10 minutes). Then you have the sauté time, cook time, and the natural release time. So it does add up. But total should still be close to an hour.
Mine was not cooked enough following the times in the recipe. I had to cook it an additional 10 minutes after it re-pressurized. Otherwise, everything was perfect. I added potatoes.
Hi, I made it too, and next time the only thing I would change is adding the Carrots later. I found the carrots too mushy. But it was delicious.
Hi Linda, I’m glad you liked it! I’m guilty for loving a mushy carrot! One thing you can do, is cut the carrot pieces larger, then cut them when the soup is done, if that doesn’t seem like too much trouble. Otherwise, set the cook time for the soup for about 3 minutes less, then add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. The only thing is that the carrots release a nice sweetness to the soup, so it may be a little less doing it this way. But I’m not sure! Well, thank you for leaving a review, and this is a good tip for those who like firmer carrots!
Hi Sandy,
I will try that.
I put the carrot in whole…not as mushy!
That’s great!
Just made it – from Bellevue. WA. Great easy recipe. Used a smoked hickory ham hock & also smoked pork neck bones. Came out awesome!
Well Hi neighbor! I used to live in Bellevue, near Crossroads! I’m so glad you liked the soup, and thanks for your review!
I retired from a company in Bellevue, WA about 5 years ago after working there for 11 years. I still have many friends there. I will make this next week.
That’s great, Pat! I lived in Bellevue for a few years. Enjoy the soup!
Can the recipe be doubled in an 8 qt pot??
Hi Carla, yes it can.