Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Bowl of Ham and Bean Instant Pot Soup in inner pot.

4.95 from 86 votes

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup delivers a cozy, hearty soup filled with tender beans and a rich smoky broth in record time.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Pressure Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)

Ingredients

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion minced
2 stalks celery thinly, sliced
2 large peeled carrots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or additional water
4 cups water
2 cups dried white northern beans rinsed and sorted
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
8 ounces tomato sauce optional
1 ham bone or smoked ham hock
1-2 teaspoons seasoned salt

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, add the oil, and let it briefly heat. Once heated, add onions, celery, and carrots and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions have become soft and translucent. Once the onions soften, add in garlic and sauté for another 30-60 seconds until just aromatic. Hit Cancel to turn the Instant Pot OFF.
Add chicken stock (or additional water) to the inner pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot.
Add the water, rinsed beans, bay leaves, sprigs of thyme, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Nestle the ham bone inside the inner pot and top with tomato sauce (if using).
Place lid on pressure cooker and turn vent knob to sealed. Set cook time to 45 minutes on HIGH pressure. (Hit manual/pressure cook button and then use +/- keys to adjust time to 45 minutes).
After the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally. This can take 15-20 minutes. Open the lid and remove ham bone, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs.
If desired, pick off any remaining bits of meat from ham bone and stir back into the soup, along with 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt. Give the soup a taste and add up to an additional 1 teaspoon seasoned salt if needed.

Video

Notes

Note on using a bone from a Honey Baked Ham: Be sure to remove any pieces of ham with glaze-or your soup will end up on the sweeter side.

Using Soaked Beans: If your dried beans have been previously soaked, decrease the water to 3 cups and cook time to 35 minutes.

Using Canned Beans: In place of dried beans, feel free to use two 16-ounce cans of Great Northern beans. Decrease the water to 2 cups, adjust the cooking time to 20 minutes, and decrease the seasoned salt to ¼ teaspoon.

No seasoned salt? Add ½ teaspoon of salt along with ¼ teaspoon each of onion powder and paprika.

Storage: Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Transfer the soup to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat as desired, adding a splash more broth to thin if needed.

Live above 3,000 feet in elevation? Follow the guidelines per my Instant Pot high altitude conversion chart.

Nutrition