Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup is a quick and easy way to enjoy a classic comfort food (with no soaking required)!
Tender ham chunks are mixed with our favorite 15 bean mixture, celery, carrots, and onions to create the perfect cozy soup! This easy ham and bean soup recipe is a favorite way to use up leftover baked ham, and all you need to add is some cornbread!
I am so excited to partner with Hurst Beans and to share how easy it is to cook beans in an Instant Pot!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No soaking required, a pressure cooker gets this meal is on the table in about 90 minutes (most of which is hands off)!
- It’s hearty and flavorful, great made with a leftover ham bone, smoked sausage, or even leftover smoked turkey.
- It’s an inexpensive way to feed a crowd.
- This soup is delicious leftover and freezes perfectly.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Bean Soup
BEANS Of course this recipe starts with beans. Hurst’s HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® is a holiday staple and can be cooked on the stove top or as a slow cooker ham and bean soup recipe. A cozy bowl of bean soup is a favorite way to use up our holiday ham and start off our New Year!
You can find these beans in the dry bean section of almost any grocery store (or you can order them online) and they include an assortment including black beans, kidney, garbanzo, split peas, navy beans, pinto beans, baby limas, and more.
A seasoning packet is included in each package of 15 Bean Soup making it simple and perfectly seasoned every time!
Onions, celery and carrots are the perfect start to this soup and add a great base of flavor. This soup is great for add ins, stir in green beans, leftover veggies, or even squash!
A leftover ham bone adds additional smoky salty flavor to this soup and, once cooked, you can pick the meat off the bone and add it to the soup. If you don’t have a ham bone, you can add any leftover meat (along with the tomatoes) or even smoked sausage.
Variations
- Add some chopped garlic, or your own favorite seasonings. If adding fresh herbs they should be added just before serving (except rosemary, it needs a bit of time to cook).
- Kale or fresh spinach can be added (along with almost any veggie).
- We use chicken broth and a bit of water but you can use beef or vegetable broth if you’d like.
How To Make Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
To make this Instant Pot ham and bean soup recipe:
- Rinse the beans.
- Add olive oil and onion to the Instant Pot and sauté about 5 minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the tomatoes (per the recipe below), including the seasoning packet from the HamBeens beans, and stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes.
- Quick-release, then remove the ham bone. Add tomatoes and tomato juice and the meat from the ham bone. Turn the Instant Pot onto simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Season with salt & black pepper to taste.
Tips For Making Ham And Bean Soup
- Ham If you don’t have a leftover ham bone, a ham hock from the grocery store or your local butcher will work perfectly. Look for one with a bit of meat on it, so you can add it to the soup once it’s cooked.
- Stock or Broth Chicken stock or turkey stock adds great flavor. If you prefer more liquid in your soup, add a couple of extra cups of broth to the Instant Pot.
- Cooking Beans When cooking with beans, always add acidic ingredients such as tomatoes or lemon juice after the beans are cooked through. The acid binds to the outside of the bean and makes it harder for water to permeate them to cook them.
- To thicken bean soup let it simmer uncovered on “saute” or give it a couple of quick pulses with an immersion blender.
What To Serve With Ham And Bean Soup
If you want to add some toppings, we love adding a dollop of sour cream, cilantro, cheddar cheese, or crispy bacon!
This Instant Pot Ham and bean soup is a stick-to-your-ribs kinda meal. We enjoy a nice fresh tossed salad next to it, and of course, cornbread is a MUST to sop up the leftover soup in the bowl.
Can You Freeze Bean Soup
Beans hold up well to freezing making this the perfect freezer meal for the cold winter months. Once cooled, transfer the soup into individual freezer bags or containers and freeze for up to 6 months.
To defrost, just add the soup to a saucepan over medium-low heat until heated through.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Broth (or Turkey) – great for this recipe!
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – kid approved
- Instant Pot Beef Stew – super easy
- Instant Pot Chili – so comforting
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice – weeknight favorite
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup – meatless meal
No Instant Pot? No problem!
You can purchase an Instant Pot here, learn more about Instant Pot here or use your slow cooker to make a Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup!
Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package Hambeens® 15 BEAN SOUP®
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 cup celery (approx 2 stalks), diced
- 3 carrots diced
- 1 ham bone ham hock or 2 cups leftover ham
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes with juice *see note
Instructions
- Rinse beans and drain. Sort any unwanted debris and set seasoning packet aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot on to saute. Add olive oil and onion and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients including the seasoning packet except for tomatoes.
- Place the lid on, and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Quick release pressure.
- Open the lid and remove ham bone or ham hock. Add tomatoes with juice turn onto saute and allow to simmer while picking the ham off of the bone.
- Return the meat to the Instant Pot and stir and serve.
Video
Notes
- Ham If you don't have a leftover ham bone, a ham hock from the grocery store or your local butcher will work perfectly. Look for one with a bit of meat on it, so you can add it to the soup once it's cooked.
