A hearty soup is an easy meal and the perfect way to enjoy leftover ham.
This hearty homemade ham and bean soup recipe is easy to make – no soaking required! A mixture of beans, ham, onion, and broth simmer in the crockpot for a meal that is as easy as it is delicious!
Serve it with a piece of cornbread or a crusty loaf for dipping.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I am excited to have partnered with Hurst’s HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® to bring you this belly-warming bean soup recipe.
Hearty Homestyle Goodness
- A hearty family meal, this slow cooker Ham and Bean Soup recipe is easy to prepare.
- This simple soup requires few ingredients, starting with Hurst’s® HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup®, onions, and ham – no soaking required.
- Budget-friendly, this soup can be made with leftover ham or a ham bone from Christmas or Easter dinner. You can also use smoked turkey or a ham hock.
- This soup freezes perfectly and reheats well.
Ingredients for Ham and Bean Soup
- Beans – This ham and bean soup starts with a blend of dried beans. I use Hurst’s® HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® as it has a great variety of beans including great northern beans, navy beans, and more. They are sold in the dry bean section of almost any grocery store or online.
- Seasoning – Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup includes a seasoning packet to flavor. If you don’t have the seasoning packet add a cube of bouillon (any flavor). You can also add dried herbs or bay leaves if you’d like. You can add a little bit of thyme or some minced cloves of garlic if you’d like.
- Ham – If you have a leftover ham bone from baked ham add it to the soup while it’s cooked for extra flavor. If you don’t have a ham bone, ask the butcher or deli for either ham bones (they’re usually inexpensive) or ham hocks. If you don’t have either, leftover chopped ham works beautifully in this recipe, too.
- Broth – As the ham adds a lot of salt, I prefer a reduced sodium broth in this recipe.
- Vegetables – Canned tomatoes are great in this recipe and can be replaced with canned tomatoes with chilis (like Rotel) to add a little bit of spice. Sliced celery or carrots can be added.
How to Make Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- Rinse beans and add to the slow cooker with onions, ham, broth, and seasonings (per the recipe below).
- Cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 7-8) or until beans are tender.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Easy peasy! Serve warm with cornbread for dipping.
Important: Do not add acidic ingredients, like canned tomatoes, until the beans are soft.
Tips for Bean Soup
- Rinse the beans well and check for any debris. No soaking is needed when using a slow cooker.
- If you have already soaked the beans, you can reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 cup.
- IMPORTANT: Add acidic ingredients (such as canned tomatoes or lemon juice) after the beans have softened (these ingredients can sometimes interfere with rehydration).
- For a thinner consistency, add one extra cup of broth or water to your slow cooker. For a thicker bean soup, remove a cup or so of the beans, blend them, and add them back into the soup.
Storing Leftovers
Fridge: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: This ham and bean soup recipe makes a large batch and it freezes well. I divide it into individual portions so it’s easy to thaw as many portions as needed. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Favorite Bean Soups
Did your family love this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® with seasoning packet
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 meaty ham bone or ham hocks, diced ham or 1 lb. cooked sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder optional
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
- 1 lemon juiced
- hot sauce or red pepper flakes to taste, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and drain. Sort any unwanted debris and set seasoning packet aside.
- In a 6qt crockpot, add the beans, broth, ham bone (if using), onion, garlic, and chili powder in a 6qt slow cooker. Do not add lemon or tomatoes until the beans are softened.
- Cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 7-8) or until the beans are tender.
- Once the beans are tender, remove the ham bone (if using), chop any meat left on the bone, and add it back to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, ham seasoning packet, and lemon juice.
- Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pork, Slow Cooker, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I am excited to have partnered with Hurst’s HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP® to bring you this belly-warming recipe. While I was compensated for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Working with great brands I love allows me to keep bringing you the great recipes you love!
I have made this soup several times and my husband and I love the recipe. I followed the recipe exactly the first time but used Rotel tomatoes the second time for a bit of spice. We prefer the bit of spice but otherwise follow the recipe as written. It is an easy and yummy recipe!
I recently made this and loved it. I too used Rotel. I use Rotel for so many things, it is the one thing always in my pantry. I ordered the beans on Amazon and I have to say that the flavor packet made a big difference. I also added carrots because I love carrots in soup. Real carrots, not baby carrots. Just a fantastic soup!
Holy comfort food! This was #1 super easy to make and #2 so delicious. I cooked it in my crockpot with 2 hamhocks for a total of 8 hours on high because I was out late. It was perfection! I gave half of it to my parents and they loved it too!
update I made this yesterday and it was the best ham and bean soup I’ve ever had. I put the tomatoes in. my wife didn’t eat any because of the tomatoes and she only likes great northern beans. her loss more for me
I just made this soup and added tomato paste instead of tomatoes. I love a tomato based soup. I also added a splash of liquid smoke, because I thought it needed a little something.
Can I use carrots instead of diced tomatoes?
I haven’t tried it Hannah, but that should work just fine. It will change the flavor and consistency a little but will still be delicious. If you add them, I would add them with the onions and beans. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I always add carrots to mine.
Every Sunday a few families drive pretty far to worship GOD. We have started staying after and all bringing something to eat together while we hang out until evening worship. I have brought this exact recipe a few times with crusty bread and it is always a huge success. There are 7 people just in our family plus 9 others and we all leave full.
Thanks for posting!
I purchased the cajun version of these beans, should I still add the chili powder? Thanks!
