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!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
natural pressure release15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr5 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ham and bean soup, Instant Pot ham and bean soup
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 ½ 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 ½ 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.