Whenever I make a Ham I always save the bone because it makes the most delicious Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup! This Split Pea and Ham soup recipe comes together easily with healthy vegetables and a great way to use up ham leftovers!
This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe (with Slow Cooker Option)
I always used to make this soup in my slow cooker (which you totally can, more on that below) but when I got my electronic pressure cooker I knew that it would be absolutely perfect for this soup.
I had been testing my Crockpot Ham with Pineapple Recipe A LOT and that only naturally lead to me developing how to make this recipe perfectly in the pressure cooker.
So the next time you are getting ready to make a ham make sure to grab the ingredients for this soup as well!

Ingredients:
- Ham + Ham Bone: You technically can make this without the ham bone, but it adds to the flavor A TON. If you are still craving this soup but aren’t about to make a whole ham you totally can just use diced ham. When I make this soup it is almost always from a leftover ham so I save 1 cup of diced leftover ham for it as well as the ham bone (and I leave plenty of ham on the bone for flavor)
- Vegetables: Onion, Carrot, and Potatoes. All diced. I would like to note though not to dice the carrots or potatoes too small, leave them chunky, too small they will dissolve right into the soup.
- Oil: Any neutral oil works here. Canola, vegetable, or olive oil will all work fine.
- Dry Split Peas: The Split Peas will come in a 1 pound bag and you will use the whole bag for this recipe.
- Chicken Broth: In a pinch you can use water, I have used my own homemade broth and store bought to test this recipe both work well. If you are using store bought container you will use 1. 5 standard size containers, keep the remaining broth handy in the fridge for re-heating the soup or thinning it out, more on that below.
- Spices: Bay Leaves, Thyme, and White Pepper. This mixture of spices brings a classic old school element to this soup. If you do not have white pepper do NOT substitute with black pepper, they are very different spices, just omit if you don’t have it.

How to make Split Pea Soup in the Pressure Cooker:
This recipe should work in most standard pressure cookers. I have a 6 quart pressure cooker and it works great, anything smaller than 6 quarts though might not work but you could always half the recipe.
I use my 6 quart Mealthy Multipot. If you are still looking to buy a electronic pressure cooker I would highly recommend. I no longer recommend this version since it didn’t last even two years before no longer working. I now use the 6 quart Instant Pot Duo Plus (Affiliate Link).
Now that you have the pressure cooker all ready the soup is super simple.
Set pressure cooker to sauté function. Add oil. When oil is hot add onion, potatoes, and carrots. Sauté together 3-5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Turn off sauté function. I do this so that the vegetables don’t stick to the bottom of the pot during cooking.
Add broth, split peas, diced ham, bay leaves, thyme, and white pepper to the pot. Stir together. Carefully add the ham bone to the center of the pot moving the vegetables to the side if needed to get the bone as best covered by the broth as possible.


Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off natural release the steam for 10 minutes (don’t touch the vent, it will release slowly on it’s own). After 10 minutes if the float hasn’t droped yet quick realease the vent until the float had dropped, once the float has dropped carefully open the lid.
Carefully using a tongs remove the ham bone. If meat is still attached to the bone, set aside, wait for it to cool a few minutes then remove the remaining ham and add back to the soup.

Meanwhile with a large spoon stir the soup together well to thicken, as the split peas tend to rest of the bottom during cooking. Let rest a few minutes to cool before serving. Before serving taste to see if salt needs to be added to the soup, add if needed.

Tips & Tricks:
Can I make this in my Slow Cooker?
Absolutely! Before I had my pressure cooker I would make it in my crockpot all the time. Just add everything to the crock and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Can I make this without a Ham Bone?
Yes! Although the bone adds flavor you can use any pre-cooked ham that is diced in the recipe.
Reheating:
You will notice that this soup continues to thicken as it cools, and if you have leftovers you put in the fridge it will really thicken. So I suggest adding a splash or two of broth when reheating. As mentioned above you will probably have extra broth from making the soup so save that and use that for leftovers.

