Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup (Freezer Friendly)

This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

My easy Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup is an old-fashioned classic packed with veggies, ham, and mixed beans! It’s budget-friendly, flavorful comfort food perfect for a cold night. Best of all, it’s ready in just 1 hour with hardly any effort and no pre-soaking!

Jump to:

• 15 Bean Soup with Ham
• Ingredients in 15 Bean Soup
• What is in 15 bean mix?
• Do I need to soak the beans for 15 bean soup?
• How to Make 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot
• Tips for Making 15 Bean Soup
• FAQ for 15 Bean Soup Recipes
• Instant Pot Bean Soup Variations
• Make-Ahead Instructions
• How to Store 15 Bean Soup
• How to Reheat 15 Bean Soup
• Instant Pot Soup Recipes
• 📌 Pin it for later!
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

15 Bean Soup with Ham

Living in Florida, my family and I are always waiting for the weather to cool down. With how hot it is nearly year-round, we look forward to a chill in the air and the opportunity to enjoy plenty of our favorite comfort foods.

And this Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup is one of my personal favorites! It’s quick and easy to make, with no need to soak the beans or put in a ton of prep work. Best of all, it’s the perfect freezer soup, so you can make a big batch to freeze and enjoy whenever you have a craving.

Packed with beans, veggies, and ham, my 15 bean soup recipe is hearty and filling. I guarantee when you dish this soup out, you’ll be serving a table full of happy faces!

Ingredients in 15 Bean Soup

• Vegetable broth
• 15-bean mix, such as Hurst’s HamBeens
• Cubed ham
• Yellow onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Butter

Notes

• After the holidays, dice your ham and use it in this 15 bean soup.
• You can make your own ham stock, made with ham bone, to use as a base for this recipe instead of vegetable broth.
• Look for a 15 bean soup mix that comes with a seasoning packet. This pre-made seasoning mix is tasty, and a time-saver.
• You can add additional ingredients if you like, such as kale, diced tomatoes, or fresh parsley.

What is in 15 bean mix?

A bag of 15-bean mix typically contains a mix of:

1. pinto beans,
2. baby and large lima beans,
3. garbanzo beans,
4. red kidney beans,
5. white kidney beans,
6. cranberry beans,
7. small white beans,
8. small red beans,
9. pink beans,
10. yellow split beans,
11. lentil beans,
12. navy beans,
13. northern beans,
14. yelloweye beans,
15. and black beans.

It also comes packaged with a seasoning packet, which is used in this recipe.

In addition to the beans, my Instant Pot 15 bean soup contains ham, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

Do I need to soak the beans for 15 bean soup?

In short: no, you don’t need to soak the beans for Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup.

For 15 bean soup recipes made on the stove, you would want to soak the beans overnight before cooking. This makes them easier to eat, and they cook more quickly.

However, for Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup, soaking the beans is not necessary. Although you can soak them if you wish, all you need to do to prepare the beans for pressure cooking is rinse and drain them to make sure they are clean and free of any debris.

How to Make 15 Bean Soup in the Instant Pot

1. Chop carrots, celery, and onions, and mince garlic, then set them aside.
   
2. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add butter to the pot to melt.
   
3. Add the chopped onion to the pot and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant. Then, add all the ingredients except the ham to the pot, including the flavoring packet from the 15-bean bag.
   
5. Cover and set your Instant Pot to manual/high pressure for 40 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to pressurize before the 40 minutes will officially start.
   
6. Carefully manually release the pressure once it’s done (use an oven mitt or dish rag to protect yourself from steam), and add the ham. Stir and let sit for a couple of minutes for the ham to warm through. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and enjoy!
   

Tips for Making 15 Bean Soup

• Saute all the veggies for a couple minutes before adding the other ingredients, if preferred, for additional flavor. (It will still be delicious if you don’t do this.)
• If you don’t want to include the seasoning packet, you’ll want to add more spices for flavoring. I recommend using ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon oregano, plus a bay leaf and parsley, if desired. Be sure to discard the bay leaf before serving.
• If you like your food on the salty side, add about ½ teaspoon salt to the mix.
• Using cooked ham is key here. You don’t want to cook the ham the entire time as it’s already cooked, and would get tough, so only add it at the end of the cook time to warm it through.
• The soup only cooks for a total of 40 minutes, but you’ll need extra time for it to pressurize and to saute the onions. This is why the full cooking time is an hour.

FAQ for 15 Bean Soup Recipes

Instant Pot Bean Soup Variations

• Make your own ham seasoning: If you don’t want to use the included seasoning packet, you can use a mixture of ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon oregano for a great combination of flavors. I also like to add a bay leaf and fresh herbs, like parsley. Taste for salt levels before salting.
• Chicken and bean soup: You can make an amazing chicken 15-bean soup by using leftover shredded chicken instead of ham (rotisserie works great) and chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Reheat the chicken in the soup the same way you would with leftover ham so it does not overcook.
• Sausage bean soup: Use smoked sausage, such as Andouille sausage, instead of ham. Since sausage cooks quickly, you can cook it just before the bean soup is done cooking, then add it when it’s done. Or, saute it in the Instant Pot before cooking the other ingredients. I like to cut the sausage into coins or dice for this soup. For a little extra kick that pairs well with the sausage, try adding 1 teaspoon chili powder.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Prep all veggies up to 2-3 days ahead of time by chopping them and placing them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The onions should be kept separate from the celery and carrot, as they are not added at the same time. The same goes for the garlic.

Because you’ll just be adding everything to the pot, this is the only prep you need to do. Alternatively, you can make the entire soup ahead of time, then store it for 1-2 days before reheating (see instructions below).

How to Store 15 Bean Soup

Store leftover bean soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

How to Reheat 15 Bean Soup

Reheat on the stove over low-medium heat until heated through, or in the microwave with a paper towel over the top of the dish to keep it from potentially splattering. You can also reheat in the Instant Pot using the warming function.

Instant Pot Soup Recipes

• Instant Pot Ham Soup
• Instant Pot Pho
• Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
• Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup

Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think! We love to hear from you!

📋 Recipe