Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup is the quick and easy soup to pull out when you’ve got a leftover ham hock or ham bone to use up! You’ll want to cozy up to a bowl of this rich flavorful broth packed with ham, white northern beans, and fresh herbs. Serves 4.

Winter is the ultimate soup season, isn’t it?

It has finally been snowing here in Colorado (and we’ve experienced it from the Western Slope all the way back to Denver in the past week!) and all that makes me want to do is cozy up to a big bowl of soup every single night.

In addition to being under the weather for over a week, haha.

Soup makes those icky feelings a little less icky! And I could use as much help as I can get because Babycakes is turning one year old this week! AHHHH HOW?! Just HOW?!

While I try to wrap my mind around the fact that it’s been a whole year of having this cute little chubby cheek baby in my life, let’s get back to the soup.

This savory instant pot ham and bean soup is pure deliciousness. It uses up a leftover ham hock or ham bone, as well as any leftover ham you might have. I find myself reaching for this recipe so often, especially when I freeze ham bones from spiral hams that we serve over the holidays!

Now, I HIGHLY recommend getting a big loaf of crusty bread to go along with this soup. I personally like to butter a toasted slice and dip it into the broth for the ultimate indulgence. Like, it’s unreal how good the combination is.

Other yummy instant pot soup recipes: Instant Pot Carne Asada Chili | Instant Pot Creole Chicken Sausage Soup | Instant Pot Tortilla Soup | Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew

this recipe’s must-haves

For prep, grab your chef’s knife and cutting board since you have a little bit of chopping to do.

All you need to cook the recipe is an Instant Pot Duo or Instant Pot Pro, or really any Instant Pot that will fit this soup (a 6 QT or 8 QT, the minis don’t always fit the ham hock/bone).

I also like to make sure I have a good wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits at the bottom after sautéing the vegetables.

here’s how to make instant pot ham and bean soup! 

Saute Vegetables

Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and heat up the oil. Once hot, add in vegetables and garlic, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add in thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, beans, and ham bone/hock. Pour in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Pressure Cook

Cook on High pressure for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (this means don’t touch it!) before manually releasing the remaining pressure. Remove the bay leaves and ham bone/hock.

Add Ham

Stir in ham until combined. Serve with slices of toasted crusty bread.

Need some more inspiration for cozy soups and stews? Check out my soup recipes page!

can you use a frozen ham hock for soup?

A ham hock or ham bone will keep in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days, but if you’ve already frozen it, there’s no need to thaw it! Just throw it in frozen and it will still impart a lot of flavor in the soup without the hours needed to thaw it.

If you are looking for an incredible way to make ham, this double smoked ham is the ultimate way to make the best ham for a soup like this! The leftovers are ideal to make this recipe.

can I make this in a slow cooker?

You sure can! Simply sauté the vegetables and garlic in a skillet on the stove before adding them to the crockpot insert. Add thyme, rosemary, beans, and ham bone/hock, then cook on High for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the bay leaves and ham hock/bone. Stir in the diced ham and serve.

what to serve with this ham and bean soup

I love to serve this ham and bean soup with… bread! Any kind of bread will do, but my preference is for a toasted slice of crusty bread. Here’s some recipes to try:

Honey butter biscuits are buttery, flaky, and are ready in a hurry.

If you want to take a little more time and make homemade bread, nothing beats this overnight no knead bread.