Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup is a savory, thick soup made creamy with Yukon Gold potatoes and thickened with starchy russet potatoes, a healthy serving of ham and a bit of cheese. You'll love this easy recipe!
Next time try this Potato Soup Recipe!
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
The most popular soup on the blog is my Vegetarian Potato Soup and I decided since it's such a favorite, it would be perfect to share a meaty potato soup recipe with you now.
I think you're really going to love it!
Ingredients
- russet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes - the russets add good starchiness and gold potatoes are super creamy, you can certainly substitute red potatoes if you'd prefer.
- onions, celery and garlic
- leftover ham or ham steak
- cheese - I used cheddar cheese, but you could use Colby or Pepper Jack cheese as we'll.
- chicken broth
- kosher salt and black pepper
- half and half (or substitute milk or cream)
- olive oil
- Tabasco sauce (optional)
What's the advantage of the pressure cooker? It cuts the cooking time in half! Unlike the slow cooker, everything isn't a mushy paste without texture!
⏲️ Instructions
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Turn the Instant Pot on sauté. Allow to heat one minute. Add the diced onion, celery and potatoes. Sauté for two minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt and pepper, stir well - saute for another 30 seconds. Add the ham and chicken stock. Stir well.
- Add the lid to the Instant Pot. Seal completely. Turn the vent to seal. Change the setting to steam and set the timer to 11 minutes.
- When the timer goes off. Do a quick release. Allow all of the steam to release.
- When the steam is completely released, remove the lid. Add the cheese and half and half. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until the soup is your desired consistency.
- Garnish with green onions or chives.
Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
If you're looking for a pressure cooker, here's the one I have!
🙋♀️ FAQ's
Sadly no, this soup is best even while it's fresh. Freezing the soup changes the texture and makes it mealy. Plan accordingly when you're making this meal.
The starch in the potatoes will thicken the soup. There's no need to add flour or cornstarch!
People's choice! I prefer to remove the peel. BUT the peel contains a ton of nutrients. Leave it on if you'd like.
If you prefer a creamier soup, use a mixture of milk and cream. Add a big dollop of sour cream when you mix in the cheese. It will be super creamy and delicious!
👍 Tips
- use a mixture of potatoes when making this soup
- the starch in russet potatoes will thicken the soup and
- Yukon gold potatoes add a creamy texture
- Always add the cheese and cream at the end. If you add it while it's cooking it will separate and the texture becomes grainy.
Using an old fashion potato masher ensures you still have some texture. This is an easy soup to make with a healthy serving of ham and a bit of cheese!
If you're looking for a creamy, thick and savory soup this is a delicious meal! The Yukon Gold potatoes offer a creamy texture and the starch from the russet potato help thicken this soup.
No pressure cooker, no instant pot? No problem, you can make this on the stovetop or in your slow cooker.
Serving suggestions
A simple grilled cheese is a great pairing with this meal. As is this Steakhouse Salad or Spinach Garbanzo Bean Salad - the bright flavors are a great combination!
Related Recipes
- Loaded Potato Soup Recipe - this one is filled with potatoes, onions, bacon and cheese - it's one hearty and rich soup! You'll love it!
- Just like your favorite soup at the Olive Garden, Homemade Zuppa Toscana Soup is even better than the restaurant, I promise!
- Sweet Potato Soup aka Gypsy Soup is rich vegetarian soup that is really a lovely meal!
Do you still have some ham? This cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole is amazing! Or be sure to check this out - there are a ton of leftover ham recipes!
If you love this as much as we do, be sure to leave a five star rating below! I reply to every comment on the blog and I’d appreciate to hear what you think of this recipe!
If you make this, be sure to tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or use the hashtag #bowlmeover – that’s me!
Instant Pot Potato Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- 1 pound yukon gold potatoes
- 1 onion yellow onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup diced ham
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup half and half you can substitute milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce optional
I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Clean and peel the russet potatoes, diced into a one inch dice. Set aside
- Clean the yukon gold potatoes. Dice into one inch sized dice. Set aside
- Clean and dice the onion and celery, mince the garlic.
- Turn the Instant Pot on sauté. Allow to heat one minute. Add the olive oil then the diced onion, celery and potatoes. Sauté for two minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt and pepper, stir well - saute for another 30 seconds. Add the ham and chicken stock. Stir well. Change the setting to manual.
- Add the lid to the Instant Pot and seal. Turn the vent to the seal position. Change setting to steam and set the timer to 11 minutes.
- When the timer goes off. Do a quick release by opening the vent valve. Allow all of the steam to release.
- When the steam is completely released, remove the lid. Add the cheese and half and half. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until they are the consistency you desire.
- Check the seasoning. You may need to add an additional ½ teaspoon of salt. Add Tabasco sauce if desired. Stir again, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Sign up for my recipes here!!
Don't worry, we'll never share your email.I have a new edition to the blog that I'm really excited to share with you. It's all about pressure cooking! Have you heard of an Instant Pot? It's the latest thing in cooking, and I'm not a person to jump on the band-wagon, but I love this piece of equipment.
Let me tell you the story behind the story...
