Ham & Split Pea Soup

This cozy homemade ham and split pea soup is a great way to use leftover holiday ham! Our easy recipe has options for the stove, slow cooker AND Instant Pot, so you can make it just the way you like.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: split pea soup is…not the most gorgeous soup. I love to joke that, while she might not win any beauty contests, this split pea soup recipe has a great personality.

Part of the magic of ham and split pea soup recipe is that, despite its humble appearance, this classic recipe is layered with flavor. If you’re paying attention, you’ll be amazed by all the flavor notes going on.

Made with tender split peas, savory ham, lots of veggies, and a few little flavor tricks, this comforting soup is sure to warm you up from the inside out.

And this simple recipe all starts with simple ingredients…

Simple Ingredients To Start

• Olive Oil. Just a drizzle, to help you cook the veggies!
• Onion, Celery & Carrots. This trio of veggies is known as mirepoix. It’s a classic savory base for all kinds of delicious soups and sauces, and that flavor definitely rounds out this soup!
• Fresh Garlic. Minced garlic adds another layer of flavor that only gets richer the longer this soup simmers.
• Dried Split Peas. We recommend green split peas for this split pea soup recipe, since they’re the classic choice. Yellow split peas *will* work, but they’ll change the look of this soup quite a bit.
• Smoked Ham. Next up is some ham! I love ham and split pea soup, since the ham adds a smoky, savory, salty note that adds so much flavor. Feel free to use leftover ham, or cut up a ham steak for this recipe.
• Broth. Chicken broth or vegetable broth are my go-to choices for this soup. We love to use chicken bone broth for extra protein, but either option works well here!
• Bay Leaf. Sometimes bay leaves get overlooked, but I find that the extra flavor really comes into play here!
• Salt & Pepper. These simple seasonings round out the soup.
• Maybe Some Fresh Parsley. For a fresh finish and an extra pop of color. I love to top this soup with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. A little fresh thyme also works well!

How To Make Ham & Split Pea Soup, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Sort & Rinse Split Peas. To start, sort through the split peas to pick out any brown split peas or any bits of dirt that may have made it into the package. Rinse the split peas in a fine mesh sieve and set aside. (Note: once you’ve rinsed the beans, they’ll immediately start to stick together in a big clump. This is normal and will sort itself out as soon as you add them to the soup.)
2. Sauté Veggies. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and cook 8-10 minutes, or until softened and tender. Add garlic and stir one minute more, or until fragrant.
3. Combine. Add diced ham (or ham bone, if using), and rinsed split peas to the pot. Pour in chicken broth and stir to combine. Tuck bay leaf into the soup.
4. Simmer. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes or so, until the split peas are tender and the soup has thickened.
5. Finish. If using a ham bone, carefully use tongs to remove the ham from the soup and use two forks or a knife and fork to shred or dice the ham off the bone into small pieces. Return shredded/dricced ham to the soup and discard the bone. Remove the bay leaf from the soup and season soup with salt and black pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley, fresh thyme, crisped bacon, or more black pepper!

Make It A Meal! (Serving Suggestions)

Okay, now that we know how to make it, let’s talk about what to serve with split pea soup! Here are a few ideas to get you started…

• Gluten-Free Croutons. Not a side dish, per se, but some crunchy croutons are GREAT on top of split pea soup. The crispy texture of these golden brown croutons is great with the thick, hearty texture of the soup.
• A Simple Side Salad. Keep things light with our favorite green salad or a simple arugula salad. Something fresh, bright, and easy!
• Gluten-Free Focaccia. Want something to dip into this soup? Our fluffy gluten-free focaccia is the perfect option. It’s done in less time than it takes for the soup to simmer, so you can easily bake it while the soup cooks. (Plus, the herbs on top pair beautifully with the savory, smoky flavors of classic split pea soup!)
• A Sandwich. Want something even more filling? Pair your ham & split pea soup with your favorite sandwich–hot or cold!
• Some Fresh Fruit. My kids LOVE when there’s fresh fruit at dinner, so choose from whatever’s in season–apple slices, fresh grapes, whatever!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Split Pea Soup

Storing & Freezing Tips. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator before reheating. Keep in mind that split pea soup will continue to thicken significantly when it cools, so you’ll want to add a little bit of extra broth or a little water to thin leftover soup out when reheating. 

What Are Split Peas? Split peas are part of the legume family, but they taste and behave differently from fresh peas. Sold dried and cooked to perfection, they have a much softer, gentler flavor than fresh peas and they help thicken this hearty soup as it simmers. They come in yellow and green varieties, and we recommend GREEN split peas for this soup. (They’re NOT the same thing as fresh or frozen green peas!)

Season Generously! While we usually recommend seasoning while you cook, we recommend adding salt and pepper at the END, so you can see how salty your soup is. Between the ham and broth, this soup can easily get too salty if you’re not careful. I usually add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, depending on how salty the ham is. 

