5 from 5 reviews

This thick and hearty Instant Pot 15 bean and ham soup is brimming with tender beans, veggies and smoky ham. Make it with your holiday ham bone or use smoked ham hocks to add richness and meaty smoky flavor. It is so easy and the Instant pot pressure cooks the beans in under an hour, without soaking!

instant pot ham and bean soup in a bowl

Table of contents

Why We Love This Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

We love using our Instant Pot when the weather cools off, and once you try our new recipe for Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup, you will too. This soup is hearty, smoky, stocked with veggies, and oh so rich with flavor!

There’s a time and place for a light soup, but now is not the time. This soup is thick and will fill you up with literal and figurative warmth when the air outside is crisp.

I also love that the pressure cooker will get all the work done in a record amount of time so you won’t be waiting hours upon hours to soak the beans or to boil them, nor for the slow cooker to hurry up.

Recipe Highlights

  • It’s a great way to use holiday ham bones and leftover ham!
  • There’s no need to soak the beans – the pressure cooker does it all.
  • This soup is hearty and filling and has only 319 calories per bowl.
  • It’s made with basic kitchen staples.
  • You get that delicious slow-cooked taste in half the time!

Key Ingredients for this Recipe

ingredients for instant pot ham and bean soup

Dried Bean Blend

Dried bean blends vary by brand. Some contain barley which is not suitable for gluten-free diets, so if you are concerned make sure to check the packages. Some blends are 15 beans and some are 16 beans, but you can use them interchangeably for this recipe.

Ham Bone or Ham Hocks

If you’re using a ham bone that does not have a lot of meat on it, feel free to add up to 5 ounces of shredded leftover ham to the finished soup.

Chicken Stock or Broth

Broth and stock are interchangeable in this recipe. For reference, chicken stock is made with bones, and chicken broth is made with meat. Here’s my guide to making homemade chicken stock.

Vegetables

We use a classic blend of garlic, carrots, celery, and onion in this soup.

Seasoning

We seasoned this soup with dried oregano, thyme, paprika, bay leaves, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper.

Lemon

To add a final bright contrasting pop of acidity, a little lemon juice stirred in at the end peps up the flavors perfectly. 

Step By Step Instructions To Make This Recipe

sort through the beans and saute the vegetables

Step 1: Prepare Beans

Place the beans on a sheet pan and then sort them by running handfuls across the pan as you scan over them for foreign debris. Discard any rocks and the seasoning packet if it’s included. 

Step 2: Saute in Instant Pot

Set the Instant Pot to the saute function and add oil. Tilt the appliance to allow the oil to swirl over the bottom of the cooking pan and add garlic, carrots, celery, onion, oregano, thyme, paprika, and salt. Cook the mixture, stirring often until the vegetables start to soften and brown. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes. 

cook the soup and set the pressure cooker

Step 3: Add Additional Ingredients

Add sherry to the pot and stir to deglaze any browned bits from the bottom of the cooking surface. Add stock broth, beans, ham (hock or bone), bay leaves, and pepper, and then stir to combine. Turn off the Instant Pot. 

Step 4: Pressure Cook

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close it. Then, set the valve to “seal,” and set the Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” for 50 minutes.

release the pressure valve and remove the meat

Step 5: Release

When the timer goes off, using an oven mitt or tongs, carefully set the valve to “release.” Allow the steam to escape, and once the steam is completely released, remove the lid. 

Step 6: Shred Ham

With tongs, take out the bay leaves, ham bone, and chunks of ham. Pick any bits of ham off the bone(s) and discard the bones along with any chunks of fat. 

puree some of the soup and incorporate it back into the pot

Step 7: Puree Two Cups

If desired, puree 2 cups of soup in a blender and then add it back into the soup, or briefly puree the soup with an immersion blender to thicken. 

Step 8: Add Ham and Serve

Add the shredded ham to the soup and stir in with the parsley and lemon. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve your instant pot ham and bean soup hot!

pressure cooker ham and bean soup in the instant pot

FAQs and Expert Tips

Can this be made on the stovetop?

