Instant pot ham bone soup is the perfect cold-weather meal and a great way to use up those leftover ham bones from holiday meals. Plus, making it in an instant pot really speeds things along without compromising quality or flavor. We had ham for our New Years’ Eve dinner so I needed to use mine up! This recipe is super easy and uses simple ingredients.
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Ingredients for Ham Bone Soup
- Ham Bone or Ham Hock– They’re not the same thing but either one will work.
- Cups Chicken Broth– You can also use bone broth or vegetable broth.
- Apple Cider Vinegar -It’s generally believed that the acidity of the vinegar helps to better extract minerals from the bone making a nutritionally rich broth.
- Bay Leaves
- Leftover Ham– If you don’t have any ham left laying around and are just left with the bone, get any meat you can get off the bone after you boil it. Then, I’d suggest possibly frying some bacon and adding that to the soup. You could also just round it out with extra vegetables.
- Yellow Onion– White onion works as well.
- Garlic Cloves
- White Sweet Potato– If you don’t have white sweet potatoes, you can use another starchy veggie like regular sweet potatoes, malanga blanca, yucca root, etc.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Lemon Juice– Preferably fresh
- Sea Salt
- Dried Thyme
- Garlic Powder
- Dried Parsley
- Black Pepper– Omit this for the elimination phase of AIP. It is a stage 1 reintro.
How to Make Ham Bone Soup in an Instant Pot
- Add the ham bone to the instant pot and pour in the broth. Add in the apple cider vinegar and bay leaves.
- Put the lid on and set the pressure cooker to high for 30 minutes. *Keep in mind that it takes about 15-20 minutes to come up to pressure before it starts cooking. Once it’s done, use the quick-release valve according to manufacturer instructions.
- Open the lid carefully and use tongs to remove the ham bone(s) and bay leaves. Set aside.
- Add the ham, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery to the pot with the broth. Put the lid back on, turn the pressure release valve to “sealing” and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once it’s done. Use the quick release function to release the steam. Carefully remove the lid and add in the lemon juice, salt, and remaining herbs/spices.
- Allow it to cool slightly then serve.
What is Ham Bone Soup?
Ham bone soup is pretty much what it sounds like- it’s soup made from the leftover bone of a ham. You can use water or broth for the liquid and the variety of vegetables in the soup varies from recipe to recipe but often you’ll see potato or beans as a component.
Does it Matter if the Ham Bone is Fresh or Frozen?
Nope, either way is fine.
Can You Make This Soup Without a Ham Bone?
Yes. To make the soup without a ham bone, just add the broth to the instant pot, then skip to step 4 in the recipe instructions and go from there. Omit the apple cider vinegar since we’re not using the bone.
Can You Freeze Instant Pot Ham Bone Soup?
Yep! It keeps very well in the freezer for months. Just store it in an air-tight container.
Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!
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This post is shared on the Paleo/AIP Recipe Roundtable.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like:
Nightshade-Free Green Chicken Enchilada Soup
AIP Creamy Mushroom and Brussels Sprouts Soup
“Cheesy” Cauliflower Chicken Soup
Instant Pot Ham Bone Soup (AIP, Paleo, Whole30)
Equipment
- Pressure cooker/ Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone or ham hock (fresh or frozen)
- 8 cups chicken broth or 2 32 oz cartons
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced about 1/2 an onion
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 cups white sweet potato, chopped into small cubes about 1 medium white sweet potato
- 2 cups carrots, chopped into small cubes about 2-3 carrots
- 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped into small cubes about 4-5 stalks
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- dash fresh ground black pepper (optional, omit for AIP)
Instructions
- Add the ham bone to the instant pot and pour in the broth. Add in the apple cider vinegar and bay leaves.
- Put the lid on, make sure the steam valve is set to "sealing" and set to "pressure cook" on high for 30 minutes. *Keep in mind that it takes about 15-20 minutes to come up to pressure before it starts cooking. Once it's done, use the quick-release valve according to manufacturer instructions.
- Open the lid carefully and use tongs to remove the ham bone(s) and bay leaves. Use two forks to pull off any remaining meat from the bone and add it to the rest of the ham going in the soup. Discard the bone and bay leaves.
- Add the ham, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery to the pot with the broth. Put the lid back on, turn the pressure release valve to "sealing" and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once it's done, use the quick release function to release the steam. Carefully remove the lid and add in the lemon juice, salt, and remaining herbs/spices.
- Allow it to cool slightly then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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