My Instant Pot Split Pea Soup has ham, sweet potatoes, and red bell pepper, and this tasty soup can be ready in about 45 minutes! This soup is surprisingly low in net carbs, but see suggestions if you want split pea soup with even fewer carbs.
PIN Instant Pot Split Pea Soup to try it later.
When I first got an Instant Pot, Instant Pot Split Pea Soup was one of the soup recipes I really wanted to try, even though there were a few recipes for split pea soup on the blog. And I wanted a recipe that was a different take on this classic soup, which is why I added sweet potatoes to this split pea soup!
But recently I decided to update the recipe into a version that’s lower in carbs, so I used more ham, fewer sweet potatoes, and added some chopped red bell peppers to make a low-carb split pea soup recipe. And there are suggestions below to make it even lower in carbs if that’s what works for you.
If you’re a split pea soup fan like I am, any time you happen to end up with some leftover ham, this tasty Instant Pot Split Pea soup is a great idea for using it. I hope you’ll try this recipe!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Is this Split Pea Soup Recipe Low in Carbs?
Split peas do have some carbs of course, but this updated Split Pea Soup has only about 13 net carbs in a serving. If you want a tasty Instant Pot Split Pea Soup that will be even lower in carbs, skip the sweet potato and chop up two red bell peppers to add to the soup.
Why I use ground thyme for Instant Pot Split Pea Soup?
You can definitely make this soup with regular dried thyme if that’s what you have. But I’m starting to prefer ground thyme in soup because the dried thyme floats to the surface in the finished soup.
What if you don’t have ham flavor base?
I’m a long time fan of Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (affiliate link) to add more flavor to soups that have ham. But you can also put them ham rinds into the soup while it cooks and then remove them. And if you happen to have some Ham Stock, replacing a few cups of the chicken broth with that will also add more ham flavor.
Is Split Pea Soup easy to make in the Instant Pot?
This was really about as easy as it gets for a soup to make in the Instant Pot. Chopping up the sweet potatoes, red peppers, onions, and ham takes about 5 minutes, and then the Instant Pot magically turns everything into a delicious tummy-warming soup! I cooked the soup for 15 minutes on high pressure because I wanted the split peas completely dissolved into the soup, and liked that the sweet potatoes were breaking apart a bit at that point.
What Size Instant Pot Did I Use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes! You can also find lots more Instant Pot /Slow Cooker Recipes on my other site.
What if you don’t want to use the Instant Pot?
If you’re not a pressure cooker fan, you can use the instructions from Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup to make this soup in the slow cooker or use instructions for Yellow Split Pea Soup to make this soup on the stove!
How to make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Heat oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT, and cook chopped onions for a few minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook a few minutes more.
- While onions cook, peel and dice sweet potato, chop red bell pepper, and cut ham into cubes.
- We used a one-pound package of green split peas, equal to 2 cups.
- Put all ingredients into the Instant Pot with the chicken broth. (Or if you have Homemade Ham Stock I would definitely use some of that and less chicken broth!)
- Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 15 minutes.
- When the time ends, let the Instant Pot NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes.
- Carefully release the rest of the pressure.
- Stir to combine the dissolved peas with other ingredients.
- Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve hot.
More Popular Instant Pot Soups:
Weekend Food Prep:
This Instant Pot Split Pea Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil (see notes, DO NOT SKIP)
- 1 small onion
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. dried thyme or ground thyme
- 1 small sweet potato, cut into pieces about 3/4 inch square
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 lb. diced ham (cut into pieces about 3/4 inch square)
- 1 lb. green split peas (see notes)
- 3 large bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons or packets Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop onions and then heat oil in the Instant Pot on SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT, and cook onions for a few minutes.
- Then add minced garlic and dried or ground thyme and cook a few minutes more.
- While onions cook, peel and dice sweet potato, remove stem and seeds from red bell pepper and chop, and cut ham into cubes about 3/4 inch square.
- This recipe uses a one-pound package of green split peas, or 2 cups if you need to measure out the split peas.
- Put all the ingredients into the Instant Pot with the chicken broth. (If you have Homemade Ham Stock I would definitely use some of that for this recipe!)
- Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 15 minutes.
- When the time ends, let the Instant Pot NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes.
- Then carefully release the rest of the pressure.
- Stir to combine the dissolved peas with the other ingredients.
- Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve hot.
- This soup freezes well and can be reheated in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
Notes
Do not skip the oil; this keeps the split peas from causing too much foam in the Instant Pot.
One pound of split peas is equal to two cups.
I would love this soup with homemade chicken stock, but you can use canned chicken broth if that’s what you have. (Or if you have Homemade Ham Stock I would definitely use that for this recipe!)
I always use some ham flavor base (affiliate link) when I’m making this type of soup, and I love Goya brand. If you don’t have ham flavor base you can add ham rinds to the soup and remove them when it’s cooked, or use some Ham Stock as mentioned above.
Recipe created by Kalyn and inspired by a life-long love of split pea soup and a new Instant Pot.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8
Serving Size
1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 41mgSodium 1371mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 5gSugar 5gProtein 20g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
My Instant Pot Split Pea Soup is surprisingly low in net carbs, or skip the sweet potato and use another red bell pepper if you want even fewer carbs. This recipe would also be suitable for Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Split Pea Soup made in the Instant Pot was first posted in 2016 when Kalyn had a brand new Instant Pot! The recipe updated with better photos and more information in 2024.
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