A healthy split pea soup with ham that’s easy to prepare in the slow cooker, in the Instant Pot, or on the stovetop! Make it with a smoked ham hock, leftover ham bone, diced ham, or bacon.
Table of Contents
If you love cozy soup recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this Crock Pot vegetable soup, a pot of chicken vegetable soup, and this easy taco soup, too!
Made this last Friday and it was delicious!
– Megan
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- The recipe calls for 1 lb. of dried split peas, which is equal to about 2 ¼ cups of dry split peas.
- Unlike other dried beans, you don’t need to soak the dried split peas before using them in this recipe. Just rinse them in a colander and drain off any excess water.
- I prefer smoked ham hocks, but a leftover ham bone, diced smoked ham, or bacon will also work here.
- This soup gets a good amount of its flavor from the smoked ham. The recipe also calls for a small amount of thyme, oregano, basil, pepper, and bay leaf. These flavors are subtle, so feel free to adjust the amount of seasoning in your soup, omit some of the seasonings if you don’t care for them, or add different herbs of your choice.
- This soup thickens as it cools (which is normal), so you may need to thin the leftovers with extra broth or water.
- Taste and season with salt at the end. The amount of salt necessary will vary greatly depending on the saltiness of your broth, your individual taste preferences, and whether you’re using ham hocks, bacon, diced ham, or just vegetables. Ham can be very salty, so you may not need any additional salt at all. Taste the soup as you go and adjust accordingly.
Directions
This healthy split pea soup recipe comes together quickly, whether you use the stovetop, Instant Pot, or crockpot. I’ve shown the stovetop method here, but you’ll also find the alternate cooking instructions in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the veggies.
- Add the split peas, broth, seasoning, and ham hocks.
- Simmer until the peas and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. You will be surprised by how thick the soup gets as it cools! If you prefer an even thicker soup, simmer the pot with the lid off towards the end of the cooking time to allow some extra liquid to evaporate. You can also start with just 5 cups of broth, and add more if necessary. For a thinner soup, use 7 cups of broth.
- Remove the ham hocks or ham bone, chop the meat, and return the meat to the pot. Discard the bone and fatty pieces, as well as the bay leaf.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with optional toppings, such as cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped fresh parsley, sour cream, or croutons.
Serving Suggestions
Split pea soup with ham is delicious alongside a crusty loaf of French baguette or other hearty bread. Add some robust, sharp cheese, if desired! For a Southern alternative, you can never go wrong with a side of cornbread, corn muffins, or flaky buttermilk biscuits. My Great Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient sour cream muffins or her 3-ingredient biscuits are also delicious options! If you’re trying to pair wine with split pea soup, I recommend either a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: This is the perfect freezer-friendly meal! Just allow the soup to cool to room temperature, package in airtight containers or large Ziploc freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: transfer the soup to a large pot. Cover and warm over low or medium heat until the soup reaches the desired temperature. Add extra broth to thin, if necessary. Alternatively, you can reheat individual bowls of soup in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
I decided to make your split pea soup today. It is absolutely delicious!
– Kris
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Healthy Split Pea Soup with Ham
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Make this easy, healthy split pea and ham soup on the stovetop, in the Crock Pot, or in the Instant Pot!
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 medium celery ribs, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons total)
- 1 ½ lbs. smoked ham hocks (or use 2 cups diced, smoked ham; 8 slices bacon, chopped; or a leftover ham bone)
- 1 (16 ounce) package dried green or yellow split peas, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (use 7 cups for a thinner soup)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Optional garnish: cooked, crumbled bacon; chopped fresh parsley; sour cream; croutons
Instructions
STOVETOP METHOD
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic (and diced ham or bacon, if using). Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onion is translucent, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in ham hocks (or ham bone, if using), split peas, broth, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for about 1 hour (or until peas and vegetables are tender).
- Remove the bay leaf (and ham bone or ham hocks, if using). Chop up the meat from the ham hocks or bone, return the meat to the pot, and discard the bones and fatty pieces. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. The soup will thicken as it cools, so thin with extra broth or water, if necessary.
Notes
SLOW COOKER METHOD:
INSTANT POT METHOD:
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 hours (or until peas reach desired tenderness).
