Use a leftover ham bone to make this comforting Instant Pot Ham Bone Soup! Pressure cooking this meal will have dinner done in less than an hour.
Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve been slightly obsessed with my Instant Pot Duo for the past few months. I LOVE MY INSTANT POT! How did I ever live without it? I
was praying that my mother-in-law would give me her ham bone on Easter this year because Instant Pot + ham bone = happy Megan. In previous years I have made other delicious ham bone recipes like this Crockpot Ham Bone Soup.
I immediately went to work making this Instant Pot Ham Bone Soup and it turned out SO DELICIOUS. Ask my husband. I could not stop raving about this hearty meal. I wish ham bones would start falling from the sky.
If you have a ham bone in your fridge or freezer, I’m begging you to use it to make this yummy soup. It is super easy and you will be blown away by the flavor. Plus, no stove top necessary! Need I say more?
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HAM BONE SOUP
STEP 1
Set your Instant Pot to the saute function. Heat the olive oil and add garlic, carrots, onion, parsley, salt and pepper and saute for 3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
STEP 2
Add a ham bone to the pot, along with the chopped ham, potatoes, corn, kidney beans, diced tomatoes and chicken stock or broth. Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 10 minutes on high pressure (select the soup setting).
It will take the Instant Pot around 28 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
STEP 3
When cooking is done, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Do a quick release and remove the cover.
STEP 4
Using a tongs, carefully transfer the ham bone to a cutting board. Use a fork to remove remaining meat from the bone. Return meat to the pot and discard the bone. Stir and serve!
RECIPE NOTES FOR INSTANT POT HAM BONE SOUP
- Swap out the large Russet potato in the recipe with 2 red potatoes or 2 yukon gold potatoes, if desired.
- Replace the chicken broth or stock with equal amounts of beef broth or bone broth!
- Ham hocks are not the same thing as ham bones, although ham hocks will work with this recipe. You won’t get as much meat from the bone, but you’ll still get plenty of flavor from it.
- If you are unable to find a ham bone at the store, you’ll likely be able to find a ham hock or even a smoked ham hock (even better!).
- Add a bay leaf or two to the pot for an added touch of flavor. Just remember to pull it out before serving!
- Just a little warning about how long it takes for this recipe to come to pressure. It takes almost 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. See next paragraph for an explanation on this!
- This recipe fills up a 6-quart electric pressure cooker VERY full, so keep an eye on that max fill line.
- There is 1 cup of chopped ham in the ingredient list, but if you have an extra meaty ham bone ignore adding the extra ham to the pot.
- Add a finely chopped jalapeno pepper to the garlic during sauteing to make this a spicy soup!
WHY DOES IT TAKE MY INSTANT POT SO LONG TO HEAT UP?
The time leading up to actual cook time may seem long and even confusing (“What is going ON in there?!”), but it’s an important part of the process! The Instant Pot is working on building up the appropriate amount of pressure that it will be cooking the food at.
It handles liquids and solids differently and also fresh and frozen differently, so the time can vary. Most recipes take between 10 and 25 minutes to build up pressure.
USING DRIED BEANS VS CANNED BEANS
There are benefits of using both dried and canned beans. Dried beans are more affordable than canned beans and they do not come with the added starchy liquids that canned beans do.
Canned beans are quick and easy and do not require pre-soaking, decreasing the amount of time spent on a recipe.
Rinsing the beans: Before adding canned beans to a recipe, rinse with water and drain 2-3 times first.
Soaking the beans: Before adding dried beans to a recipe, soak them according the recommendations on the package.
Adjusting amounts: Use half the amount of dried beans in a recipe that calls for canned beans and use double the amount of canned beans in a recipe that calls for dried beans.
HOW TO FREEZE A HAM BONE
If you are the lucky recipient of a Christmas or Easter dinner ham bone, but you will not be able to use it in the following 3-4 days, freeze it! Place it in a resealable freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing it.
Make sure the bag is completely sealed. You can double bag for an added measure of freshness.
HOW TO THAW A HAM BONE
I recommend thawing a ham bone before using it in a recipe, although it is possible to use a frozen ham bone when time is limited. Allow extra time for cooking if you use a frozen bone.
When defrosting the bone first, place the entire plastic bag containing the bone in a bowl or sink filled with cold water until it has thawed. It can also defrost at room temperature or in the refrigerator, but will take more time.
BEST RECIPES TO MAKE IN AN INSTANT POT
The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker.
It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Ham Bone Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 ham bone cooked, leftover with meat still attached
- 1 cup ham chopped
- 1 Russet potato peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 15 oz kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken stock
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Heat the olive oil and add garlic, carrots, onion, parsley, salt and pepper and saute for 3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
- Add the ham bone to the pot, along with the chopped ham, potatoes, corn, kidney beans, diced tomatoes and chicken stock or broth. Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 10 minutes on high pressure (soup setting). It will take the IP around 28 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Do a quick release and remove the cover. Using a tongs, carefully transfer the ham bone to a cutting board. Use a fork to remove remaining meat from the bone. Return meat to the pot and discard the bone. Stir and serve!
Notes
- Swap out the large Russet potato in the recipe with 2 red potatoes or 2 yukon gold potatoes, if desired.
- Replace the chicken broth or stock with equal amounts of beef broth or bone broth!
- Ham hocks are not the same thing as ham bones, although ham hocks will work with this recipe. You won’t get as much meat from the bone, but you’ll still get plenty of flavor from it.
- If you are unable to find a ham bone at the store, you’ll likely be able to find a ham hock or even a smoked ham hock (even better!).
- Add a bay leaf or two to the pot for an added touch of flavor. Just remember to pull it out before serving!
- Just a little warning about how long it takes for this recipe to come to pressure. It takes almost 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. See next paragraph for an explanation on this!
I made this according to recipe but added 2 stalks of sliced celery and a cup of frozen mixed vegetables instead of the corn since I didn’t have any. After tasting the finished product, I put a couple of bay leaves in and 1/4 tsp thyme. It was delicious and super easy. Some of the other recipes called for much longer cooking times. Definitely will make again.
It’s great to use what you have on hand, makes the hot bowl of soup so satisfying! Thank you for sharing your tweaks!