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
- 20 oz Hambeens® 15 BEAN SOUP®
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 3 medium carrots diced
- 1 meaty ham bone ham hock or 2 cups leftover ham
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes 1 can, 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.
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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
Cuisine American
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Made this recipe this afternoon with a ham bone from Easter. It is delicious! I read through the comments and added a teaspoon of liquid smoke, 2-3 cloves of garlic and a small spoonful of roasted garlic better than bouillon. The meat just fell off the bone! Will definitely make again!
If I only have leftover ham and no bone should I add it before the pressure cook or after?
Hi Emilie, you will still add it in step 3 before pressure cooking.
Yummy. Turned our delicious. Never have I made my beans like this but glad I tried it. Thank you!
easy and good. didn’t have a spice packet. Just put in a few sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley. I had a ham with no bone. Would recommend a tsp of liquid smoke before cooking. Went really nice with toasted sourdough and onion cream cheese. Also pairs well with ketchup and or Sriracha.
Delicious and so easy. I ended up using a can each of cannellini and pinto beans and added garlic powder, pepper, salt and a roasted garlic herb mixture to enhance the flavor since I didn’t have the bean seasoning packet. It’s a do again comfort recipe and a great way to use a ham bone.