What happens when an unusually cool Autumn breeze blows by and I get a sudden craving for split pea soup, but am waaay too tired to do any actual cooking? I grab a bag of split peas, toss them into my pressure cooker with a few vegetables, broth, and spices, and let the machine do it’s time warp magic. About 45 minutes later I opened the lid to a thick, rich, and flavorful split pea soup. This Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup was seriously one of the easiest thing I’ve ever cooked (and cheapest!).
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To Ham or Not to Ham?
This split pea soup is vegetarian (vegan, even) because I wasn’t in the ham mood, but you could certainly add a ham hock or some cubed ham to the pot before you turn it on. To keep the soup rich and give it body without ham, I added a couple dollops of coconut oil. To mimic the smoky flavor of ham, I added a hefty dose of smoked paprika. Liquid smoke would also do well. The finished soup was filling, but light, and full of that cozy fall flavor that I love. :)
What Kind of Pressure Cooker are You Using?
I used my 6 qt. 7-in-1 Instant Pot (affiliate link), but any pressure cooker will work.
To make this in a slow cooker:
Toss everything into your slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker and cook on high for four hours, or low for eight.
To make this on the stove top:
Sauté the onions and garlic in the coconut oil until soft. Add the carrots and celery and sauté just until they begin to soften. Add the remaining ingredients, bring the soup up to a simmer and let simmer until the peas have broken down and thickened the soup. Add a little water as needed during cooking to offset any evaporation.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Servings 6 9 cups totalIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.25)
- 3 carrots ($0.32)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.50)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 lb split peas ($1.09)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil* ($0.47)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp thyme ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.81)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery, and mince the garlic. Place the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the pressure cooker along with all the remaining ingredients.
- Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, close the steam valve, and set the cooker to high pressure for 15 minutes (Instant Pot: Manual function, set time to 15 minutes). After 15 minutes of high pressure, allow the cooker to release pressure naturally. (Total cook time with coming up to pressure, cooking, and natural pressure release is approximately 45 minutes.)
- Once the cooker returns to normal pressure, open the steam valve, open the lid, and stir the soup. Taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings as needed. Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love Instant Pot recipes? Check out my Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice or Pressure Cooker Red Beans!
How to Make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup – Step by Step Photos
Start by dicing one onion, slicing three carrots and three ribs of celery, and mincing two cloves of garlic. Place the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the pressure cooker. The garlic in the photo is just “crushed” rather than minced, but it would have been better to have minced it.
Also add 1 lb. split peas, 2 Tbsp coconut oil (or the cooking oil of your choice), 1 bay leaf, 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp thyme, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Finally, add six cups of vegetable broth and give everything a quick stir to combine (I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth).
Close the lid on the pressure cooker, close the steam valve, and set the cooker to 15 minutes of high pressure. For the Instant Pot, I just hit the “manual” button and reduced the time from 30 to 15 minutes. Total time in the cooker ends up being about 45 minutes when you include the time it takes to come up to pressure and the time it takes to release pressure (natural release). It is not suggested to use quick release when cooking legumes because they can become foamy and clog the steam valve.
After the cooker returns to normal pressure naturally, open the steam valve then open the lid. Stir the soup until it is thick and creamy. It will look watery on top at first, but will become thick as you stir. Taste the soup and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking.
And seriously, that’s ALL! Soup is served! The soup does thicken quite a bit more once cooled and it stays fairly thick after reheating the leftovers. They’re almost like mashed potato texture the next day, but that’s okay with me! Still totally delicious and filling. P.S. try topping your bowl of pea soup with some homemade croutons!
Yummy. Have made it many times in my Mini Insta Pot and I appreciate your conversion feature for the ingredients.
The peas were very hard for me even after repeating the cooking process twice. It was fine after blending but did I do something wrong? Thanks!
Do you know how old your dried peas were? If they’re too old they can be too hard to cook and they never really break down.
Quick to prepare. Tasty. Perfect consistency. I added 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce at the end. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Quick and easy to prepare with yummy results
So easy and delicious!
Make this recipe as is often. Love it. Great quick vegan dinner and filling.
First Instant Pot meal – and it was easy and delicious! Thank you for your tips on using the IP. I did saute bacon in the pot first to appease my husband, used the bacon fat instead of the 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
I love this recipe and make it often. It seems too simple to be good, but it IS! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I made just as directed and this soup was delicious! I was a little hesitant on not using any pork, but the smoked paprika really shines and adds great flavor. It was quick to make and everyone in my family gobbled it up! Paired well with some Kings Hawaiian buns 😁
I omitted the oil and used chicken stock – also added 1tsp smoked chipotle pepper flakes. Yum! (A little salty though – would use less than the recommended ratio for better than bullion)
Will try better than bullion’s sauteed onion base next time for a fully vegetarian soup.
