Instant Pot split pea soup is a thick, creamy pot of green split peas cooked with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and diced cooked ham in chicken broth. The peas need no soaking: saute the vegetables, add everything else, pressure cook for 15 minutes and stir. It’s ready in about an hour and serves 6.
How to make Instant Pot split pea soup: saute diced carrots, celery, onion and garlic with a bay leaf and thyme, add 1 pound of rinsed green split peas, diced cooked ham, 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 2 cups of water, cook 15 minutes on high pressure, quick release, discard the bay leaf, stir until creamy and season.
Why You’ll Love It
- No soaking: dried split peas go straight in.
- About an hour from start to finish, including pressure time.
- One pot from saute to serving.
- Uses leftover ham, a ham bone or a smoked turkey leg.
How Much Water for Split Peas in the Instant Pot?
Use about 6 cups of liquid for 1 pound of dried split peas. This recipe uses a 32-ounce carton (4 cups) of low-sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups of water. You can also use 6 cups of stock or 6 cups of water for the same pound of peas.
The soup may look thin when you first open the lid. It thickens as it stands and gets much thicker once chilled, so:
- Stir it well right after releasing the pressure, until it’s very well combined and creamy.
- Thin with water if it’s thicker than you like, now or when reheating leftovers.
- Expect older peas to take longer. Dried peas that have been on the shelf a long time can need more cooking.
Timing: Pressure Build and Release
The card cooks for 15 minutes at high pressure, but the pot needs 10 to 18 minutes to come up to pressure before the countdown starts, so plan on about an hour in all. This recipe uses a quick release. A natural release of 10 to 15 minutes is another option.
Ingredient Notes
Split peas. One pound of dried green split peas, about 2 1/4 cups. Pick out any stones and rinse briefly.
Ham. Seven to 8 ounces of fully cooked ham, diced, about 1 1/2 cups. A ham bone or hock works too. Don’t use fresh, uncooked ham.
Broth and salt. Low-sodium chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Ham and broth are both salty, so taste before adding more.
Vegetables. Two carrots and 2 celery stalks (about 1 cup each, diced), half an onion and 2 cloves of garlic.
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound dried green split peas (about 2 1/4 cups), picked over and rinsed
- 7 to 8 ounces cooked ham, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 carton (32 ounces, 4 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water, plus more as needed
How to Make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
1. Prep the vegetables. Peel and dice the carrots, dice the celery and onion, and finely chop the garlic. Keep them together in one bowl.
2. Saute. Heat the oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker on the highest Saute setting until shimmering. Add the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
3. Rinse the peas. While the vegetables cook, put the split peas in a fine-mesh strainer, pick out any stones and rinse briefly under cold water. Dice the ham if needed.
4. Fill the pot. Add the split peas, ham, broth and 2 cups of water and stir. Turn off the pressure cooker.
5. Pressure cook. Lock the lid and set the valve to seal. Cook 15 minutes on HIGH pressure. It takes 10 to 18 minutes to come up to pressure.
6. Release and stir. Quick release all the pressure. Discard the bay leaf and stir until very well combined and creamy. If it’s too thick, thin it with more water.
7. Season and serve. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. The ham is already cooked, so the soup is ready once it’s hot. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Variations
- Ham bone or hock: use it in place of diced ham. A frozen ham bone needs no extra cook time, but the pot takes longer to come to pressure.
- Smoked turkey leg: for a pork-free pot.
- Bacon: crisp 8 slices first, stir half into the soup and save half for the top.
- Vegetarian: leave out the ham, use vegetable stock or water, and add more salt and pepper.
- Smoky: add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Potatoes: add diced potatoes or parsnips.
Storage & Reheating
Divide the soup into shallow, covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep it in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The soup thickens a lot when chilled, so add water as you reheat on the stove over medium heat. Bring it to a rolling boil (165°F) before serving. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with crusty bread or a side, since it’s mostly peas with a little ham. For more bean and ham soups, try crock pot ham and beans, bean and bacon soup, slow cooker 15 bean soup or slow cooker black-eyed peas with bacon. For potato soups, there’s crock pot potato ham soup and baked potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water do you use to cook split peas in an Instant Pot?
About 6 cups of liquid per pound of split peas. This recipe uses 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water, plus more water if it gets too thick.
Do you need to soak split peas?
No. Pick them over for stones, rinse briefly and add them to the pot.
Can you freeze split pea soup?
Yes, for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and add water as you reheat, since it thickens.
What do you serve with split pea soup?
Crusty bread or a side dish. Crumbled bacon on top is another option.
Final Notes
Six cups of liquid, 15 minutes at pressure and a good stir. Tell me in the comments whether you used diced ham or a ham bone.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced, about 6 ounces total (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium celery stalks diced, about 4 ounces total (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 1 pound dried green split peas about 2 1/4 cups; picked over for stones and rinsed briefly
- 7 to 8 ounces cooked ham diced, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 carton low-sodium chicken broth 32 ounces (4 cups)
- 2 cups water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Peel and dice the carrots, dice the celery and onion, and finely chop the garlic. Keep them together in one bowl.
- Heat the oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker on the highest Saute setting until shimmering. Add the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, put the split peas in a fine-mesh strainer, pick out any stones and rinse briefly under cold water. Dice the ham if needed.
- Add the split peas, ham, broth and 2 cups of water and stir. Turn off the pressure cooker.
- Lock the lid and set the valve to seal. Cook 15 minutes on HIGH pressure. It takes 10 to 18 minutes to come up to pressure.
- Quick release all the pressure. Discard the bay leaf and stir until very well combined and creamy. If it's too thick, thin it with more water.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. The ham is already cooked, so the soup is ready once it's hot. Reheat leftovers to 165F.
Notes
Nutrition
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