Summary:
Pressure cookers are your friend when it comes to making anything soft and tender, like soups and stews. This split pea soup is thick and creamy, with texture akin to potato soup, and is a convenient dump-and-go recipe. The green peas, onions, and celery are easily broken down by pressure cooking, adding to the soup's viscosity. Vegetarians and vegans can enjoy this soup as-is; meat lovers can add ham or bacon.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Natural Release: 15 mins
Yield: 10 servings
Calories: 170
Net Carbs: 17.5g
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound
split green peas , rinsed (Note 1) - 7 cups water or broth (Note 2)
- 1.5 cups diced onions (1/2 onion; Note 3)
- 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots)
- 1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3
bay leaves - 1 teaspoon
smoked paprika (Note 4) - 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- optional meat or potatoes (Notes 5-6)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add Ingredients: Add all ingredients to
pressure cooker pot (Note 7), and briefly stir together. - Pressure Cook: Secure and seal lid. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by 15 minute natural release (Note 8). Then turn pressure knob to venting position to release any remaining pressure.
NUTRITION
| Makes 10 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (1 cup): |
| Calories 170 (3% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 1g | 1% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 260mg | 11% |
| Net Carb 17.5g | |
| Total Carb 30g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 12.5g | 51% |
| Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 11g |
PHOTOS
I make many soups and split pea is my favorite soup, but I never made it because I feared putting all that effort into a recipe and then be disappointed. I saw your recipe this week & decided to give it a try because it sounded so easy. It is easy and awesome! Love the smoked paprika – gives the perfect flavor. I used chicken broth and added two diced Yukon gold potatoes, with an extra cup of liquid. I am so happy with the soup and will be a regular part of my rotation. THANK YOU!!!
Made this tonight and it’s fantastic. Added 2 large potatoes cubed and 1 cup extra liquid and was perfect. Smaller pieces of potato mushed but the bigger cubes stayed whole. Perfect dinner with some sourdough bread for dunking. Thanks for this great recipe!!!
I have made this many times and it’s wonderful. Flavorful, easy and satisfying!
I just made two pots of this. One vegan and one with ham. I love my vegan pot. I used some ham juice from a ham that I baked yesterday for some of the water in the second pot, then added some leftover diced ham after the pressure was released. My husband said that it was the best I’ve ever made. Thanks!!
This was the very first thing I made in my Instant pot. It is a great first thing to make. I’ve had pressure cookers in the past, but I never had any luck. Thank you.
There was a little too much liquid and I only used 6 cups because that filled mine to the full mark in my smaller Instant Mini duo. Besides that it had good flavor. I used broth. I also sauteed the carrots and onions while I chopped the garlic to give it a head’s start so maybe that is why–they were too cooked to absorb liquid? Still though, seemed like a lot. Maybe I will add rice to the leftovers to help it.
I made this tonight with the 7 cups and it is way too runny. Would use 6 or less cups of water next time. Otherwise worked well.
If I wanted to put in diced potatoes, do I need to adjust the time for longer?
I think the 15-min pressure cooking time would be way too long for diced potatoes, which would turn to mush by the end (unless that’s what you’re looking for). You’d be better off adding the diced potatoes after pressure cooking, using the saute mode until they’re tender.
Do larger potatoes, cut them in half, then at the end take them out with tongs and cut them and toss them back in.
Loved this recipe. We’ve made it 3 times now, and each time a bit different depending on what I have in the house. We love it every time. This last time I mistakenly grabbed green lentils instead of green split peas. I only increased the water (based on a quick search of a lentil soup recipe). Thanks for a family winner!!!
OK! So been making this on request at least once a month for the past 5 – 6 months. My family loves it! I’ve finally finished tweaking it to suit my families tastes. My final version of your soup is: +1 tsp Cumin, +5 tsp Liquid Smoke, +1 extra bay leaf, +1 pound of potatoes, +1 extra cup of water. Then once it’s served into bowls add a little Chipotle Tobasco sauce to taste for some heat and a small bit of either Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream on top. Absolute perfection in a bowl! You don’t even miss the fact that there is absolutely no meat at all. Leftovers when there is any rarely last long.
Just made this in my Pampered Chef quick cooker and it turned out amazing! Great recipe! I used the soup/stock setting and cooked for 15 minutes on high pressure. Fabulous use of our leftover Christmas ham bone!
