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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.
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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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Hi – I made this today. I’m getting to know my Ninja Foodie. It is delicious. Thank you.
This recipe has continued to be my go to comfort food during quarantine/Covid-19. I make it as written but cut the carrots into large chunks so they have a little bit of bite when the soup is done. I also use just 1/2 C of diced ham to give it that smoked flavor but less added salt from the ham. I am making it today and this is likely the 6th time in 2 months! I love having it for breakfast, too.
I’m so glad you can get some comfort in this crazy time. Take care.
This recipe is amazing! We will be eating this often.
I made the Instant Pot Split Pea Soup this week. I used a 16 oz. package of cubed ham I had in the freezer, used 1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 vegetable broth. Everything else was as the recipe was written. It did not need Kosher salt at the end. It was easy, quick and delicious. I will watch for your recipes. Thank You.
Can this be cooked in a mini – would the amount of ingredients need to be adjusted?
Yes, I would cut the recipe by 1/3 and keep the cook time the same.
I made this tonight, and it was delicious! It is my new go-to recipe for split pea soup. Thanks so much!
Is this recipe sized for the 6 or 3 qt IP? I have both but am not good at figuring out which size to use. BTW, I am staying home/staying safe in Milton, WA.
This is for a 6 or 8 qt pot.
Loved the recipe! Does this soup freeze well?
Thank you! Yes, this soup does freeze very well. Best in smaller amounts like 2 cups.
OMGosh! Love this recipe! Just perfect! My husband came out into the kitchen and said, ” Wow! That was delish!” He very rarely gives compliments on any food with me prodding! He says he wishes he could just take a pill for his meals! ( I can’t even imagine!) I have not had a bad recipe of yours yet! I have your book, too! Everything is fabulous! Thank you so much. I have always used a pressure cooker, but now I have my Instant Pot and it’s the best cooking tool in my kitchen!
That’s great, Peggy! A pill?! :O So glad he liked it!
This was excellent, thank you for the recipe! It was snowing yesterday, so we decided in the afternoon that it would be good to have soup for dinner, but my wife thought it was too late to start it. I suggested making it in the Instantpot, which, for some reason, my wife is generally opposed to. I found your recipe and told her I would make it. She was ready not to like it, but actually had to admit it was better than her usual recipe!
I was planning to give the recipe 5 stars, but it seems like all the adware running on the page are keeping me from being able to click on any of the stars.