How to Make Split Pea Soup in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
This split pea soup is wholesome, hearty, healthy and vegetarian and takes less than 30 minutes in an instant pot or pressure cooker. It's made with dried split peas, celery, and a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. A perfect winter soup. Serve it with a side of salad, some crusty bread and you have a scrumptious meal.
Being raised by a single mother meant we lived a hand to mouth kinda life. Some days were good and some were bad. Mom tried as much as she could to make sure she fed us well. The meat was not always available to us. But lentils, legumes, and dried beans were a common staple in our home. My mom made them at least twice a week, if not more.
Of course, they are cheaper than other foods and they have a long shelf life in the pantry. So you can stock them up in the corner of your pantry and get them out whenever you need. Which is what my mom often did. I always thought we ate these because we were poor. And yet, over the years I have learned about their health benefits and how nutritious they are.
How to make Split Pea Soup in a Pressure Cooker?
My mom didn't have an instant pot. Back in the day, she had a pressure cooker. I grew up using a pressure cooker all my life and I always made my split pea soup in a pressure cooker.
Recently, I was fascinated with the hype of the Instant Pot so I got myself an IP as a Christmas gift. I was so excited. Honestly, I thought it would take some learning but once I figured how to open and close it, it was easier and much safer than a pressure cooker.
Below I have given you instructions for both, how to make this split pea soup in an Instant Pot as well as how to make it in a pressure cooker. The video shows the instant pot version.
Let's talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Split Peas - What are split peas? The green split pea is the same as the green peas but processed differently. To make split pea, the green pea is peeled and dried. You can also get yellow split peas and they would work just as well for this recipe.
- Onion - I love red onions because they are sweeter and work great for soups. And yet, they also add a bit of color. Today I have used white onions.
- Garlic - A little goes a long way. And if you prefer, you can also add 1 tsp garlic powder.
- Parmesan- Adds a nice nutty and sharp flavor to the soup. I highly recommend not omitting it. You can replace it with another mature cheese to make it vegetarian.
- Bay leaves - I think bay leaves add a nice flavor to the soup. You can add oregano instead.
- Thyme - Dried herbs go great when cooking in the slow cooker. I usually use dried thyme, and yet feel free to also add fresh.
- Stock - Vegetable (chicken or beef) stock is perfectly fine. You can also add a cube of chicken stock with water.
Useful Tips and Tools
- Dried beans, legumes, and lentils cook amazingly in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. Cooking under pressure not just shortens the time required to cook food but also makes them soft and tender. Meats fall off the bone with a melt in the mouth softness.
- I have the Instant Pot. The 3 Quart is a good size for a family of flour, the 6 Quart for a family of 6. These also come pre-programmed for foods like soups, poultry, and meats which is very helpful and it also has yogurt and slow cooker function in it.
- I grew up around Pressure Cookersall my life soI have a soft corner for these. My mom used them almost daily. Having said that the Instant pot is said to be safer from the two.
- Chopping board and Kitchen knife to cut veggies.
- Saucepan and spatula to cook the bechamel sauce.
- Soup bowls and soup ladel to serve the soup
How to Make an Instant Pot Split Pea Soup or Pressure Cooker Split Soup (Save/Pin)
Soak Peas
- Check the split peas and sort for any unwanted peas.
- Wash and soak the split peas for at least an hour to 3 hours.
- Drain and wash well again and set aside.
Saute
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the Instant Pot.
- Saute the garlic, ginger, bay leaves for 30 seconds.
- Followed by celery and onion - saute until onions are translucent.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Then the chopped parsley and drained soaked split peas.
- Add 5 cups stock and stir well.
Pressure Cook in Instant Pot
- Close the instant pot and set it to manual. Make sure the vent in on the sealing position.
- Pressure cook for 25 minutes (see notes above).
- Allow pressure to natural release for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Then clear any remaining steam by venting again and open carefully.
Pressure cook in Pressure Cooker
- Close the pressure cooker - add the whistle.
- Set it on medium-high for 25 minutes (see notes above).
- Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Open pressure cooker carefully.
Finish the soup
- Remove the bay leaves and discard (don't forget this one).
- Use a hand blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency.
- Add cornstarch to the milk and combine well.
- Then add milk mixture to the pea soup and mix well.
- Finally, add the Parmesan cheese and combine well.
- Check and adjust seasoning.
- Serve garnished with more parmesan cheese if desired.
Frequently asked questions
I didn't know that split peas can reduce heart diseases or chronic illness, as well as some types of cancer.
And the part that made me wanna add this to our family diet was that it is a great source of protein, fiber, and vitamins. It's also rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc.
