Split Pea Soup with Ham

This classic split pea soup with ham is an easy and healthy dinner that can be prepared 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 for a simple and flavorful prep-ahead meal.

If you love cozy soup recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this kid-favorite chicken and stars soup, a pot of chicken vegetable soup, and this easy taco soup, too!

What is Split Pea Soup?

No one knows exactly where Split Pea Soup originated, since this soup made from dried peas has been enjoyed in cultures around the world since antiquity. The Greeks and Romans were cultivating peas from about 500 to 400 BC, and vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup (source).

In the United States, split pea soup with ham is typically a bit thinner than a regular pureed pea soup, and it includes visible bits and pieces of peas and ham. It has a mild, slightly-sweet, smokey taste that you will love!

Should split peas be soaked?

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. So convenient!

How to Season Split Pea Soup

This dish 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.

How to Thicken Split Pea Soup with Ham

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.

How to Garnish the Soup

While this soup doesn’t need a garnish, here are a few options to jazz up your individual bowls:

• Cooked, crumbled bacon
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Sour cream
• Croutons

Serving Suggestions

Serve the soup with 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.

Is split pea and ham soup healthy?

Yes! This soup is full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the vegetables, it’s high in fiber, it’s gluten-free (but always check your specific packaging to be sure), and full of protein. Thanks to their high carbohydrate content, split peas are not typically considered a Keto-friendly, low-carb food.

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.

Tips for the Best Split Pea Soup Recipe

• This soup thickens as it cools (which is normal), so you may need to thin the leftovers with extra broth or water.
• The recipe calls for 1 lb. of dried split peas, which is equal to about 2 ¼ cups of dry split peas.
• 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.

More Classic Soup Recipes to Try

Ham and Bean Soup {Quick and Easy!}

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

Split Pea Soup with Ham

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 cups

Calories 144.7 kcal

Make this easy, healthy, split pea and ham soup on the stovetop, in the Crock Pot, or in the Instant Pot!

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Equipment

• Pressure Cooker
• Slow Cooker
• Dutch oven

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 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.
  

INSTANT POT METHOD:

• 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.

SLOW COOKER 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.

Notes

• This soup thickens as it cools (which is normal), so you may need to thin the leftovers with extra broth or water.
• The recipe calls for 1 lb. of dried split peas, which is equal to about 2 ¼ cups of dry split peas.
• 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.
• Nutrition information provided below is just an automatically-generated estimate. The amount of soup that you prepare will vary depending on whether or not you’re adding diced ham or bacon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 144.7kcalCarbohydrates: 34.3gProtein: 13.6gFat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 395.7mgPotassium: 140.6mgFiber: 13.5gSugar: 3g

Keyword: crockpot split pea soup, instant pot split pea soup, slow cooker split pea soup, split pea and ham soup, split pea soup, split pea soup with ham

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This post was originally published in January, 2020. The photos were updated in December, 2021.