I love the Quick Cooker. I adapt any IP recipes for it. This is next!
AMAZING!!! Followed the recipe 100%. I did put it all together, turned on the Instantpot and left to run errands. So by the time I got back it was done, had naturally released the steam and was warming for almost an hour. Not thick at all, flavor is beyond delicious. I would highly recommend using a ham bone to get the Smokey flavor. This will become a family favorite!!!
I made this recipe adding ham at the beginning and it turned out great. Good flavor. I think I may add a diced potato next time but will definitely make this soup again!
I made this with the ham bone & added the juice from the cooked ham. Everyone agreed it was fabulous. Instead of celery I used an apple, diced, and replaced the bay leaf with rosemary. I’ve made rosemary split pea many times the old fashioned way. Usually is a whole day event as everything simmers, and then you purée your split peas to get the right consistency. Making it this time it was ready to eat in 1 1/2 hours, with no extra work. Easy, fast and delicious. I will never go back to the old way.
This is the best Split Pea Soup for the Instant Pot out there! Thank you! I added a little vegan ham flavored bullion and it’s even better (cut the added salt down or omit if you do this, home cooks!).
For those saying it’s too watery, I use 7 cups water but I also add one large diced potato and perhaps that makes it thicker, but I do like a thinner pea soup.
I made this today and followed the recipe exactly as stated. I did not add any meat or potatoes. The best split pea soup I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for sharing.
Turned out great. First time using a new Instant Pot. Was very easy and followed you directions to the letter. Would like to know how 1.5 cups of onion is only half a onion. That was the only question I had. 7 cups of Vegetable broth made it taste perfect.
I guess my onions are on the larger side. It’s best to follow the volume measurement (cups) rather than the quantity, in this case. Thank you for the review, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the soup!
Good and easy. We didn’t have any bacon, so I used a little pancetta. I used only one cup of peas and 3.5 cups of water, which made 3 generous servings. We cooked it in the Instipot for 8 minutes which was MORE than enough, in fact about a minute too much for our taste.
How would I use a leftover ham bone in the soup?
I thought all paprika was smoked paprika. Am I missing something?
Midge, there are different varieties of paprika. Spanish paprika is usually made with smoked peppers, which gives a smokier and stronger flavor. There’s also the basic paprika that is commonly sold in supermarkets, usually labeled as just “paprika” without any other details. It’s usually pretty mild with no heat or sweetness. Most people use that kind of paprika for its color, not flavor. Then there’s also Hungarian paprika. For this recipe, smoked paprika would give the most flavor, but the soup should still taste fantastic even if you use regular, basic paprika. It’s mostly up to your personal preference and what you have on hand.
Can I double the recipe? Would I use the same time? Thanks
Even if the ingredients are doubled, the pressure cooking time remains the same.
I had to skip the celery,and ran it through the blender.lovely smooth,good tasting!
Any reason why it must be split GREEN pea rather than split YELLOW pea other than flavour? Wouldnt the carb amount roughly be the same?
While their nutritional content is similar, their flavors are a bit different. You can use yellow ones here (same cooking time), but the resulting flavor of the soup may be different.
I used yellow split peas instead of green and it turned out great. They are interchangeable, the flavor is a little different but equally good!
Came out AWESOME !!! ADDED lots more carrots, and gelatin from ham pan (2cups). Then 4 cups water. Used bean button on mine. Have I think, 35 minutes. Used to take hours !!! This was a great find !!!!!!! A 10. Ps. Measurement S on veggies are to taste… Water is exact !!! You can add water after cooked if needed. I did need to.
The recipe is really good as is, however, I adjusted it slightly to suit my families personal tastes. No meat. Added 1 tsp Cumin and 1 tsp Chipotle Powder. Next time I make some vegetable stock in my instant pot i’m going to reserve some for this recipe and see how that tastes as well. This is a keeper recipe! Thank you!
Can this instant pot split pea soup be made in a regular large kettle.
This recipe is designed for an electric pressure cooker, so adjustments would have to be made in your case. You would likely need to increase the amount of water as well as increase the cooking time.
You can make in a kettle, but needs more water and a LOT MORE TIME. Pea soup tends to settle on bottom of kettle, and needs to be stirred a LOT. Also, if not watched is can BURN on bottom. I made it a lot in the old days, but never again on the stovetop !!!!!!