This is a fabulous “throw it all in the slow cooker” Pea and Ham soup. There’s no need to cook the onion separately – it “sautés” itself in the fat from the ham hock that rises to the surface. Thick, hearty soup broth infused with incredible flavour from the ham bone!
A worthy ending for your leftover Christmas ham bone, or use store bought. Make this in your slow cooker or on the stove!
Pea and Ham Soup
I’ve always said that Lentil Soup is the least sexy looking soup in the world.
But in hindsight, I think Pea and Ham Soup should take that title.
I mean, think about it. A sparkling white Corn Chowder is pretty. A Thai Tom Yum Soup is colourful and vibrant. Creamy Carrot Soup is a cheerful bright orange colour. And a fiery red Laksa looks as bold as it tastes.
But Pea Soup? It’s brown more than green. Kahki at best.
So no, it’s not glamorous.
But this ugly duckling is seriously delicious. One bite, and you won’t be able to stop!!
What goes in Pea and Ham Soup
Here’s what you need for pea and ham soup. I’ve used a store bought ham hock here because I used up all the ham bones I managed to score from friends and even mere acquaintances. Yep, when it comes to rounding up ham bones, I’m shameless!!
Make sure you use a ham bone with plenty of meat because more meat means more flavour imparted into the soup – and more shredded ham!
Green split peas – these are just dried peas that are halved (split!) which means they cook faster and there’s no need to soak overnight (such as with most types of beans for things like Southern Baked Beans). They taste quite neutral, slightly earthy, and it absorbs the flavour of whatever they’re cooked in – in this case, ham! When cooked for a long time like we do here (in order for the ham meat to be ultra tender), they become creamy and thicken the soup;
WATER, no broth – the ham bone releases so much flavour that all we need is water for the soup broth. How good is that??!!
I love how economical pea soup is when made using leftover ham bone because the broth just needs water – no stock!
The Ham Hock – ham bone
If you’re wondering what a ham hock is, it’s a ham bone. And it is literally the bone inside a leg of ham, left after carving off all the ham (ie the cold cuts sold at delis). So it is already cooked – well, smoked.
If you buy one, you’ll find it looks a lot neater than a scrappy leftover leftover ham bone from a homemade Glazed Ham. The store bought ones are cut neatly then from the looks of it, they are re-smoked to seal the surface of the pink meat part.
Where to buy ham hocks
Store bought ham hock is sometimes sold over the counter and delis, otherwise it’s vac packed and sold with ham and similar items in the refrigerator section.
Make sure it’s meaty!
While store bought are intentionally nice and meaty (to flavour the soup and for plenty of shredded ham), leftover ham bones have been known to be picked clean by Ham Monsters. So if your ham bone isn’t meaty enough, just add a hunk of ham into the soup as well – just to ensure you get enough flavour into the broth.
Do the same if your store bought ham hock weighs less than 1 kg / 2lb. 🙂
Alternative: give the broth a flavour boost with a dash of stock/bouillon powder.
Just place everything into the slow cooker then turn it on
No need to sauté onion separately beforehand. In this recipe, the onion will rise to the surface and “sauté” in the ham fat. I’ve tried it sautéing onion first, then using my method and there is no difference in flavour.
The peas will be so soft they become creamy. So blitzing is optional. What I like to do is partially puree the soup using a handheld blender stick. This way you get the best of both worlds – a smooth, creamy soup broth with soft bits of pea and veg bits!
How long to cook Pea and Ham Soup
Make sure you slow cook Pea and Ham Soup in the slow cooker for at least 8 hours, but 10 hours is even better (on low). The ham meat should literally fall off the bone and be shredded with a touch.
Easily shreddable ham is an indicator that it’s been cooked long enough to release a ton of flavour into the broth!
Are split peas good for you?
They are! They’re high in fibre and protein, can help reduce cholesterol and are low in fat. But split peas are a higher carbohydrate vegetable so watch your intake if you’re on a low carb diet.
What to serve with Pea and Ham Soup
A hunk of warm crusty bread (preferably slathered in butter) is literally made for dunking into this thick soup.
In fact, forget spoons. Imagine eating the whole thing using bread as your feeding tool of choice?? 🙌🏻 For homemade, try this quick no yeast Irish Soda Bread or yeast free Sandwich bread. If you’ve got the time, make this crusty Artisan Bread – pretty sure it’s now officially the world’s easiest yeast bread! (It’s no knead, very foolproof).
OR – if you want to go all out, upgrade to Garlic Bread or CHEESY Garlic Bread!
Things to dunk into soup
If you’d like to add a side salad, try it with a Cucumber Salad for lovely contrasting crisp freshness, or for something different (and totally fabulous), a French Carrot Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing! – Nagi x
PS Some recipes dress up Pea and Ham soup by adding spinach or frozen peas at the end to make the soup colour greener. I choose to celebrate the unattractiveness and focus on flavour, flavour, flavour!
Watch how to make it
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Pea and Ham Soup (slow cooker or stove)
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb dried split peas (Note 1)
- 1.2-1.5kg / 2.4-3lb ham hock (aka ham bone), bacon hock or MEATY leftover ham bone (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp salt (start with less, adjust later)
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , peeled and finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks , finely chopped
- 8 cups (2 litres/qts) water
Garnishes / serving:
- Parsley , finely chopped
- Crusty bread for dunking!
Instructions
- Place peas in slow cooker, push ham in. Scatter all ingredients around the ham bone, then pour over water.
