Make this Smoky Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup (Pressure Cooker Ham and Bean Soup). No need to pre-soak the pinto beans with dump-and-go option. Super easy to make and deliciously comforting to eat!
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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 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.
Time to cook Ham and Bean Soup in Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 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
Equipment
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Instructions
Option A - Dump & Go Version:
- Clean Pinto Beans: Pick & remove the bad pinto beans. In a mesh strainer, rinse & clean pinto beans under cold running tap water.
- Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup: 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 High Pressure for 50 minutes + 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.
- Garnish & Serve: Garnish with cilantro and minced tomatoes. If you want to spice it up, add in Jalapeno pepper.
Option B - Fancy Version:
- Clean Pinto Bean: Pick & remove the bad pinto beans. In a mesh strainer, rinse & clean pinto beans under cold running tap water.
- Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup: 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 High Pressure for 10 minutes + 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 High Pressure for 25 minutes + 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. - Garnish & Serve: Garnish with cilantro and minced tomatoes. If you want to spice it up, add in Jalapeno pepper.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Step-by-Step: Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
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
Option A – Dump & Go Version:
Clean Pinto Beans
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!
Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup
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.
Garnish & Serve Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
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:
Clean Pinto Beans
Pick & remove the bad pinto beans.
In a mesh strainer, rinse & clean pinto beans under cold running tap water.
Pressure Cook Ham and Bean Soup
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.
Garnish & Serve Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Garnish with cilantro and minced tomatoes. If you want to spice it up, add in Jalapeno pepper.
Other Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)
All Our Pressure Cooker Recipes
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