This Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup recipe is a great way to make use of that leftover holiday ham bone. Cooking it low and slow is the best method for creating creamy, delicious split pea soup.
I love ham bone recipes. There’s just something so old-fashioned and right about turning something that might otherwise be discarded into another delicious meal. In our grandparents generation, people would have never considered throwing a meaty ham bone in the trash, so why should we? Recipes that involve leftovers can become as traditional in your home as the holiday meal they stem from.
This Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup is one of my favorite recipes to make the day after Easter thanks to my sis, Marj. She has lots of good ideas and this is one of them. Love ya, sis.
Healthy Comfort Food
Split peas are rich in soluble fiber which, in addition to helping to keep our cholesterol and blood sugar levels in check, also makes us feel full and satiated for a good long time. A bowl of Split Pea Soup is a stick to your ribs meal that is high in protein but low in fat. To avoid excess sodium, be sure to use low-sodium broth and only season lightly with salt.
Ingredient Notes
- Green split peas – A one pound bag of dried green split peas, rinsed well and drained.
- Vegetables – Carrots, celery, and white or yellow onion.
- Minced garlic
- Herbs – Fresh Italian parsley, fresh thyme, and a dried bay leaf.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper – Ham is quite salty so I always use salt sparingly and then taste and season as needed at the end of the cooking process.
- Ham bone – A meaty ham bone from your leftover holiday ham or a store-bought ham bone or ham shank.
- Low-sodium chicken broth
How to Make Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Layer the ingredients, through the ham bone, in a slow cooker in the order listed.
- Add about 4 to 5 cups of chicken broth, just enough to cover the ingredients. Reserve the remaining broth for later. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Stir occasionally during cooking time.
- Let it cook until the peas have softened to your liking and the soup has a nice, creamy consistency. Remove and discard the bay leaf and remove the ham bone.
- Tear off any remaining meat from the bone and return it to the slow cooker. Use a spoon to lightly mash some of the peas against the side of the slow cooker and stir until nice and creamy, adding more broth, if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
FAQ and Valerie’s Tips
If you are cooking your split peas in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, there is no need to soak them in advance. Just put them in a colander, give them a good rinse with cool water, and pick through them to remove any small pebbles or debris.
Cooking split pea soup in a slow cooker with a ham bone results in an exceptionally creamy soup infused with smoky, meaty flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can make this recipe in an Instant Pot in a fraction of the time with a great result. See the recipe card for the detailed instructions.
If you don’t have a leftover ham bone, check the meat counter at your local grocery store for a ham hock or shank. If you omit the bone altogether, I recommend purchasing a ham steak so that you can add 1 ½ to 2 cups diced ham at the end of the cooking time. Just be aware that the the soup will be missing the unique smoky flavor that only comes from cooking with a ham bone.
If your split peas are still crunchy, they need to cook longer. Check them periodically and add additional broth, if needed, so they remain covered in liquid through the cooking process. Just like dried beans, split peas require a slow, long cooking time in order to become tender. When cooked in a slow cooker, the dried peas will break down and transform in front of your eyes into a beautiful, thick and creamy soup over the course of 8 to 10 hours. The longer you let them go, the creamier your soup will be. And, this my friends, is a good thing!
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator – Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – Split Pea Soup freezes exceptionally well. Freeze the completely cooled soup in freezer-safe containers or plastic storage bags and use within 3 to 4 months. I like to store it in serving size portions so we can pull out just one or two servings for an easy lunch.
- Reheating – Thaw frozen Split Pea Soup overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it in microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Thin the soup with a little water or chicken broth, if desired.
More Ham Bone Recipes
- Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- Baked Beans from Scratch
- Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried green split peas, rinsed well and drained
- 2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup diced white or yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 meaty ham bone, see notes below
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth, or more, as needed, divided
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method
- Layer the ingredients, through the ham bone, in a slow cooker in the order listed. Add as much of the chicken broth as needed to just cover the ingredients, about 4 to 5 cups. Reserve the remaining chicken broth for later.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Stir occasionally during the cooking time and add additional broth only if the level drops below the ingredients.
- When the peas are tender, remove the ham bone and transfer it to a cutting board. Pull off any remaining ham, tear it into small pieces, and return it to the slow cooker. Discard the ham bone and bay leaf. Use a spoon to lightly mash some of the peas against the side of the slow cooker and stir until nice and creamy, adding more broth, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
Instant Pot Method
- Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to SAUTE and toggle to MORE. When it displays HOT add 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable or canola). Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Hit CANCEL.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including all 6 cups of the broth. Secure the lid, select MANUAL, and cook on HIGH pressure for 14 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the ham bone to a cutting board. Use a fork to pull away any ham from the ham bone, chop it into pieces and add back to the soup. Discard the bone. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
Notes
- Refrigerator – Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – Split Pea Soup freezes exceptionally well. Freeze the completely cooled soup in freezer-safe containers or plastic storage bags and use within 3 to 4 months. I like to store it in serving size portions so we can pull out just one or two servings for an easy lunch.
- Reheating – Thaw frozen Split Pea Soup overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it in microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Thin the soup with a little water or chicken broth, if desired.
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.
This post was originally published on April 9, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
This soup is amazing! I made it exactly as written. 8 hours was perfect in my crock pot. So easy and so delicious. I never comment on recipes but had to on this one. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy it worked out so well for you! Thanks so much for your comment, JJ. 🙂
This is my ideal split pea soup. Made several times and always good. If I don’t have a ham bone, I get 8 oz cubed ham.
Fantastic! Flavorful, meaty, and easy!
Yay, so glad you loved it RL! A very happy new year to you and yours.
Have made quite a few pea soups but loved your recipe. Perfect thank you.
I made this recipe yesterday with a leftover ham bone from Thanksgiving. This was my first attempt at making split pea and ham soup. I followed the directions exactly how they were written and IT WAS DELICIOUS! I did cook it on the closer end to 10 hours for the perfect pea consistency and creaminess to the soup. I served it with corn bread. Great recipe!
The only pea soup recipe I use now. The fresh thyme and touch of garlic really make it extra flavorful!
Can this recipe be doubled? If so, how much longer would you cook it?
You can increase the amounts as long as you have a large enough slow cooker. It should not be more than 2/3 full to cook properly.
It’s been cooking on low in Crock Pot for 11 hours and peas are still crunchy, a long way from creamy. I’m going to let it cook all night and see what I have in the morning. Anybody else have this problem?
Add more broth
Best split pea soup I have ever tasted! I tossed out all my other recipes. I will never make it another way again! So perfect! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
What do you recommend if you don’t have a ham bone?
Check at the meat counter at your local store. They typically carry ham hocks or shanks that will work just fine here. Cook’s brand ham shanks are nice and meaty and I use them frequently.
Just made this last weekend…FANTASTIC! This recipe will go in my file as one of the best!