Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

This version of Ham and Bean Soup is a slightly-spicy soup that’s delicious and easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stove. And this interesting flavorful bean soup has Southwestern flavors with cumin, green chiles, and green onion, and there’s an option to include cilantro if you enjoy that.

PIN the Ham and Bean Soup recipe to try it later!

This slightly spicy Ham and Bean Soup is the first soup I made years ago when I had a new stovetop pressure cooker! Now it’s a favorite soup to make in the Instant Pot, and the recipe also has instructions for making it on the stove. You can make this soup with dried pinto beans that you cook first, which gives the soup amazing flavor. But if you want to save a bit of time and start with canned pinto beans, this soup will still be delicious.

Of course when I’m updating photos for a very old recipe, I always try to improve the recipe if I think of changes that will be better than the original version. For this Ham and Bean Soup I increased the amount of diced ham to make a soup that’s lower in carbs! I bet none of my readers are going to mind that.

The soup is loaded with Southwestern flavors which make it a change from traditional soups with beans and ham. And we used canned green chiles and added Green Tabasco Sauce to the finished soup for a bit more spicy flavor! Kara and I loved how this soup turned out; I hope you will try the recipe soon.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• Dried pinto beans or canned pinto beans
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• onion
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• dried cilantro (affiliate link), probably optional but recommended
• can of diced green chiles (affiliate link)
• diced ham
• can of petite dice tomatoes
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or stock
• Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (affiliate link), optional, but good, this ingredient is not certified gluten-free
• green onions
• chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
• cut limes, to squeeze on at the table (optional)

What type of dried beans work for the Ham and Bean Soup?

I loved this soup using Pinto Beans to go with the spicy Southwestern flavors, but you can use any white or navy beans you prefer.

Want to cook the dried beans in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?

If you’re starting with dried pinto beans, you can easily cook dried beans in the slow cooker or in the Instant Pot. You’ll need to cook about one cup of dried beans to replace the two cans of beans, or cook more beans and freeze for another pot of soup later. Just follow directions on the package if you want to cook the beans on the stove.

What size Instant Pot did I use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot recipes. You can check out Instant Pot Recipes to see all the recipes where I’ve used the Instant Pot.

Can you make the Ham and Bean Soup without an Instant Pot?

I love the Instant Pot for making soup, but I realize some people are not fans or don’t have an Instant Pot, so I’ll also give instructions in the full recipe section below about how his soup can be adapted to cook in a regular pot on the stove.

How low in carbs is this Ham and Bean Soup?

This tasty bean soup with a lot of ham has only 16 net carbs per serving and 30 grams of protein, which is pretty good for a soup with beans!

How to make the Ham and Bean Soup even lower in carbs:

If you don’t want quite so many carbs you could make a delicious lower-carb version of this soup using only one can of pinto beans and slightly more ham.

What if you don’t want cilantro in this soup?

If you have the no-cilantro tastebuds, leave out the fresh cilantro or use more thinly sliced green onion.

How to make Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. (These are instructions for the Instant Pot. Scroll down to the complete recipe below to see how to make this soup on the stove.)
2. Cook dried beans cook dried beans in the slow cooker, in the Instant Pot, or on the stove if you are using those.
3. Drain canned beans in a colander placed in the sink. (No need to rinse unless you prefer them rinsed.)
4. Turn instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and heat olive oil.
5. Add onions and cook until onions start to soften.
6. Add dried cilantro, ground cumin, and canned green chiles and cook about 2 minutes more.
7. Then add diced ham, beans, canned tomatoes and liquid, chicken broth, and Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (or ham rinds if using).
8. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 3 MINUTES.
9. Let pressure natural release about 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure using quick-release method.
10. When all pressure is released, carefully remove lid, remove ham rinds if using, and stir in sliced green onions (and chopped fresh cilantro if using).
11. Serve the Ham and Bean Soup hot.
12. This soup is good with more thinly sliced green onions, Green Tabasco Sauce, and lime to add at the table if desired.

Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:

The slightly-spicy Ham and Bean Soup would taste great with one of these low-carb breads:

• Almond Flour Savory Bread
• Low-Carb High Fiber Savory Muffins
• Olive Bread

Weekend Food Prep:

This Ham and Bean Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 47 minutes

Use the Instant Pot to make this tasty Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup with Southwestern flavors, or make it on the stove if you prefer. And this slightly-spicy soup is a switch from the traditional type of bean soup made with ham.

Ingredients

• two 15 oz. cans Pinto Beans
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 T dried cilantro (probably optional but recommended)
• one 4 oz. can diced green chiles
• 2 1/2 cups diced ham (see notes)
• one 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 4 cups chicken broth (see notes)
• 1 packet Goya Ham Flavor Base (see notes)
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• Green Tabasco sauce (to add at the table if desired)
• Limes to squeeze into the soup at the table (optional)

Instructions

To Cook the Soup the Instant Pot:

1. Drain canned beans in a colander placed in the sink. (No need to rinse unless you prefer them rinsed.)
2. Turn instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and heat the olive oil.
3. Add onions and saute until onions are starting to soften.
4. Add dried cilantro, ground cumin, and canned green chiles and cook about 2 minutes more.
5. Then add diced ham, beans, canned tomatoes and liquid, chicken broth, and Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (or ham rinds if using).
6. Lock lid and set to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 3 MINUTES for Instant Pot.
7. Let pressure natural release about 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure using quick-release method.
8. When all pressure is released, carefully remove lid (removing ham rinds if using) and stir in sliced green onions (and chopped fresh cilantro if using).
9. Serve the Ham and Bean Soup hot, garnished with thinly sliced green onions if desired.

To Cook the Soup on the Stovetop:

1. Soak 1 cup pinto beans overnight, then cook on stovetop in a generous amount of water for about 30 minutes, or until beans are tender.
2. Can also use 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed well before adding to soup.
3. Saute onion, spices, and green chiles in soup pot same as above.
4. Add other ingredients as above, but increase chicken stock to 5-6 cups.
5. Simmer soup at low heat for about 30 minutes, until flavors seem well blended.
6. Turn off heat and stir in chopped cilantro.

Notes

The 2 1/2 cups of diced ham was a ham steak from Costco that weighed about one pound.

I used my homemade chicken stock, but canned chicken broth will be fine.

Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (affiliate link) is often sold near Mexican foods. This ingredient has not been certified to be gluten-free. If you have ham rinds you can cook them with the soup and then remove instead of using the ham flavor base.

This recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 277Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 69mgSodium 1917mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 30g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This interesting Ham and Bean Soup is suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The soup is a bit high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans, but you could make a lower-carb version of this soup by using only one can of beans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Ham and Bean Soup recipe to make in the Instant Pot or on the stove was first posted in 2009. It was last updated with the option to use more ham in 2025, and last updated with more information in 2026.