Instant Pot Lima Beans and Ham… so easy to prepare and tastes like it slow cooked all day!
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The best part is that soaking your dry lima beans is not required when using your pressure cooker… a win-win! 
I was a little skeptical at first because I’ve always soaked my beans when cooking them on the stove top or in my slow cooker, but nope, it’s not required!
Now I realize that this is a cold weather food and it’s spring, right? Well some days it still feels like winter around here. The other day I was craving a hot bowl of lima beans and I had leftover Easter ham in the freezer, so what else was I to do? 
I didn’t include salt in this recipe because it was salty enough with the chicken broth and ham, but feel free to add salt to your personal preference. Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Lima Beans and Ham
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 10-½ cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry baby lima beans
- 4 cups cubed, chopped or shredded fully cooked ham
- 1-½ cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- Optional: fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse and sort beans in a colander, removing and discarding any debris.
- Place beans and remaining ingredients (except parsley) in the insert of your Instant Pot (I used an 8 quart) and stir well to combine.
- Place the lid on and lock. Steam release knob should be set on “sealing”.
- Cook on manual setting (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove lid and stir. Remove and discard bay leaf. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Cook time includes the time it took my pot to come to pressure and natural pressure release time.
- I used an Instant Pot LUX80 8 quart in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 50
Deborah
I made this with several modifications and it was wonderful. Replaced ham with leftover Thanksgiving turkey plus a tsp of liquid smoke. 7 cups of liquid included 3 cups chicken broth, 2 cups gravy, 2 cups water. Added tsp salt, sage, and thyme.
Monica Toth
Totally bitter; I had to throw out the entire pot. Please soak your beans first. A disappointing waste of money
Michael Fultz
This is a recipe that works and is very tasty. I do recommend either a quick soak (boil for 2-3 min., cover for an hour; then rinse thoroughly) or do an over-night soak of the beans before cooking. Otherwise, they will be bitter, as many such beans contain a chemical that can make them bitter when they’re cooked if they’re not soaked. Also, I will probably use one cup less water next time. They were a bit soupy with 4 cups of water, but still very flavorful. You don’t need much salt as the recipe states; the ham and chicken broth seem to provide enough salt. I did add a very small bit of salt, majoram, thyme, and red pepper flakes. I reduced the cook time to 22 min. in the Instapot because I’d boiled the beans for the quick soak. I also made a cornbread and with a tossed salad, this made a great winter meal. Again, a great recipe!
Theresa Cason
First time I’ve ever used my insta pot and I absolutely love it the ham and Lima beans normally take 3 to 4 hours on the stovetop but this pot they’re done in about 30 minutes and they turned out amazing just like I cooked them for hours
Beverly A Carman
I added Carrots and celery. I also added a handful of fresh chopped Cilantro and extra Black Pepper. I also used the large Lima’s and added a tiny bit extra beans. Did mine for 32 minutes and it was perfect.
Peggy
You must cook the entire 25 minutes, not including the instapot to pressurized, you can wait 10 minutes to natural release but don’t include in your cooking time. Lima beans are one of the larger beans and very hard.
Kayleigh
I’m not sure what went wrong. I followed the directions to a T. I used exact measurement, and I even cooked for 28 mins instead of 25, I let it naturally release for 10 min and then did quick release and when I took the lid off the Lima beans were still pretty hard.
Bjorn Taylor
I do this same recipe, had the same issue first time I followed as written. I do 25 mins (minus ham) with 10 min NR, then add the ham and do another 20-30 mins, then QR. Beans come out perfect and ham isn’t overcooked
Bec
Were your beans old?
Terri
Ham hocks are excellent, depending on how many, I also add smoked ham steak. Over white rice with Cornbread
Enjoy!