Other Recipe You Might Enjoy:

Try pairing this soup with my Easy Beer Bread Recipe!
Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham

A veggie filled split pea soup made in the pressure cooker with leftover ham and hame bone. Full of flavor and ready to eat in under an hour!
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced ham + ham bone*
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled & cut into bite size pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled & sliced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound dry split peas
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Set pressure cooker to sauté function. Add oil. When oil is hot add onion, potatoes, and carrots. Sauté together 3-5 minutes until the vegetabes start to soften. Turn off sauté function.
- Add broth, split peas, diced ham, bay leaves, thyme, and white pepper to the pot. Stir together. Carefully add the ham bone to the center of the pot moving the vegetables to the side if needed to get the bone piece as best covered by the broth as possible.
- Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off natural release the steam for 10 minutes (don't touch the vent, it will release slowly on it's own). After 10 minutes if the float hasn't droped yet quick release the vent until the float had dropped, once the float has dropped carefully open the lid.
- Using tongs remove the ham bone. If meat is still attached to the bone, set aside, wait for it to cool a few minutes then remove the remaining ham and add back to the soup. Meanwhile with a large spoon stir the soup together well to thicken, as the split peas tend to rest of the bottom during cooking.
- Let rest a few minutes to cool before serving. Before serving taste to see if salt needs to be added to the soup, add if needed.
Notes
*Assuming you are making this from a leftover ham. Bone can be picked clean or still contain plenty of meat, more meat on the bone means more flavor and meat in the soup. Additionally you can make this without a ham bone, just add an additional 1/2-1 cup of diced ham
If you don't have white pepper do NOT substitue with black pepper, they are very different flavors, just ommit if you do not have any.
Any neutral oil should work fine in this recipe.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 466Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 1402mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 22gSugar: 10gProtein: 32g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
Could this be made with yellow split peas? I was given a bag and was looking for a recipe to use them in.
Yes you can, the only difference is that yellow split peas tend to be less sweet and a little more earthy tasting than the green variety, so as long as you are okay with that it should work using them just fine!
Yummy!! I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and used chicken bone broth also made in my instantpot. This reminds me of the split pea soup my mom used to make in the 60’s. So worth it.
Yum! I am so glad you enjoyed it Dana!
So so good, tastes so much like my moms and the spoon stood strait up, so thick!!! I added some smoke paprika and topped my big bowl with homemade croutons. Definitely a keeper. Love my instapot
It makes me so happy that you enjoyed it! Love the idea of smoked paprika and homemade croutons on top!
I made this today. It turned out delicious. I will definitely be making it again. Love your recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Best pea soup EVER.
I made this soup yesterday. It was OK — it could use more seasoning for flavor. I followed exact recipe with 6 cups liquid, however, it resulted in more of pea flavor broth….peas seem to dissolve. Only solids remaining were ham, carrots and potatoes. Next time I will reduce water to 4 cups.
Hi Susan, thanks for the feedback. In classic split pea soup like this one generally the peas are supposed to break down in to the soup. If you are looking for some solid peas for in the soup you could always add in some fresh or frozen ones at then end.
The recipe doesn’t mention when to add the onions but I added them when I was sautéing the carrots and potatoes. I’ve made this recipe twice now. It’s delicious!! My go to recipe when I’ve got a leftover ham bone lol
Im so glad you enjoy this recipe! And yes the onions are added with the other vegetables.
This was the best pea soup I have ever made, so easy and delicious, used some fresh Thyme from the garden and a few cloves of garlic!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it Valerie! This has always been a personal favorite of mine! Thanks!
I’ve made this soup a couple of times now and both times I didn’t have a ham bone to include. I just wanted a good split pea soup recipe for take-to-work lunches. Your recipe mentions the extra flavor provided by the ham bone remaining from another recipe. I’m curious if the “extra flavor” could be replicated with any additional seasoning. What are your thoughts?
Great question Gordie! I took a bit to think about this one and I did check out Better Than Bouillon since I love their chicken base and they do have a ham base that you could use that might add that extra flavor! Here is the product page to find out more info https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/our-products/
I looked for a split pea soup recipe for years unsuccessfully until this one. I have made this recipe several times. It is our favorite. I think the instapot/pressure cooker method makes all the difference. I usually don’t have a ham bone. And really don’t miss it when I don’t. I add extra carrots and a couple stalks of celery and a tsp of granular chicken bouillion gives it a deeper umami flavor in my opinion. I serve it with buttermilk cornbread and butter. It is a meal in itself. Thank you for sharing!
If my ham bone is frozen should I first defrost?
I would defrost it at least part way if possible, if it is frozen solid it might impact cooking time. But if you can at least defrost it part way it would probably be okay!
Absolutely delicious. This is my go too recipe. Thank-you.