Extras You Can Add: While we love this classic split pea soup recipe as written, you can also mix things up by adding a few strips of crisped, crumbled smoky bacon, a generous pinch of smoked paprika, or a few sprigs of fresh thyme for even more flavor.

More Cozy Soup Recipes To Try

Smoky Bacon Lentil Soup

Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Cozy Autumn Squash Soup (Panera Copycat!)

Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup

Ham & Split Pea Soup

5 from 1 vote

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

Made with tender split peas, smoky ham & savory veggies, this homemade ham & split pea soup recipe is the perfect comfort food. (Bonus: it’s naturally gluten-free!) Make it on the stove, in the Instant Pot or in the slow cooker!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 8 -10 cups soup

Calories: 359kcal

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 stalks celery diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 carrots diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound dried green split peas*
• 8-12 ounces diced ham or 1-1 1/2 lbs. smoked ham on the bone*
• 6-8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth*
• 1 bay leaf
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste*
• Optional: 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Stovetop Directions:

• Sort & Rinse Split Peas. To start, sort through the split peas to pick out any brown split peas or any bits of dirt that may have made it into the package. Rinse the split peas in a fine mesh sieve and set aside. (Note: once you’ve rinsed the beans, they’ll immediately start to stick together in a big clump. This is normal and will sort itself out as soon as you add them to the soup.)
• Sauté Veggies. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and cook 8-10 minutes, or until softened and tender. Add garlic and stir one minute more, or until fragrant.
• Combine. Add diced ham (or ham bone, if using), and rinsed split peas to the pot. Pour in chicken broth and stir to combine. Tuck bay leaf into the soup.
• Simmer. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes or so, until the split peas are tender and the soup has thickened. If your soup is getting too thick, add more broth as you go.
• Finish. If using a ham bone, carefully use tongs to remove the ham from the soup and use two forks or a knife and fork to shred or dice the ham off the bone. Return shredded/diced ham to the soup and discard the bone. Remove the bay leaf from the soup and season soup with salt and black pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley, fresh thyme, crisped bacon, or more black pepper!
• Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Keep in mind that split pea soup will continue to thicken significantly when it cools, so you’ll want to add a splash of water or broth to thin leftover soup out when reheating.

Slow Cooker Directions:

• Combine. Instead of sautéing the veggies first, you’ll just “dump and go.” Combine olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ham, rinsed split peas, and broth in the crock of your slow cooker. Stir to combine, then tuck the bay leaf into the soup.
• Cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 7-8 hours.
• Finish. Remove bay leaf from soup. Remove ham bone (if using) and shred or dice the ham off the bone. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Instant Pot Directions:

• Saute. With the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode, cook the onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil 5-10 minutes to soften. Add the garlic & cook 30-60 seconds more.
• Combine. Press CANCEL to turn off SAUTE mode. Add ham, rinsed split peas, and broth. Tuck bay leaf into the soup.
• Cook. Set the steam vent to SEALING, then press PRESSURE COOK (manual) and cook for 15 minutes.
• Natural release the pressure 10-15 minutes, then quick release the remaining steam.
• Finish. Stir and remove bay leaf and the ham bone (if using), and shred or dice the ham off the bone. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. If you want a thicker soup, feel free to cook it on SAUTE mode until you reach your desired consistency.

Notes

• Ham. If you’ve got a ham bone from a spiral cut ham, ham shank, bone-in ham, or even have a ham hock on hand, you can absolutely use them here! Ham on the bone will continue to get tender and will be easy to shred or dice after simmering in the soup. It’s delicious!
• Split Peas. For classic split pea soup, use dried GREEN split peas. While you *can* use yellow split peas in this soup, they’ll change the color pretty dramatically. (Note: split peas are NOT the same thing as fresh or frozen green peas!)
• Broth. We recommend chicken bone broth for extra protein! This soup gets very thick when cooled, so you may want to have extra broth on hand to thin the leftovers out.
• Salt & Pepper. Season this soup generously. While we usually recommend seasoning while you cook, we recommend adding salt and pepper at the END, so you can see how salty your soup is. Between the ham and broth, this soup can easily get too salty if you’re not careful. I usually add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, depending on how salty the ham is.

Video

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ham split pea soup, homemade split pea soup, instant pot split pea soup, slow cooker split pea soup, split pea soup

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup Soup | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.7g | Protein: 35.7g | Fat: 5.4g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Cholesterol: 41.7mg | Sodium: 493.9mg | Potassium: 860.6mg | Fiber: 15.7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 5.6mg | Calcium: 45mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/split-pea-soup/

Originally shared September 2010. Fully updated with improved recipe, as well as new notes, photos, and video November 2024.