My 13 month old loved it too!
Loved this recipe! The smoked paprika is a really nice touch. Also this recipe was so easy. I had been using the same vegetarian split pea soup recipe for years, but the BudgetBytes recipe has taken its place.
This was excellent! Split pea soup is one of my favorites. I used just a little less water because I like my soup thicker. I also added a bit more smoked paprika at the very end. Served with homemade bread and it was perfect on a cold night.
I make this soup at least 2 times per month, so I figured I should come back to leave a comment. The only thing I did differently is to leave out the oil. This is such a great recipe, thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
This is the best vegetarian split pea soup I have ever had. We love bold flavor, so I added a little extra garlic and smoked paprika. I will definitely make recipe again!
Wow it really does thicken up in the fridge overnight. I did the recipe as described except I also added a diced 1.5 lb yellow potato. The split peas were almost completely dissolved. I might try 10 minutes next time. Also, with this recipe, after 30 minutes of waiting for pressure to release naturally, I manually released the pressure, and to my surprise, there was still quite a bit of steam.
Hi Beth,
I have been following your blog for quite some time (the enchilada casserole is my absolute favourite!) I made this soup today and it was simply amazing and perfect for the Canadian winter. I did not have celery and I subbed yellow split peas for green. I did add some frozen mixed vegetables and 2 chopped potatoes. I also subbed smoked paprika with smoked chipotle. Thank you for the work you do and the high quality photos you post with every recipe.
I made this vegan split pea soup tonight. It is wonderful!! I wouldnt change a thing.
Thanks Bernadette!
I love this soup! I add a Tbsp of liquid smoke to really make it delicious.
Amazingly easy and delicious. The instapot is a game changer. I followed the recipe as is and wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks!
I used a cuisinart pressure cooker and it took 20 min on high pressure.I added a handful of chopped fresh parsley and 3 oz of Canadian bacon chopped.I added 2 Shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and Emeril’s essence(BAM).Delish.I also substituted olive oil for the coconut oil.
Wow…I’m impressed! Came out perfectly. Thanks.
The recipe is absolutely delicious! It is a regular winter staple now. The prices are a little silly though at least here in California. The true cost of the meal is closer to $10 which is still reasonable.
This is the first recipe I made in the instapot. I have made it several times and it always comes out amazing. Thank you !!!
Absolutely delicious! I have always make pea soup in the crockpot but man is the instant pot fast. We like our soup blended so a quick whirl of the immersion blender and it was perfect.
In a rare moment of forethought, I shopped for this soup and the vegetarian 15 bean soup (https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetarian-15-bean-soup , but I made it in the Instant Pot) at the same time. I chopped all the veggies at the same time, saved what I needed for later, and made an easy recipe even easier! I also baked this bread, which went very nicely with both recipes: https://www.budgetbytes.com/no-knead-bread . Maybe I’ll try actually planning out my life more often! :) :) :)
All three recipes are delicious, by the way!
Super easy and, best of all, super yummy!!!! This is absolutely a make sin, and again, recipe!!!
I hated split pea soup as a kid but I love this one! So flavourful!
This is my most treasured recipe from the website. Thank you for posting it. Split pea soup sounds boring, but it’s so delicious! I add about a tablespoon of Jamaican curry to mine, and it’s out of this world.
Oh wow, that sounds unusual but totally amazing!
This was so easy and delicious! Omitted the oil and used yellow split peas. Loved it!! Thanks for sharing.
This soup is the best split pea soup I’ve had. It’s so easy to make and very satifying. Thanks for a great vegan recipe.
I completely love this vegan split pea soup just the way it is. I’ve made it in the slow cooker and once in the pressure cooker, and both are great options to have a hearty soup at the end of a long work day. Thank you for opening up my eyes to using smoked paprika this way. Opened up my eyes to the possibilities.
Just made this split pea soup – amazing!! Second use of my new instant pot, first was brown rice 😉. Only had Kirkland Ham steak handy, so used half of one steak (which was tummy) but would be extra hearty with the whole steak! 👍 Thank you & Happy New Year! 🎉
This soup was excellent!!! Loved every spoonful. Follower the recipe with 2 modifications — about 5 small sausage links cut up into small pieces and used chicken broth.
Do I have a big Ham bone from Thanksgiving and left over ham pieces. Hos do I get this into the soup?. Also would turkey bone broth work instead of vegetable broth?
You can just add the bone and ham pieces into the pressure cooker in the beginning with the rest of the ingredients and it will give the soup an amazing flavor! Yes, you can use turkey bone broth instead of vegetable broth. :) That’s going to be an amazing soup!
