Make ham and beans in your instant pot for a satisfying meal. It’s a great way to use leftover ham and there’s no need to soak the beans!
It is ham and bean soup season! This great pressure cooker recipe allows you to make it much more quickly than ever before.
You can have dinner ready in under two hours with no overnight soak. So get the cornbread ready!
A Perfect Use for Leftover Ham
Do you only have ham on holidays? That is definitely not our style.
I remember a friend being shocked when he at down at our dinner table one random Tuesday night and a spiral ham was waiting. We do enjoy a good ham, but it’s really about the leftovers!
There are so many great things you can make with what’s left after the first meal. If nothing else it elevates your sandwich game. Lunch meat has nothing on an actual slice of delicious ham!
But the meat isn’t the only valuable part of the ham, the bone just begs to be made into ham and bean soup!
Usually I make my ham and beans in the slow cooker. It is a great recipe because it’s a long slow cook, perfect for a workday. But I usually pre-soak the beans so it takes just a smidge of planning.
I recently upgraded my pressure cooker game and added a 6 quart instant pot to the mix. So I couldn’t wait to adapt my ham and beans recipe to a quicker instant pot version.
It worked beautifully! I started with dry beans, some simple seasonings and a ham hock. No planning needed!
I like to add fresh ham towards the end because I prefer the texture and flavor that way. So after an hour of cooking, I removed the bone and bay leaf and added cubed ham.
Just 5 more minutes of cooking is all you need to get soft beans, a creamy broth and perfectly cooked ham. Just remember to get those corn muffins or beer bread in the oven so you’ll be ready!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the cook time so long?
You may notice that I am telling you to cook the beans for longer than the instant pot guides suggest for beans. The extra cook time makes the beans buttery soft which is how we like them in this soup.
Some of them will even disintegrate a bit and thicken the broth, which again is just how we like it. Feel free to shorten the cook time a bit if you like your beans to have a little chew left.
In order to make up for the extended cook time, I cook the beans with the ham bone for flavor but reserve the meat to be added in later. That way the meat isn’t overcooked but the beans are flavorful and delicious.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I’d imagine you could shave off some cook time if you did soak your beans first. You could soak them while you work and cook dinner quickly when you get home!
How do you thicken ham and beans?
This recipe usually makes nice thick ham and beans because of the longer cook time. If your broth is thinner than you’d like, just mash a few of the beans.
The starch from the beans will help make the broth thick and creamier! Also, the soup will thicken as it cools a bit and leftovers will be thicker as well.
What if my soup is too thick?
If you open your pressure cooker and the soup is thicker than you’d like, just stir in a little water or chicken stock until you reach your desired consistency.
Can I add carrots or celery to my soup?
Of course! We like our ham and bean soup to really focus on the ham and beans, but feel free to add carrots and celery to the mix if you want. Just toss them in your pressure cooker along with the beans and ham bone and let it do its thing.
You can also add additional herbs and spices if you desire. Some people add a pinch of cloves, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or a little bit of thyme to the broth.
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Can I use different beans in my ham and bean soup?
Sure! If you want to use pinto beans, another kind of white bean or even a 15 bean soup mix of beans feel free. The basic cooking directions won’t change.
Can I make ham and bean soup without a ham bone?
Yes! It is possible to make perfectly delicious soup without the bone.
While the bone adds richness and depth to the broth, it is not absolutely necessary. You can buy cubed ham or dice a couple of ham steaks if you would like.
I would use a rich chicken broth in place of the water if forgoing the bone though. That will help to bring that depth of flavor.
Optional Add-ins
We love this soup as written. It is simple and really allows the ham and beans to shine.
However, you can easily add in more vegetables if you would like. Feel free to toss in some celery and carrots with the onion.
You could also stir in a can of chopped tomatoes if desired to give a 15 bean soup feel. Just wait until the beans are cooked before you stir it in.
Adding acid before the beans are cooked may prevent them from softening. So just be aware of that.
Storage
Store leftover soup in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Ham and bean soup also freezes really well.
Ham and Beans in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 pounds dry great northern beans
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 8 cups water
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1½ cups ham in about half inch cubes
Instructions
- Place 2 pounds dry great northern beans, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1 meaty ham bone, 8 cups water, and 1 large onion in your Instant Pot. Cover with water.
