You will love how simple and delicious this Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup is. It’shearty, filling and perfect for a cold day. This simple ham and bean soup recipe is everything you love about comfort food, without the work.
This delicious Instant Pot bean soup recipe is quick, easy and oh so filling! You are going to love how quick and simple this recipe is when you use your instant pot.
Is it just me or have instant pot recipes totally revolutionized the way you cook? The beans turn out perfectly tender (without any work whatsoever!) and the ham gives the soup a delicious flavor that will have everyone coming back for more. It is everything you want for a cold day.
You may also love this crock pot black bean soup recipe. If you love beans as much as we do, try our 15 bean soup with ham. It is made in the slow cooker and it taste so good.
Why We Love This Soup
Pressure cooking truly has changed dinner around here because of how quickly meals can be cooked. But I still love my slow cooker. This recipe is so easy that you will wonder why you didn’t make it sooner.
We love one pot meals around here. Makes life simple and the entire family enjoys a hearty meal. When the weather starts to dip soups, stews and good old fashioned comfort food are on the menu! A bowl of this yummy soup is perfect for a chilly day. Curl up with a good movie and a bowl of soup and you are set.
This Gluten-Free Ham and Bean Soup is made with simple ingredients and is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
- White beans – We used dried beans. I usually use great northern beans or navy beans.
- Ham – Leftover holiday ham is perfect for this soup or you can buy ham and dice it
- Chicken Broth – Chicken broth or turkey broth works great with this soup. You can use what you have for some extra liquid and flavor. Chicken stock is also a great option.
- Vegetables – Add diced carrots, celery and onion for extra flavor
- Garlic Powder – You can also use minced garlic cloves
- Italian Seasoning – Learn how to make Italian seasoning
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Best Ham for Ham and Bean Soup
You can add a leftover ham bone, ham hock, or ham shank to the Instant Pot with the beans and broth for even more flavor. A ham hock adds smoky flavor but usually has less meat, while a ham shank or meaty ham bone adds both flavor and extra ham.
After cooking, remove the bone, shred off any meat, and stir it back into the soup. If your bone has plenty of meat on it, you can reduce the amount of cubed ham in the recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Step 1 – Add all of the ingredients into your instant pot liner.
Step 2 – Stir all of the ingredients together including the carrots and celery and add on the lid. Set the vent to sealing.
Step 3 – Next, press the manual button and change the time to 40 minutes. You need to cook on high pressure. Since this recipe is liquid heavy, keep in mind that it may take up to 30 minutes for your pressure cooker to reach pressure.
Step 4 – Lastly, once your pressure cooker beeps letting you know that the cooking time has elapsed, allow your instant pot to natural release for 20 minutes. Then you can release pressure by doing a quick release if it is still pressurized.
Step 5 – Once all of the pressure is released, remove the lid, stir and enjoy! If you used a bay leaf, make sure you remove it before serving so that no one gets a surprise in their bowl!
Recipe Tips
- Salt – Ham and store-bought broth can both be salty, so taste the soup before adding extra salt. For the best control, add the salt at the end and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Ham Bone – We love using ham hocks with this recipe. When I make a ham for the holidays, I always save the smoked ham hock for this specific recipe. It adds so much flavor to the soup so make sure to save it when a spiral ham. If you do not have a ham bone, you can get one from your local butcher or from the grocery store.
- Soaking Beans – For this recipe I do not wash, rinse or soak my beans. I just throw the dried beans right in the instant pot. I have cooked this recipe many times without soaking the beans and it has turned out great. However, if you want to wash and rinse your beans, that is absolutely okay too. If you use soaked beans, reduce the pressure cooking time to about 35 minutes since they will soften faster.
- Releasing Pressure – When doing a quick release be very careful because the steam will be hot. Also, it may shoot a little liquid through the vent, if it does this set the vent back to seal and wait a minute or two and repeat.