You can skip the chili powder as the cajun beans have a nice flavor!
Excellent! Used soaked great northern beans. added 1 chopped jalapeno, oregano, ‘slap yo mama’ seasoning and penseys 5S salt and london seasoning. Served with crusty bread and butter. Great on a freezing cold night!
First- you don’t say which size bag of beans. They come in two sizes. So I am not sure if I have the right amount of fluids for the amount of beans. At this point my crockpot is at max capacity so time will tell! Lol Second- the seasoning packet in mine is listed as Cajun and not ham. Was yours specifically ham? I’ll be giving that a sniff check before I decide if we’re going to use it or not. Otherwise we might be getting a bit more spice than we intended!
Hurst 15 Bean Soup comes in a 20 oz package. If the label is Cajun on the seasoning packet, you have likely purchased Hurst Cajun 15 Bean Soup which is also delicious and will work perfectly in this recipe. This recipe uses a 6qt slow cooker. I hope that helps!
so I either use the ham bone or ham chunks? both? and at the end it says ham flavoring packet, that wasn’t listed in ingredients.
You can use either the ham bone or ham chunks or if you want the soup extra meaty, both! The ham flavoring packet is included with the package Hurst’s® HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup® which is the first ingredient. I hope this helps Christina!
Hi Holly, the soup looks very interesting. Can this be made without the Ham? Will the soup taste as flavorful? I am a vegetarian and wondered if that was option.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Rupa. The ham does add flavor to the soup, but I am sure without it it will still be delicious. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Thank you so much for your response. I will give it a try and let you know how it turned out .
Rupa… I usually use a ham hock or country ham chips because it adds a lot of salty flavor. Without the meat it would probably be fairly bland. However, if I were going to make it for my vegetarian/vegan friends, I would try using two packages of Lipton Onion soup. I bet that would be delicious. (I would do a test run for myself before I invite them over to try it though LOL)
Do the ham pieces have to be cooked first? I’m sorry if that’s a dumb question. I bought some country ham pieces for seasoning and want to make sure it’s ok to add them.
Great question! That sounds delicious Rebekah. I haven’t tried country ham but it should be fine in this recipe, you just want to make sure it cooks through to 140 F.
Best soup I have ever made. Hands down! My store didn’t have ham hocks so I used smoked neck bones and so yummy!
you have the best recipes. I am without an oven for couple weeks and your crockpot recipes are the best and a dinner saver. Thank you so much
Hi Holly, I have never seen that brand of beans here in Alberta? Did you have to order them from the states? They look like such a good mix to have on hand. Also, thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Hi Sue, I did pick these beans up in the States at Walmart. If you are travelling to the States I highly recommend stocking up as they are so delicious! Otherwise any other bean mix should work in this recipe.
Holly… I used to buy about six or seven packages of different dried beans/lentils and put them mason jars to give as gifts. This recipe will work with any dried bean… you just won’t get their seasoning packet.
How do you make this wonderful soup if you don’t have the special beans?
Hi Nicole! These beans can be found on Amazon. I hope this helps!
YUM I have wanted to make this soup for a long time. It was so delicious, the hardest part was waiting for the crock pot to be done! we loved it!
How much is a serving?
A serving is approximately 1 cup Eileen.
Husband suddenly isn’t able to eat tomatoes and I really love this recipe? Okay to omit and do you have an alternative?
Hi Kristen, while I have only made this recipe as written it should be okay to leave them. It will just alter the flavor.
Are the natural starches eliminated by the long cook time in this no-rinse recipe?
If not, what would the time frame be with soaked uncooked beans?
I ask as we generally soak the beans for 24 hours (pouring off water multiple times) as this aids with the removal of starches that can cause gas and intestinal distress
Thank you for your response.
If you would like to soak the beans, reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 cup and proceed as directed with the rest of the recipe.
Can this be made with out the tomatoes. My wife doesn’t like tomatoes
Hi William, while I have only made this recipe as written it should be okay to leave them out. It will just alter the flavor. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Used instapot 40 min high pressure 20 min release. Fantastic flavor!
This soup was absolutely DELICIOUS I am soo glad we found it. My picky family ate every last drop
Hi Holly, Have you ever considered, Liquid Smoke, LS Spicy V8, Mrs Dash, Nutritional yeast, or mushrooms in Ham and Beans Soup. They do so much more than the packet Hambeens supplies, and nothing in the envelope is healthy either. I like the idea of diced tomatoes and green chiles some one suggested. I can eat those, where I cannot eat anything with chili powder in it. I’m all for tons of onions and garlic, plus carrots, celery, .in beans soup. Some powdered mustard or a good squirt of Dijon can draw out the ham. I buy about 4 bags of Hambeens to fill my storage container, then add extras 1 lb split peas, 1 lb yellow split peas, and 1 lb red lentils and stir, store air tight. The extras help thicken the broth. Or add leftover mashed potatoes, or instant mashed potatoes to thicken. I only have a bone once a year. You used to be able to buy a “Daisy” ham that worked well for soup, a small Danish canned ham also works. Our Meat CSA sends us small 2.2 lbs, hams that look like Canadian bacon, but they’re uncured ham. These work great for bean or split pea soups. Partial puréing of the soup will also make it thicker. 6hanks for this flexible recipe, Soon to be tried.
I love all of your ideas and suggestions. Thank you for sharing MaryAnn, some great things to try with my next soup.