This amazing Split Pea and Ham Soup recipe can be made using a ham bone or ham hocks. It can also be made in a slow cooker or stovetop.
Indulge in a comforting and flavorful bowl of Split Pea and Ham Soup! This delightful and tasty soup is perfect for using leftover ham and is easy to make with simple ingredients.
This is the best soup I have made in a really long time! I have been craving split pea soup for a while. So, when I had a ham bone left over from our Easter dinner, I knew I had to make one of my all-time favorite soups.
If you don’t have a ham bone, no need to worry! I include instructions on how to use ham hocks or smoked shank too!
Why This Recipe Works
- The ham bone or ham hock adds a rich and savory flavor to the soup.
- Plenty of aromatics, fresh vegetables, and herbs give the soup heartiness and extra depth of flavor.
- Smoked paprika gives the soup a unique and smoky taste.
- A little vinegar enhances flavor and adds brightness to the soup.
Getting A Full Flavored Soup
The secret to a flavorful split pea soup is using a ham bone or joint to create a rich and flavorful stock to cook the soup in.
To make it, simply follow the instructions in the step-by-step instructions below. Just make sure you taste the stock before making the soup. Some ham is super salty, and you may need to add half water and half stock (like I did in the video).
How To Make Split Pea and Ham Soup
Start by rinsing the dried split peas (click here if you missed the section on soaking split peas for soup). Once rinsed, set aside.
If you don’t have a ham bone or leftover ham, you can use ham hocks, ham shank, or joint instead. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Then, add the hocks or joint to the pot and brown the meat on all sides.
Cover with eight cups of water and add a rib of celery, one carrot, an onion, and some black peppercorns to the pot if desired.
As ham can be salty, don’t add salt to the pot at this stage. Once the meat is cooked, you can safely taste the stock and season from there.
Bring to a boil, and lower the heat to low. Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, removing any foam that forms on the surface. Once done, remove the ham bone and vegetables from the pot, and strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve.
Chop the carrots, onion, and celery into bite-sized pieces.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add one large chopped yellow onion and sauté until they become translucent. Add two finely chopped garlic cloves and cook another minute.
Add one pound of rinsed dried split peas. Followed by the ham bone, ham meat (or the ham hocks or shank).
If you made stock using a ham hock or shank, taste it for saltiness before adding it to the soup mixture. If it tastes quite salty, use half stock and half water.
Tie the parsley and bay leaf together with some kitchen string. Add three chopped medium-sized carrots and three chopped stalks of celery, along with the herb bundle and eight cups of ham stock.
Add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and pepper to taste (save the salt until the end, as ham may be quite salty).
Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer; cover and cook for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir often, as the split peas can stick to the bottom. Stir three peeled and diced potatoes.
Cook until the soup is thick and the peas are to your desired consistency. This can take 30 to 40 more minutes, depending on the brand of peas you use.
Remove the pot from the heat and carefully remove the herbs and the bone (if using and then discard it). If using ham hocks or shank, remove the skin, discard it, and then remove the meat from the bone.
Shred the meat and add it to the soup. Mix and return the soup to the heat to reheat as needed.
Sample the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. If using, stir in a teaspoon of vinegar, then taste again and adjust the amount of vinegar to your liking, as it can help enhance the flavors in the soup.
Serve and enjoy.
Erren’s Top Tips
- If your bone isn’t meaty, or you don’t have leftover ham to add to the soup, use thick sliced bacon or cubes of pancetta by browning it in the pan before and removing excess oil before cooking the onions.
- Ham can be salty, so add the salt at the end to avoid over-salting your soup.
- Stir often, as split peas can stick to the bottom of the pot as they cook.
- Split peas absorb lots of liquid as they cook, so check the soup often and add extra stock as needed.
- The peas in this soup only need to be cooked until tender, but if you like a smoother, creamier soup, cook them longer until they are soft and falling apart.
- For an even silkier soup, puree it (before adding the shredded ham meat) with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor.
- To make this recipe in the slow cooker, follow the instructions: lower the heat to a simmer, add it to a slow cooker, and cook on low for 4 hours. Add the potatoes and then cook for a further 1- to 2 hours.
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions ❄
Stored in an airtight container, Split Pea and Ham Soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Split peas soup will thicken when chilled. When reheating, additional stock will most likely be needed to thin it out again.
Freezing: Split Pea Soup freezes well. Allow the soup to cool before freezing (don’t leave it at room temperature for over an hour to avoid harmful bacteria).
Portion the soup into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers or fill an airtight container as much as possible (to avoid too much air being trapped) and freeze stacked on top of each other.
FAQs
Many people think it’s necessary to soak split peas overnight before cooking them, but it’s not imperative. Soaking peas shorten their cooking time to about 40 minutes instead of 1 to 2 hours (depending on the brand you buy). You can do this if you want to cut down the cooking time, but in my opinion, this will cut down on flavor, as simmering the soup as long as possible with the bone adds so much more flavor.
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Let’s Make Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Large Ham Bone (with leftover meat) or a large ham hock or smoked shank
- olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 3 stalks of celery chopped
- 3 potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 pound dried split peas rinsed
- 8 cups Ham Stock Chicken or vegetable stock will work too
- small bunch of parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- white wine vinegar optional
Instructions
If Using A Ham Hock or Shank
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in large Dutch oven or stockpot; add the hocks or joint to pot and brown on all sides.
