Hearty 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot
on Dec 11, 2018, Updated Nov 09, 2024
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This easy Hearty 15 Bean Soup recipe is made in the Instant Pot made with ham, broth, veggies, and my favorite Hurst’s dried beans.
Ham and beans with a side of cornbread will forever be one of my favorite comfort foods. Those filling, salty, flavor-filled tender beans with sweet and crumbly cornbread is a match made in heaven. I love using Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup as my bean base because it has so much variety. The lentils cook down and help thicken things, and the big chubby lima beans, creamy cranberry beans, and sturdy kidney beans make a great combination. I love all of the colors and textures and how they all come together to make one great dish.
Here’s why I’m excited to be working with Hurst’s Beans today. Hurst’s is a 4th generation family-owned company that is based out of Indiana (my home state!), and they’ve been a brand that has been in my cupboard, my mom’s cupboard, and my grandma’s cupboard for years and years. I grew up loving the 15 Bean Soup Mix, and their products are ones I use and know well.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ham and beans is an economical way to feed a crowd!
- It reheats well so you can cook once and eat it all week long.
- It uses a wide variety of beans so it’s full of all kinds of vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Ingredients
- Olive Oil or Butter
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Minced Garlic
- One Bag Hurst’s Hambeens 15 Bean Soup with Seasoning Packet
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- Ham Hocks, Shanks, or Leftover Ham Bone
- Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot
Step #1. Select “browning/sauté” on the pressure cooker. Add the butter or oil, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minutes.
Step #3. Close the lid, turn vent to seal, and set to cook for 45 minutes. When finished, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then turn vent to quick release.
Step #2. Add the washed beans, seasoning packet, and broth to the pot. Add the ham and stir to combine.
Step #4. Remove the ham from the pot. Shred meat and discard any extra meat and inedible parts. Stir the meat back into the pot. Season to taste and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Contains at least 15 of these varieties: Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Black-eyed, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean, and Yellow Eye. I LOVE the variety as it adds so many flavors, textures, and colors to your dish. Plus, I feel like all of that variety has got to be full of all kinds of healthy vitamins and minerals. You know how I feel about “eating the rainbow!”
No! They cook just fine without soaking. You can if you’d like, though – simply soak them in water overnight or for 8 hours before using. If you soak your beans, reduce the broth in the recipe by 1 cup (from 8 cups to 7 cups).
One-hundred percent, yes! Beans are a fantastic source of lean (not to mention, vegetarian) protein. The ham in this recipe adds another element of protein — and delicious flavor! Protein helps build and maintain body tissue, plus give us energy for activities. So this is a filling and fueling meal for all.
To thicken the soup a bit, you can blend it for a few seconds with an immersion blender, or you can scoop out 2 cups to blend in a traditional blender and then return it to the pot. Blended beans are an easy soup thickener.
Expert Tips
- This is the fastest way to make this recipe. If you have the time, feel free to let the Instant Pot do a full “natural pressure release” at the end of the cooking time.
- I tried this recipe with and without the included seasoning packet, and I really liked using the seasoning packets. It adds a great smoky flavor. It’s gluten-free, too. If you are sensitive to salt though, try adding only half and adjusting additional salt to your liking.
- You are free to use the pork/ham product of your choice – using a leftover ham bone works great. I just toss my ham bone in a zipper-topped freezer bag after dinner and keep it there until I’m ready to make soup.
How to Make the Recipe on the Stove or in the Slow Cooker
- To make this recipe on the stove top, sauté the veggies as directed and then add everything else to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook covered, stirring often until the beans are tender, about 4 hours.
- To make 15 bean soup in the slow cooker, sauté the veggies as directed and then add everything to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the beans are tender.
How to Freeze 15 Bean Soup
Totally! This soup freezes very well. Just fill up a sealable bag or an airtight container, and keep it in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
More Soup Recipes to Consider
Soups, Stews & Chowders
White Chicken Chili
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup
15-Minute Recipes
Cornbread Waffles with Chili – 15 Minute Dinner Idea
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Texas Chili Recipe
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Hearty 15 Bean Soup in 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 15 Bean Soup, 20 ounces, rinsed and sorted
- 1 Seasoning packet that comes with the 15 Bean Soup
- 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 15 bean mix 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 45 minute cook time.
- When the cooking time ends, let the soup rest at pressure (natural pressure release) for 10 minutes and then 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.
Video
Notes
- UPDATE 12/1/19: cook time used to read 35 minutes, after a few comments about cooking time issues (having beans that are too firm) I have increased cooking time to 45 minutes with a 10 minute NPR (for 55 minutes of cooking).
- 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.
- I tried this recipe with and without the included seasoning packet and I really liked using the seasoning packets. It adds a great smoky flavor. It’s gluten-free, too. If you are sensitive to salt though, try adding only half and adjusting additional salt to your liking.
- You are free to use the pork/ham product of your choice – using a leftover ham bone works great. I just toss my ham bone in a zipper-topped freezer bag after dinner and keep it there until I’m ready to make soup.
- If you’d like to thicken the soup just a bit, you can blend it for just a few seconds with your immersion blender or you can blend 2 cups of the soup in a traditional blender and then return it to the pot. Blended beans are a great natural thickener.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hurst’s Beans. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bless this Mess possible.
I make mine with ham hock or bone, ham and sausage I also add a can of Rotel don’t add it or anything acid till beans are done.
Just made this soup for the 4th time today! So yummy and easy! Definitely my favorite instant pot recipe of all time!
Fantastic recipe. I wanted a more chunky soup so soaked the beans 3 hours and used 4 cups of chicken broth Also tossed in some leftover corned beef. Once the 45 min cook time and 10 min NPR done I added in a can of Rotel. Served topped with mozzarella and Quattro formaggio. Whole family loved it (including my 12 year old picky eater).
This sounds AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing!
I love this recipe! It’s so easy and has great flavor. One thing though, maybe put a note in advising those of us in higher altitudes to cook longer. (?) I had quite a few beans still pretty firm. Distractingly so. But I’ll do better next time! Thank you for the great recipe!
Delicious, but would recommend pressure for an hr with full natural release. I did not soak beans
I cooked on high for 45min and the beans were still very firm. I’m adding another 30 min, she must have soaked the beans first???
Did 45 minutes PC and 25 minutes NR. Beans not cooked!
I just made this recipe tonight in my Instant Pot. It was fantastic. I used ham slices & added some leftover smoked sausage. I didn’t use the flavor packet because of sodium issue, but did use Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium chicken base. No extra salt needed. My husband isn’t a soup fan, but he enjoyed this, with garlic bread on the side.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing what worked for you.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it with ham cubes and without the packet using only salt, pepper and bay leaf. I am always trying to sneak in extra veggies so I added chopped Swiss chard.
Thanks for letting us know what you did and what worked for you! I love the hidden veggies too!