I received my pressure cooker, an Instant Pot as a gift in September. It's a sharp-looking piece of equipment and I proudly set it out on my countertop to display it because it is shiny and pretty.... and there it sat for two months.
I was afraid to try it.
Pressure cooking = scary, right? I contacted a colleague and she gave me two super easy recipes to try, one was for Meatballs in Gravy and Instant Pot Taco Pasta. My theory was making these recipes would take away the "fear" associated with using a pressure cooker!
And it worked!
The recipes turned out great and I was proud that I gave it a try! Then I promptly displayed it on the cupboard for another two months until Thanksgiving Day....
On Thanksgiving, while the stuffing was baking in the oven, I heard a loud POP!!! Then three beeps from my oven. I walked over to the oven and realized somehow the broiler had turned on all by itself....
And the oven door locked itself....
And the cancel button on the front of the oven would not turn the oven off!
Dan was off to get his Mom. I was home by myself. Frankly I panicked. Especially as I watched the casserole inside the oven go from golden brown to black and begin to smoke.
Should I call the fire department?
I did the only thing I could think of - I ran to the breaker box and shut off the power to the kitchen. Thankfully it worked!
Dead oven.
The motherboard was fried....literally. We were lucky the house didn't burn down.
Long story short, it took five long weeks to get the oven repaired. In that time I decided it was time to figure out this whole instant pot pressure cooker thing!
First Published: January 14, 2018... Last Updated: July 14, 2021
Hammer
I made this tonight exactly as directed and it was delicious! Thanks for this great recipe. Great way to use up extra ham.
Aimee Tucker
Hi - I want to make sure we use the Steam setting and not the pressure cooker setting?
Bowl Me Over
Aimee - you're going to use the manual setting. Sorry for any confusion, I'm updating the recipe now to make the instructions clear. Thank you for checking!
Norma
This was the best potato soup I ever made - Great recipe!!! Wonderful step by step instructions. I thought the full recipe would be too much, but, now, I don't think that will be a problem- it will be gone soon - LOL!! Thanks for your recipes.
Bowl Me Over
YAY!! You've made my day Norma! Thanks for swinging back and sharing, I really appreciate it! I hope to make many more recipes you'll love as much in the future!!
p.s. If you love this be sure to give the Easy Potato Soup Recipe a try - it's one of my favorites!!
Sara
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING! Everything was perfect. I followed the exact recipe for my Instant Pot and wouldn’t change a thing. The only thing- the IP takes SEVERAL minutes to come to pressure and actually start the count down. While the cook time is 11 minutes, I would add at least 10-15 minutes to the total overall time to pressurize and depressurize. I will make this often!!
Sara
Oh and one last thing- you had 1 tbsp olive oil on the ingredient list but didn’t mention it in the recipe. I assumed this was to sauté the onions/celery/potatoes in. Just an FYI.
Bowl Me Over
Got it, thank you for catching that Sara!!!
Bowl Me Over
Oh Sara, thank you so much for swinging back and letting me know! I so appreciate it - this soup is SO GOOD and so easy too. Great point on the timing - I'm still hammering out the best way to write these IP recipes. I will go in and update it next. Have a great day!
Sandi
Mmmm, potatoes and ham just sound like they go together so nicely. I am loving the Instant Pot recipes you are making. I am now starving!
Bowl Me Over
Oooh this one is so good! I hope you give it a try. Thank you Sandi!
Madi
Instant pot recipes are the best! I have to make this for dinner!
Bowl Me Over
I completely agree! It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon for the IP, now I'm totally sold!
Jennifer A Stewart
This has convinced me that I definitely need to get an instant pot! I love potato soup and could eat it all day long!
Bowl Me Over
You definitely need an Instant Pot Jennifer! I just love mine!
Angela
I think I may be the the only person that doesn't yet have an instant pot! They sure to seem to make meals super easy! And this soup sounds amazing!!!
Bowl Me Over
And here I thought I was the last hold out! 🙂 I’d sure recommend one Angela, I really love mine!!
Christie
Potato soup is so hearty and delicious. I love the addition of the ham and that it's made in an instant pot!!
Bowl Me Over
Super hearty Christie this soup is just delicious. I hope you give it a try!
Deanna
Mmm I love this!! Perfect for this chilly weather!
Bowl Me Over
Absolutely, soup is good food!
Sandra Shaffer
Well, a holiday oven mishap is a major push to start cooking with your IP! Don't you love it now? I'm having so much fun with mine and look forward to trying this potato and ham soup!
Bowl Me Over
I absolutely love it now! I can't believe how versatile it is and how easy it is to use. I hope you really my ham and potato soup recipe Sandra!
Michaela Kenkel
I love potato soup!! I am just getting used to my IP -- and I love your step by step directions. Thank you for making this so easy!! Going on the menu!!
Bowl Me Over
The IP does take some getting used to doesn't it? There is a bit of a learning curve, but once you've gotten used to it you're just going to love it! Definitely give this soup a try!
catarina
Congrats for your work !
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Catarina!
Lois
I’ve got my instant pot ordered so will be making this and many other good looking things very soon.
Bowl Me Over
Wonderful! How exciting for you, I think you're going to really love your Instant Pot!!