We used our Instant pot for the first time to make this soup and it turned out GREAT. We used an immersion blender at the send for a smooth texture. SIde note: This site has spoiled me for recipe blogs. The step-by-step with photos must be so much work, but it’s like following along to a real-time recipe and it makes it MUCH easier to follow the instructions.
I would love to make this but don’t have an instant pot or pressure cooker. Is there any way to adjust it for a crock pot?? Thanks!
There probably is, although I’d need to test it out to find out exactly what changes need to be made.
I’m making this today. I’ve decided to add 1/8 tsp of liquid smoke because I don’t have the smoked paprika. Also adding chicken artichoke mozzarella sausage ( I wanted ham but alas am stuck with this option) and Better Than Bullion – awesome suggestion. Instant potting it for 15 and we’ll see! So glad I ran across your recipe:) I’ll check back with details of how it turned out. Thanks again!
According to Lorna Sass the pressure cooking queen it is very important to add some kind of
oil or fat to the pressure cooker when you cook beans to reduce the foaming.
Wow! I wasn’t expecting this soup to be so good! I did substitute 1 can of coconut milk for 2 cups of broth
Really good recipe and so cheap! Added a splash of cider vinegar at the end.
I was sceptical cooking with a meal with split peas as the main ingredient- but it turned out lovely. I did wash and soaked the split peas before adding them in the pressure.
Or you can skip all oil, as it’s unnecessary
Added a cup of diced ham and OMG this is so delicious!!!! I am a soup person and now I can make soup with my pressure cooker even in the summer. My family ate all of this soup in about 15 minutes flat. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe that I will be making again and again.
My Instant Pot was delivered yesterday. Am going to try this as my first recipe!
Really tasty soup and easy to make, smoked paprika makes all the difference! Thank you.
Excited to try this! Just got an instant pot. How do you set natural release time after its done cooking? Do you set anything on the machine or just set a separate timer?
Thank you’re
You just let the machine turn off after the programmed cooking time and wait for the little silver button to drop on its own instead of turning the release knob. You don’t have to set anything. :)
Oh, and really nice website. Thank you. Look forward to using your recipes to make some great dishes.
I just made some of the best split pea soup in the instant pot this afternoon. I put two small pieces of smoked turkey bones in it. I don’t always make soup with meat but felt like it today. Pressure cooked beans and soups are the best. Its hot here in NYC today and it was nice to cook without heating up the kitchen. Love my instant pot. If you don’t have an electric pressure cooker get one. I would suggest the instant pot because it has both a pressure cooker and slow cooker feature.
Thank you for the delicious recipe! Looking forward to testing all your vegan soups, and veganizing the other ones. :)
Would this recipe freeze well after cooking it? My church group is making some meals for our church food bank and I thought this would be an easy thing to put in the instant pot while we are assembling everything else!
It should. It will probably need a good stir after thawing, but other than that it should be great.
Fantastic recipe, and the first one made with my new Instant Pot!
I made this tonight. Unbelievably good and so quick. I didn’t have carrots so skipped it. Thinking of adding mushrooms next time. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! Best split pea soup ever!
Love this fast and easy soup! This has become a weekly regular in our dinner rotation. The first time I made this, I made it for a dinner gathering with friends. Even the kids who do not like veggies were coming back for seconds. Plenty of rave reviews for this recipe.
I made this simple split soup recipe once and just came back to make it again! It is an excellent recipe! Very easy, very tasty, very quick! I added some ham to it, I had some left overs, otherwise I didn’t change a thing. I can see myself sautéing onions maybe. It’s a keeper, thank you!!
Made this with my instantpot yesterday. Added our leftover ham hock that we’d frozen from Christmas. Absolutely delicious.
did you omit any spices using the ham hock?
Excellent!!
I add 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and stir into the soup right after it’s done. I don’t know why, but this magically brings out the flavors.
I just finish making this. This is absolutely delicious! The only thing I did not do I did not add any oil as I did not want all the extra calories. Thanks for sharing and I definitely will be making this soon!
I made this today. It was really good! I like how the texture is a bit thicker like mashed potatoes. Perfect for the cold weather.
Anyone else’a burn on the bottom?
Were you using a stovetop or an electric PC?
If I’m using the stove top method, about how long should I simmer it?
Thanks!
It just depends on how long it takes for the peas to break down, but I’m guessing around 30-40 minutes.
I just purchased a pressure cooker plus today , I’ve never owned one or cooked in one before and I’m 61, !! Lol
I saw the split pea soup receipe and love split pea soup ,, followed your directions but added a small amount of Canadian bacon ( no fat ), also used olive oil instead of coconut … It came out PERFECT !!! My husband and I loved it ! Thank you so much , I will be looking for more yummy meals !
Typo spotted: an UNusually cool Autumn breeze
Just a friendly heads up!
