This Instant Pot Ham & Beans is one of my favorite pressure cooker recipes and a great way to use up leftover holiday ham. A hearty bowl of ham and white bean soup is fast, healthy and perfect for cold days.
Not only does this white bean soup recipe taste amazing, but it's packed full of veggies and nutritious beans so it's really good for you too.
Hands on prep time for this leftover ham and bean soup is minimal - the Instant Pot does all the hard work for you.
This is a great recipe - the best thing is by using an Instant Pot you avoid having to do an overnight soak for the dry beans. Your soup will be ready in a fraction of the time.
I've made electric pressure cooker ham and beans, but if you don't have a pressure cooker, don't worry. I also include instructions for cooking on the stove top, oven and slow cooker later in the post.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Ham & Beans Ingredients
- How to Make Pressure Cooker Ham & Beans - Step-By-Step
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Variations & Substitutions for Pressure Cooker Bean Soup
- Tips & Tricks For Making Instant Pot Ham & Beans
- Pin This Instant Pot Ham & Beans Recipe For Later
- What Do You Think?!
- More Easy Recipe Ideas For Dinner
- Printable Recipe
- Instant Pot Ham & Beans
- Reader Comments & Ratings
Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup
- This recipe is a great way to use up leftover holiday ham.
- My pressure cooker bean soup tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to meld together and intensify.
- Double or treble this recipe if feeding a crowd.
- Delicious for lunch or a light weeknight dinner option, serve with a simple side of bread.
- Everything is cooked in one pot which saves on dishes.
Instant Pot Ham & Beans Ingredients
Find the full list and quantities in the recipe card below.
Ham - you can use any cooked ham in this soup. It's a great way to use up leftover ham over the holiday period. You can use regular ham or smoked ham, both will work. Also if you have a ham bone add that in too for real intensity of flavor.
Vegetables - I've used a combination of onion, celery, carrot and garlic in this soup, which I always like to add as a base for soup. However, you can add in any other veggies that you enjoy eating.
Broth - I've used chicken broth, but vegetable or ham broth would also work too.
Beans - I've used dried navy beans/haricot beans in this soup, but any variety of beans will work.
If you use soaked dried beans, decrease the liquid by one cup and reduce the cook time to 30 minutes.
If you use canned beans, decrease the water by ⅔ cups and adjust the cook time to 15 minutes.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Ham & Beans - Step-By-Step
Find the full printable recipe card below.
Use the sauté setting to cook diced onions, sliced celery and diced carrots in olive oil until they start to soften - around 5 to 10 minutes.
While the veggies soften, rinse dried navy beans and set them aside.
Once the veggie are soft, add minced garlic and tomato paste then cook and stir for a further minute. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
Add diced cooked ham, the rinsed beans, chicken broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Taste and check for seasoning, adjust if needed.
If you are using a ham bone, add this to the pot too.
Stir, close and latch the lid. Turn the valve to “SEAL” and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure cook mode for 40 minutes.
Once the program has finished, allow it to natural release for about 10 minutes and then do a quick release. Be careful opening the lid as the steam will be hot.
Check and adjust seasonings to taste, remove the ham bone if using and serve sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.
How to Make Ham & Beans in the Oven
This recipe is easily adapted if you want to make this Ham & Bean Casserole in the Oven.
I like to use my Dutch oven, but any lidded oven-proof pot will work. You will need to soak your beans overnight if using the oven to cook this soup. Then follow the recipe but instead of pressure cooking, cover with the lid and place in the oven at 300ºF/150ºC for 2-3 hours or until the beans are completely tender.
How to Make Stovetop Ham & Beans
The process for making this hearty meal on the stovetop is exactly the same but again, as with oven cooking, you will need to soak the beans overnight before cooking them.
Then just follow the same steps, cover the pot with a lid and allow to simmer very gently on low for 2-3 hours, or until the beans are tender.
How to Make Slow Cooker / Crock Pot Ham & Beans
To make Slow Cooker/Crockpot Ham & Beans, I would again suggest following the recipe using the browning setting on your slow cooker or starting the process in a heavy based pan on the stove.
Add the sautéed and other ingredients to the crock pot then cover with a lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until the beans are completely tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop my leftover ham and bean soup from tasting bland?
The best way to ensure your soup tastes delicious is to use a good quality chicken or vegetable broth, rather than just water. Also check the seasoning as you go along, the proper amount of salt and black pepper makes a real difference to the finished dish.
How do I increase the depth of flavor in my soup
If you have one, I like to add a leftover ham bone to this soup as this will really intensify the flavor of ham in the soup itself.
Fresh herbs also make a big difference, I've added fresh garlic, bay leaves and thyme to the soup, but you could also add fresh parsley.
I also like to add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, for just a touch of mild heat. You could also use some freshly chopped red chili.
Variations & Substitutions for Pressure Cooker Bean Soup
- You can use any white beans here, or pinto beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans or even black beans. Or try a mixture of beans.
- Smoked ham hock is also delicious to use. However, if using a smoked ham this may taste a little saltier, so test for flavor and add the salt as you go along.
Tips & Tricks For Making Instant Pot Ham & Beans
Make sure to season this soup well with salt and pepper as this builds flavor. Remember though, ham can be salty so taste as you go and you can add more at the end if needed.
I like to cut the ham in quite large pieces (although still bite sized) so it doesn't melt away whilst cooking.
Like all soups, this tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to intensify.
How To Serve Ham & White Bean Soup
This is definitely one of those hearty soups that is enough on it's own as you have everything here for a really filling one pot meal. Some garlic bread, focaccia or a little crusty bread to mop up the soup is a great bet.
How To Reheat Instant Pot Ham & Beans?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days. To re-heat place the soup in a saucepan and place over a medium heat to warm until piping hot.
When left to sit, this soup will thicken up so you may need to add an extra splash or two of water or broth to the soup when you heat it up again.
How to Freeze Ham & White Bean Soup?
Once cooked and cooled, store this soup in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, remove the soup from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator.
Pin This Instant Pot Ham & Beans Recipe For Later
What Do You Think?!
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More Easy Recipe Ideas For Dinner
Printable Recipe
Instant Pot Ham & Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion - yellow, diced
- 2 long ribs Celery - sliced
- 2 medium Carrots - diced
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste - aka tomato puree
- 2 cups Cooked Ham - diced, use any leftover or holiday ham
- 2 cups Dried Navy Beans/Haricot Beans
- 6 cups Chicken Broth - or vegetable broth
- 5 sprigs Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Optional
- Leftover Ham Bone - if you have one available
- Chopped Parsley - to garnish
Instructions
- Switch on the Instant Pot and select the sauté setting.
- Add the olive oil, diced onions, sliced celery and diced carrots and sauté until the veggies start to soften - around 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, rinse the beans and set them aside.
- Once the veggie are soft, add the minced garlic and tomato paste (puree) then cook and stir for a further minute. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
- Add the diced cooked ham, rinsed beans, chicken broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Taste and check for seasoning, adjust if needed.
- If you are using a ham bone, add this to the pot now too.
- Stir, close and latch the lid. Turn the valve to “SEAL” and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure cook mode for 40 minutes.
- Once the program has finished, allow it to natural release for about 10 minutes and then do a quick release. Be careful opening the lid as the steam will be hot.
- Check and adjust seasonings to taste, remove the ham bone if using and serve sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.
Chloe says
Such a delicious classic but I usually cheat with canned beans so using my instant pot with dried beans is a game changer!
Jo Keohane says
Don't resist the lure of the instant pot!! Hope you enjoy!!