- Cover with eight cups of water and if desired, add a rib of celery, one carrot, an onion, and some black peppercorns to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours to make the stock before moving on to making the soup.
For The Soup
- In a large soup pot, saute the onions over medium heat in olive oil until translucent (about 4-5 minutes) add the chopped garlic and cook another minute (being careful to not let it get too dark). Add the peas, ham & bone (or ham hocks/shank), carrots, and celery.
- Tie the parsley and bay leaf together with kitchen string. Add the herb bundle, stock, paprika, and salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer; cover and cook (stirring often) 30 minutes.
- Stir in the potatoes and cook until soup is thick and peas have almost disintegrated, about 30-40 minutes more.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and remove the bone to a bowl to cool.
- Pull meat from ham bone and shred.
- Remove the herb bundle from the soup and discard.
- Add the shredded ham and heat the soup to a simmer.
- Taste and if needed, season with salt and pepper. If using, mix in a teaspoon of the vinegar. Taste, and add more vinegar as needed to brighten the flavors in the soup.
- Serve hot.
Tips + Notes
- If your bone isn’t meaty, or you don’t have a leftover ham to add to the soup, use thick sliced bacon or cubes of pancetta by browning it in the pan before and removing excess oil before cooking the onions.
- Ham can be salty, so salt at the end to avoid over-salting.
- Stir often as split peas can stick to the bottom of the pot as they cook.
- Split peas absorb lots of liquid as they cook, so check the soup often and add extra stock as needed.
- The peas in this soup only need to be cooked until tender, but if you like a smoother, creamier soup, cook them longer until they are soft and falling apart.
- For an even silkier soup, puree it (before adding the shredded ham meat) with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor.
- To make this recipe in the slow cooker, follow the instructions to where you lower the heat to a simmer and then add it to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours, add the potatoes and then cook a further 1-2 hours.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes:
This recipe was originally posted in January 2015 but was republished in 2023 with new photos and content.
mandy johnson says
The flavours in this soup were delicious. I wish I’d soaked the lentils first tho as they were still hard even after hours of boiling them. I’ll def be tempting this again.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavors of the soup. If you found the lentils to be a bit hard, you can definitely try soaking them before cooking next time. Soaking lentils can help soften them and reduce the cooking time. You can soak them in water for a few hours or overnight, then drain and rinse before adding them to the soup.
It’s great that you’re willing to give it another try! Let us know how it goes and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Amy Holister says
I appreciate the helpful tips and tricks included in this recipe. They really made a difference in my soup. It was delicious!
Erren Hart says
Thank you for leaving a comment about this recipe. Your feedback is appreciated, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for future recipes. Thanks again for trying it out and sharing your thoughts!
Mary says
I made this with the little tube of peas, limas and barley from the grocery store. I heated the stock to a boil before adding the ingredients, and it worked great, cooked it for 1 hr and 20 minutes. Winner!
Erren Hart says
Hi Mary, Thank you for trying out the Split Pea Soup recipe and for sharing your positive feedback! I’m glad you could adapt the recipe and it worked great for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe. I hope you continue to enjoy making and customizing this delicious soup in the future!
Ronnie says
Thank you, Erren, for this delicious recipe! I made it last night and it was a big hit with my family. It’s the perfect way to use up any leftover baked ham.
Erren Hart says
Thank you for trying out this recipe and for leaving such a positive review. We’re glad you enjoyed it and hope you’ll come back again soon!
jeanette midgley says
This soup is delicious, full of flavour and very filling! I bought a ham hock from my butcher and reckon that the whole recipe comes to about 50 pence per portion. Great for these times of inflated prices. Thank you for posting.
Erren Hart says
Thank you for trying our Split Pea Soup, Jeanette! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it was both flavorful and filling. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and for taking the time to leave a review!
Celine says
I loved this recipe! Don’t change a thing! I had to use a slow cooker because I was out all day. Consequently it was a tad thinner than I wanted after 6 hours because of the slow cooker not your recipe, but it was great!
Erren Hart says
I love to hear that! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!!
Izzy says
I loved this recipe! Didn’t change a thing. I had to use a slow cooker because I was out all day and it was great!
Erren Hart says
I’m glad the recipe was enjoyed so much! Thanks for letting us know!
REALTwinFlame says
If using a smoked Ham Hock, cut all of it up in to 1cm x 1cm cubes and give them a good roast (bone/rind included)or pan fry in olive oil, before adding to the final pot. Adding the Hock directly to the pot, with out any prep work, will result in chunks of collagen blubber (Hock is only about 30% meat, the rest collagen) that many will not find appetizing, especially children. I do not mind it at all because it is very healthy.
Or, make a broth with the hock before hand and remove all but the solid meat. Just use the liquid and solid meat, the rest throw out. You’ll still get the benefits of collagen this way, even more so because it will have had more than 1 hour to melt in the broth. Good luck and thanks for the recipe.
The flavour was perfect and delicious.
Andrea says
Quite good. I used my pressure cooker. The result was a smooth, creamy and rustic soup that hits the spot on a cool day.
Erren Hart says
I’m delighted to hear you liked it so much! 🙂
Tanya Stinson says
Most gorgeous pea and ham soup recipe ever
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you Tanya! That’s very kind 🙂