There is plenty of old-fashioned flavor in this Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup. The pressure cook method results in a creamy, satisfying and super wholesome soup without the need to soak the beans in advance.
I’ve always had strong love for Navy Bean Soup but I’d nearly forgotten about it until we had lunch at a local pub shortly after our move to Oregon. My lunch consisted of the soup of the day which happened to be – you guessed it – Navy Bean Soup! And, friends, my love for this classic soup was reignited in a big way. I came home determined to make my own version, completely from scratch.
Since there is no better method for cooking beans from scratch than pressure cooking, my Instant Pot was the obvious choice. It makes this soup a breeze to put together and it is FAST! Forget about pre-soaking and simmering the beans for hour and hours. With the press of a couple of buttons you will have this delicious, substantial soup ready to serve in just over an hour.
Navy Bean Soup Seasoning
- Cumin adds a touch of warmth without being overwhelming. It adds that little somethin’ somethin’.
- Cayenne pepper adds a very slight kick. It’s not super spicy but you can leave it out if you’re feeding kiddos or sensitive folks. You can also add more if you’d like a more prominent spicy flavor.
- If you’re thinking about adding salt, only do it at the end of the cooking time and definitely taste it first. There is salt in the seasoning ham (shank or bone) and broth. I don’t add any additional salt and it is perfection.
Seasoning Ham
You can use a meaty leftover ham bone, a ham shank, or a ham hock in this recipe. If you happen to have a leftover ham bone from a holiday ham, great! If not, head to the meat department in your grocery store and you should be able to find a ham hock or shank in the packaged meats section (ask your Butcher if you don’t see it).
If I’m going with the store-bought variety, I prefer a ham shank over the hock because they tend to be meatier. In addition to the flavor the bone is going to impart to your soup, you want a little meat on that bone. The Cook’s Ham Shank I used worked perfectly.
If using a leftover ham bone, be sure to rinse it thoroughly to remove any glaze you might have used when cooking your ham. Sweet ham glazes are great for the ham, but not so great for your Navy Bean Soup!
How to Make Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
Place one pound of navy beans in a colander, rinse them well with cold water and allow to drain. Pick through the beans and remove and discard any debris.
- Add oil to the Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button. When display reads “Hot” add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion and veggies begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute then press CANCEL.
- Add the beans, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, water, thyme, cumin, cayenne, and the bay leaves. Stir well to combine.
- Tuck your seasoning ham of choice down into the mixture. Lock the lid in place and make sure vent is sealed (on older models). Press the MANUAL or the PRESSURE COOK button, select HIGH, and cook for 40 minutes.
- When time is up, allow the steam pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure. Unlock and remove the lid. Transfer the seasoning ham to a cutting board. Use a fork to remove the ham from the bone and stir it into the soup. Discard the bone.
- If a creamier (less brothy) texture is desired, pulse the mixture with an immersion blender 3 or 4 times, just to break up some of the beans. Don’t go overboard, you want lots of whole beans and a few pulses will yield a nice and creamy result. I highly recommend not skipping this step.
I think the flavor is even better the next day. It will thicken up when refrigerated so just add a little water to thin it as desired when you reheat it.
How to Freeze Bean Soup
Bean soups freeze very well and what’s better than being able to have a warm bowl of made from scratch Navy Bean Soup whenever the craving strikes?
- Use a ladle to transfer the completely cooled soup into freezer-safe plastic storage bags. Remove as much air as necessary and seal. You can place it all in one gallon sized bag or portion it out into several quart size bags for individual servings.
- Lay the bags flat in your freezer until frozen solid. I recommend laying them on a rimmed baking sheet for this task in the rare case that a bag might open up or leak while freezing.
- Once they are frozen solid they can be stacked and stored in your freezer. Be sure to label the bags with the date. I recommend using the soup within 4 months for the best quality.
- Thaw the bags of soup completely in your refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or on the stove.
Protein-packed with tons of fiber and nutrition. Grab the saltines and let’s get cozy with a bowl of this old-fashioned Navy Bean Soup made fast and easy in the Instant Pot.
Looking for more Instant Pot inspiration? Check out our Low Sodium Instant Pot Ramen and Instant Pot Broccoli.
Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry navy beans
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne optional, it will add a nice kick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ham shank or meaty ham bone, I used a Cook’s Ham Shank
Instructions
- Place navy beans in a colander, rinse them well with cold water and allow to drain. Pick through the beans and remove and discard any debris.
- Add oil to the Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button. When display reads “Hot” add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion and veggies begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute then press CANCEL.
- Add beans, broth, water, thyme, cumin, cayenne, and the bay leaves. Stir well to combine. Tuck the ham shank (or meaty ham bone) down into the mixture. Lock the lid in place and make sure vent is sealed (on older models). Press the MANUAL or the PRESSURE COOK button, select HIGH, and cook for 40 minutes.
- When time is up, allow the steam pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure. Unlock and remove the lid. Transfer ham shank (or bone) to a cutting board. Use a fork to remove the ham from the bone and stir it into the soup. Discard the bone.
- If a creamier (less brothy) texture is desired, pulse the mixture with an immersion blender 3 or 4 times, just to break up some of the beans. Don’t go overboard, you want lots of whole beans and a few pulses will yield a nice and creamy result. I highly recommend not skipping this step.
