Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
(creamy, high-protein, kid-friendly)
This instant pot split pea soup is the kind of recipe I make on a weekday morning before work and come home to a pot of dinner already done. Dried green split peas, potato, carrot, onion and garlic, pressure-cooked into a thick, creamy soup that’s high in plant protein, naturally smooth, and gentle enough for young kids. The whole thing takes about 40 minutes start to bowl, and most of that is the pressure cooker doing its own thing.
Instant pot split pea soup, creamy, green and topped with crunchy croutons
Why This Soup Earns Its Spot in the Rotation
If you have a pressure cooker, this is one of the highest-return recipes you can make. Dried split peas are cheap, shelf-stable, and very high in plant protein. Combined with potato, carrot and onion, you get a soup that’s filling, naturally creamy without a drop of dairy, and genuinely good for you. It’s also one of the few soups I’ll happily feed to my kids: smooth texture, no big chunks to argue with, and savoury enough that they actually finish the bowl.
The pressure cooker is what makes this a weekday recipe instead of a weekend one. Dried split peas normally need an hour-plus of simmering to break down. In an instant pot you get there in 15 minutes of pressure-cook time, and the soup ends up creamier because the peas break apart more aggressively under pressure than they ever do on a stovetop.
The Ingredients, Up Close
Nothing exotic here, this is a pantry-and-fridge recipe. The only thing worth being a bit picky about is the stock: a homemade chicken bone broth will make this soup taste twice as good as the same recipe with water and powder. If you have some in the freezer, this is the perfect place to use it.
How to Make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup, Step by Step
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes, carrots and onion. The pieces don’t need to be neat or even because everything gets blended at the end. Aim for chunks roughly the size of a grape.
- Roughly chop the garlic. Give the split peas a quick rinse under cold water and pick out any stones or shrivelled peas.
- Set your pressure cooker to saute mode (or heat it on the stovetop without the lid). Add olive oil and the chopped onion, garlic, carrot and potato. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to smell sweet.
- Add the split peas, a generous pinch of salt, black pepper and the chicken powder (if using). Stir well so everything is coated in the oil and seasoning.
- Pour in the chicken stock (or water + chicken powder). Bring everything up to a boil with the lid off, then turn off the saute mode.
- Give it one last stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any caught bits. This matters more than it sounds: trapped browned bits at the bottom can trigger a burn warning on electric pressure cookers.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing (or to the vegetable setting on a stovetop pressure cooker), and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- On a stovetop pressure cooker, the pot will hiss gently once it reaches pressure. Start your 15-minute timer the moment that steady hissing begins, not before. On an instant pot, the timer starts automatically once pressure is reached.
- When the 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat (stovetop) or let the instant pot switch to keep-warm. Leave the pot completely alone for at least 10 minutes to let the pressure drop on its own. This is called natural release.
- After 10 minutes, carefully turn the valve to the venting position to release any remaining steam. Only open the lid once all the steam has escaped and the pressure indicator has fully dropped.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot. I like to leave it a little rustic with a few small bits of vegetable still visible, but you can blend it fully smooth if you prefer.
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. If the soup feels too thick (it shouldn’t, but it depends on your peas) thin it with a splash of hot water or stock.
Serving It Up
This soup is properly hearty on its own, but the right toppings turn a good bowl into a great one. I keep it simple: a generous handful of crunchy croutons, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a heavy crack of black pepper. The croutons are non-negotiable for me, they cut through the smooth, thick soup and give every spoonful contrast.
For a more substantial meal, serve it with a slice of crusty no-knead bread or a side of homemade buns. Both are built for tearing and dipping.
Tips for the Best Split Pea Soup
- 🫛 Don’t soak the peas: Unlike chickpeas or beans, split peas don’t need pre-soaking. They cook down in the pressure cooker without any prep beyond a quick rinse.
- 🥄 Use real stock if you can: The single biggest upgrade to this recipe is using homemade chicken bone broth instead of water + powder. The soup goes from good to memorable.
- 🧂 Salt at the start, then adjust: Salting during the saute step helps the vegetables release their flavour. Always re-taste after blending though, peas absorb salt and you’ll often need a final pinch.
- 🥕 Roughly chop, don’t dice: Tiny dice is wasted effort here because everything gets blended. Save yourself 5 minutes.
- 👶 Kid-friendly version: If you’re feeding young kids, blend the soup fully smooth and skip the croutons (or serve them on the side). The smooth texture and mild savoury flavour go down easily.
- ❄️ Freeze in portions: This soup freezes brilliantly. Cool it fully, then freeze in single-serve containers. Reheats from frozen straight in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Drop a comment below and let me know how your instant pot split pea soup turned out. If you tried it with homemade bone broth, with yellow peas, or with a vegetarian swap, I would love to hear about it. If this kind of low-effort, big-payoff soup is your thing, the Chinese chicken corn soup is another one worth trying. Tag your photos and show off that bowl.