Remove the bay leaf (and ham bone or ham hocks, if using). Chop up the meat from the ham hocks or bone, return the meat to the pot, and discard the bones and fatty pieces. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
The soup will thicken as it cools, so thin with extra broth or water, if necessary.
Turn on the “Sauté” function on the pressure cooker. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pot, and when the oil shimmers add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic (as well as the diced ham or bacon, if using). Sauté just until the onion is translucent (about 6-7 minutes). Turn off the pot.
Add the ham hocks (or ham bone, if using), split peas, broth, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, basil and pepper.
Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select “Manual” and set the pot at “High” pressure for 15 minutes. It may take the pot up to 15 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking.
At the end of the cooking time, allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
Stir well to combine. Remove the bay leaf (and ham bone or ham hocks, if using). Chop up the meat from the ham hocks or bone, return the meat to the pot, and discard the bones and fatty pieces. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
The soup will thicken as it cools, so thin with extra broth or water, if necessary.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 144.7kcalCarbohydrates: 34.3gProtein: 13.6gFat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 395.7mgPotassium: 140.6mgFiber: 13.5gSugar: 3g
Healthy Split Pea Soup Recipe Variations
- The peas naturally break down, creating a thick, rich soup. If you like your split pea soup even smoother, you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree a portion of the soup.
- Split pea soup with potatoes: add about 1 cup of unpeeled, diced red boiling potatoes to the pot at the same time that you add the split peas.
- Vegetarian split pea soup: omit the ham, bacon, ham hocks, or ham bone, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. If you want that smoky flavor, try adding a good dash of liquid smoke or smoked paprika to the pot.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Ham and Bean Soup with Canned Beans
1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Sausage and Bean Soup
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
15 Bean Soup with Sausage
10 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
This post was originally published in January, 2020. It was updated in October, 2024.
I actually saved the ham bone this year in anticipation of finding a recipe to use it in. So this is perfect timing – thank you!!
Happy New Year!
Awesome! I’m glad that you thought to save the bone. Enjoy, Megan!
Made this last Friday and it was delicious!
Awesome! Thanks, Megan! I’m having leftovers from my freezer this week. 🙂
How long do I cook this in a slow cooker?
Hi, Maureen! The full slow cooker instructions are provided in the recipe box. 🙂
Hi Blair!
Thank you for your weekly email. I look forward to it every week. It does add a sense of normality at this time. And I love seeing the beautiful photographs of the countryside. Not to mention the entertaining pictures of your boys, and the great recipes.
I decided to make your split pea soup today. It is absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing your talent with us! Have a fabulous week…
Hi, Kris! Thanks so much for reading the blog each week. It’s so nice to hear from you, and I really appreciate your kind words. Glad that you enjoyed the soup — it’s one of my favorites, too! Have a good, healthy week. 🙂
Had this today for a late breakfast (we often have soup for breakfast in the cold weather!) and it was absolutely delicious! Made it exactly according to your directions in the IP using a ham bone from a ham my husband smoked a few days ago. Wonderful flavors and it smells so good cooking! Am glad you left the salt to add at the end as in our case it didn’t need any additional (enough salt in the ham and the broth even though I used low sodium broth). Very filling and satisfying! Husband said it was a “winner”! Thanks, Blair!
That sounds perfect, Norma! Thank you so much for your kind note. It makes me want a warm bowl of split pea soup on this rainy day! I am due for a batch, so thanks for the reminder! 🙂
I put sausage instead of ham or bacon/ it is a Western European influenced soup with ham, bacon, sausage /Romanian cuisine is strongly influenced by history and traditions, borrowing from other cultures/yummy yammy yam yam yammy
Sounds delicious! Thank you, Rus!
This is a delicious soup. Whenever I do a ham, this is what I make with the left-over ham. I add abou 1/2-1 tsp ground Cumin and Smokey Paprika, for an added kick..
Thanks, Adrienne. I’m so happy that you enjoy it!
I truly enjoyed making the soup using a slowcooker/Crock Pot. Everyone who had it enjoyed it very much even someone who doesn’t like peas!
We’re so happy to hear this, Brian! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.
This soup is excellent!! I made it weeks ago and making it again today. Ty for posting this delicious recipe!! ❤️
Thank you, Donna! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!