This easy Instant Pot Ham and Lentil Soup recipe is made with a ham bone and leftover ham in the pressure cooker. A delicious way to use up holiday ham!
I'm on a roll with Instant Pot soup recipes lately, and this easy ham and lentil soup is my latest creation! If you've got a leftover ham bone to use up, you'll definitely want to add this easy, delicious soup to your list of Instant Pot recipes to try!
We always have ham on the menu for Christmas dinner and Easter dinner. And if it's a bone-in ham, I make leftover ham bone soup later in the week. It's a delicious way to use up that leftover ham, and it's an easy, budget friendly dinner!
Since I made an awesome Instant Pot ham this year, (yes, you can cook ham in the pressure cooker!) I used the pressure cooker to make this ham and lentil soup. A lot of ham bone soup recipes use beans, but since my family doesn't like them, I used lentils, instead.
This is more of a ham soup recipe rather than a lentil soup recipe. The ham is the star here, but you can definitely add more lentils if you want!
How to make ham and lentil soup with a ham bone
So, I'm all about easy Instant Pot recipes, and while you can definitely throw everything into the pot and press start, you can make this soup more flavorful if you saute the veggies a little bit first. You just want to soften them up a little bit and release the flavor.
Next, you stir in some broth and pile on the rest of the ingredients, including leftover ham. I always throw in some celery leaves for extra flavor whenever I make soup. You don't have to, but I've always done this, just like my mom and grandma always did.
The ham soup takes 20 minutes to cook. This is long enough to get flavor from the ham bone and make the lentils just melt in your mouth.
When the soup is done, remove the ham bone and celery leaves, if you used them. Then, taste the soup before serving to see if it needs more salt or extra seasoning. Since hams are salty to begin with, I like to add a minimum amount of salt when cooking, and add more later, if needed.
How long does a ham bone last in the refrigerator?
I always try to use up the ham and the bone within 5 days.
Can you freeze the ham bone for later?
Definitely! You can freeze the bone and leftover ham for later use. You can let the bone thaw or use it frozen in this ham soup recipe.
Instant Pot Ham and Lentil Soup Recipe
Instant Pot Ham and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 32-ounce carton low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup lentils, rinsed and sorted
- 1 leftover ham bone
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Hit SAUTE on the Instant Pot, and when it reads Hot, add the olive oil, onions, carrots and celery, sprinkle with sea salt, and cook until slightly soft
- Hit CANCEl, and stir in chicken broth and lentils
- Add the ham bone, chopped ham, water, garlic powder, pepper and smoked paprika
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn vent to Sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 20 minutes
- Pot will take several minutes to pressurize, then begin counting down and cook for 20 minutes. When pot beeps, allow a 10 minute natural release, then turn knob to venting to quick release remaining pressure
- When pin drops, carefully open lid, remove ham bone, stir, taste to see if more salt is needed, and serve
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this easy Instant Pot ham and lentil soup recipe as much as we do!
Lynne Connors says
Made this today as it is COLD outside. Used a hambone from a ham my husband smoked a couple of weeks ago. Absolutely delicious!! Will definitely make again! I might add another half cup of lentils next time. Thanks so much for the great recipe!!
Dee says
Thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Sarah says
This recipe is great! I made it with a leftover ham bone from Christmas. I wasn't loving my Instant Pot, but I like it a lot more after this recipe.
Dee says
I'm so glad you liked the soup, Sara. Thank you!
Sarah says
Great recipe! I'm an Instant Pot newbie... should I have sauteed on high or low? Same for pressure cooking. I'm also not 100% sure now to do a natural release on the Duo Evo. The manual and Googling have been no help other than saying "allow pressure to release naturally." Despite some confusion from just needing more experience with this contraption, this recipe came out great!
Dee says
I'm so happy you liked the soup, Sarah! I'm not familiar with that model, so I'm not sure about pressure release -- usually there is a switch or valve you can press or turn for a quick release. I always use the default high for both sauté and pressure cooking. There is a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you'll love your IP! 🙂
Wendy Poirior says
Sooo amazing!
I didn't have any smoked paprika, so I added a bit of liquid smoke and used regular paprika. Also added a few shakes of crushed red pepper.
We just LOVED this on a cold winter day in Wisconsin!
Dee says
Thank you so very much, Wendy! I'm glad you liked the soup!
Linda Hackl says
Super easy. I added some sweet potatoes also. Delicious 😋
Yvonne says
Hi this soup looks amazing. I've been wanting to try a lentil soup recipe as I had one once and it was amazing. Question, can I make this without the bone? We didn't see the need to keep the bone & through it away, but we have plenty of ham left.
Dee says
You don't need to have the ham bone, but I would use chicken or beef broth for more flavor.
Donna Rice says
Just made it and had it for lunch with some hard bread. Wow, really, really good! I forgot to rinse the lentils, but didn't notice anything wrong. Hopefully, we did not eat a lot of dirt with them. This soup was excellent! Thanks, Dee!
Dee says
So glad you liked the soup, Donna. Thank you!
Anna says
Trying it now! It already smells amazing!
Dee says
Hope you enjoyed the soup, Anna!
Dee says
I hope you liked the soup, Anna!
Lynn says
This was delicious. Made a large pot enough for plenty of leftovers. Even better the 2nd day!
Dee says
Thanks, Lynn! I always think soups and stews are better the next day. 🙂
Janet Phillips says
Do you set the pressure cooker level to high for this recipe?? I’m assuming so since it isn’t specified. Looking forward to tasting this!
Dee says
I always use high for pressure cooking. Hope you like it! 🙂
Bob says
Outstanding! Will make this over and over. Just one question from a newbie... "lentils, rinsed and sorted". Rinsed implies canned rather than dry beans. Sorted for what? Delicious in any event. Thanks for posting!
Dee says
The lentils are dry, but you should rinse them and pick through them to get rid of any small pebbles, stems or shriveled lentils before cooking. Thanks so much -- glad you enjoyed the soup! 🙂
Rudy Garcia says
This recipe is outstanding!!! I’ve already made it twice, this week.
Dee says
So glad you liked it, Rudy! Thanks! 🙂
Miz Helen says
Your Ham and Lentil Soup looks delicious on this very cold day! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Jean | Delightful Repast says
Looks wonderful! And I just got an Instant Pot, so I'll have to give this a try as soon as I get it figured out (I'm very low tech!).
Dee says
Thank, Jean. I think you'll love your new Instant Pot! 🙂
Abeer says
My family will devour this in minutes! Looks fabulous!
Catalina says
I am always ready for a soup, especially with this cold weather! Looks amazing!
Dee says
Thanks, Catalina. This will definitely warm you up!
Jamielyn says
This looks so hearty and delicious! Yum!
Dee says
Thanks, Jamielyn. It really is comfort food!
Anna says
This is a great idea for leftover ham! Can't wait to make it!
Chrissie Baker says
This is so delicious and easy!! I can think of so many uses for the fried ham bits – this is a game changer. My husband loves it too, so this one is definitely going into the rotation.
Dee says
Thanks so much! My family loved it! 🙂
Demeter says
Looks so hearty and filling. So easy making it in the instant pot too!
Dee says
It's super easy in the Instant Pot! Thanks, Demeter. 🙂