- Cooking Beans – Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beans that you use. If you use larger beans, they may need to cook for a few extra minutes to become tender. If the beans are still firm when you open the Instant Pot, lock the lid back in place and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Variations Ideas
- Beans – You can easily change the beans to what you prefer. You can make it with pinto beans or cannellini beans.
- Seasoning – If you use a bean mixture that comes with a seasoning packet, you can use it or discard it.
- Additions – Add diced tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, mushrooms, or root vegetables for extra flavor and texture. You can also stir in spinach or kale after pressure cooking and let it wilt before serving.
- Smokier flavor – Use bacon in place of the ham hock. If your broth needs more flavor, add a bouillon cube or a little extra seasoning.
What to Serve with Ham and Bean Soup?
Pressure cooker ham and bean soup is hearty and filling enough to be enjoyed on its own but I usually like to serve something else alongside our meals. These are some of our favorite sides.
When we make this simple soup, we like to serve it with this easy homemade cornbread recipe. For the ones who like a little spice, try the cheddar jalapeno cornbread recipe.
Sometimes I even make some easy homemade dinner rolls. This soup is even served with a dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer a thicker consistency in your soup, make a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Pour the mixture into the soup and heat until desired consistency.
Yes you can make ham and bean soup in a crock pot, too. It is a great recipe to start in the morning and it is ready by dinnertime.
To make ham and beans on the stovetop, I would start by soaking the beans overnight. Add the beans, ham, broth, vegetables, and seasoning to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender, adding more broth or water as needed.
Yes. Drain and rinse canned beans, then add them after pressure cooking since they are already tender. Stir them in with the ham and let them heat through for a few minutes.
Use the manual or pressure cook setting for this recipe. It gives you better control over the exact cooking time than the preset soup or bean buttons.
Soaked beans cook faster than dry beans, so reduce the pressure cooking time. Start checking them about the 35 minute mark and add a few minutes if they are still firm.
This is my husband’s favorite soup for leftovers. I will put the leftovers in individual containers so he can grab a dish as he walks out the door. The leftovers will last about 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
If we are able to, I like reheating on the stove top, but the microwave will do the trick. Start with 1 minute of heating up and then stir. Then heat until thoroughly heated.
You are going to love having leftover ham and bean soup. This is the perfect soup to freeze. The beans hold up perfectly if stored properly in the freezer. Once the soup has cooled down, simply place in a freezer safe container.
This soup will last up to 6 months in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy again, simply heat up on your stove top. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator to reheat on the stovetop or the microwave.
More Easy Instant Pot Soup Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make this ham and bean soup Instant Pot recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 package dry white beans (16 ounces)
- 1 pound cubed ham
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon pepper
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Place the dry white beans, ham, chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper into an Instant Pot.
- Stir to combine all the ingredients, then secure the lid and set the valve to the Sealing position.
- Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes.
- When the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes before carefully releasing any remaining pressure.
- Stir the soup well before serving and enjoy.
Can I use can Beans for fast cook??
I don’t think I understand your question. Thanks
I loved the flavor but I cooked only 30 minutes but I also soaked them overnight so 30 minutes was just right.
Let me just say the flavor of this soup is wonderful . . . I will be making it again! However, the 40 min cooking time is way too long for my IP. My default on my IP is 30 min for beans and I wish I had kept it there. However, several of the reviews mentioned the beans were undercooked and so I increased the cooking time to 40 min. as the recipe suggests. The recipe also suggests a 20 min NR. I like a little bite to the bean and I understand that others might like their bean well-done. However, this leaves the beans as well as the other veggies way too mushy. Really, the only texture is the broth. So I will make it again and leave it at the default for beans at 30 min. I might do a quick release also. If it isn’t done I can always finish cooking on the stove top. Otherwise, this is a very flavorful ham and bean soup.
I love Ham and Bean soup…
This is my favorite way to use my leftover ham from Thanksgiving and Christmas.