This Instant Pot split pea soup is the ultimate meal: it’s filling, plant based, and easy to make in a pressure cooker. It’s a tasty, healthy vegan dinner recipe!

Split pea soup might sound humble, but it’s pretty much the perfect meal. Really, split pea soup? Yes, this tasty soup has lots of virtues. First of all, it’s delicious: full of cozy, lightly smoky flavor. It’s a whole food plant based recipe (WFPB) and because split peas have lots of plant-based protein, it’s very filling. Best of all, it’s very easy to make! If you use your pressure cooker, all you’ll need is about 15 minutes of active time: then it’s totally hands off! Here’s how to make our vegan Instant Pot split pea soup!

Want to make it on the stovetop? Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Tips for making Instant Pot split pea soup

This Instant Pot split pea soup has a cozy, nostalgic feel for me. I think it’s because Alex’s mom often makes this tasty soup for soup nights, so it gives me a familial feel. This soup is often made with ham or bacon, but we’ve swapped that out for a little liquid smoke. The great thing about split peas is that they’re packed with plant based protein, so this vegan soup stays filling without the meat! Here are a few tips for making this soup:

• Feel free to grab extra bags of split peas. Because we know that you’ll love it, we suggest grabbing a few pounds of split peas so you can make this soup often. Did you know split peas are shelf stable for 2 to 3 years? Yep, it’s perfect for stocking your pantry for nutritious meals in a hurry.
• Use the Saute function for the aromatics. First, you’ll dice onion, carrot, and celery: traditionally called aromatics because they add a fantastic underlying aroma to soups.
• Dump, set it and forget it. Then, you’ll add the remaining ingredients and pressure cook on High for 15 minutes. That’s it! Remember that the pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure before it starts cooking.

What to serve with this split pea soup?

There are lots of things to serve with this Instant Pot split pea soup! Here are some of our favorite ideas:

• Best Vegan Biscuits: These vegan biscuits are impossibly layered and flaky. If you’d rather use real butter, try our Flaky Homemade Biscuits.
• Easy Vegan Cornbread: This vegan cornbread is incredibly moist, thick and lightly sweet. Again, if you prefer full dairy, we’ve got you covered! Try Best Homemade Cornbread.

What are split peas?

So, you might be wondering: what are split peas? Are they the same as lentils, or different? Well, split peas and lentils are both legumes. But split peas are a type of legume from lentils; they’re a field pea, a pea grown for drying, Split peas are also not green peas! They’re a special type of dried pea that is split in half, making it break down easily into a thick, soup like consistency when cooked.

Split peas are available at most grocery stores. You can also often find them in the bulk bins, or buy split peas online. As we mentioned above, the shelf life of split peas is 2 to 3 years! So it’s a great healthy ingredient to stock up on.

Instead of ham, liquid smoke.

Traditional split pea soup often has ham or bacon. For our version of Instant Pot split pea soup, we wanted to make it a vegan, whole food plant based recipe. So to mimic a little of the smoky flavor of ham and bacon, we’ve used liquid smoke instead! It’s a small jar and you can usually find it near the condiments in the grocery store.

Is liquid smoke synthetic? No, it’s actually a natural product made from condensing the smoke from burning wood. How cool is that? You’ll find that it’s fairly strong, so use it sparingly. The amount we’ve used here adds a little undertone to our Instant Pot split pea soup, but not so much that it’s overwhelmingly smoky.

Other recipes using liquid smoke? Easy Tempeh Bacon, How to Make Coconut Bacon

What kind of Instant Pot to use?

All pressure cooker brands vary! The brand we use is an Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also can’t speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk!

More Instant Pot whole food plant based (WFPB) recipes?

Whole food plant based recipes can be some of the tastiest dinners around: and they’re easy to make in the Instant Pot! Head to our Whole Food Plant Based Diet Guide for more recipes, or check out a few of these pressure cooker favorites:

• Instant Pot Vegan Chili: This chili is so tasty, featuring two types of beans and lentils for added texture. Top with cashew cream for fully plant-based toppings.
• Instant Pot Lentil Soup: This ultra cozy soup stars fennel, fire roasted tomatoes, and lentils: it’s an easy vegetarian meal that everyone will love!
• Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup Recipe: This soup is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. Everyone asks for the recipe—it’s that good.

This Instant Pot split pea soup recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.

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A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes