This Instant Pot split pea soup recipe with ham is so easy to make! Throw it in your pressure cooker for 17 minutes and it’s the perfect healthy soup made with dried peas No soaking required for homemade split pea soup in less than 20 minutes. Can us Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi too.

instant pot split pea soup recipe 2
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

This was the first time I made this Instant Pot split pea soup with ham recipe. Homemade using bagged peas with NO soaking necessary beforehand, I couldn’t believe how perfect it came out! It’s one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes when it is cool outside! (affiliate links present)

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.

If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:

For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.

A white Instant Pot with a Star Wars theme sits on the kitchen counter, ready to tackle your favorite beef arm roast recipe. The digital display glows "On." Next to it lie a patterned cloth and some green onions, all against the backdrop of blue kitchen cabinets and a stovetop.

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;

  • 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

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.

sliced onions

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Vegetarian

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.

  • Celery and even dials of sliced peeled carrots work well if you want to add even more vegetables inside this nutrient rich soup
  • 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.

If you want to add a bay leaves you could, just remember to remove when done. Making this vegetarian without meat is easy, just use vegetable broth instead.

Can you cook dried peas in a pressure cooker?

Most definitely. I have made homemade pressure cooker ham and bean soup as well. NO soaking beforehand is required which means you can have a quick one pot meal in no time.

Do I need to soak beans before pressure cooking?

No, but you can if you really feel you must. I provide this Instant Pot bean cooking times printable sheet for you here. Then you can determine how long each one will take.

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.

instant pot split pea soup

Split Pea Soup Instant Pot

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.

  • 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.

easy 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 Barley Soup 3

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.

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.

instant pot split pea soup
4.88 from 39 votes

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe

By The Typical Mom
Instant Pot split pea soup recipe with ham is so easy to make and kids love it! Throw it in your pressure cooker for 17 minutes and it's the perfect healthy soup made with dried peas with no soaking. Fresh homemade split pea soup.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 17 minutes
Total: 27 minutes
Servings: 6
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients 

  • 40 oz vegetable broth
  • 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. Turn pot off now.
  • 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

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz, Calories: 300kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 1595mg, Potassium: 663mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 500IU, Vitamin C: 1.9mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

You May Also Like

4.88 from 39 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

108 Comments

  1. 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!

  2. 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

  3. 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!

  4. 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.

  5. 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. 👍👍👍😋

  6. 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!

    1. This is Charlene, again. Autumn is upon us and my husband’s request for supper tonight was, you got it….. that split pea soup!!! Thank you so much for your time and energy with your recipes!!!

  7. 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?

    1. 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.

  8. 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.

    1. 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.

  9. This is awesome!! Simple to make and quick just used chicken broth instead of vegetable. Thank you