This warm and comforting Instant Pot Split Pea Soup is deliciously easy. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, split peas, and ham (and a ham bone for extra gut healing properties) into your pressure cooker of choice. In under an hour, your favorite fall food recipe is ready to serve!
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Why We Love It
I love making this soup after a holiday meal featuring a delicious ham. We save the ham bone and throw it in the soup with some veggies and split peas. Soon, we have a healthy, collagen-rich meal that satisfies the entire family.
It is truly an easy meal to throw together and save money, especially after all of the labor of cooking a big holiday feast! Plus, you are getting the most out of your leftovers! Big mom win!
For another delicious instant pot soup, try our Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup. If you love using your Instant Pot like I do, try our Instant Pot Millet Porridge for breakfast!
Before we get into the details of our favorite healthy ingredients for split pea soup, let's take a moment to set some intentions! For more information on how to manifest with healthy intentions, check out our free guide.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Leftover Ham Bone (or 1lb Diced Ham): The leftover ham bone will have chunks of ham still on it and fall over during the cooking process. If you do not have a ham bone, use uncured diced ham instead! It tasted just as delicious!
- Bone Broth or Vegetable Broth: I recommend using organic or homemade bone broth as the liquid for the soup. Be sure to check the ingredients label! Check out this post on what ingredients to watch out for when reading ingredient labels. Bone broth is filled with health benefits that improve gut health, heart health, skin health, joint health, immune health, and more!
- Split Peas: Split peas are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber for a healthy staple in this hearty soup.
- Sweet Onions: Sweet onions have many antioxidants, nutrients, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Fresh Organic Garlic: It is important to choose organic garlic. Garlic is anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and more.
- Ghee: Ghee is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Organic Carrots: Carrots are a tasty source of fiber, beta carotene (precursor for vitamin A), minerals, and antioxidants. Specifically, luteolin is an antioxidant in carrots which is amazing for many things including brain health.
- Organic Celery: Celery is anti-inflammatory and packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, flavonoids, and polyphenols.
- Bay Leaves: The presence of bay leaves helps to break down the gas-producing properties of beans and other lentils which helps prevent bloating and improve digestion! win-win! Learn more about the difference between bay leaves and curry leaves in this article.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
The slow cooker method is very simple; place all ingredients in a slow cooker or crock pot after greasing the bottom with ghee. Turn on the low setting for 4-5 hours or high for 3 hours.
If using a ham bone simply drop the ham bone into the soup and cook as you would otherwise. Before serving be sure to remove the ham bone cut off the additional meat left on the bone and put it back into the soup
For a vegan split pea soup omit the ham and bone broth and replace it with vegetable broth. Feel free to add bits of tempeh or jackfruit in its place for texture, as desired. To learn more about jackfruit, check out this article: Jackfruit vs Cempedak.
Add a variety of vegetables if you want a more diverse flavor and nutrient profile: bell peppers, kale, spinach, corn, leek, or potato.. the possibilities are endless!
Instructions
Please note: The process steps are for the instant pot and use bone broth and diced ham. Feel free to adapt any ingredients or processes as you desire. See the substitutions/variations section for ways to adapt your recipe to your needs and desires!
Step 1: Turn on the Saute setting on the instant pot. Heat ghee and saute onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in the instant pot.
Step 2: Turn the pressure cooker setting to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
Add split peas, bone broth, diced ham, and 2 bay leaves, and cover. Let naturally release for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the lid and stir. Let it sit for a few moments before serving. Enjoy!
Hint: The soup will thicken as it cools. Don't forget to remove the bay leaves and ham bone, if you used one!
Storage
Store leftover split pea soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind, that the soup's consistency will solidify.
To reheat, simply place it in a pot on the stove on medium heat. Add a bit of water to help it melt back down and not stick to the pan.
This soup can also be frozen for 4-6 months maximum.
Recipe FAQ's
Split peas have a variety of vitamins and nutrients that support the liver as well as many other functions in the body.
Both green and yellow have similar nutrient profiles. Different colors of foods provide different phytonutrients that provide unique benefits.
The high protein and fiber content helps to regulate and balance blood sugar. Split peas have a low glycemic index (GI 32) which means they are an acceptable food for many with type 2 diabetes or other metabolic system sensitivities.
Split pea soup is very filling as it expands and is high in protein and fiber. This makes the soup eater fill up fast and essentially, eat less. For this reason, filling foods like split pea soup is often recommended for weight loss.
Pairings
We love to pair a grilled cheese sandwich with our healthy split pea soup.
Use sprouted ancient grains, organic cheese, and ghee instead of butter. Yum!
Or you can also choose a simple green salad.
More Healthy Dinner Recipes
If you tried our Healthy Instant Pot Split Pea Soup or any other recipes at Mindfully Healthy Living, we'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave us a comment and a 🌟 rating below! Don't miss a thing and subscribe to our newsletter!
Recipe
Healthy Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Ladle
- Chefs knife
- cutting board
- strainer
- Vegetable Peeler
- Wooden spoon
- Serving Bowl and Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked ham diced and uncured
- 3-4 stalks organic celery washed and chopped
- 3 organic carrots washed, peeled, and chopped
- 1 yellow onion minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 48 oz organic bone broth
- 2 Tbs ghee
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 lb split peas rinsed and sorted
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute mode for 1-2 minutes. Add ghee, minced garlic, and onions. Stir with a wooden spoon.
- Add diced carrots and celery for an additional minute. Turn Instant Pot off.
- Turn the pressure cooker setting to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Add rinsed split peas, bone broth, diced ham, and 2 bay leaves, and cover. It will take approximately 20 minutes to come to pressure. Let naturally release for 15 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure manually from the steam release valve.
Anonymous says
My family loves this!
Natalie Perry says
awesome!
Century Foods says
Thank you, love your recipe’s instructions. Very well explained. I am really excited to make this one with my sister.
Natalie Perry says
Awesome! It is so easy and delicious.
Deborah says
I Love Pea Soup and happy to see this recipe. Enjoying your posts!!!
Natalie Perry says
Awesome, thank you! it sure it delicious
C Perry says
Split pea soup is definitely one of my favorites.This recipe is easy to follow and a snap to make.
Natalie Perry says
We love this yummy soup recipe and make it at least 3 times a year!