A comforting classic, homemade Split Pea Soup is an easy one-pot soup that is perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep. Use a ham bone or ham shank leftover from a holiday meal or pick one up at the butcher’s counter at most grocery stores. The ham bone releases amazing flavor into the broth as it cooks and will add little bits of ham to your soup.
Using dried split peas and common pantry ingredients keeps this recipe extra simple to throw together for a warming soup after enjoying your holiday or Easter ham! I love serving this soup with a warm loaf of bread and topping it with a swirl of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. This recipe is hearty, budget-friendly, and freezes well! For more soup recipes, try my lentil soup, hamburger soup, or lasagna soup.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Garlic, Onions, and Celery – a traditional starting point for many soups that builds the foundation for a flavorful broth. The trio is cooked in olive oil until softened and the onions become translucent.
Ham Bone or Ham Shank – You’ll need a meaty ham bone or ham shank weighing about 1 pound. Use a ham bone leftover from a honey baked ham or traditional spiral-cut ham, or ask at the butcher’s counter for one. A ham hock can also be used; its smoked and usually has a bit less meat but will still add loads of flavor.
Chicken Stock – the ham bone will add richness and ham flavor and the stock adds a warmness and additional savory flavor to this dish. You can use any homemade or store-bought chicken stock. A low-sodium stock will allow you to adjust the saltiness of this soup just before serving.
Dried Split Peas – typically sold in a bag near the dried beans, the green split peas will soften and plump as cooked. The green peas do not need to be soaked before cooking, but I recommend rinsing the peas before using and inspecting them to remove any pebbles or unwanted inclusions. You can substitute yellow split peas for a more earthy taste.
Spices – I like to use a combination of cloves, bay leaf, and fresh thyme in this recipe. You can also try using Italian seasoning or oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Split Pea Soup
1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ham bone to the pot.
3. Pour the chicken stock along with the water into the pot.
4. Stir in the peas. Then add the bay leaves and thyme. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
5. Stir in the carrots and black pepper, then recover and continue cooking until the peas are very soft and the carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally during cooking.
6. Remove the ham bone and shred any meat off the bone, if desired. Stir the meat back into the soup. Start with ½ teaspoon salt, taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Rinse the split peas before using them. Whenever you use dried peas or beans, I recommend rinsing them in a fine mesh strainer to remove any sand or dirt and do a quick inspection for any tiny pebbles that may have slipped in during harvesting.
- Thicken the soup by simmering uncovered. For thicker split peas and ham soup, simmer uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Add additional ham if desired. If your leftover ham bone has minimal meat on it or if you’d like extra protein, add shredded ham or diced ham steak to the cooked soup and simmer until the meat is heated through before serving.
- Hold the salt until the peas are soft. Salt can hinder dried legumes like peas and beans from softening during cooking. Minimize the amount you add while cooking by using low-sodium stocks and not adding additional salt at the start. The stock and the ham will contain some salt, which is why I refrain from adding the additional salt until after the peas are tender.
- Creamier variation. For an extra creamy soup, remove the ham bits from about 2 cups of the soup before blending in a countertop blender or with a handheld immersion blender. Stir the creamy puree back into the large pot, season to taste, and serve.
- Vegetarian split pea soup. For vegetarian green pea soup, omit the ham bone and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock.
- Optional: make slow cooker split pea soup. To make this recipe in the crock pot, sauté the onions, celery, and garlic with the oil until translucent. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the peas have softened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cool the soup to room temperature before storing it and reheat it on the stovetop at medium heat or in the microwave until the ham is warm.
Leftovers freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before heating. If the soup thickens or settles after being defrosted, add water or chicken broth while reheating and season with salt and pepper to taste.
I love serving this recipe with delicious bread like my crescent rolls, garlic bread, or French bread, perfect for dipping in the savory split pea soup with ham.
The split peas do not need to be soaked before using them for this pea soup. I recommend rinsing them to remove any dirt or sand from harvesting. While many dried beans require you to soak them and wait until the next day to be used, the split peas are small enough to soften in this recipe without overnight soaking.
The age of dried peas and beans affects how quickly they cook. Older beans take much longer to soften. Salt also hinders dried legumes from softening, which is why it’s added after the peas are soft. If you added salt too early or if your broth contained a high amount of salt from the start, this could keep the peas hard. If the peas aren’t softening after the second simmering, stir in ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the pot. It will foam up at first but subsides as it cooks. This should quickly soften the peas with a little more while simmering!
The soup will thicken up as it cooks and as any leftovers sit stored in the fridge. To thin it out, stir in additional broth or stock until your desired consistency. Season the soup to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed after thinning it out.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this split pea soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ham bone or ham shank
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound dried split peas rinsed and picked through
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 large carrots diced
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ham bone. Pour the water and chicken stock into the pot. Stir in the peas, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots and black pepper. Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the peas are very soft and the carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the ham bone and shred any meat off the bone, if desired. Stir back into the soup. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Rinse the split peas before using them. Whenever you use dried peas or beans, I recommend rinsing them in a fine mesh strainer to remove any sand or dirt and do a quick inspection for any tiny pebbles that may have slipped in during harvesting.
- Thicken the soup by simmering uncovered. For thicker split peas and ham soup, simmer uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Add additional ham if desired. If your leftover ham bone has minimal meat on it or if you’d like extra protein, add shredded ham or diced ham steak to the cooked soup and simmer until the meat is heated through before serving.
- Hold the salt until the peas are soft. Salt can hinder dried legumes like peas and beans from softening during cooking. Minimize the amount you add while cooking by using low-sodium stocks and not adding additional salt at the start. The stock and the ham will contain some salt, which is why I refrain from adding the additional salt until after the peas are tender.
- Creamier variation. For an extra creamy soup, remove the ham bits from about 2 cups of the soup before blending in a countertop blender or with a handheld immersion blender. Stir the creamy puree back into the large pot, season to taste, and serve.
- Vegetarian split pea soup. For vegetarian green pea soup, omit the ham bone and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock.
- Optional: make slow cooker split pea soup. To make this recipe in the crock pot, sauté the onions, celery, and garlic with the oil until translucent. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the peas have softened.