- Stock or Broth Chicken stock or turkey stock adds great flavor. If you prefer more liquid in your soup, add a couple of extra cups of broth to the Instant Pot.
- To thicken bean soup let it simmer uncovered on "saute" or give it a couple of quick pulses with an immersion blender before adding the meat back in.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Soup
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I made this recipe in the instant pot. VERY GOOD. IT’S A KEEPER. I did add a pinch of ground cloves and 1/4 teasp cinnamon. I also made your cornbread. Loved that too. thank you. Donna A
Sounds like a wonderful meal! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Donna!
I would put celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves in cheesecloth, tie them up. After the beans finish their hour cook, strain the beans, put the broth back in the instapot, cut open the cheesecloth, put those spent vegetables back in the broth and puree. Then add more of the exact same portion of the vegetables back to the broth without the cheesecloth and binding and pressure cook 6 minutes , instant release. Add the beans back in, and continue with the recipe. Those vegetables are spent after an hour pressure cooking, probably add a lot of flavor to the broth. Just sayin.
Great idea! I’m going to follow your advice and purée the mushy vegetables, and then add some fresh. That’s a good way to add in other vegetables too. I like to purée cauliflower into soups- maybe I’ll try that one day!
I love this soup! In the past, I have made this soup with leftover ham.
All I have right now is a couple of ham steaks. Is it okay to use those?
Hi Linda, that should work well. Just chop it up and add it in. If it isn’t precooked you can cook it ahead of time and then toss it in.
Just made today for the first time. All I can say is Delicious!
Simply delicious and very easy to make. I add my Caribbean spices during the first part and the cilantro at the end. We eat it with a scoop of white rice and avocado, if in season.
That sounds delicious Elsie!
Cudos to you Holly!
Each one is amazingly Awesome!
I have prepared every meal except for the Air fried chicken and can say honestly “I myself and my family have enjoyed each one with requests for the same thing the following night. Way to go! Thank you very much. Ready for some more thx.
I used Pinto beans instead, so didn’t have the spice packet. I used spices from a slow cooker recipe:
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprica
1 bay leaf
All else the same. My wife liked them so much she said she wanted to lick the bowl.
Sounds delicious, Daryl! Thanks for sharing.
In the video, I don’t see that you added the 4 cups of water, just the broth. Do you use the water as well? Looks delicious. Thanks.
Hi Jen, we use 8 cups of water and broth in total. You can replace some of the water with additional broth is you prefer.
Hi!
I made this recipe the day after New Year’s using my leftover ham from the New Year’s
I made. It was absolutely delicious! And I would like to make it again.
I have no ham this time around and was wondering if I could substitute
the ham with a Pork Shoulder or a Pork Butt?
I do think it would work but the shoulder/butt will have more fat so you’ll likely want to skim off the fat after it cooks. I would suggest cutting the shoulder into large 2″ pieces, seasoning, and browning it before adding to the slow cooker. Let us know how it goes!
can this soup be made in a crockpot also. I dont own a instant pot.
Absolutely, we use this Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup recipe.
We smoked a ham for Christmas and I used the ham bone for this recipe. It was surprising how much more meat I was able to pull from the bone after pressure cooking it. So delicious and very easy in the pressure cooker. This soup is as flavorful as soup can be. My 6 quart pressure cooker was full to its max level until I removed the ham bone. I served with a side of cornbread, as recommended. We absolutely loved it! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Shannon!
Hi,
Can a use my regular pressure cooker, and if so is it the same process and low long to cook
Ty
Millie
Hi Millie, we have only tested this recipe in an Instant Pot but it should work in a regular pressure cooker as well. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
i made ham and bean soup the other day and i want to can the leftovers. Can i use my IP to can this soup?
Hi Brenda, I have never tried canning this soup and I am not familiar with the requirements to do so. Hopefully, another reader can offer some insight.
IP doesn’t reach high enough pressure to pressure can but you can do the water bath!!
In my Instant Pot right now, and it smells so good :)
Am i supposed add the Seasoning pack at some point because it doesn’t say anything about it in the recipe.
For this recipe, we add the seasoning packet in step 3 with the remaining ingredients, Brenna.
Thanks
I’d like to make this tonight but I don’t have tomato. Can I use lemon juice instead and how much? Thank you
It should work just fine, you may need to add a bit of liquid to replace the liquid from the canned tomatoes. If you’d like to add lemon juice, make sure you do so after cooking. I’d start with a small amount, maybe a Tablespoon, and add a bit at a time until it’s how you’d like it. Enjoy!
I want to make this with a ham hock and chopped ham (I want to remove the whole ham hock after cooking). I also want to double the recipe as we are a big family. Would I be able to double the recipe in an 8Qt Instant Pot?
We use this ham and bean slow cooker recipe (and it fills a slow cooker pretty full).