- Slow cook 8 to 10 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH. (Or 2.5 hours on low on stove, 1 h – 1 hr 20 min pressure cooker/Instant Pot on HIGH)
- Remove ham bone, shred ham meat. Discard bone and fatty skin.
- Remove bay leaves. Use a stick blender to blitz 2 or 3 times – thickens soup but doesn’t make it completely smooth (my preference, you can blend completely if you want).
- Return ham into slow cooker, stir. Taste and add more salt if needed (soup gets lots of salt from ham).
- Serve garnished with parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dunking – make a quick Irish Soda Bread, Garlic Bread or upgrade to Cheesy Garlic Bread!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More ways with leftover Ham Bone!
Here are other recipes I’ve shared made using ham hocks. They make an amazing way to flavour broth!
And more chunky, hearty soups
Life of Dozer
This is what he does on cleaning days – he gets sick of trailing me up and down the stairs as I whizz back and forth between floors with brooms and mops and vacuum cleaners so he eventually just plonks himself down halfway on the landing.
Don’t you love how relaxed he looks while I’m hot, sweaty and exhausted from manic cleaning??🙄
Just wondering if when cooking should I skim off the ‘scum’? making it now and looks a little foamy…
Yes, skim the soup as it cooks. You get a sort of foamy scum that comes from the split peas. Skim that off and you’ll get a better soup. I learned how to make this soup over 40 years ago. It’s still my fave in the winter. Freezes well too.
I made this earlier in the week and without a doubt it’s the best pea and ham soup recipe I have ever made. I only have a four and a half litre slow cooker so bought a 1.2 kg ham bone and added 7 cups of water instead of 8 as it wouldn’t all fit. This made the soup a perfect consistency. I also added a couple of sprigs of thyme which I had growing in my herb garden. This will be my ‘go to’ recipe from now on!
Hi Nagi,
Can I use a ham bone and bacon bone?
This is my favourite pea & ham soup recipe, so easy & tasty. I’ve made it many times. My son requested it for dinner tonight.
This Ham & Pea soup. Super easy and taste delicious 😋
This recipe smells amazing while cooking. I’ve just had a sneaky peek with an hour to go and the peas are still crunchy! Help! I’ve bumped it up to high as I don’t think the last hour will help. Any tips? Followed to a tee (minus the celery). May end up moving it to the stove or having it for dinner tomorrow night.
Hi Katie, they definitely shouldn’t be crunchy if they’ve been in there 6 hours – can I ask what peas you used?? N x
Can I use Eisbein for this recipe? Not easy to find a Ham Bone where I live…
Thank you for amazing recipes Nagi!
Hi Cari, as it’s pickled too I’m not sure it would be suitable here sorry! N x
This the recipe I use except I add a teaspoon or so of dried thyme and cook it on the stove top in a Dutch oven. Takes about an hour or so. So good. I always say Easter isn’t over until the ham bone is in the soup pot!!
Can I use yellow split peas instead?
Sure can Orlane! N x
Thanks! I can’t seem to find any dried ones- could i use frozen or canned peas? Thank you!
How large of a slow cooker do you require for this recipe?
Hi Raymond, you’ll need at least a 7L pot for this one – N x
Thank you Nagi. Oh darn, I thought my 5.6L slow cooker would have been large enough.
I do mine in a 5.5L slow cooker. It all just fits, liquid comes to just under an inch lower than the rim. I used 2 x 600g hocks this time as I couldn’t buy one big enough.
Made the pea and ham soup and varied the recipe to include yellow peas (250gm) and a few additional vegies … top soup. Sure I’m going to suffer in the southerly wind department but it’ll be worth it!
This is hands down the easiest and best pea and ham soup I have cooked, thanks for another great recipe!
I cooked this tonight, it is hands down the easiest and best pea and ham soup I have cooked, thanks for another great recipe Nagi!
I made this exactly how the recipe stated, proportion wise, however my slow cooker was too small to fit all the water. So I filled it up as high as possible and left it cooking overnight. Then in the morning when I pulled the ham hock out to shred, I added the remaining water and blended the liquid and veggies. I then stirred through the shredded ham and cooked on low for a further hour. It worked a treat and was absolutely delicious!
Can i substitute slit peas with lentils? And also can i replace a regular ham without the bone?
Hi Cherry, this is a pea and ham soup – it won’t be quite the same with lentils and you really want that bone for flavour. Why don’t you try this one instead: https://discountspot.info/lentil-soup/%3C/a%3E N x
would like recipe for caesar salad
Hi Ruth, head over to the recipe here: https://discountspot.info/chicken-caesar-salad/%3C/a%3E Enjoy! N x
How do I do this recipe on the stove??
I can only fit 2 litres of water in my slow cooker, hopefully it turns out okay!
Another perfect recipe! The whole family enjoyed this (even the teen who told me she HATES Pea and Ham Soup). Made exactly to recipe – next time I will have to double 🙂
Hi Nagi, I couldn’t find a ham hock so bought a packet of pre-shredded ham hock meat. I assume it won’t need as long to cook. Any ideas on how long I should cook it for? Thanks very much!
Hi Sophia, I haven’t actually seen pre-shredded meat. I’m not sure you’ll get enough flavour in the soup without the bone unfortunately! N x
My husband raves over this recipe. He asked me to make sure I keep it! I have shared it with the food pantry recipients where I volunteer as we give them 1-2# of peas/beans every week. Love to give them great recipes to use the peas. Thank you.