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.
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 crockpot 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 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!
Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
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!
If I am using a package of ham cubes do I add those at the beginning?
That should work well, Theresa.
What spices do you add as in Australia we can’t buy beans with added spices.
You can use a bouillon cube in place.
I use the plain (without spices) bean mix, then add a large onion, finely diced carrot and celery, salt, pepper, dried savory, worchestire sauce and at the very end of the cook I finish it all with a splash of apple cider vinegar which makes a huge difference in taste….. Yummmm…… (disclaimer: was looking at this recipe for crockpot instructions only so am unable to rate the actual recipe – looks great though!
Thanks for doing this. I have hambond frozen from Christmas . It’s high time I use it,
I have made this recipe several times and it turns out to perfection every time! My family loves it and I bake cornbread to go with it!! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes
Helpful tips,
I’ve been cooking beans for many years, so here’s what I do.
First check date on beans, should not be over a year. Any time more than that and they become harder with time and could take considerable time to soften.
Second soak over night 12 hours in cold water. This also helps with tummy gas problems later. Pour off soaking water and rinse in fresh water.
Third, IMPORTANT, DO NOT ADD AND ACIDICS TO THE BEANS. Like tomatoes, ketchup, lemon juice, or additional salt. You can cook your beans with ham or ham bone and herbs. Don’t forget onions, celery and bay leaf. I add about 1/4 to 1/2 head of chopped cabbage, will almost disappear in cooking, but boy does it add flavor.
Fourth Add your Acidics: Tomatoes, lemon juice, extra salt, tsp. sugar, the last hour of cooking provided your beans have pretty much soft, but not mushy.
Note: Make sure you heat is simmer and stir occasionally so the stitch does not stick to bottom. Add water as needed.
If you like your soup with a little body, smash some of the beans against the side of pot or in bowl and stir in to thicken. Do Not use flour or cornstarch to thicken.
Enjoy that pot of soup with biscuits, cornbread, or homemade bread. What a country feast.
I in no way intended to add or change the author’s delicious recipe, only to help with some old time cooking skills. Have a bountiful day!!
I was really looking forward to making this, it had such great reviews. I followed the directions of not adding the tomatoes/lemon juice if the beans were still hard. I extended the cook time 2 hours on low because of this, and thought the beans were cooked enough. Unfortunately once sitting to eat we found them to still be a little too hard, but we chose to eat anyway…..bad decision. My stomach was not happy with me! If I was to make again, I would soak the beans first.
The soup did have good flavor though!!
Sorry this happened to you, Leigh! I would definitely recommend soaking the bean first next time so the beans are cooked all the way through.
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe. Both times, I soaked the beans overnight and cooked for 10 hours and beans were not soft. There is plenty of liquid. The flavor is good but I may have to transfer to a pot and boil in order to have dinner tonight. Any suggestions on what I could do differently? Thank you!
If your beans are still not soft after soaking and cooking, you can try a couple of things. First, check the freshness of your beans as old beans may take longer to cook. Also, add a pinch of baking soda to the water during cooking, which can help soften the beans. If transferring to a pot, ensure there’s enough liquid and simmer until the beans are tender. I hope that helps, Joanne!
I followed the directions so far and let it slow cook for 8 hours in an 8 qt Ninja crockpot and the beans are still not soft. I’ve turned it up to high for an hour to see if that helps…I really hope so as it smells really good! Hubby was really looking forward to it after work.
I hope that helped, Tracey! I would love to hear how it turned out.
This was a great alternative to split pea soup! Mine cooked while I was at work, which was about 10 hours. Due to the longer cooking time, I had to add a total of 8 cups of broth. I also did not add the tomatoes or lemon, since I was not home midday. It tasted great without them! Less like chili, more like soup.
Soooo good. We loved it and very filling. I wasn’t to sure about the lemon, but it worked in this soup. Will be making it again with left over ham bone.
I am in the process of getting this ready but I don’t have the ham seasoning packet. What can I use in place of this?
You can use bouillon on place of the seasoning packet.
HI HOLLY, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE HAM AND BEAN SOUP RECIPE. IT IS DELICIOUS AND I WILL MAKE THIS OFTEN. MARY
You are welcome as always, Mary! ❤️
Whoa! Damn delicious! One of the best recipes I’ve ever made. It’s not often that I find recipes that are truly keepers, but this soup is one for the books. I did add 3 carrots and 3 ribs of celery-chopped. I also used a 10 oz. can of Rotel with chilies in place of the diced tomatoes and a couple pinches of red chili flakes. I used smoked ham hocks which fell off the bones during the cooking time. Easy to follow, quick to make recipe. Soup was so full of flavor that I didn’t even need to add salt/pepper. Don’t pass this recipe by-you will love it!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Dianne! So glad you liked it.
This is my favorite soup and I would not change anything in this recipe. My coworkers love it when I take it to them for lunch.
I made this recipe yesterday. What a delicious and hearty soup. Simple prep and ingredients….what’s not to love! I followed the recipe exactly and would not make any changes to it. I purchased a ham bone from my local grocer. It was very smoky flavored. The ham fell off the bone after cooking for several hours on high. I served the soup with cornbread right from the oven.
Spend with Pennies has become my new favorite website for recipes to make weeknight dinners easy and delicious. Thank you.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment, Dawn! ❤️
This was one of the best soups I’ve ever made. I used navy beans because I had them in the pantry. Since I didn’t have a ham seasoning packet, I used Adobo, thyme, and oregano instead and we devoured it.
Hi Holly, Thanks for the recipe. What a great way to get a variety of beans in one meal. Are the tomatoes drained before adding or should the liquid be added too? Connie
I add the liquid as well, enjoy the recipe!
HOLLY, I WOULD LOVE TO RATE YOUR CROCK POT HAM AND BEAN SOUP. MY CROCK POT IS FIVE QUART, NOT SIX QUART AS YOU MENTION USING. I HAVE THE HURST’S 15 BEAN SOUP, WITH CAJUR SEASONING PACKET READY TO GO, AND HAM READY TO GO BUT DON’T THINK IT WILL FIT MY CROCK POT. COULD YOU HELP ME WITH THIS? THANK YOU SO MUCH. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.
Hi Mary, this recipe should fit in your 5qt slow cooker just fine. It might need a little extra time to cook though, so keep that in mind. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Hi Holly, Thank you so much for assuring me that my 5 quart slow cooker will be okay to cook the Beans and Ham receipt in. I will make note of how much additional time it takes and write it on the recipe. I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you so much. Mary
So easy I never expected it to be SO DELICIOUS!! The only change I made was adding four carrots cut into 2-3″ chunks because I had them on hand. This is my new favorite soup to make with a leftover ham bone! It’s so refreshing to read a “this recipe takes just minutes to prepare” and it’s actually true!
I loved everything about this recipe except the lemon juice. To me it really left an unpleasant taste to the broth. I will make it again without the juice. Loved using the crock pot. I used regular navy beans and they were nice and tender. Thanks for the recipe. I’ve used your recipes in the past and am becoming a regular user.