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top view of split pea soup garnished with ham cubes and parmesan cheese
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3.92 from 24 reviews

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

This Instant Pot Split Pea Soup is all about building flavor while cutting down the cooking time. Indulge in the creaminess and flavor of green split peas and the savory, smoky flavor of ham. 
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword Instant Pot Split Pea Soup, Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe, Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Presurizing time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 295kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter (or a combination of both)
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery ribs, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme optional
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 ham bone smoked ham hock or ham shank
  • 2 cups diced ham cut from the ham bone or store bought
  • 1 pound dried split green peas rinsed and picked over
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • Fresh lemon juice about 1 tablespoon

Optional garnishes

  • Fresh thyme or chopped parsley
  • Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Pre-soaking is not necessary when making split pea soup.

  • Turn a 6 or 8 quart Instant pot / pressure cooker to the sauté setting. Heat the oil and/or melt butter and stir in the onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent and veggies start to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, dried oregano and black pepper and saute for about 30 seconds.
    onions, carrots and celery stalks cooked in an instant pot
  • Add the ham bone (if using),the cooked diced ham, add the split peas, low-sodium stock or broth and the bay leaves. Close and seal the pot and cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. After the cooking cycle is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release the remaining pressure. Unseal and open the pot.
    pouring chicken stock into the instant pot with ham bone, ham cubes and sauteed veggies
  • Remove and discard the bay leaves. If using a ham bone or ham hock, transfer it to a bowl and cut off any bits of meat you want to use in the soup. Discard the bone and add the meat bits back to the soup.
    creamy split pea soup with shredded ham pieces on top
  • Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.
    Top view of 2 white bowls filled with pressure cooker split pea soup with ham, garnished with ham cubes and chopped parsley

Optional

  • Blend some of the soup to make it thicker and creamier. Using an immersion blender is ideal as you can just blend enough to make the soup thicker and creamier.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a ham bone left from the holidays, you can use a smoked ham hock or shank. If you want to skip the bone altogether, use 1 - 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon s to season the soup at the end.
  • Thick-cut deli ham, cut into cubes can be used.
  • Instead of ham, bacon (about 12 ounces, chopped) can be used. Before sauteing the onions, carrots and celery, cook bacon until crispy. Transfer the crispy bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot, then sauté  the onions.
  • If the consistency of this soup recipe is not thick enough for you, blend some of the soup to make it thicker and creamier. For convenience, use an immersion blender. Alternately, you can turn on the sauté function and simmer the soup for a few minutes, stirring as needed. 

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 373mg | Potassium: 827mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2695IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3.1mg