Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
This Instant Pot Split Pea Soup cooks quickly and is so delicious! Vegetables, fiber, and flavorful seasonings come together to make a hearty vegan dish that the whole family will enjoy.
There is nothing like a warm bowl of Instant Pot Pea Soup for a cold winter’s day with carrots, celery, potatoes, and a smoky Southern flavor.
I never dreamt it would be so cold in Florida this time of the year, and all I can think of making is soups with my Instant Pot. If you haven’t tried my Instant Pot Lentil Soup and my Instant Pot Rice and Peas, these recipes are a must-try, I have been getting great feedback on them.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I have you covered! Check out my stovetop Split Pea Soup.
By using the Instant Pot method, you can avoid soaking the peas and standing over the stove for more than an hour. This is a simple and quick method for making vegetarian split pea soup. It’s a substantial, nutritious soup that tastes delicious and fills you up.
Since the flavor is largely imparted by the pressure cooking process, the ingredients and seasonings are kept simple in this recipe as well.
There are some recipes that I just can’t stop posting on this site because they’re so good. Even though I’ve never eaten split pea soup before, soups don’t generally excite me to this extent, so I was surprised by how much I like this recipe.
Ham is a common ingredient in home-cooked split pea soup recipes, giving it a wonderful, smoky flavor. I wanted to generate a mild smokiness without the use of ham, the smoky flavor of smoked paprika is the ideal way to do so.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Oil-Free Recipe: No need for oil in this soup, making it healthier.
- Easy Preparation: Just add ingredients and let the Instant Pot work, no constant checking required.
- Weight Loss-Friendly: Perfect for New Year weight loss goals, high in fiber and satisfying.
- Thick and Hearty: It thickens upon cooling, can be reheated with extra vegetable broth, and frozen for later.
- Low in Weight Watchers Points: Only 1 point per serving.
- Smoky Flavor Options: Enhance the taste with smoked paprika, liquid smoke, or 1 sliced gluten-free vegan Tofu Pups.
- Creamy Texture: Achieved without a blender as the split peas break down in the Instant Pot.
- Quick Cooking: Ready in just 30 minutes compared to 90-100 minutes on the stovetop.
- Make Ahead: Ideal for busy days, improves when reheated, and can be prepared in advance.
Ingredients Needed
- Dried Split Peas: The main ingredient that gives the soup its heartiness and texture.
- Vegetable Broth (or Water with Vegetable Bouillon): Provides the liquid base for the soup, adding flavor and moisture.
- Onion, Green Onions, and Garlic: Aromatic ingredients that enhance the soup’s flavor.
- Carrots, Celery, and Potato: Vegetables that contribute to the soup’s texture, flavor, and nutrition.
- Bay Leaf, Smoked Paprika, Dried Basil, Fresh Thyme: Seasonings that add depth and aroma to the soup.
- Nutritional Yeast Flakes: Adds a subtle cheesy flavor to the soup.
- Tofu Pups (optional): An alternative to traditional ham for a mild smoky flavor.
- Cayenne Pepper: Provides a touch of heat, if desired.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the soup.
FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS, SCROLL TO SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END.
How To Make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and set the pressure release valve to Sealing.
- Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cooking time to 15 minutes at high pressure.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
- Move the Pressure Release to ‘Venting’ to release any remaining steam. Open the pot and stir and serve!
Expert Tips
- If the liquid evaporates, add more water or broth! The liquid in pea soup reduces while it cooks because of its thicker consistency, but occasionally this reduction may be too great. Always have some additional broth or filtered water on hand to keep it from drying out! If you add excess liquid, slowly simmer until the soup thickens again.
- Broth or water? I prefer to use low-sodium vegetable broth as the base for split pea soup because it imparts a much more flavorful flavor! If the broth is not available, you can substitute filtered water. Or you can combine half filtered water and half broth! However, as was previously mentioned, always prepare this soup with enough liquid on hand.
- Over time, your soup will become thicker. At the closing of cooking, you’ll observe that your soup is rather loose. The soup thick
Substitutions and Variations
- Replace the pea with lentils: Although the soup won’t taste exactly the same, green lentils can be used in its place if necessary. Please be aware that because green lentils cook more quickly, the liquid amount and cooking time will vary.
- Go low carb: To make this wonderful Instant Pot split pea soup lower in carbs, skip the potato and substitute two chopped red bell peppers instead.
Serving Suggestions
Even while this protein-rich soup is filling on its own, I like to add some baked smokey tofu on top for extra nutrition, flavor, and texture.
If you don’t want to use tofu, you may sprinkle some Roasted Edamame or prepare some crispy Gluten-Free Garlic Knots to serve with your soup.
This soup also tastes delicious with Gram Flour flatbread (Besan Roti).
Storage Tips
Make Ahead
This soup is ideal for preparing meals for the week and beyond. I’ve provided some storage advice below to aid with some solid suggestions for freezing and chilling.
Using pre-chopped carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion will help you speed up the process. You might also want to soak your lentils.
Refrigerator
Place the soup in airtight containers after it has totally cooled. It should last for five to six days if kept in the refrigerator.
Freezer
I advise storing the soup in smaller, individual containers so it will be simpler to thaw and reheat the exact amount you need. Frozen soup can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Reheat
To reheat, defrost thoroughly from frozen, then reheat on the stovetop with additional vegetable broth until the desired consistency is achieved. Adjust the salt and herbs to your personal preference.
Recipe FAQs
Split peas are a legume family member. They are dried field peas without the outer skin. They are then divided in two. In the beans area of your local grocery store, split peas are simple to get. They are frequently offered in handy one-pound bags, which are enough for this soup.
Soaking them is not strictly necessary, especially when you are using an instant pot or pressure cooker. I generally advise this technique because it can help shorten the amount of time food is cooked on the stovetop. If you don’t have time to soak the split peas overnight, you can make a quick soak by adding rinsed split peas to a bowl of boiling water and letting it sit for an hour before you begin the dish.
There could be several causes for this, but the main one is that the split peas you have used are old. Older beans, such as chickpeas and lentils, are more difficult to prepare and take a lot longer to soften. Depending on the desired consistency, unsoaked peas can be cooked for anywhere between one and two hours.
This vegan dish of split pea soup is rich in protein and fiber due to the split peas. They are also rich in potassium, folate, and iron. Particularly, potassium is connected with maintaining healthy blood pressure, therefore ingesting enough amounts potassium-rich foods such as split peas can be advantageous.
Split peas typically have little fat, but because they are starchy, they are heavy in carbohydrates. This soup generally isn’t the ideal choice for you to eat if you’re following a ketogenic diet. Split peas, on the other hand, might be a wise choice occasionally if you’re trying to reduce your carb intake. ​
Split peas can be cooked on a stovetop for between 60 and 90 minutes. The best ways to prepare it quickly, in my opinion, are in an instant pot (25 minutes).
Soaking them before cooking may be of great assistance. Dried beans, lentils, and split peas have complex sugars that are hard for our bodies to digest. Flatulence and bloating might occur as a result of the gas that is released when these substances are ingested. Soaking, rewashing, and draining help in the release of some of these sugars into the water.
Other Delicious Vegan Soup Recipes
- Vegan Tomato Soup
- Zucchini Soup
- Red Peas Soup
- Vegan White Bean Soup
- Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Soup
- Carrot And Celery Soup
- 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
- Vegan Potato Leek Carrot Soup
This simple, nutritious soup with delicate tastes is extremely satiating and filling. The best part is that you can change it up and jazz it up to your heart’s content, and it will still taste fantastic.
If you prepare this Instant Pot Split Pea Soup, please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried split peas sorted and rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable broth or 6 cups water plus 2 vegetable bouillon
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 medium potato chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 Tofu pups hot dog cut into coins (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cover Instant Pot and set the pressure release valve to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Move the Pressure Release to ‘Venting’ to release any remaining steam. Open the pot and stir and serve!
Wow… best and easiest split pea soup- ever! Loved that it was so creamy without any blending! Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this ?
Celia, I am so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your feedback.
This is an awesome soup! It’s hearty and full of flavor. I have always loved split pea soup but it was always with ham (before I turned vegan), giving it that punch of smoky flavor. So the only alteration I made with your recipe was to add in 1 TB of Orrington Farms Vegan Ham Flavored Broth Base to the veggie broth. The house smells amazing with the smoky ham & pea soup aroma. Fantastic tasting soup! Thank you so much!
Thank you very much for your amazing comment. I have never heard of that vegan ham flavored broth base and it sounds amazing, I can imagine the scent. I bet my White Bean Soup recipe would taste amazing with that ham flavored broth base.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. Delicious! The cook time is not accurate though… 15 min prep, 10-15 min to come to pressure, 15 min cook, 0-20 min pressure release.
I will definitely make this again. Immediate quick release resulted in really firm lentils, so next time I’ll wait five min.
I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I made this last night and it turned out delicious! My boyfriend (who is in the service industry) said it was restaurant quality. I use the Better Than Boullion No Chicken Base for the broth. I’m eating it for lunch right now and it really thickens up over time. I’ll be making this again! Thanks :)
That’s awesome Amber, thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so happy you both enjoyed it. Love that bouillon.
Made this today and it was very good thank you for posting this recipe.
Hello Jill, I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for your feedback.
I made this soup last week, and it came out great. I used homemade veg broth, which I think makes all the difference. Thank you for this worth-saving recipe!
Thank you Linda, I’m happy you enjoyed it. Yes homemade broth is the best because some of the store brands have messed up my dishes so I learned the hard way.
I made this soup. It came out mushy even on 7 mins pressure time. Learned not to trust pressure times w/my instapot. Next time I’ll try 5 mins.
I liked the soup after adding a touch of agave, salt, and smoked paprika to each bowl. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I just made this soup and really love its flavor! It was pretty thick so I used 4 cups low sodium veggie broth and 4 cups of water. I didn’t add any additional salt, but I did add generous dashes of black pepper and white pepper. I’ll be coming back to this one, and trying your other recipes, too! Thanks!
Thank you Lauren for your feedback, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Hi Michele, I don’t have the yeast on hand. Should I wait til I get it? Does it change the flavor much? I think not.
Elyse, you don’t need to wait. It will taste just as good without it.
Terrific! I made half the recipe, which is so delicious maybe you should say it’s 6 servings. I substituted pearl barley for 1/8 of the split peas. No potatoes. Maybe ibshoukdchsve cooked it 5 or ten minutes longer. Anyway, we liked it. (And I don’t add salt to mine).
Elyse. I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you, I’ll have to revisit this recipe and make adjustments.
I have finally found my go-to recipe for split pea soup! I’ve tried many different recipes over the years, and never made one more than once. This soup came out with much better flavor than all the others. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us : )
Christine, you have made my day. Thank you so much for your feedback, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.