Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe with Ham

Instant Pot split pea soup recipe with ham is so easy! Throw it in your pressure cooker for 17 minutes and it’s the perfect healthy soup made with dried peas. No soaking required. Can use Crockpot Express or as a Ninja Foodi recipe too.

We don’t always have time to make a home cooked meal, that is why I’m a bit obsessed with the Instant Pot I have. I never ever attempted to cook dry beans before this “magic appliance”. Now I don’t think twice because I know it’s so easy and you’d never know they were rock hard less than 30 minutes before.

Ninja Foodi Split Pea Soup

I used the basic ingredients in my Crockpot Express split pea soup. Any brand when making this in a high pressure cooker is substantially quicker. Same homemade from scratch one pot meal with diced meat or a leftover ham bone to add flavor but in a fraction of the cook time vs the stove top.

It took all day before but knew it would be closer to 15 minutes this time so I started there. Felt it needed a few more minutes, and 17 was just perfect for the split peas to be smooth and the carrots and celery to be tender.

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup

Most of our favorites take only 3-5 minutes to cook like the Instant Pot chili mac we make regularly. It’s amazing what this thing can do with pasta, meat and veggies. This is what you’re going to need to get started on making this;

Ingredients

• Green Split peas were used, a mix of these and yellow split peas would be fine – dry, not soaked
• Vegetable stock – so much better than water, could use chicken broth or chicken stock instead
• Onion, dice or add larger slices
• Ham – could throw in a meaty ham bone or ham hock, chopped ham steak or this is one of our favorite leftover ham recipes
• Salt and pepper to taste are a given but others could be used like onion salt, bay leaves, thyme, garlic powder etc…. You can create a smoky flavor with liquid smoke, but just add a tad.
• Celery and even dials of sliced peeled carrots work well if you want to add even more vegetables inside this nutrient rich soup

These are the basic three ingredients you will need. Everything else is really an add on but I highly recommend that you don’t just leave it to these. We love adding a bit of meat like diced bits of ham, bacon or you could even add a bit of kielbasa if that is what you have and need to use up. I hate wasting food so I like using what I have on hand.

Many times I will find ham hocks so cheap they are almost giving them away at the store. These are great to use for sure. You can put one or two in the middle of the pot with other things all around them. The bits of meat will get tender and cook off.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Vegetarian

Making this vegetarian without meat is easy, just use vegetable broth instead and without the proteins of course.

Here are a few others that I almost always add in there as well but I suppose they are “extras” because the top are what is NEEDED. Bacon bits are fabulous too if I have some left from the morning. I do keep a bag of real bacon bits in the fridge too for a recipe like this one. If you want to add a bay leaves you could, just remember to remove when done.

I like to salt when it’s done because many times I don’t need any (salt in the ham and broth is plenty). My husband has high blood pressure so I try to be easy on the sodium when I can. It doesn’t need it with all the other items listed.

Using leftover ham is great, or make our Instant Pot ham recipe first and use that. Of course you can buy precooked diced pieces at the store too year round so no need to wait for Easter or after Christmas time for this baby. Here’s a quick rundown but we have a printable recipe below as well for you.

How to Make Split Pea Soup in Instant Pot

• Put your Instant Pot on sauté function and add your olive oil, onions and precooked diced ham. If you’re using ham hocks then you wouldn’t add those now.
• Cook for a few minutes just so onions soften and ham juices come out a bit and add flavor to the rest of your soup. Turn pot off.
• Add dried split peas and all other ingredients. Stir well so salt dissolves (can wait and add salt at end if preferred). 
• Put your lid on and close valve to sealing position.  Set to manual, pressure, high for 17 minutes cooking time.  Allow to naturally release the steam for 5 minutes, quickly release remaining steam.
• Stir and serve. The soup will thicken as it sits. Stirring occasionally will help this, or adding a touch more broth.
• Top with cheese if desired. Add more broth to thin it out the next day.

So quick and easy! If you want to make this same meal but have it cook all day use the directions for our crockpot split pea soup.

If you want to reduce the salt that is fine too. I don’t like highly seasoned foods and 1 1/2 tsp was perfect for us. I tend to season when it’s done. With a side of bread it’s a complete meal and quite healthy too which I appreciate. It is a cheap option to make for your family or share with another who may be having a hard time and need a comfort meal dropped off.

How to Save Leftover Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

If you want to save any extras you have, I would. It heats up really nicely the next day or two for lunch or a second go around for dinnertime. Always make sure it cools completely first. Once it is room temperature then store split pea leftover amounts in what you would eat in one serving, inside containers.

Make sure they all have air tight lids, if not then use plastic wrap. I will sit it on top of the soup and then wrap it around the top of the rim so no air gets inside. You will likely want a bit of broth the next day to thin it out a bit because it will get thicker as it sits. A few Tbsp. will do it, stir, heat in microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes or on stovetop over medium high heat, bring to boil until warm and enjoy.

For other leftover ham recipes check out this post and the soup below. We share a number of easy Ninja Foodi soups here too.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

Looking for more pressure cooker recipes or easy Instant Pot soup recipes? We have a bunch of them for sure. I love them so much because it’s a cheap meal that cooks all together in one pot. Nutritionally it is way up there too. Leave out the meat entirely and it is the perfect vegetarian dinner we make rather often.

• Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is great even if you aren’t sick I’m telling you.
• Seen above is our Instant Pot barley soup. Super healthy but so good you’d never know it was really healthy.
• The best Instant pot potato corn chowder recipe is here and gets 5 stars from everyone who tries it.
• Our pressure cooker sausage soup uses dry beans in it as well and tastes fantastic.

How do you get rid of gas from split pea soup?

There is NO soaking required to make this. Those who are really sensitive to cooking and eating beans from a dry state you might want to go ahead and soak them for 1 hour anyway. This may help in the digestive process. If you make things with canned beans it helps to drain and rinse in a colander before eating too. Just a tip.