Ham and Bean Soup made in the Instant Pot with leftover ham and dried white beans. No soaking needed. This soup is flavorful and pure comfort food in a bowl!
I love using my Instant Pot to make soups, like my creamy white chicken chili or chicken and rice soup.
One of the easiest was to use leftover ham from your holiday dinner is to turn it into a flavorful soup. I pull out my Instant Pot pressure cooker so I can use dried beans, without soaking. If you have canned beans, just place everything in a large soup pot and cook for 15 minutes. You can add more vegetables (celery, carrots, even potatoes) and use chopped ham instead of a ham bone. Another great way to use the leftover ham is my Black-Eyed Peas and Ham recipe. It’s delicious!
Ingredients
- leftover ham shank
- great Northern beans
- onion
- garlic
- bell pepper
- olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- dried oregano
- Bay leaf
- water
- chicken stock
Instructions
- Press saute setting and add olive oil to the Instant Pot. Add chopped onion, pepper and garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Add seasoning and stir. This will create a flavorful base for the soup.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and deglaze the bottom of the pot (See recipe box for details).
- Add ham, beans and liquids to the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid, press “manual” or “pressure cook” setting and set timer to 40 minutes.
- Once done, let the Instant Pot release pressure manually. (see recipe box for details)
- Remove the ham bone onto a plate and remove all meat. Discard the bone and place ham back in the soup. Stir and serve.
Do I need to soak the beans?
If you are using the Instant Pot, there is no need to soak the beans prior to cooking. One of my favorite thing about pressure cooking is that I can cook beans in 30 to 40 minutes.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes! This soup freezes perfectly. Make sure to cool it completely before placing it in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I use chopped ham?
Absolutely! If you have a boneless ham, chop the leftovers and add them to the soup. The ham bone gives the soup more flavor but even without it, the soup will be very tasty. I used leftovers from my Honey Baked Ham.
Can I use canned beans?
If you are using canned beans, drain and rinse them before adding to the pot. Cut down the pressure cooking time to 7 minutes.
More Instant Pot soup recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1.5 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups white beans I used great Northern beans
- 1 ham shank
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot.
- Press "saute" setting and wait until the display shows HOT.
- Add olive oil. Add chopped onion and pepper. Stir in. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and stir in. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add Italian seasoning and oregano. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add 1/2 cup of water or stock to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot (this is called deglazing). This ensures all the flavor is in the soup and prevents burn.
- Press "cancel/off" button.
- Add remaining liquid to the Instant Pot.
- Add beans and ham. Place bay leaf on top.
- Close the lid and make sure the sealing valve is set to sealing (newer models do it on their own).
- Press "manual" or "pressure cook" button. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to HIGH pressure.
- Set timer to 40 minutes. The Instant Pot will beep after a few seconds.
- It will start coming to pressure, which can take 10 to 15 minutes.
- The Instant Pot will start the countdown, once the valve pin is up.
- When the timer is done and the Instant Pot beeps, press "cancel/off" button and let the pot release pressure naturally. That means you should not touch the valve. It will drop by itself, once the pressure is released. It can take about 20 minutes.
- Carefully open the lid away from your face (there will be remaining steam in the pot). Remove the shank onto a plate and remove all meat from the bone. Discard bone and add ham back to the soup.
Notes
- If the beans are not soft, place the lid back on and pressure cook for 5 more minutes. I never had crunchy beans after 40 minutes of pressure cooking and natural release.
- You can use 2 cups of chopped leftover ham instead of the ham shank.
If using canned beans, cut the pressure cooking time to 7 minutes. - You can add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to make the soup creamy. Add it after pressure cooking, right before serving.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Diane says
Can I add some celery and Carrots and cook them when I’m sautéing the onions in the garlic
V says
Would you adjust the cooking time if you used pre-packaged diced ham instead?
Mary says
Wonderful recipe. When do you add the salt and pepper?
Kalyn says
Hello! This looks so good! If I plan to use uncooked ham shank and canned beans, what do you recommend doing? I’ve never cooked with ham shank before so I’m not sure what it takes to cook it properly
Jenny R. says
Do you soak the beans overnight? I’ve always soaked beans so not sure how to adjust the cooking time if I do. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to make it.
Anna says
Hi Jenny! I do not soak the beans. You can do that if you like. I would cut the cooking time down to 20 minutes. I like the ease of not having to worry about soaking them. Hope this helps!
PamelaR says
I totally love the look of this recipe and have a question: Since we are pressure cooking it all, why are we pre-cooking the onions and garlic? Won’t they turn to mush or is that the desired end result? Thanks in advance for the help.
Anna says
Hi Pamela! I recommend sauteing the onions and garlic to create flavor. Feel free to skip this step.
PamelaR says
Thanks for the reply. I’m relatively new to IP cooking and seem to have tons of questions.
Krissy Allori says
I love soup! And I love bean and ham soup. This recipe is hearty and delicious and bonus it gets better as a leftover.
Becky Hardin says
The best comfort food ever!
Jen says
This totally reminds me of my childhood. Exactly what I crave on a cold day.
Anna says
Same! It’s the best!
Valentina says
LOVE this instant pot soup recipe! Great for the colder weather.
Anna says
Thank you, Valentina!