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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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What is the serving size?
About 1 cup
Just made it following directions, but peas were hard and chewy. Reset it to cook for another 15 minutes and have fingers crossed that it comes out right. Not sure what happened?
That’s very unusual. Did you have the pot set to high pressure? It sealed up? I know that with beans, if they are old they can take a lot longer to cook. I don’t know it this happens with split peas as well. This is the first time I have heard this. Sorry. Please let me know if the extra 15 helped.
I’ve had the occasional pot of soup where the peas didn’t cook, just little rocks! I always soak in water overnight cuz I don’t want to take a chance ruining all those ingredients!
I wonder if they are like beans when they get old. Old beans take a lot longer to cook! Interesting! Thanks for the tip!
I got my Instant Pot Ultra a couple weeks ago and have been pressurizing the heck out of it! Tried your easy to follow recipe last and it turned out fabulous. I used the Double Smoked Maple Bacon from Whole Foods. Bacon at the Whole Foods meat counter is like no other – they have great varieties. Thank you so much. This is going to be the Winter of hearty comforting soup for me! Regards from snowy, frozen Colorado!
Hi Stacy! I’m so glad you liked this soup! I will definitely have to try that bacon! Stay warm!
Can you use a beef soup bone instead of ham?
I haven’t tried it, but it sounds good!
I just made this using the leftover meat, vegetables, and stock (7 cups) from a cottage roll dinner (it’s an East Coast thing; think of corned beef and cabbage, but with ham instead of beef), All I added was a one-pound bag of split peas. I cooked it in my six-quart Instant Pot as per the directions above, and now have a lovely pot of hearty soup. Perfect!
Ooh, that sounds yummy! Thank you for your review!
This recipe was delicious!! Kids loved it!!
I made this with a smoked turkey wing- lots more good meat than a ham hock and then added Ham flavor Better than Bouillon to my water for stock. Yummy.
In the recipe you don’t specify high or low pressure. I am assuming high pressure?
Yes, High. Since High Pressure is the most common, I will note if a recipe needs to be Low.
I have split pea soup for years either on the stove or in a crock pot. I am so happy to see this recipe for the Instant Pot. (I have the 6 qt). I don’t eat ham, so, is there any problem using a couple turkey sausages? Is there room in the pot for the sausages and some potatoes (as well as carrots)?
Hi Joani, yes, you can sub out the ham for turkey sausage. The smoky flavor is what you’re going for. Throw in a couple cut up potatoes, and there are carrots already in there!
Loved this recipe! Spot-on perfect! Another former WA girl from Issaquah. Thank you so much for your post.
Thanks Bonnie! I’m glad you liked it. Two of my sons live in Issaquah! Thank you for your review!