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!).
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.
And if those two options don’t work for you, here are two more split pea soups I’ve made: Split Pea, Bacon & Potato Soup Chunky Split Pea Soup, Vegan Split Pea Soup.
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.
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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!
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!