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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup (with ham OR vegetarian)

Published: / Updated: / 40 Comments

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This Instant Pot split pea soup is much easier and hands-off than cooking it on the stove! This recipe can be made with ham or left vegetarian.

The BEST Instant Pot split pea soup (close-up in a white bowl)

The Instant Pot method means you don't need to soak the peas or stand over the stove for an hour plus. This is the quick and easy way to make split pea soup. It's a healthy and hearty soup that's good and filling. I keep the ingredients and seasoning pretty simple, and the flavor mostly comes from the pressure cooking.

Obviously I cook a lot for this blog, and I never post a recipe that I don't think people will like, but sometimes a recipe just really really stands out for me. I was surprised with how much I liked this soup recipe since I can't even remember the last time I had split pea soup (where has it been all my life), and soups don't usually excite me this much. 😛

Many homemade split pea soup recipes use ham, which gives it a nice and smoky flavor. I wanted to create a slight smokiness with or without using ham, and smoked paprika is the perfect way to do it. 

easy Instant Pot split pea soup with ham in two bowls

How to make split pea soup in the Instant Pot

  1. Prep your onion, celery, and carrots, and add them to the Instant Pot along with the oil & butter and sauté for 5 minutes;
  2. Add in the remaining ingredients (garlic, broth, ham - if using, peas, spices), and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes;
  3. Do a quick pressure release after 15 minutes and serve it up!

Easy, right?

(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)

You may also like my One Pot Ham and Pea Pasta.

split pea soup in Instant Pot (with a ladle)

What are split peas?

Split peas are simply dried peas that are cut in half for easy cooking. You can either use green split peas or yellow split peas for this recipe. 

What kind of ham to use? 

Add chopped ham (buy a packaged ham and cut it up yourself... you can find mini 1-2 pound ones quite easily at most grocery stores), or it's a great way to use up leftover baked ham from Christmas/Easter/etc. You could even add a ham bone or smoked pork hock.

Recipe notes & tips:

  • Add more broth to leftovers as needed (the soup will thicken the longer you leave it).
  • Use low-sodium broth if you're concerned about salt (ham can be quite salty). 
  • This soup can be frozen.

More soup recipes to try:

classic split pea soup with ham (in white bowl)

Will you make this electric pressure cooker split pea soup?

Questions? Made this recipe? Leave me a comment below! 

The BEST Instant Pot split pea soup (close-up in a white bowl)

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

This Instant Pot split pea soup is much easier and hands-off than cooking it on the stove! This recipe can be made with ham or left vegetarian.
4.85 from 13 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Inactive time 30 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 399 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 pound green split peas
  • 1 pound smoked ham chopped (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the oil, butter, onion, carrots, and celery to your Instant Pot. Press the sauté button and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in the garlic, followed by the broth, split peas, ham (if using), smoked paprika, and cumin.
  • Give it a good stir, then close the lid, make sure the valve is on "sealing", and press the "manual" button to set the timer for it to cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. It'll take about 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
  • Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. You can then do a quick release if you wish, or just let it naturally release for the rest of the time.
  • Season with salt & pepper if needed.

Notes

  • You can add the chopped ham that I suggest in the recipe (great for leftover ham), or you could add a whole ham bone or pork hock (go up to max 2 pounds or so).
  • Use low-sodium broth if salt is a concern for you since ham can be quite salty.
  • You may need to add more broth to leftovers as the soup will thicken the longer you leave it.
  • This is the 6-quart Instant Pot I used.
  • Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure and release pressure.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. This soup is 324 calories per serving without the ham.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 32gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 1911mgPotassium: 1065mgFiber: 20gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 4292IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 5mg
Keyword electric pressure cooker split pea soup, Instant Pot split pea soup
Author Natasha Bull
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  2. Cindy Smith says

    5 stars
    I was hesitant on making this soup. I haven't eaten it since I was a kid because I hated it. The only reason I made it is because my husband requested it. Were trying to switch up our dinners. This recipe is amazing, and super easy! I'll be making this again! In fact, I'm taking some of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Well that's so nice to hear!! I'm glad you were willing to give it a try haha. Appreciate you taking the time to write me, a review, Cindy! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Laura Jacobsen says

    Peas were still somewhat hard after following the directions. Can I cook them for 20-25 min instead? Flavor was good though.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Sure, you could definitely cook it for a bit longer, or perhaps soak the peas overnight? I found mine to be very mushy. Are you absolutely sure that you cooked it on high pressure vs. low pressure (just a thought)?

      Reply

  6. Courtney says

    5 stars
    This is the BEST split pea soup! It made for a perfect weeknight meal on a chilly Fall evening. Will definitely be making this again!

    Reply

  7. Kiki says

    4 stars
    Thank you kindly for this straightforward Recipe. 😀
    My rating is 4.85 of 5 only because
    I preferred less cumin and needed to adding a tiny spritz of lemon 🍋 to brighten the flavor up : I had also used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika, so the smoked notes dropped the base flavor deeper 😆

    Agreed that you can make the recipe with low sodium broth and turkey 🍖 instead of ham, as it tasted great, hearty, and savory all the same.

    Even though I halved the recipe down to 3 servings, and immersion blended just for 15 seconds, we still ended up with 6+ cups of meduim thick soup 🍲!

    Next time I cook this, I will try adding a sprig of lemongrass or maybe🌿 herbs. 😀
    Open to suggestions on the herbs 🌿😊

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your suggestions... I'm sure other readers will find them helpful. 🙂

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hello! I haven't tested it with a ham hock, so I can't say for sure. Perhaps add an extra 5 minutes? I'm somewhat reluctant to add a lot more time since I haven't tested it, and I can't say for sure how the rest of the soup will go.

      Reply

  9. John Hunter says

    This tastes just like my ham hock vegy soup which took 3 to 4hours on the stove top, instant pot killed it in under an hour or will make this all winter long, john, nz

    Reply

  10. Mary says

    Have you made your pea soup using salt pork? If yes, how much salt pork should be used for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I have not, unfortunately. I'm a bit concerned that adding too much could make the soup quite salty, so I'd use it sparingly. Perhaps even fry some up and add it to the finished soup like you'd add croutons?

      Reply

  12. Paula Mccarraher says

    5 stars
    Loved it! Have to admit my best pot of ham and split pea soup, will always come back to this recipe when I want a pot of ham and split pea soup and will try it without the ham!!! Thank you for sharing

    Reply

  16. Tiffany says

    5 stars
    My kids and I made this recipe today. It was fantastic. Simple and easy to follow directions. I love that it was for the instant pot. We recently purchased and instant pot and are always on the look out for new recipes to try. Most of the instant pot recipes we have found have been either hit or miss. This recipe was hit!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I don’t unfortunately. You could adapt this for the stove... it’ll just take longer. You may need to add more liquid as needed, though. Happy Easter!

      Reply