- Cook on high pressure for 1 hour, then quick release the pressure.
- Remove bone and bay leaf.
- Stir in 1½ cups ham and pressure cook for another 5 minutes. Quick release the steam again.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Serve with cornbread or beer bread if desired.
Notes
Video
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This turned out delicious!! I adjusted amount of water slightly for the size of bag of Pinto beans I used. I used 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ham seasoning that came with the beans. Followed everything else as written and it turned out perfect! Best ham and beans I’ve ever made!
That makes me so happy!! I am glad they were a hit!
Excellent base recipe, thank you! I made some adjustments for my own tastes and supplies, but this was a very helpful guide. I served it to some people who don’t usually like beans much, and even they raved about it!
I used homemade chicken stock and for the ham used cubed, thick-cut deli ham. I cooked the beans in the IP for an hour. In the meantime, I sautéed the ham, some celery, and an onion on the stove. Then when the beans were done, I added that sautéed mixture to the IP and gave it all 15 minutes under pressure. I also puréed about a cup of the cooked beans in the chicken stock to thicken it all up at the end. On top of the recipes seasonings, I also included onion powder and a pinch of cayenne.
This will be a regular for me! 🙂
That sounds like a great way to make them. I am so glad they were a hit!
Came out delicious and was so easy to customize to my families liking. Used 1lb northern beans and 1lb kidney beans. sautéed onions, carrots and celery for added flavor and used roasted beef better than bouillon for the base since I didn’t have a ham bone. Once it was done, I seasoned to taste and added one cup of chicken broth to improve consistency. I cubed cooked ham and added it in until heated through. Definitely satisfied my craving!
Yay! I am so glad you liked it. Your version sounds fabulous!
Love this recipe. I use a pork hock instead of a hammock. Less salty.
I am so glad you like it! And great tip about the pork hock.
The beans did not come out to creamy consistency. After an hour in the Instant Pot they were dry looking and lots of liquid.
That shouldn’t have happened. Sometimes beans just won’t go no matter how hard you try, especially if they are older. Or maybe some acid got in with the beans before they were cooked? Either way, I am sorry it didn’t work out for you.
I tried this Ham & Bean recipe this evening and it turned out well. Could have used another cup or two of water as in my 8-quart Insta-pot the beans were still slightly under cooked and very little broth. I will adjust on my next batch and add a little more onion than the half of a large one I used this time. Overall, a good and easy way to get a pot of Ham & Beans. I was very pleased! Thank You.
I am glad you liked it!
If I only cook 1lb do I need to 1/2 the water?
Correct. You may need to add just a little extra liquid to make it a soup consistency, but that’s a great place to start.
Made these today on this rainy, cloudy wet day here in South Georgia. They were absolutely delicious except to salty which was my fault. I didn’t have a ham bone so I used a good size pack of smoked ham hocks from the grocery store. I also used half chicken broth and half water for my fluid. I put the ham hocks in from the beginning, used half chicken broth and also put the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt the recipe called for which all of that together, was way to salty. Next time I will just use water, no broth and maybe not quite as much ham hock. I also put a pack of the Goya ham seasoning in it. I opened at an hour, took my bay leaf out, checked to make sure the ham was tender and put back on for another 15 minutes. At an hour, it was still pretty juicy and the beans had a little bit of a crunch to them still but after 15 more minutes, they were a perfect consistency. Creamy like you said. I will definitely use this recipe for dry beans in the future. So easy! I wish I could attach a picture!
I am so glad you liked them. It was perfect weather for ham and beans, so I bet they were a treat.
Fantastic! I was very surprised the dry beans cooked that fast in the instapot but they sure did. Tasted like ham and beans that had been cooked for 24 hours. Great quick comfort meal. The only thing I changed was adding some fresh thyme.
That makes me so happy, I am glad you liked them!
I usually soak dry beans over night or use canned beans. Can I use canned beans for this recipe if I don’t have time to soak dry beans over night?
Yes, you could. I would reduce the cooking time quite a bit. Probably 10 minutes would be plenty if you use canned beans and of course you would reduce the water as well. Though, you don’t have to soak the beans overnight if you are using this recipe. I do for my crockpot ham and beans, but I don’t for these Instant Pot beans.
@Carlee, Thank you! If they have dried ones I’ll grab them to try but I’ll make sure to reduce the time if I use canned beans