Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Any of you huge fans of the nice cool Fall/Autumn weather (aka Soup Season)?

Time to put away the tees & shorts, and dig out the Fall/Winter wardrobe!

But nothing beats a warm & flavorful bowl of homemade soup that satisfies the depths of our soul.

So, we’re more than thrilled to be working our way down our pages & pages long to-make list – and yes! It’s full of Instant Pot Soup Recipes!! 😀

What’s your favorite Instant Pot Soup?

Smoky Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup is one of our sweet readers’ favorites.

Rich smoky savory bean soup mixed with super moist, flavorful & tender ham. Love the combination & depths of flavors full of textures.

The Best part? No need to pre-soak or even quick soak the pinto beans!! How awesome is that?

You’ll Enjoy Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Because:

• Super easy to make with simple ingredients
• No need to pre-soak the pinto beans, and you can just dump-and-go!! Perfect for weeknights.
• Comforting, homey, smoky, and delicious

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Mini Experiment

What we look for in a great bowl of Ham & Bean Soup?

• Texture: beans – fully cooked, a combination of tender with some chew + some being soft and slight mush (adds texture & body to the soup); soup – somewhat thick, full of body (not liquidy)
• Flavor: smoky, savory, balanced with depths of flavors

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Mini Experiment Results

Pressure Cooker: Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
Altitude: close to sea level
Pressure: High Pressure (10.15~11.6 psi)
Pressure Cooking Time: 30 mins, 50 mins
Release Method: Full Natural Release

We conducted 2+ tests with the same ingredients using different cooking times in our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Experiment Conclusions:

Using the results and insights from the above tests, we developed 2 options for making Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe:

Option A – Dump-and-Go Version: Easy no fuss method where you place all the ingredients in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, then set-it-and-forget-it. Season, garnish, and serve!

Option B – Fancy Version: Those who want to kick the soup up a notch can use this method. You divide the pinto beans in 2 sets and pour them into the pressure cooker at 2 separate times. You can enjoy the best of both worlds from the 2 above tests – an overall flavorful dish full of body & texture.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

• 1 (2lbs) smoked ham hock
• 2 cups (412g) pinto beans
• 1 (125g) small onion, sliced
• 6 (22g) garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 cups (1250ml) unsalted chicken stock or (3 cups (750ml) unsalted chicken stock + 2 cups (500ml) water)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• Kosher salt to taste

Garnish

• Cilantro & minced tomatoes
• Jalapeno pepper for spicy version

Tools for Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Fine Mesh Strainer

Instructions for Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Option A – Dump & Go Version:

Step 1
Clean Pinto Beans

2 cups (412g) pinto beans

Fine Mesh Strainer

Pick & remove the bad pinto beans.

In a mesh strainer, rinse & clean pinto beans under cold running tap water.

*Pro Tip: you won’t need to pre-soak or quick soak the pinto beans for this Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe!

Step 2
Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup

1 (2lbs) smoked ham hock
2 cups (412g) pinto beans
1 (125g) small onion, sliced
6 (22g) garlic cloves, crushed
5 cups (1250ml) unsalted chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch dried oregano
Kosher salt to taste

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Place 2 pounds smoked ham hock, sliced onion, crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 pinch dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cups (412g) pinto beans in your pressure cooker.

Pour in 5 cups (1250ml) unsalted chicken stock.

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 50 minutes, then Full Natural Release (roughly 20 minutes)

Open the lid carefully.

Thicken soup by giving it a few quick stirs with a wooden spoon. Taste and season with kosher salt.

Step 3
Garnish & Serve Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Cilantro & minced tomatoes
Optional: Jalapeno pepper

Garnish with cilantro and minced tomatoes. Serve & enjoy!! 🙂

*Pro Tip: cilantro adds freshness & fragrance while the minced tomatoes add a fresh crunch to your spoonful of Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup.

If you want to spice it up, add in Jalapeno pepper. 😀

Option B – Fancy Version:

Step 1
Clean Pinto Beans

2 cups (412g) pinto beans

Fine Mesh Strainer

Pick & remove the bad pinto beans.

In a mesh strainer, rinse & clean pinto beans under cold running tap water.

Step 2
Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup

1 (2lbs) smoked ham hock
2 cups (412g) pinto beans, divided
1 (125g) small onion, sliced
6 (22g) garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups (750ml) unsalted chicken stock + 2 cups (500ml) unsalted chicken stock or water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch dried oregano
Kosher salt to taste

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Place 2 pounds smoked ham hock, sliced onion, crushed garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 pinch dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, and 1 cups (206g) pinto beans in your pressure cooker.

Pour in 3 cups (750ml) unsalted chicken stock.

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 10 minutes, then Full Natural Release (roughly 15 minutes)

Open the lid carefully.

Pour in the remaining pinto beans (1cup) and 2 cups (500ml) of unsalted chicken stock or water.

Close lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 25 minutes, then Full Natural Release (roughly 20 minutes)

Open the lid carefully.

Thicken soup by giving it a few quick stirs with a wooden spoon. Taste and season with kosher salt.

*Pro Tip: this extra step of pressure cooking the pinto beans in 2 separate times will add texture, body, and depths of flavors. This creates an overall flavorful dish full of texture.

Step 3
Garnish & Serve Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Cilantro & minced tomatoes
Optional: Jalapeno pepper

Garnish with cilantro and minced tomatoes. If you want to spice it up, add in Jalapeno pepper.

Watch: How To Make Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

Can’t see the cooking video? Watch it here.

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Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Instant Pot Tomato Soup

Instant Pot Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)