And most valuable to me - helps with weight loss too. When I made things for the kids that Ziv and I don't like to eat much. Like Lasagna or Spaghetti (yes, my kids love these two so much) I often will make me a bowl of these dried beans, lentils and have them over my cauliflower rice.
Now here's my little secret as a busy mom. I usually make a big pot in winter because it's split pea soup weather. I make it in the instant pot, pressure cooker or my slow cooker. It's a family favorite. My kids can have this often and they won't complain.
Ideally, this soup can stay in the fridge well wrapped for a good 4 to 5 days. And yet, I batch it up and put it on a gallon size zip lock or freezer bag. Always keep enough space in the bag when you freeze food. Lay it flat on a tray so it's kinda thin and freeze it.
This is so handy to have in the freezer. When you are used to giving your family healthy nutritious homemade food this is better than store-bought or canned soups. Since I freeze it myself I still know exactly what my kids are eating.
For our family, a bowl of soup, a side of salad and some homemade bread (which I often freeze too) is a perfect family meal.
I know that the split pea soup is very commonly made with a ham bone in there. But I grew up eating a vegetarian split pea soup, so that's what I have shared today as well as in my slow cooker split pea soup recipe.
I have often made the split pea soup with ham as well. Maybe someday I will also share that recipe. The only difference is that you add a ham bone in there before you pressure cook the soup. And when you open the pressure cooker remove the bone and get as much meat from it as possible. Then, discard the bone and add the meat to the soup. The rest of the recipe is the same.
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Description
Ingredients
- 450 grams (2.28 cups) Split peas green (6 cups soaked)
- 3 tbsp (3 tbsp) Olive oil
- 2 (2 ) Bay leaves
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) Ginger 1 tsp grated
- 1 clove (1 clove) Garlic med
- 1/2 cup (0.5 cup) Celery chopped
- 1/2 cup (0.5 cup) Onions chopped
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Pepper
- 1/4 cup (0.25 cup) Parsley finely chopped
- 1175 ml (5 cups) Stock
- 250 ml (1.02 cups) Milk
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (0.5 cup) Parmesan Cheese grated
Instructions
Soak Peas
- Check the split peas and sort for any unwanted peas.
- Wash and soak the split peas for at least an hour to 3 hours.
- Drain and wash well again - set aside.
Saute
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the Instant Pot.
- Saute the garlic, ginger, bay leaves for 30 seconds.
- Followed by celery and onion - saute until onions are translucent.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Then the chopped parsley and drained soaked split peas.
- Add 5 cups stock - stir well.
Pressure Cook in Instant Pot
- Close the instant pot and set to manual.
- Pressure cook for 25 minutes (see notes above).
- Allow pressure to natural release for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Then clear any remaining steam by venting again and open carefully.
Pressure cook in Pressure Cooker
- Close the pressure cooker - add the whistle.
- Set it on medium high for 25 minutes (see notes above).
- Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Open pressure cooker carefully.
Finish the soup
- Remove the bay leaves and discard (don't forget this one).
- Use a hand blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency.
- Add cornstarch to the milk - combine well.
- Then add milk mixture to the pea soup and mix well.
- Finally, add the Parmesan cheese - combine well.
- Check and adjust seasoning.
- Serve garnished with more parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Don't want to make an instant pot or pressure cooker? Make a slow cooker split pea soup instead. You can find my recipe here.
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- Crockpot potato leek soup
- Slow cooker black beans soup or curry
- Easy Healthier Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
- Quick easy chicken pot pie soup
- Roasted butternut squash soup
- Maple pumpkin soup.
- Homemade fresh sweet pea soup.
- Thai Prawn Noodle Soup
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Danielle Wolter
have a leftover ham bone in the freezer that is just screaming for me to make split pea soup. It's so awesome how easy it is in the instant pot!
Veena Azmanov
Yes, just add a ham bone and you will have a ham split pea soup.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
Perfect soup for this time of years and looks so creamy and comforting too.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Amanda
Julia
We've been making instant pot split pea soup a lot this winter. It's a great soup for chilly days!
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely, Julia.
Mary Bostow
I made this tonight for dinner. This recipe is AMAZING!!! Wish I could share the picture I took. Everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing. Soup came out perfect.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Mary. So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and that everyone loved it. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Have a lovely day.
Lizzie
This looks so yummy , I love cooking with pulses, and the pressure cooker does make it so much easier. I started eating a lot of pulses when I was a student as they're expensive, now I cook them for a lot of different reasons - better for the environment than eating meat all the time, and so tasty!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Lizzie. Yes, these pulses are definitely easier than eating meat every day. Thanks
Dannii
It is so cold here. I could do with a bowl of this to warm me up. With bread of course.
Veena Azmanov
Thanks, Dannii. Yes, it is perfect for cold weather.