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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What size insta pot did you use for this recipe? I have a 3 quart.
I usually use a 6 quart Instant Pot. I would definitely cut the recipe in half if you are using a smaller one. There is a button in the recipe card that will do the math for you. Use the same cook time.
Very good. Used a nice meaty ham bone, from our Christmas butt portion ham. Jazzed it up a bit, added 2 cups celery, 1½ cups chopped carrots, 6 small yellow onions chopped, used navy beans vs great northerns, cooked for 75 minutes.
It was very good.
That sounds fabulous!
I made this last night and we had a very tasty and happy meal. I did just a bit of adjusting for my taste, like adding 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water. I also used 2 cups of chopped ham and two small pieces of smoked ham bones, because I like mine meaty, and wasn’t sure if I would cook an extra protein (pork chops). I finally got that pot liquor the way I wanted it. I boosted the time to 1.25 hours. It all came out great and with so few ingredients.
Thanks!!!
Sounds fabulous!
Looking for a nice hot lunch as New England is starting to get cool for the year and I had a ham bone and some left over ham from last nights dinner so this hit the spot. Great consistency and flavor. Like others I added some sautéed celery and carrots to the cook and also took the suggestion in the recipe about adding some diced tomatoes at the end and it really came out as a great all around meal that even my pickiest eater child devoured
It’s always good when even the picky eaters dig in!
This was a very good recipe… I did tweek’ just a bit…. sautéed Onions Celery, CeleryLeaves and a whole clover of garlic in a bit of butter and added Shredded Cabbage, and a 1/4 Cup of Barley… with the extra Ham… hubby loved it!
Yum! Those all sound like excellent additions!
Easy peasy! Delicious!
Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. I had a bone-in ham with some meat still on it that I wanted to make ham and beans with, and your recipe fit the bill. I cut the remaining meat off the bone and cubed it, put the beans, onion, and some carrots in the instant pot and let it cook! I put my seasonings in when I put in my extra ham. I too had to add more water, filling my 6 qt to the fill line added enough. Tasted great.
And this is the perfect season for it!
This was so delicious and easy. I added diced potatoes to it.
Yum!
This is a great recipe! I’ve never cooked dry beans any other way than on the stovetop in a cast iron pot. I’m thrilled to saute’ & pressure cook in my Instant Pot!
There is something cozy about doing them in a pot on the stove, but this way is so much easier! I am glad you liked them!
Just like when I was growing up. The whole family loved it. Served with drop biscuits. Cornbread would have been better. Thank you for posting!
I am so happy you liked it!