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This Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup is made with diced ham and creamy potatoes and comes together quickly in just 30 minutes in the pressure cooker! It’s a hearty and filling one pot meal and a great way to use leftover holiday ham.
It’s soup season and if you love to warm up with a comforting bowl of soup, you’ll love this creamy ham and potato soup. It’s filled with tender chunks of potato and veggies as well as savory diced ham.
If you know me, you know I love to use my Instant Pot to make soups. It makes the process so easy as most recipes are dump and go (with maybe a little sautéing) and you don’t need to babysit a simmering pot on the stove!
Some of our favorite Instant Pot soups include this Instant Pot Bean Soup, Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup and Instant Pot Split Pea Soup.
While this creamy potato soup with ham is filling enough to enjoy on its own, we usually serve it with crusty bread or air fryer biscuits. Some air fryer garlic bread would also be delicious!
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Why this recipe works
- It’s a great way to repurpose leftover ham from Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter. For added flavor, you can even throw in the leftover ham bone!
- This is a time saving recipe! The Instant Pot speeds up the soup making process and using pre-cooked ham also saves time. You don’t need to wait for an uncooked ham hock or ham shank to cook in the soup.
- It’s perfect for meal prepping and dinner on busy weeknights. This soup stores well in the fridge and easily reheats in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- You don’t need to make a roux! Adding heavy cream and mashing some of the potatoes is an easy way to thicken this soup and make it creamy.
- It’s a one pot meal! Everything cooks in the pressure cooker so there’s no big mess to clean up once the soup is cooked.
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Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities used can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll need 8 ounces of diced ham for this soup. While you can buy a few slices of pre-cooked ham, I usually save some ham when we cook it for the holidays. Some of this leftover sous vide ham is perfect for this recipe!
For the potatoes, the recipe calls for 2 Russets, peeled and cut into 1" cubes. You can also use Yukon gold if you prefer.
The soup base is made up of 4 cups of chicken stock and 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder. I like to use low sodium stock to control the amount of added salt in the soup. Something like this homemade crockpot chicken broth would be perfect. The chicken bouillon is used to add a little more concentrated flavor!
For added veggies, you’ll need 1 chopped carrot and 1 cup of frozen peas. You can also use canned peas if you prefer.
Extra seasoning is added to the soup with fresh thyme and smoked paprika. Feel free to use dried thyme if you can’t find it fresh. I don’t recommend using sweet paprika in place of smoked paprika as they both have a different flavor.
Lastly, for a creamy texture, 1 cup of heavy cream is stirred into the soup at the end of pressure cooking. You can also use whole milk if you prefer.
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Heat the butter in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
STEP 2: Add the onions and cook 2-3 minutes, until softened.
STEP 3: Add remaining ingredients (except cream, peas and green onions) and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
STEP 4: Natural release for 5 minutes, then use the quick release to release any remaining pressure.
STEP 5: Turn the sauté setting on and add the cream and peas. Simmer for 5 minutes.
STEP 6: Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup. (You can also use a cornstarch slurry to thicken if desired).
STEP 7: Garnish with green onions and serve.
Additional garnishes include oyster crackers, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives and croutons.
Expert tips
- Cut your potatoes into roughly the same size pieces so they cook evenly. Larger pieces will take longer to cook.
- For the fastest results, make sure you’re using pre-cooked ham.
- Wait to add the cream until after pressure cooking. Adding it before may result in a burn message on your Instant Pot.
- Since frozen peas don’t take long to cook, you’ll want to wait to add them to the soup for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- The recipe calls for heavy cream, but you can also use whole milk. I don’t recommend using low fat milk.
- If the soup ends up being too thick, just add some more chicken broth to thin it out.
- Be sure to let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes as the soup will continue to cook during this time.
- While the cook time is 10 minutes on high in the Instant Pot, you’ll also need to factor in time for pressure to build and release.
Common questions
The soup will already be slightly thick and creamy from the added cup of heavy cream. If you’d like it thicker, just remove some of the cooked potatoes and mash them and stir them back into the soup.
You can also blend the potatoes with an immersion blender or stand blender. If you prefer to keep your potatoes whole, you can thicken the soup with a cornstarch slurry. Just mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and slowly stir it into the soup until the desired consistency is reached.
I prefer to use Russet potatoes as they are high in starch and tend to fall apart a little when boiled, which makes them great for thickening this creamy soup. Yukon gold potatoes are also a great option, but are not as high in starch.
Yes, you can make this soup ahead of time so it’s great for meal prepping. Just reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop when ready to enjoy.
I don’t recommend freezing this soup as it just doesn’t have the same texture once defrosted and reheated. The cream may curdle in the soup and the potatoes can take on a grainy texture.
Storage instructions
This potato soup should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will last for 3-4 days.
To reheat, you can warm the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. It will thicken a little in the fridge, so you’ll likely need to add more broth to thin it out before reheating.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- ½ onion diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces diced ham
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and cut in 1" cubes
- 1 carrot chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup chopped green onions garnish
Instructions
- Heat the butter in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
- Add the onions and cook 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add remaining ingredients (except cream, peas and green onions) and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
- Natural release for 5 minutes, then use the quick release to release any remaining pressure.
- Turn the sauté setting on and add the cream and peas. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup. (You can also use a cornstarch slurry to thicken if desired).
- Garnish with green onions and serve.
Expert Tips:
- Cut your potatoes into roughly the same size pieces so they cook evenly. Larger pieces will take longer to cook.
- For the fastest results, make sure you’re using pre-cooked ham.
- Wait to add the cream until after pressure cooking. Adding it before may result in a burn message on your Instant Pot.
- Since frozen peas don’t take long to cook, you’ll want to wait to add them to the soup for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- The recipe calls for heavy cream, but you can also use whole milk. I don’t recommend using low fat milk.
- If the soup ends up being too thick, just add some more chicken broth to thin it out.
- Be sure to let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes as the soup will continue to cook during this time.
- While the cook time is 10 minutes on high in the Instant Pot, you’ll also need to factor in time for pressure to build and release.
Nutrition
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