Name: Instant Pot Potato Ham Chowder
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 bag frozen hash browns with onions and peppers ((O'Brien potatoes, 28-32 ounce)); 8 ounces cubed ham; 1/4 cup cooked bacon (chopped); 1, 14.5 ounce can corn (, drained); 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon (reduced sodium Chicken); 2 cups warm or hot water; 1 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup cheddar or other sharp cheese to garnish (optional)

Instant Pot Potato Ham Chowder is smoky, full of texture, and perfectly hearty. It’s easy to prep and store in your freezer, then takes less than 10 minutes to cook for dinner time.

top view of potato ham chowder in yellow, blue, and red bowls on a blue cloth next to bread, a cheese grater, and tortilla chips

Easy Instant Pot Potato Ham Chowder

I know I say that so many of my recipes are easy, but this one really takes the cake!

There’s almost no prep work and it’s very inexpensive to make!

You can prepare this as a freezer meal, or you can just dump everything into the Instant Pot and cook.

This recipe is known by many names—if you’re looking for ham and corn chowder, ham and potato chowder, ham corn soup, ham corn potato chowder, ham and potato soup, ham chowder, or creamy corn and ham chowder, it’s all the same soup!

close up of potato ham chowder in yellow bowl

Instant Pot Leftover Ham recipes

One time-saving suggestion for this recipe is to use leftover ham after Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. You can also use pre-cubed ham that comes in a vacuum sealed package!

Another awesome part of this recipe is its use of frozen O’Brien potatoes.

In the US, O’Brien potatoes are a mix of frozen cubed potatoes, red and green bell peppers, and onions. It’s so convenient to have everything ready in the bag without having to chop more vegetables.

You can also use canned or frozen corn and pre-cooked bacon. It makes everything SO easy!

Pineapple Instant Pot Ham with Funeral Potatoes, Green Beans, and Carrots on a white plate with silver wear — I made everything on this plate in the Instant Pot! Check out my Instant Pot Ham and Cheesy Potato Recipe as well as the best Easter Instant Pot Dishes.

Dairy Free Ham and Potato Soup in the Instant Pot

While this recipe calls for cream and sour cream, you can totally make a dairy free version! Simply replace the dairy products with 2 additional cups of chicken broth and pressure cook as written.

You may want to thicken it with some freeze-dried mashed potato flakes or a cornstarch slurry.

Another idea is to add a can of dairy-free creamed corn to give it some extra creaminess and bulk.

How to prep potato ham chowder

This potato ham chowder recipe was designed with a busy life in mind.

All of the ingredients are freezer-friendly, allowing you to drop them into a bag and freeze until you need them!

It’s just as easy as making soup from a can, but it’s a whole lot healthier and a whole lot yummier.

Whenever I know that I’m going to have a busy few weeks, I take some time to prepare several bags of this soup so that I have a healthy meal ready right when I need it.

To prepare this soup in advance, open up a gallon-sized freezer bag.

I’ve found that using bag holders is really helpful for this part!

Then, add in all of the ingredients except the water, cream, and sour cream.

Gently mix up everything in the bag, then lay it flat in your freezer so that it takes up less space.

This mix will last up to three months in your freezer.

Close up of potato ham chowder in a yellow bowl

How to cook potato ham chowder

To cook potato ham chowder, take the bag of ingredients out of your freezer and gently break up any large chunks.

Then, add two cups of water to your Instant Pot.

Drop in the frozen potato mixture, close the Instant Pot, and cook on high for five minutes with a quick release.

Stir, add heavy cream and sour cream, and stir some more to combine.

At this point, your soup is cooked and ready to serve!

Garnish with shredded cheddar and chives if you’d like.

If you’re making the soup fresh, it’ll cook in exactly the same way.

The only difference is that instead of adding the ingredients to a freezer bag, you’ll add them directly into the Instant Pot!

Remember to only add the heavy cream and sour cream at the end.

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