This Instant Pot split pea soup recipe with ham is so easy to make and my kids love it! Throw it in your pressure cooker for 17 minutes and it’s the perfect healthy soup made with dried peas that require no soaking beforehand. Fresh homemade split pea soup in less than 20 minutes flat used to be unheard of until now!
This was the first time I made this Instant Pot split pea soup recipe and I couldn’t believe how perfect it came out! It’s not always that I try something and it works. Many times I feel it needs a few tweaks here and there and “I’ll try this and that next time I make it”. I used the basic ingredients I used to make my crockpot split pea soup and adjusted it just a bit since I was making it in my Instant Pot using the pressure cooker function. It took all day in my slow cooker but knew my Instant Pot chili only took about 15 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 were just tender enough. It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes when it is cool outside! (originally published 4/17)
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.
When I’ve forgotten to make dinner, I’ve gotten distracted and realize everyone is starving, or know we have activities in the evening I know I can have an entire meal ready in about 20 minutes max!
Most of our favorites take only 3-5 minutes to cook like the Instant Pot chili mac we make regularly. If you want to make this same meal but have it cook all day use the directions for our crockpot split pea soup.
Here is all you have to do really:
- Chop your onion, celery, ham (using leftover ham is great, or make our Instant Pot ham recipe first and use that) and carrots
- Put your IP on saute and add some olive oil, your onions and ham (brings out a lot of flavor)
- Add your vegetable stock (you can use water but this makes it much more flavorful)
- Add your veggies
- Add some salt for flavor
- Cook for 17 minutes on high pressure, slow release when done on your steam valve (move just slightly)
- Enjoy!
Here’s a printable version of our Instant Pot split pea soup recipe and a video showing you how I make it
If you want to reduce the salt that is fine too but I don’t like highly seasoned foods and 1 1/2 tsp was perfect since nothing else you’re adding really has salt (unless you’re using regular chicken stock then you might want to add less salt).
This is now one of my kids’ favorite meals.
With a side of bread it’s a complete meal and quite healthy too which I appreciate. If you want to make this Instant Pot split pea soup into a freezer meal, here are the directions.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot soups?
This Instant Pot split pea soup recipe with ham is so easy to make and my kids love it! Throw it in your pressure cooker for 17 minutes and it's the perfect healthy soup made with dried peas that require no soaking beforehand. Fresh homemade split pea soup in less than 20 minutes flat used to be unheard of until now! #instantpot #pressurecooker
- 40 oz vegetable stock
- 2 c split peas dry, uncooked
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (more or less depending on preference)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 c ham diced
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Put your Instant Pot on saute and add your olive oil, onions and ham.
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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.
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Add all other ingredients and stir well so salt dissolves (can wait and add salt at end if preferred).
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Put your lid on and close steam valve.
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Set to manual, pressure, high for 17 minutes.
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Move your steam valve just slightly so the steam releases and carefully lift lid.
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Stir and serve. The longer it sits the thicker it will become. Top with cheese if desired.
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Have been making split pea soup for years using yellow peas. Decided to try this even though I did not have much hope that the peas would actually be smooth nor did Inthink the flavor would be as good. How wrong I was! This is exactly like the soup I’ve been making. No more soaking the peas! Only change I made was 18 min instead of 17.
I have a 3 qt Instant Pot.
Any idea how I should adjust your recipe?
It will be vegan.
Thanks!
I don’t have a pressure cooker so how would I alter this recipe to cook in slow cooker?
There is a link to my crockpot recipe within this post.
Found it…thanks.
SO EASY AND SO QUICK
I just made this with some tweaks: Half the peas, water, granulated garlic powder, carrots. No celery, no onion, no salt and used a large leftover ham bone. Also added 8 peppercorns. Same timing (using the soup button on my Ambiano brand cooker) and slow release for a minute before complete release.
IT IS FANTASTIC!!
I will be taking the meat off the bone and adding but now wish I’d done a whole batch. It’s a perfect consistency.
Why did I change so much? I can’t have onion, must watch salt intake, no celery in the house. Pepper adds a little depth of flavor (taking the onions place). And I’m only 1 person.
Well worth the experiment – thank you for providing such a great guide!
So glad you loved it
I just made this and it is delicious. I am a vegan so I left out the ham. So glad I tried it. Super easy to make!!
OH yeah glad you loved it too.
Yummy! It was great. Thanks for sharing the recipe. So much faster in pressure cooker and tastes every bit as good. I followed the recipe exactly but did add 1/2 tsp marjoram.
So glad you loved it.
I made this following your recipe exactly, it started to burn, so I released the steam. It had boiled dry and the peas were only half cooked. I added 4 cups of water, cooked it for another 17 minutes and released the steam manually, I was afraid it would start burning again. This time it was perfect and it was good, my husband loved it. The steam valve was closed so that wasn’t the problem, any idea why it boiled dry the first time?
You are lucky your children like green split pea soup. Mine did not so I would use half yellow split peas and half green split peas. I actually liked it better also. Try it sometime!.
Thanks for sharing your recipe, I made it for supper tonight & it was so good!! I used my ham bone along with water, celery, carrots, onion & peppercorns to make a broth this morning, then chilled it to separate the fat. Kept the ham to use in the soup & discarded the rest of the stuff.
