Classic Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker recipe)
on Jan 15, 2019, Updated Apr 26, 2024
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Classic Ham and Bean Soup is a comfort food that is packed with flavor and protein. Featuring ham, vegetables, and dry great northern beans, this soup comes together easily in an hour thanks to the Instant Pot.
There is nothing better than warming up with this hearty soup on a cold day. Plus, it comes together in a snap and features so many classic ingredients like ham, dry great northern beans, carrots and celery. Make a big batch and keep it in the freezer to warm up when the craving hits.
Don’t let cooking dried beans scare you because they are so easy thanks to using a pressure cooker! No Instant Pot? This recipe also includes instructions for cooking Classic Ham and Bean Soup in a slow cooker and on the stovetop.
This soup is perfect with a piece of the Best Cornbread, a hunk of Sourdough or one of these Jumbo Dinner Rolls.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ham and bean soup is hearty, delicious, and packed with protein, fiber and nutrients thanks to the ham bone, beans, and vegetables.
- Once the little bit of prep work is done, you can just let the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker do most of the work.
- This soup is super budget-friendly but you would never know it because it tastes so great.
- It’s a great soup to double so you can freeze the leftovers and reheat whenever you need a quick hot meal.
Ingredients
- Olive oil or butter
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Hurst’s Hambeens Great Northern Beans: you can use another brand but it may not come with the seasoning packet used in this recipe
- Seasoning packet: that comes with the Great Northern Beans
- Broth: either chicken or vegetable is best in this soup
- Ham bone: or ham hocks or shanks
- Salt and pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Classic Ham and Bean Soup in an Instant Pot
- Step #1. Put your Instant Pot on the browning/sauté setting and sauté the onion in the butter or olive oil until the onion is tender. Then add the garlic and sauté for about a minute.
- Step #2. Place the rest of the ingredients (except the salt and pepper) in the Instant Pot, lock the lid and seal the vent, and cook on high pressure for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Step #3. Use the quick pressure release and remove the lid carefully. Take out the ham pieces, bones, and any extra meat.
- Step #4. Toss any inedible pieces, return the ham meat to the pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Recipe FAQs
You don’t have to soak the dry beans with this recipe. But if you do, soak them in water overnight or for 8 hours before using. If you soak your beans, reduce the broth in the recipe to 7 cups.
To make this recipe on the stovetop, sauté the onion and garlic as directed and then add everything else to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook covered, stirring often until the beans are tender, about 4 hours.
To make ham and bean soup in a slow cooker, sauté the garlic and onion as directed in a pan on the stovetop and then add everything to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender.
You can use any ham or pork product of your choice such as ham hocks or shanks. Or the next time you make a ham, toss your ham bone in a zipper-topped freezer bag after dinner and keep it there until you’re ready to make soup.
Yep! All the ingredients are all naturally gluten-free, including the seasoning packet that comes in Hurst’s Hambeens great northern beans. Just be sure to verify the ingredients you use are gluten free.
Expert Tips
- It’s important to sort and rinse dry beans any time you use them because sometimes they contain small rocks.
- This recipe was tested with and without seasoning packet, and it has a great smoky flavor with the packet.
- If you are sensitive to salt, try adding only half of the seasoning and adjusting additional salt to your liking.
- For a thicker soup, blend it for just a few seconds with an immersion blender or blend 2 cups of the soup in a traditional blender and then return it to the pot.
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Classic Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker recipe)
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 min
- Yield: Serves 8
Description
Classic Ham and Bean Soup is a comfort food that is packed with flavor and protein. Featuring ham, vegetables, and dry great northern beans, this soup comes together easily in an hour thanks to the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3–4 carrots, diced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bag Hurst’s Hambeens Great Northern Beans (20 ounces), rinsed and sorted
- Seasoning packet that comes with the Great Northern Beans
- 8 cups broth (chicken or vegetable is best)
- 2 pounds ham hocks, shanks, or leftover ham bone
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Select browning/saute to preheat the pressure cooker. Add the olive oil or butter and onion, celery, and carrots. Saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add washed and sorted Great Northern beans to the pot, add the seasoning packet, and the broth. Stir to combine.
- Add the ham hocks, shanks, or ham bone to the pot.
- Lock the lid in place, make sure the vent is set to seal, and select high pressure and 40 minute cook time.
- When the cooking time ends, use the quick pressure release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully.
- Remove the ham pieces and bones and place them on a plate. Remove any extra meat and discard the non-edible pieces. Return the ham meat to the pot and stir to combine.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve hot
Notes
- The 40-minute cooking time lends to beans that still have plenty of structure and chew. If you like a softer cooked bean, cook for 50 minutes.
- This is the fastest way to make this recipe. If you have the time, feel free to let the Instant Pot do a “natural pressure release” at the end of the cooking time.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can ham and bean soup in a slow cooker. Sauté the garlic and onion as directed in a pan on the stovetop and then add everything to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender.
- The seasoning packet adds great flavor (and I have tested this recipe without it and preferred the soup with the seasoning packet).
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
OY! Beans were too hard at 40 minutes. So, I turned it back on for 3 minutes, knowing that I had to run to take care of my grandson for a few hours. I figured it would just go to warm and be just fine. I set it for 3 HOURS. It still had an hour to go when I got back. Needless to say, it’s overdone. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I wanted. I think I probably got all the marrow out of that ham bone. 😉
So the first time I made this, it worked fine. Second time, beans were too hard (45 min on high). Any ideas?
That is SO weird. I’m going to think about this. If that is an issue for you though, I’d let them cook for 45 minutes and then let them sit 10 or 15 minutes at the natural pressure release before moving the valve to release the pressure. That few extra minutes should fix it.
I’m concerned About lectines and antinutrients present in the beans. Usually you soak dried beans and then cook them for 15-20 min and then change the cooking water and then cook until water doesn’t foam anymore. How is the thought process with the instant pot way?
I’d soak your beans like you normally do and reduce the cooking time in the instant pot by half and see where that gets you! And I’d only drop the water/liquid by a cup or two, you’ll still need quite a bit.
I’ll be using an instant pot. Thank you so much!!
I’d like to add rice to this recipe. Any suggestions on the best way to do that?
Are you making it in the IP or slow cooker? For the slow cooker I’d just add extra water (enough for the right amount of rice) at the beginning and then add the rice an hour or so before it’s done. For the IP I would cook it 5 minutes shy of the time listed, open it up, add the water and rice and cook for an additional 4 minutes with a 15 minute NPR. Does that help? Holler if you have more questions!
The soup looks hearty and so delicious, Melissa! Cornbread would be a must for me to have with this soup.
Ooh, yes. That would be delicious with this soup. My cornbread recipe would be perfect with this!