Usually sometime during the holiday, we’ll bake an entire bone-in ham.
Split pea and ham soup is so surprisingly easy, especially in a pressure cooker. It takes about 3 minutes of chopping, 4 minutes of pressure cooking time and then 20 minutes to just let it sit. My friend, Wendy taught me her version, which actually comes from the back of the package of split peas!
No soaking necessary (which makes the recipe even simpler!)
Split Pea and Ham Soup Recipe
Split pea and ham soup is so surprisingly easy. It takes about 3 minutes of chopping, 4 minutes of pressure cooking time and then 20 minutes to just let it sit.
Ingredients
- 1 pound split peas
- 3 cups diced ham
- bone from ham or smoked ham hock (optional)
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 quarts water
Instructions
- Rinse peas and drain. Pick out anything that's "not-pea" 🙂
- Place all ingredients into pressure cooker, set on high for 4 minutes. When cooking is done, leave the pressure cooker to sit for an additional 15-20 minutes to let pressure and steam escape.
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I have been looking for a split pea soup recipe this good and easy for a long time! It is so easy – dump in instant-pot and lunch is ready in about 45 minutes. Flavourful and cooked perfectly. The first time I used split chickpeas as I only had about half a cup of green peas – it worked perfectly.
Hi Josie!
Happy cooking, and thank you for sharing your positive experience!
Steamy Kitchen Team
We’re truly amazed at your decoration skills. This soup looks great!
Love this soup! It’s great for our fresh snow days! Just wondering what is considered a serving & any idea of how many carbohydrates per serving? Thanks!!
Easy and Delicious! I add bone broth instead of the water. I took off one star only becauseb the peas were crunchy after following the cooking instructions. I ended up cooking it for 8 more minutes on high pressure (total 12 minutes) and they were perfect. We are living at high altitude, which may make a difference? Overall a keeper!
I made it the other day, and my husband loved it. He is a bit finicky,(especially with peas) I was surprised he ate it all, and then had some more the next day. It was delicious especially on a cold day.
I’m going to score some major points with my wife when I make this. Thanks for the recipe!
Is this soup left unblended? A lot of split pea soup recipe tell you to use an immersion blender after cooking.Â
I don’t like blending the soup, we enjoy the soup a little chunky and more like a “meal”
This sounds amazing and simple. Â How many servings does this recipe provide?
A lot! At least 8.
Why does recipe say 4 servings and you say at least 8. Which is correct?
Hi Barbara! It serves 8 as side soup, and 4 as main course. Sorry for confusion!
Thanks for this awesome recipe
This was an amazing recipe. So easy and so delicious. My husband had 3 bowls. He is not a soup guy but he loved it. I also put andouille in it for some spice. Yum!!
Moniquita – so happy you and your husband loved it! -jaden
This was very good. I used the pressure cooker and in less then 1 hour we were eating one of the best split pea soup I had. We are having it for dinner with a freshly baked loaf of bread tomorrow.
I have always loved split pea soup, but this looks really good!
What does it mean to “set on high” for your pressure cooker? I take it that’s the burner setting? Does the 4 minutes start when you set it on the burner or when it starts to steam? I hate recipes that give you zero direction.
Bring pressure cooker to pressure; then keep on high and cook under pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off heat and then let depressurize naturally.
It’s calls for a pressure cooker, like an instant pot
My husband cooked this on Monday to have for dinner Tuesday night. It was delicious , not in a pressure cooker though just in a big boiler on the stove top .
Yes, it’s so easy. Put all ingredients into the pot, set on low, and leave to cook overnight (or for eight hours) You don’t need as much water, try halving the water and if the soup is too thick after cooking, just add extra water then. The crockpot breaks the peas down beautifully.
I make this in a slow cooker and let it cook on low to med for 8hours and It is the best winter food there is especially on a cold day I will have it late afternoon instead of a coffee as it really warms you up
This is amazing! I couldn’t imagine that I could still used those ham left-overs in the fridge. I usually add spice (chili powder) and serve in Silver Coppa Bowl to my dearest ones. 😀
@ Karriann: yes, it’s gorgeous, I love eating this soup every time when I do my homework
Can you cook this with a crock pot? If so what would the directions be??
I love split pea soup and this is always how I made mine. However, once I tried Steve Dunn’s adaptation of Thomas Keller’s (for some shortcuts) I never looked back ! See Oui, Chef Thomas Keller’s split pea soup—it’s so totally wonderful.
The soup looks tasty! But maybe I could use pancetta for this recipe instead? 😉
“Spice it Up”
I am really not a fan of ham, or the multitude of ham-leftovers we have every year. When I can hide it in a tasty recipe though, I can handle it. This looks gorgeous and tasty, and not as pukey-green as some split pea soups can be. I think I’d like it!