You can adapt this recipe for the stovetop but you must soak the beans overnight in a large bowl of tap water. Drain and use for the recipe. Saute the vegetables in a large heavy-bottom soup pot as directed. Follow steps to deglaze, add liquid and then broth, bean and hams. Simmer gently until the beans are completely tender, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on your beans. Note you will possibly need to add additional liquid as the beans cook to ensure that it doesn’t evaporate too much.

Can this be made in the slow cooker?

You can adapt this recipe for a slow cooker by sauteeing the vegetables in a skillet and adding them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients (except the salt) and cook on low heat for 8 hours or until the beans are completely tender and the meat is falling off the bone. Add salt after the beans are tender.

Can this soup be frozen?

This ham and bean soup can be frozen for up to three months! Leftovers can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave. You can thin the soup with additional broth as necessary.

What if I’m cooking this soup at a high altitude?

Cook this soup in your Instant Pot for an additional 10 minutes in Step 4.

Can I double this recipe?

This soup cannot be doubled in a 6-quart pressure cooker like the one used in this recipe. Be sure to not fill your Instant Pot more than halfway.

My beans aren’t tender after 50 minutes, what do I do?

Some dried beans take much longer due to having been stored for a longer time. Fresher beans tend to cook more quickly. If you open the pressure cooker after the 50 minutes cook time is up and the beans are not cooked to the desired texture, you can simply place the lid back on and cook again on high pressure for an additional 10 minutes.

Variations To Try

  • Use smoked turkey, smoked sausage, or Italian pork sausage instead of ham. If you go this route, do not blend the soup in step 7.
  • You can add 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes at the end instead of lemon.
  • Add swiss chard, kale, or spinach at the end for additional veggies!
  • Use parsnips or celery root instead of carrots and celery.

Additional Recipes To Try

ham and bean soup in a bowl with a soon sitting on the side

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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instant pot ham and bean soup

Instant Pot Ham and 15 Bean Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This thick and hearty 15 bean and ham soup is brimming with tender beans, veggies and smoky ham. Make it with holiday ham bone or use smoked ham hocks to add richness and meaty smoky flavor. It is so easy and the Instant pot pressure cooks the beans in under an hour, without soaking!

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound bag 15 or 16-bean dried bean blend

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine, optional

6 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 large or 2 small smoked ham hocks or 1 ham bone (optional, see note)

2 bay leaves

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place beans on a sheet pan, and sort them by running handfuls across the pan as you scan. Remove any rocks or foreign debris. Discard seasoning packet if included.
  2. Set Instant Pot to “saute” function. Add oil and tilt the appliance to allow the oil to swirl over the bottom of the cooking pan. Add garlic, carrots, celery, onion, oregano, thyme, paprika and salt. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables start to soften and brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Add sherry and stir to deglaze any browned bits from the bottom of the cooking surface. Add stock broth, beans, ham (hock or bone), bay leaves and pepper and stir to combine. Turn off the Instant Pot.
  4. Place lid on the Instant Pot and close. Set valve to “seal.” Set Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” for 50 minutes.
  5. When timer goes off, using oven mitt or tongs, carefully set valve to “release” and allow the steam to escape. Once the steam is completely released, remove lid. 
  6. With tongs, take out the bay leaves and ham bone and chunks of ham. Pick any bits of ham off the bone(s). Discard bones and any chunks of fat.
  7. If desired, puree 2 cups soup in a blender and add back to the soup or briefly puree the soup with immersion blender to thicken. 
  8. Add the shredded ham to the soup. Stir in with parsley and lemon. Ladle into bowls and serve hot. 

Notes

Ingredient Note: Dried bean blends vary by brand. Some contain barley which is not suitable for gluten-free diets, so if you are concerned make sure to check packages. Some blends are 15 beans and some are 16 beans. Use them interchangeably for this recipe. Discard any “ham seasoning” packages.

If using a ham bone that does not have a lot of meat on it, feel free to add up to 5 ounces shredded leftover ham to the finished soup.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Active Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Instant Pot

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
  • Calories: 319 cals
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 68 g
  • Fiber: 31 g
  • Protein: 26 g

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