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.
This was the first time I made this Instant Pot split pea soup recipe and I couldn’t believe how perfect it came out! The first doesn’t always work but it’s great when it does. I used the basic ingredients I used to make my crockpot split pea soup. Of course it was adjusted since I was making this 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 minutes 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. 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 know I can have this Instant Pot split pea soup recipe done in 20 minutes!
Most of our favorites take only 3-5 minutes to cook like the Instant Pot chili mac we make regularly.
These are the ingredients for pressure cooker split pea soup:
- Split peas – dry
- Vegetable stock – so much better than water
- Onion
- Celery
- Ham – could throw in a ham hock or this is one of our favorite leftover ham recipes
- Salt – I like to salt when it’s done because many times I don’t need any (salt in the ham and broth is plenty)
Here is all you have to do to make this easy Instant Pot split pea soup recipe
- 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)
- Dump in your veggies
- A pinch of 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 video of our Instant Pot split pea soup recipe
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.
This easy Instant Pot split pea soup recipe is now one of my favorites!
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.
- If you want to make this same meal but have it cook all day use the directions for our crockpot split pea soup.
- For other leftover ham recipes check out this post and the soup below.
Looking for more Instant Pot soup recipes?
- Instant Pot chicken noodle soup
- Seen above is our Instant Pot barley soup
- The best Instant pot potato corn chowder
- Our pressure cooker sausage soup uses dry beans in it as well and tastes fantastic.
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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Put your Instant Pot on saute and add your olive oil, onions and ham.
- 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.
- Add all other ingredients and stir well so salt dissolves (can wait and add salt at end if preferred).
- Put your lid on and close steam valve.
- Set to manual, pressure, high for 17 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release the steam for 5 minutes, then slowly release rest of steam.
- Stir and serve. The longer it sits the thicker it will become. Top with cheese if desired.Add more broth to thin it out the next day.
Video
M says
I’ve been making this recipe a couple times a year for a couple years now and always for a group of friends that happen to love split pea soup! This is a gold star recipe!
I remove a lot of the ham off the bone and chop it up to add to the soup after it’s done. I also add a couple bay leaves and a few potatoes to the instant pot only because I prefer them in my soups.
I also take a couple cups of soup out after the release and blend it to make the soup super thick and smooth. I like it when my spoon stands straight up!!! Once it goes in the fridge, I will reheat it with some extra water to loosen it just a bit.
It also goes great with garlic cheesy bread!
Since I have the ham bone from Easter in the freezer, its time to make it tonight!
Can’t wait!
Barbara says
Wowza❣️❣️❣️ So excellent – I used Better Than Bouillion veg base, taste was great ! And added 32 oz of veg stock and 1 can Rotelle (just cause I have to put my spin on it 😉
Such a perfect soup THANKS a million for the inspiration
The Typical Mom says
OOH love rotel in anything
Debra Quillin says
This recipe was fantastic! Only changes were that I used chicken broth as I didn’t have vegetable broth and I added two bay leaves. Easiest split pea recipe I’ve ever made. Yay for the Instant Pot. Bravo! And of course thank you!
Mary says
Made for the first time tonight. New instant pot owner. And it is delish. I didn’t add any salt and used chicken stock instead. I will be making this again soon. Thank you for sharing.
The Typical Mom says
Yay!
Michele says
I made this recipe for the first time tonight. It came soooo good! I used better than boullion chicken broth instead of vegetable stock and threw in a ham bone I had in the freezer. Positively delicious!!! Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👍😋
The Typical Mom says
yeah glad it was a hit!
Charlene says
Just wanted to let you know that I have been using this recipe every few weeks for a year or more. The more of my friends that try it, love it. And, my husband loves that it doesn’t take hours, only minutes. The only thing is asked was that I add a small diced potato as a thiickening agent. He likes it that way. Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
So glad it has been a winner for y’all, thanks for letting me know!
Ann says
1,595 mg of sodium in one serving? Holy moly! You should keep sodium at 1,500 mg per day. It must be the ham, ‘ey?
The Typical Mom says
It is approximate and the recipe card calculates that so I don’t know how accurate it is. I am sure it is the ham yes.
Debbie says
It was EASY and DELICIOUS. Made as directed except added more left over ham.
Nad. says
Hello,
I’m left with questions regarding any split pea recipes since the Instant Pot company warns us not to use split peas because it can foam, froth, sputter, and clog the steam release or even cause burns.
The soup seems tasty.
Jacqueline says
I put olive oil in the pot to keep it from foaming
Jackie says
I didn’t read these comments until after I made it but it was fine.
Vic says
I have made similar split pea soup many times and the cover is always clean with condensation only. I use a traditional recipe with salt beef instead of ham with no added oil. Never had a problem.
Sally says
This is awesome!! Simple to make and quick just used chicken broth instead of vegetable. Thank you
Wendy says
I made a few changes. I used chicken broth and added diced potatoes as well. I added a bit more broth afterwards as well as I found it to be too thick. Pea soup naturally thickens when it is refrigerated. I will definitely make it again.
