Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 590cal

Place the bacon in the Instant Pot and set it to ‘sauté’ mode. Cook the bacon until soft but not yet crispy.
Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, stirring until fragrant.
The bottom of the pot should still have quite a bit of leftover fat from the bacon. If not, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil before adding the split peas.
Stir in the split peas, then pour in 6 cups of the chicken stock, reserving the remainder for later use.
Add the ham and thyme sprigs and seal the lid.
Select the ‘soup/broth’ mode on the Instant Pot set to ‘normal’ high pressure. Cook for 20 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, pour the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock into a medium bowl. Add the frozen peas and blend with an immersion (or stick) blender until smooth.
Open the lid, discard the sprigs of thyme, and pour the blended peas (1 cup at a time) into the Instant Pot until you have reached the desired color and consistency.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken before serving.
Serve with optional baguette slices, cubed bread, or parsley.

5 from 1 vote

Try to select the fattiest slices of bacon, as the bacon fat oil is needed to fry the onion, carrot, and celery mixture.
I used regular chicken stock; if using low-sodium stock, adjust the salt to taste.
If you have ham bone or hock, you can use it instead of the diced smoked ham. It will give you the same delicious outcome.
If your thyme sprigs are dense, then reduce the amount of sprigs to 2. You can substitute the fresh thyme sprigs with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35