Used this broth in place of the vegetable stock & it was so flavourful! Definitely a keeper recipe. 🙂
I’m so glad!
My husband likes mini Bob Evans sausage meatballs in his, would you make it the same, sauté the meatballs first then add the rest of the ingredients?
I might saute them and then remove. Cook soup as stated in IP and add back in when done, may fall apart if left in for entire duration for soup.
My husband said it’s the best he’s had. I added some bacon as it was going to go bad. Worked out great. Thank you!!!
OH yeah!!
I made it and it is terrific! This was my first try and your recipe guided me perfectly! Thanks for posting!!!
Great recipe Justine. Thank-you. I found it a little too thick so I’ll probably add a little more stock next time. Is this a good soup to freeze?
So glad…yes it is personal preference as to how thick you like it. Extra broth will do the trick for you.
Hay Admin i m searching pea soup recipe on google and i m so glad to found your site and i get complete recipe of Pea Soup i will make it by your way thanks for it.
So glad you found us!
Good soup, I would cook for a little less time. I like mine with some if the split peas still in the soup
I’ve made different recipes for Split Pea Soup, this the best! Delicious!
Thank you!
Made this but didn’t have ham so i used bacon ends and pieces, it was very good.
Just as good, if not better, than any split pea soup I’ve made that takes hours and multiple pans. We didn’t add salt, and we felt it didn’t need any. No cheese either, since we always top split pea soup with sherry.
Our soup was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. We used 1/2 homemade chicken broth and 1/2 water to make the 40 ozs.! We will make it again! Super easy!
Made this tonight…but it came out SUPER thick… I even tried to add a bit more broth after it was cooked…tasted good though!
Me too! Way too dry. Adding broth definitely helped.
I made this recipe today! It tasted awesome! The ham and bone that I used was frozen so I added 10 minutes to the cook time. I baked a crusty French bread to serve with it. Everyone loved it. I haven’t had a bad recipe come out of my IP yet. I’ll be remaking this recipe for sure.
Just tried this recipe for the first time! This is excellent! Great flavor! I did add oregano to it but this was the easiest split pea soup I’ve ever made. Mine normally simmers for hours not minutes. Thank you, will be my go to recipe for pea soup from now on… EASY and good!
Made this and have to say excellent!!! I am impressed.
OH good!!
Awesome recipe. I have made this several times and family loved it. Thank you very much for posting it. I have the 8qt Instant Pot and would like to double the recipe. Would you happen to know if I need to increase the pressure cooking time beyond 17 min if recipe doubled?
I made this in my 8qt. Did 2 bags of peas, 10 cups of water (didn’t have broth!) it was perfect! Set my pot to the “soup/stew” setting but bumped it up to 20 min. Perfection.
So glad!!
Hello! You listed 1 1/2 tsp of salt in the ingredients but later mentioned 1 Tbsp. Which did you use?
Thanks!
Sorry about that, typo, add 1-1 1/2 tsp depending on taste.
Justine,
The recipe is perfect! A definite keeper.
I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t add any salt due to using vegetable Better Than Bouillon soup base.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe that was reminiscent of my dad’s pea soup.
This recipe was amazing! I followed it exactly and I can’t belive how good it is. It was the first thing I have made with my pressure cooker! Thanks so much for this! It’s a keeper! ❤️🍵🤤
OH Good!!
If using a ham hock, would you cook that for a little while before adding the other ingredients?
I haven’t used that so I am unsure of timing.
I used a ham hock, I added it just after the onions and gave it a little stir. Added the rest of the ingredient and set to pressure. It was so yummy
I pressure cook my ham hock making some broth a day ahead. Once cooled off, remove meat off the bone. I clean as much fat from meat as possible because I still have all the flavor from pressure cooking. After it cools completely, in fridge, I take off all the fat. I will add the meat back into the broth and other ingredients, to make this amazing soup The Typical Mom has provided for us! Cheers to Instant Pot!
So glad you love it!!
Made this tonight and it was delish. I added some dried leeks and some shredded, dried zucchini. It was perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
OH yeah!! We love it.
Looks delish! Do the peas break down completely in that time?
Yes..it’s perfect!!
I just made this recipe and changed it up a bit by adapting one of my own split pea soup recipes.I omitted the ham and kept your recipe the same but added cloves of garlic, marjoram, basil, cumin, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.
It is to die for.Thanx
Bought instant pot today…found this pea soup recipe..looks yummy.
There is a warning about split peas but I am hoping it doesn’t apply to the recipe.
What size instant pot do you use? Would I adjust ingredients for the 6 quart size?
Sandi
Hmmm never had a problem making this at all. I have a 6 quart.
I have a slow cooker recipe for split pea soup and you add milk at the to to thicken it up and make it creamer. Do you think that would work with this recipe too?
Possibly, I haven’t tried that.
No need to soak the peas beforehand?
Nope
Made it today! Loved it . My boyfriend had seconds which he doesn’t do often.
Oh yeah!!!
The “total time” you have listed seems off to me. Chopping, sautéing, getting to pressure, cooking 17 minutes, AND slow release? Granted, I am slow at cooking, but my time was closer to an hour!
Cooking time listed is time you set pressure cooker to.
Slow release is natural pressure release, right? How long does that take? 30 more minutes or so at least?
Sorry, I say slow release meaning just move the valve just slightly so steam releases slowly. Natural release would be fine for this one too though.