The Typical Mom says
Glad you loved it.
Susan says
Awesome recipe!! This was so simple and so good. I cooked mine for 18 mins, used 4 cups of veggie broth and 1 cup of chicken broth. Oh my my. This will be so good for lunches. Thank you!
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it, it’s a fave here too.
Charlene says
Cooked in Instant Pot as is except didn’t have onion powder or onion salt so regular onions tossed in. This was wonderful and a great time saver. Will continue to check in on your site from time to time. Thanks!!
Niki says
After reading the comments I figured I have to try this soup! I’ve always loved split pea soup but most places make it with ham and for personal reasons I don’t eat pork so I’ve followed all your directions but I’m using turkey ham. It’s in my instant pot right now! Can’t wait to try it!
The Typical Mom says
Hope you enjoy it as much as others have.
Niki says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was delicious!!! Will definitely be my go to split pea soup recipe!!!! I did add a little bit more broth to thin it out but the taste was amazing!!!
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it.
Lynnette says
Thanks for the recipe! My son who isn’t a favourite of Split Peas soup; he had second bowl! I sis a slight change to your recipe; I just added a couple of potatoes as I like potatoes in my Split Pea soup. It was really thick and delicious. Looking forward to seeing more recipes coming.
Diana says
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.
MaryAnn says
I have a 3 qt Instant Pot.
Any idea how I should adjust your recipe?
It will be vegan.
Thanks!
Lu says
Years ago I discovered that along with the veggies listed, adding a about 2-4 Tbsp of Cashew butter in place of the ham & a bay leaf or two makes such a wonderful tasting soup, you don’t need the ham. Sometimes I also add a teaspoon or so of liquid smoke, which is a nice option. No need for ham!
I’m new to the instant pot world & loving it. I plan to try the split pea soup with the cashew butter today, I expect it might even be better (although I used to think it not possible).
Kathi says
I don’t have a pressure cooker so how would I alter this recipe to cook in slow cooker?
The Typical Mom says
There is a link to my crockpot recipe within this post.
Kathi says
Found it…thanks.
G. Cosper says
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!
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it
Janice Scesny says
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!!
The Typical Mom says
OH yeah glad you loved it too.
Tami says
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.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it.
Goldengirl says
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?
Pat says
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!.
Donna says
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. 🙂
The Typical Mom says
I’m so glad!
Patti says
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?
The Typical Mom says
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.
Nat says
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!!!
The Typical Mom says
OH yeah!!
Teri says
I made it and it is terrific! This was my first try and your recipe guided me perfectly! Thanks for posting!!!
Marianne says
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?
The Typical Mom says
So glad…yes it is personal preference as to how thick you like it. Extra broth will do the trick for you.
Jahanzaib says
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.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you found us!
Tracey says
Good soup, I would cook for a little less time. I like mine with some if the split peas still in the soup
Laura says
I’ve made different recipes for Split Pea Soup, this the best! Delicious!
The Typical Mom says
Thank you!
Carol says
Made this but didn’t have ham so i used bacon ends and pieces, it was very good.
Sandra says
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.
Debby M. says
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!
Kim says
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!
Wanda says
Me too! Way too dry. Adding broth definitely helped.
Thom Leonard says
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.
Judy says
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!
Shauna says
Made this and have to say excellent!!! I am impressed.
The Typical Mom says
OH good!!
Don says
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?
Lindsey says
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.
The Typical Mom says
So glad!!
Yvonne Annette says
Hello! You listed 1 1/2 tsp of salt in the ingredients but later mentioned 1 Tbsp. Which did you use?
Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
Sorry about that, typo, add 1-1 1/2 tsp depending on taste.
Janet says
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.
Emily Smith says
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! ❤️??
The Typical Mom says
OH Good!!
Danielle says
If using a ham hock, would you cook that for a little while before adding the other ingredients?
The Typical Mom says
I haven’t used that so I am unsure of timing.
Lindsey says
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
Emma Sue says
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!
The Typical Mom says
So glad you love it!!
Judy Bales says
Made this tonight and it was delish. I added some dried leeks and some shredded, dried zucchini. It was perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
The Typical Mom says
OH yeah!! We love it.
Alison Snow says
Looks delish! Do the peas break down completely in that time?
The Typical Mom says
Yes..it’s perfect!!
Janice says
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
Sandi van straten says
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
The Typical Mom says
Hmmm never had a problem making this at all. I have a 6 quart.
Shannon says
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?
The Typical Mom says
Possibly, I haven’t tried that.
karengrove says
No need to soak the peas beforehand?
The Typical Mom says
Nope
Margie says
Made it today! Loved it . My boyfriend had seconds which he doesn’t do often.
The Typical Mom says
Oh yeah!!!
publicinhiding says
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!
The Typical Mom says
Cooking time listed is time you set pressure cooker to.
Keiva says
Slow release is natural pressure release, right? How long does that take? 30 more minutes or so at least?
The Typical Mom says
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.