Thank you!! I can’t believe it took me five days to see this comment. Oops. :(
I added ham and made a few alterations but this was my first time making it in a pressure cooker. Why, oh why did I ever spend the time on the stovetop?! Never again. Thanks Beth!
Made this today. Added some fat/bits of prosciutto di parma for extra flavor. Had not tried the smoky paprika before so only used half as much. I had some good quality/brand coconut oil around so I put in a bit less than the two tablespoons. Also left out the celery as I really don’t like it.
Have to say that I did not like the coconut oil. I love coconut but in my pea soup? It just had a funny taste.
Also, had a problem with my electric pressure cooker and ended up doing this in a slow cooker.
I think I will add more of the smoky paprika the next time.
Thanks for this recipe
I give this three and a half stars. Don’t know why five stars are showing.
Beth – thanks so much for this awesome recipe. I’ve only had my instant pot since last year’s black friday, but holy cow I love that thing. Last week I made up a recipe that ended up being almost this exact same recipe, except with red lentils and it was incredible. I’m still shocked how when you cook beans, at first they look totally wrong, but then you stir and voila! Anyway, I made this recipe last night with a cubed ham steak and it was a total hit. I love the idea of leaving the carrots kinda large (as seen in your pictures) so that it doesn’t turn into a total mush soup, unless you like that sorta thing of course. I ate it with some homemade rolls and was in total heaven. Will probably make this again next week and freeze. Seriously – thank you SO much for instant pot recipes – I can’t remember life prior haha.
Hi Beth! I love your recipes. My boyfriend and I recently moved in together, and we’re trying to find that elusive balance of cheap, healthy, and delicious for our meals. Could you recommend an alternate spice profile that could work with this soup? I’d love to use the basic spices I already have (oregano, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, garlic powder, etc). Thanks!
I think a mix of oregano, cumin, and garlic would be quite delicious. Also, if you’re into curry flavors, curry powder would also be awesome with this!
This was really tasty and easy! I added a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, increased the smoked paprika to 2 tsp, and added 1/2 tsp kosher salt because my broth was homemade. Thanks!
Yum yum!!! I inherited my Mom-in-love’s stove top pressure cooker and have been looking for recipes for it. I’ve made split pea soup on the stove top many times but this is much easier and just as tasty. Just subbed a cup or so of boneless ham hocks for the coconut oil (since i’m allergic to coconut ={ ) and I will never make this on the stove top again!!!!
Please keep presure cooker recipes coming…before scrolling down to bottom I was gona ask what presure cooker u have and now n knw it’s the instant pot one. Has been on my wish list for a while jus havnt been able to justify the price. Could u put the link to one u have and possibly do a quick review for those of us who are still on the fence of getting one… truly b/c I have a pressure cooker old school
Ty
I have the 6 quart 7-in-1 Instant Pot. :) It goes on sale on Amazon a couple times per year, sometimes as low as $70-$80! So, just keep your eye on it. I got mine on Black Friday for an excellent price.
I heard that the Instant Pot Duo60 7-in-1 is going to be on the Amazon special tomorrow!!! Haven’t heard what the price will be. Spread the good news!! Just got mine on Black Friday and I LOVE it.
So how would you add ham to this?
You could dice up a ham steak and add it to the pot in the beginning and that should be fine. :)
Thank you!!
I love pea soup. Can’t wait to try it in my pressure cooker.
Looks delicious! I would love to see more Instant Pot recipes from you in the future to try out on ours.
Love this! Love split pea soup! How can I incorporate potatoes?
You can probably just dice up a couple and toss them in there, but you have to be careful not to over fill the pressure cooker.
My grandma used to make pea soup all the time, it will be nice to try a vegan version of a dish that’s so comforting to me. Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this one! Instant Pot + veggie version of a meat classic = yes please!
Your Split Pea, Bacon and Potato soup is my absolute fave but I guess I’ll have to try this slow cooker option version!
I’ll be making this soon — on a night when my kids are at a sleepover. I’m the only one who will eat split pea soup, but I love it!
Thank you, Beth. I don’t have a pressure cooker but I love using my crock pot. I appreciate this vegan recipe!
This makes me think of my Dad, he made the BEST split pea….and always added a good glug of vinegar before eating it. The vinegar gives it the best balance of flavor!
That’s a great idea!
To make the pot come to pressure faster, as you’re adding things, turn on the saute. Also warm up your broth in the microwave or on the stove while you’re doing all of your chopping
Great tip! Thanks! I’m still learning how to use the thing. :)
I imagine this would work OK in a slow cooker. Thoughts? Any adjustments?
Yep, I have instructions for using a slow cooker at the beginning of the post. :)
Sorry, not sure how I missed that. Thanks!
No prob! :)