Notes
- Use a ladle to transfer the completely cooled soup into freezer-safe plastic storage bags. Remove as much air as necessary and seal. You can place it all in one gallon sized bag or portion it out into several quart size bags for individual servings.
- Lay the bags flat in your freezer until frozen solid. I recommend laying them on a rimmed baking sheet for this task in the rare case that a bag might open up or leak while freezing.
- Once they are frozen solid they can be stacked and stored in your freezer. Be sure to label the bags with the date. I recommend using the soup within 4 months for the best quality.
- Thaw the bags of soup completely in your refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or on the stove.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home. All information provided regarding nutrition on this website is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Content related to nutrition is not medical advice nor is it intended to replace medical advice. The website is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. Before beginning any diet program, modifying your diet, or making changes to the diet of a child in your care, including following the nutrition information available on the website, you should seek advice from a licensed professional.
Hey I don’t have an instant pot. What are cooking instructions for crockpot?
Please
Thank you
Hi Kim. See my detailed response on the comment below.
Valerie, I do not have a instant pot but this looks delicious. Can you suggest another way to make this?
Hi Gail. Although pressure cooking is hands down my favorite method for cooking dry beans I’m sure this would work in a slow cooker or on the stove. If you are going to try one of these methods, I recommend soaking the beans in advance. I explain the overnight and quick soak methods in detail on the recipe card for my Baked Beans from Scratch (click down to the recipe card for the info.). Then just follow the recipe as directed, transferring it to a 6-quart slow cooker. Plan on at least 8 to 10 hours on low or 6+ hours on high to get the beans tender. If cooking all the way on the stove, use a large Dutch oven, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. These are guestimates as I haven’t tested these methods!
This was a super tasty, easy and cheap recipe. Picky husband approved 🙂 I had a large smoked ham shank and it gave it really good flavor. I like a meaty soup so I’m glad I got the biggest one at the store. Will definitely make this again!
Hi Shelby. So happy to hear the recipe worked well for you! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
This soup was absolutely delicious and easy to cook. It brought back memories of the navy bean soup my mom used to make when I was little.
So good to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment, Kristine 🙂
This recipe delivered the old fashioned bean soup taste and texture that I was looking for. For meatless Monday, I substituted 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke and a few dashes of smoked paprika. I also subbed marjoram for the cumin because one family member doesn’t like cumin. Everyone said we need to make this again!
It doesn’t look like my 5 star rating showed up the first time so I’m adding an extra post.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Just made this . Followed the recipe except I used leftover ham pieces but no bone. Still came out great. Beans were perfectly cooked. Even my 13 year old son liked it!
So happy it worked out well for you! Thanks, Michael 🙂
Valerie, I had a frozen vac-sealed hambone from April that I needed to use. I was going to do a split pea soup thing, but didn’t have the peas, just some Northern Beans and Navy Beans. Did a search and landed here, on your recipe. I made a few substitutions based on what else I had on hand, but it came out great. What a great recipe! Served it with a Grenache and sourdough bread.
Substitutions:
Ancho Chili Powder for Cumin
Chipotle Chili Powder for Cayenne
50% Navy beans/50% Northern Beans
No salt, didn’t need it.
There was some nice fat on hambone and about 8 oz. meat. Trimmed and cubed the fat and included it in the stew.
Thank you for the recipe. The thyme was overpowering for me. I like to taste the beans and the ham more than the herbs. Everything else was good. I will use this again but no thyme and only one bay leaf.
Fantastic soup. I had a frozen ham bone with plenty of meat on it and used it in the soup. The result was perfect. Next time though, I think I will only use 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne as the spice was a little too much for me and I couldn’t serve it to my 3-year-old granddaughter. She really would have loved it if it didn’t have the cayenne.
Thanks for your comment, Clare! So glad you loved it. 🙂
Great soup. Easy to make and great taste and texture. Will definitely make again!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Jurhee. 🙂
This is the best and easiest bean soup recipe. I love Campbells bean with bacon soup but hate that it is processed and this reminds me of that recipe, without any junk. It’s great the way it is. Sometimes I add in 1/2 cup brown rice to the bowl and a couple of handfuls of raw spinach for a great and easy lunch. I also have frozen this recipe so I can have ready made soup whenever and it’s great that way, too. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi, Im cooking this now in my Instant Pot now 11/15/2022…I didnt have Ham but, did have salt pork. So that’s the only change I made. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Sincerely,
Over The Hill in Wisconsin
Hope you loved it!
Great recipe! perfect for when I want to make bean soup at the last minute and didn’t plan a day in advance to soak beans overnight etc etc etc (which is EVERY TIME! LOL) Wanted to add, this soup is
AMAZING when served with homemade croutons! I just cube up some old bread (leftover french bread or stale Italian bread is ideal!), toss with my “good” EEVO (we all have the one bottle we’re “saving” right?!), some paprika powder and a couple grinds of black pepper. Bake in over preheated to 350 for 10 minutes. Check & maybe stir them at about half way thru. Serve on top of the soup: ambrosia!!!
These are the best beans that I ever made. Thanks for the delicious recipe. The Instant Pot makes time-consuming meals a breeze. There is nothing better than bean soup on a cold winter day.
Hello Valerie,
This is a very delicious soup recipe. I had no ham, and I added 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke as per another review. I have made this two days in a row now. Thank you.
This turned out very well Great recipe. Thank you.
You’re welcome!