Instant Pot Ham and Bean soup is a hearty, rich, family friendly soup that’s substantial enough for dinner! Packed with fresh healthy ingredients you can make this soup recipe in any pressure cooker.
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How to Make Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Start by sorting through your pack of dried navy beans and looking for any shriveled beans or other debris.
Add the Navy beans along with 8 cups of water to the pressure cooker, then add either a couple of ham hock pieces, leftover ham bone, or smoked turkey leg to the pot.
Set your pressure cooker for 38 minutes at high pressure. Don’t forget to factor in the time it will take for the soup to come to pressure which for this amount of liquid may be 20 minutes or more.
After the cook time is complete leave the pressure cooker with the lid on for 15 minutes then carefully release the remaining pressure and take the lid off. Check the beans to see if they are done, and if they are not put the lid back on and cook for a few more minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and ham pieces to the pressure cooker and use the saute setting to simmer the soup for about ten minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked.
Remove the ham bone before serving and then all that’s left to do is taste the soup and adjust the seasoning by adding salt if needed, a little pepper, and serve with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.
Tips and FAQ’s for making Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Ham Hock or Smoked Turkey Leg? – You can use either as both will work well to impart that salty smoky flavor to your soup.
Can I double the recipe? – potentially yes as long as your pressure cooker is large enough and the total amount of beans and liquid does not come past the maximum fill line for cooking beans, please check the manual for your pressure cooker to make sure you know where that line is for cooking dried beans.
Can I use a different kind of bean? Yes, you can use any bean you prefer however the cook time will likely be different and I have not tested this recipe with other bean types.
Storing your soup – will keep in the fridge for up to four days. Ham and bean soup can be frozen in freezer safe containers once fully cooled. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm soup slowly until fully reheated.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Easy pressure cooker recipe for Instant Pot Ham and Bean soup.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Please read the recipe notes before you start.
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Rinse and sort through the beans removing any broken or shriveled beans and debris.
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Add 8 cups (1.9 liters) of water to your pressure cooker along with 1lb beans and ham hock or smoked turkey leg.
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Lock the lid, turn the steam release vent to 'sealing' and using the 'manual' or 'pressure cook' button, adjust it to cook for 38 minutes at High Pressure, please note it can take 20 minutes or more to come to pressure with this amount of water.
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Once it's cooked let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before you carefully open the lid.
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Check and see if the beans are cooked, if not you may need to pressure cook them again for a few more minutes.
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Add the diced carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and diced ham to the pot and turn on the saute setting on your pressure cooker and simmer gently for about ten minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
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Remove the ham hock, taste, and add salt and pepper as desired and garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
Maximum Fill Line – Please read your pressure cooker manual and check what the maximum level is for cooking dried beans and do not overfill it. I’m using a 6 quart pressure cooker.
Old Beans – check the use by date on your beans and discard them if they are old. Unfortunately you may still get an old batch even if they are within the use by date and if that’s the case they will not soften properly no matter how long the cook time is.
Cooking at Altitude – If you live at higher altitudes you will probably need to add some additional pressure cooking time. As I don’t live at altitude I’m unable to test this recipe properly for you but this article has helpful guidelines for cooking at altitude.
Storage – will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezer – Can be frozen in a suitable container once fully cooled. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat slowly on a medium heat.
Serving size – is a little over 1 cup per person, but it depends on how much liquid evaporates when the soup is cooked.
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