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 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.
How to make split pea soup in the Instant Pot
- Prep your onion, celery, and carrots, and add them to the Instant Pot along with the oil & butter and sauté for 5 minutes;
- Add in the remaining ingredients (garlic, broth, ham - if using, peas, spices), and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes;
- 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.
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:
- Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Hamburger Soup
- Easy Ham and Corn Chowder
Will you make this electric pressure cooker split pea soup?
Questions? Made this recipe? Leave me a comment below!
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
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.
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.
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)?
Katrina Riggs says
This was a fun recipe, fast, tasty and easy. What’s not to like!
Natasha says
Thank you!! 😀
Courtney says
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!
Natasha says
Thank you so much!! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. 😀
Kiki says
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 🌿😊
Natasha says
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your suggestions... I'm sure other readers will find them helpful. 🙂
Kay says
If I use a ham hock do I need to increase the cook time?
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.
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
Natasha says
That's great!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
John Hunter says
I use ham hock
Natasha says
Excellent!
Mary says
Have you made your pea soup using salt pork? If yes, how much salt pork should be used for this recipe?
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?
Shelley says
How many cups would you say one pound of split peas is? Mine are in a container. Thank you!
Natasha says
Hi! Google is telling me it's about 2 cups, and I think that sounds right, so I'd go with that. 🙂
Paula Mccarraher says
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
Natasha says
Well I am thrilled to hear that, Paula!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review.
Linda says
Just made this, so Good!!
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. XO
Leah says
Delicious!!! I am lazy so, I love easy recipes with little prep time. This one fits the bill!
Natasha says
Awesome!! That's what I like to hear 🙂
Angela says
Super easy and quick! Really tasty. Would def recommend.
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for commenting, Angela!
Tiffany says
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!
Natasha says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tiffany!! Thanks for commenting. XO ♥️
Anna says
Do you have a stovetop recipe?
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!
Sara says
Delicious, easy and hearty!
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Sara! 🙂
Margherite matteis says
Can you make the recipe using a crock pot?
Thanks margherite
Natasha says
I think that will probably work. I haven't tested it, but you could definitely give it a whirl.