Split Pea Soup Recipe

White soup bowl filled with split pea soup with chunks of ham and carrots and topped with homemade croutons and fresh parsley.

4.88 from 31 votes

This Split Pea Soup is the recipe I grew up with! Made with a leftover ham bone, fresh vegetables, and tender split peas, it’s comforting, nutritious, and super easy to make on the Stovetop or Slow Cooker.

Prep Time20

Cook Time3

Total Time3 20

Course: Crockpot, Pork, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Split Pea Soup, Split Pea Soup Recipe, Split Pea Soup with Ham, Split Peas

Servings: servings

Author: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

1 large ham bone with meat leftover ham bone works best
12 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 yellow onions diced
6 carrots diced
4 stalks celery diced
6 cloves garlic minced
2 bay leaves
2.5 cups dried split peas washed thoroughly
1½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
Fresh chopped parsley for serving
Croutons for serving
Tabasco sauce for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Stovetop

Boil the Ham Bone (optional). Place your ham bone in a large soup pot and cover it with enough water to fully submerge the ham bone (about 12 cups). Cover the pot and bring water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour (see notes).
Cook the vegetables. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the onions and mix to coat. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the onions start to soften. Add the chopped carrots and celery and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last 30 seconds stir in the minced garlic and mix well to combine.
Add the seasonings and split peas. Once the broth is ready, add the bay leaves, green split peas, thyme, and black pepper.
Strain and add the homemade ham broth. Use kitchen tongs to carefully remove the ham bone to a clean plate to cool. Strain approximately half of the broth (about 6 cups) through a fine-mesh strainer into the pot with the split peas, then strain the remaining broth into a separate pot or bowl and save it for later. Add an additional 4-6 cups of water or low-sodium beef broth to the pot, mixing well to combine. See notes.
Remove the meat and add it to the soup. Remove as much meat from the pork bone as possible. Add the meat and bone back to the pot.
Simmer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally as the peas soften, thicken, and settle at the bottom of the pot.
Serve. When ready to serve, season with additional salt and pepper to taste and discard the bay leaves. Serve with croutons, Tabascos sauce, fresh parsley, or cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker

Thoroughly rinse the peas in a fine mesh strainer and remove any small stones or impurities.
Add the ingredients (including the ham bone plus 8 cups of water) to a large Slow Cooker (8-quarts or larger).
Cook on low for 8+ hours or on high for 6+ hours.
Remove the ham bone and set aside on a clean plate. Once cool, cut away as much meat from the bone as possible and return it to the pot.
The soup is ready once the peas are tender and they’ve reached your desired thickness. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes

You can skip boiling the ham bone separately and add it with the split peas; however, I like to make a separate pot of ham broth and decide how much to include in the soup. Depending on how fatty your bone is, the broth may be very heavy. In this case, I’ll reserve half the broth for later and substitute the other half with water or low-sodium beef broth.
The soup thickens the longer it simmers. If your soup is too thick, add extra water or stock. Also, remember that this type of soup thickens considerably as it cools.
If you do not have a leftover ham bone, substitute it with two ham hocks.
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze leftovers in a gallon or quart-sized freezer-safe bag or another container for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before reheating (never reheat in a plastic bag).

Nutrition