Cozy Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup

Name: Cozy Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Butter; 1/2 cup Carrots (Diced); 1/2 cup Onions (Diced); 2 tbsp Flour; 2 cups Ham (Cooked); 2 cups Golden Potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes); 32 oz Chicken Broth (Low Sodium); 1/2 cup Heavy Cream; 1 cup Cheddar; Salt and Pepper to Taste

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An easy weeknight meal, this cozy Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup is ready in under 45 minutes. When you don't want to stand over the stove for hours, but want that homecooked taste, break out your Instant Pot!

A close up of the Instant Pot Ham and potato soup with no spoon in the bowl

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
Equipment
What Type of Ham To Use
The Perfect Potatoes
Let's Make Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup!
Tips and Tricks
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Recipes To Try!
📖 Recipe

My 4 year old has been loving grilled cheese with ham sandwiches for lunch when she goes to preschool. When I find something that she loves, I make it all the time! Whatever I can do to get her to eat.

Aldi had a ham on sale, so I bought it and cooked it. But what I forgot, or didn't realize, is there's a lot of meat on a ham. There's only so much a little preschool girl can eat, not to mention she only has lunch at school two days a week.

So I needed to figure out other ways to use that ham, and what better way than in a soup! When I made this for my family, it was a hit!

My daughter called it "ham chowder", and she's not wrong! It's a little like a chowder, except not as thick. It's loaded with potatoes, carrots, ham, and cheddar cheese. Let's get down to the details!

Here in New England soup season is in full effect! Whenever I can, I make a soup. There's nothing more comforting that dipping a sourdough dinner roll in some soup! This winter, give these other soup recipes a try as well.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's an easy weeknight dinner! The ingredients are all added to the Instant Pot and then turned on. No fuss about watching the ingredients or stirring constantly.
This soup is the ultimate comfort food! A little bit of cream, lots of potatoes, chunks of ham, and some carrots for some extra color!
It's a hearty dinner! Some people don't think soup is a good enough dinner, but when it's loaded with ham, potatoes, and carrots, it's very filling! You won't leave the table hungry after trying this soup!

Ingredients You'll Need

An overhead view of the instant pot ham and potato soup ingredients

Ham- cubed ham, cut into small pieces.
Potatoes- 3-4 medium potatoes. 2 cups diced.
Flour- to thicken the soup as it cooks in the Instant Pot
Carrots- 1 medium or 2 small carrots. About ½ cup of carrots.
Heavy cream- to give the soup a silky consistency.
Cheddar cheese- White cheddar, sharp yellow cheddar, or a mixture of both.
Chicken Broth- Vegetable broth is great too. Use low sodium so you don't have a soup that is too salty.

Equipment

Instant Pot- at least a 6 quart Instant Pot. Anything smaller will be too small.
Mixing Spoons
Cutting Board
Knives
Measuring Cups

What Type of Ham To Use

In this recipe, you'll want to use the meat of a ham that you cooked for Sunday dinner, for example. A spiral ham or a honey glazed ham is just what you need for this recipe. If the ham is glazed, simply remove the outside portion of the ham and only use the meat.

Do not use cold cut ham, as that would fall apart in the soup and disappear. You want chunks of ham throughout the soup.

If you don't want to cook a giant ham for just this soup, you can purchase small ham steaks in the grocery store. They are usually by the bacon. One of those ham steaks would be enough for this soup.

two hands are holding the Instant pot ham and potato soup and one is lifting the spoon

The Perfect Potatoes

Golden potatoes are my potatoes of choice for this soup. 3-4 of them is all you need. Depending on the size, you want to get 2 cups diced. Russets, red potatoes, or Fingerlings potatoes are also great options if you don't have Yukon Gold on hand.

To peel or not to peel? That is the questions! I don't usually peel my potatoes. There's a lot of added nutrition in the skin, so I like to keep the skin on. If you don't like the skin or would like to take the time to peel the potatoes, go for it!

Let's Make Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup!

First, let's get the cleaning and chopping out of the way. Peel and cut your onion and carrots. Then cut your ham and potatoes into small diced pieces. Set that all aside.

Add the butter, onions, and carrots to the Instant Pot. Turn the Instant Pot on "sauté". Once the Instant Pot has come up to temperature, sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened.

The onions and carrots are sautéed in the Instant Pot

Once the vegetables are softened, add the ham, potatoes, and flour to the Instant Pot. Stir for 1 minute to combine all the ingredients. Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and stir again. Close the Instant Pot lid and cancel "sauté" mode. Turn the Instant Pot of "high" for 10 minutes. Then allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes.

The ham and flour are added to the Instant pot with the chicken broth

Once it is done naturally releasing, open the lid and add the cheese. Stir everything to combine and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

The cheese is added to the instant pot ham and potato soup

Tips and Tricks

Though the ingredients may sound like it's a chowder, it's not! This soup will be more like broth than a heavy, creamy chowder. It will satisfy your warm and cozy need, but not leave you feeling like you ate so much dairy and butter like a chowder would.
Top this soup with more shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, freshly ground pepper, or crispy ham bits! And don't forget to dunk a sourdough dinner roll!
To make this soup more creamy and less like broth, use a potato masher and mash some of the potatoes and carrots. This will thicken the soup slightly and give it a more chowder feel.
Though you are only cooking this soup for 10 minutes, the Instant Pot takes about 10 minutes to come up to pressure. Keep that in mind when making this soup. All together, it will take about 45 minutes from start to finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze this soup?

Because of the dairy in the soup, it will not freeze well. The cream would separate in the freezer and give the soup a not pleasant consistency. Potatoes also do not freeze well. I would make this soup and plan to eat it over one or two meals.

How long will this soup last?

This Instant Pot ham and potato soup will last 3-4 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, place the soup in a sauce pan and gently reheat it. You can also place it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 90 seconds to two minutes.

I don't want to use heavy cream, what else can I use?

Whole milk, evaporated milk, or half and half can all be substituted for heavy cream.

A hand is holding the mug of instant pot ham and potato soup

Other Recipes To Try!

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