30-Minute Pressure Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated Apr. 17, 2020
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Split pea soup or something projected out of Linda Blair's mouth? Photograph and video: J. Kenji López-Alt
1:11

Why It Works

  • The pressure cooker cuts the peas' cooking time in half, while adding more flavor.
  • Rapidly releasing the pressure causes the contents of the pressure cooker to vigorously boil, turning the soup creamy with no need for a blender.

The pressure cooker makes short work of pea soup, cooking the dried peas in half the time it would traditionally take and doing all the work of the blender as well. Rich, creamy comfort is just half an hour away.

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Recipe Facts

4.8

(20)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 6 to 8 servings

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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 6 ounces; 170g)

  • 1 large rib celery, finely diced (about 4 ounces; 125g)

  • 6 ounces (170g) ham steak, diced (see note)

  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 pound (450g) dried green split peas

  • 6 cups (1.5L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, or water

  • 2 bay leaves

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Melt butter in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and ham and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

  2. Add peas, chicken stock or water, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, then cover pot and bring to high pressure. Cook for 20 minutes, then rapidly release pressure by opening the air valve. Open pot lid, stir contents until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve. Carefully clean the pressure cooker's gasket and valves as soon as the pot is cool enough to handle; pea soup can easily clog valves, which can cause your cooker to over-pressurize the next time you use it. Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Special equipment

Electric countertop pressure cooker or stovetop pressure cooker (get our full review)

Notes

You can use a whole cured or smoked ham hock in place of the diced ham, or bacon or pancetta, if you prefer. If you use a hock, pick off the meat after cooking in step 2 and add it back to the soup, discarding the bone.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
288 Calories
6g Fat
40g Carbs
21g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 288
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 867mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 14%
Dietary Fiber 15g 53%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 11mg 55%
Calcium 50mg 4%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 769mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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