This split pea soup recipe is a cozy classic with simple ingredients and old-fashioned comfort. Split peas simmer with smoky ham, carrots, and celery to make a rich, velvety soup.
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Holly’s Soup-er Highlights
- Flavor: Smoky, savory, and naturally creamy from the split peas, this soup is a warm bowl of homemade comfort.
- Technique: This cozy soup gently simmers until it cooks down to be thick and creamy.
- Tools: A heavy pot or Dutch oven helps the soup cook evenly.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve old-fashioned split pea soup with some homemade dinner rolls.
Ingredient Notes
- Peas: Split peas and lentils look similar, but split peas are a little sweeter. You can use either green or yellow peas in this recipe; you do not need to soak them first.
- Ham: I love this recipe for using up leftover ham, a ham bone (or ham hock) adds flavor to the broth. You can use a leftover bone from baked ham or buy a ham steak and dice it. Replace the ham with smoked turkey if you prefer.
- Vegetables: Celery, carrots, and onions add a subtle sweetness to this soup.
- Broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken broth since the ham in this recipe is salty.
- Variations: For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth and skip the ham. For a chunkier texture, add diced potatoes. Finish with a splash of cream or milk for added richness, if desired.
How to Make Split Pea Soup
- Rinse peas and combine with ham, broth, and seasonings; simmer.
- Add vegetables and cook until tender (full recipe below).
- Remove ham bone and chop meat. Return chopped meat and simmer until thick and creamy.
Holly’s Helpful Hints
- Remember to rinse the dried peas and check them for debris.
- Freeze diced ham in 1-cup portions for easy soup prep.
- Simmering it uncovered longer or mashing some peas will thicken the soup.
- For a smoother soup, blend half with an immersion blender.
How to Store and Reheat
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- This soup freezes beautifully, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, warm gently on the stove with a splash of broth or water.
Leftover Ham Recipes
Did you enjoy this Split Pea Soup? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried split peas yellow or green, about 14 ounces
- 1 meaty ham bone or 2 cups leftover ham, diced
- 4 cups water or additional broth if desired
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Sort through the peas to ensure there is no debris. Rinse and drain well.
- In a large pot, combine peas, ham, water, broth, parsley, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 1 hour.
- Add in celery, carrots, onion, pepper, thyme, and salt. Cover and simmer 45 minutes more.
- Remove ham bone and chop the meat. Return the meat to the soup and cook uncovered until thickened and the peas have broken down, about 20 minutes more.
- Discard the bay leaf and season with salt and additional pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- You do not need to soak the peas.
- If desired, add 2 cloves of minced garlic along with the vegetables.
- If you don’t have a ham bone, use diced or chopped leftover ham or smoked turkey. Replace at least 2 cups of the water with additional broth for flavor if you do not have a ham bone.
- Thicken split pea soup by allowing it to simmer uncovered for longer. If you’re short on time, it can be thickened by mashing or blending some of the peas.
- Store cooked split pea soup in the refrigerator for about 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 255 | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 830mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3599IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Ham, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
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I have made this soup many many times and of all your wonderful recipes it is my all time favorite. It’s not only full of flavour it’s a great comfort food.
Thank you for the kind words Ann! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes.
Delicious. This recipe took 4 hours on the stove. I used a meaty ham bone and used my Dutch oven. I did add extra carrots as my family loves them, but that’s the only change I made. This recipe is a keeper!
Excellent!
Cooked it in my 6 qt cockpot. The wife raved about it.
This was my first time to make split pea soup and it was a winner, restaurant quality! I used yellow split peas and think I’ll try the green ones next time. Delicious!
If I wanted to substitute some of the broth/water with the leftover juice from your crockpot ham recipe, how much should I use? I separated out the fat already. What’s left is very flavorful. I used the glaze from your honeybaked ham recipe. It was a wonderful ham!
So glad you loved the ham! The broth from the ham can be quite salty depending on the brand of ham used so I would add it in place of broth and keep the water. Let us know how it goes!
I have made this with smoked pork hocks. I soak them in water overnight to remove some of the salt. Not necessary, but helpful if trying to reduce sodium intake.
Thank you, Holly, for teaching me how to properly cook split pea soup after all these years!!! The texture is silky smooth and so yummy – used a ham hock which gave it a slightly smoky flavour. I followed the recipe as written and this is now my one and only recipe for split pea soup!
So happy to hear that, Audrey! I am glad you enjoyed it.
I made this soup and shared it with friends. Everyone raved about how good it was. Since I used cut-up leftover ham, instead of a ham bone, I used all broth instead of broth and water to add more flavour. I am sure using a ham bone would have been better, but I didn’t have one available. It still worked out perfectly, and the flavour was amazing. I had not made pea soup for over 35 years, and this recipe was easy to follow. Thank you, Holly.
After years of giving away my ham bone I decided to try making split pea soup
I found your recipe and made it
My gosh it is delicious.
I had Everything on hand to make this soup(lucky me).
Thank you for a fabulous recipe.
I make this soup at least once a year when I have a ham bone.
I’ve made your recipe a few times, and it’s a winner! I agree with others. It’s almost better the second day when it’s had a chance to thicken up a bit more. I like to add more carrots. Note to other cooks, when the soup starts to thicken, you’re gonna wanna turn the heat down pretty low because you don’t want the lentils to stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir often in the final hour.
Delicious hearty soup. We have a pork allergy in the family so I flavor our soup with smoked beef kielbasa. I usually add a diced potato with the veggies for additional thickness. This soup is so good the first day, but even better the next day if you can wait that long! Homemade cornbread or crusty bread alongside make complete and hearty meal.
This soup is so easy and delicious. It creamy and packed with flavour.
Wonderful soup…just the way I remember it growing up in Quebec, Canada!
Love your soup. Just like my Momks.
THIS SOUP IS AMAZING A FAMILY FAVORITE!! I MADE A DIFFERENT RECIPE BEFORE AND THE
KIDS DID NOT LIKE IT. THEY LOVED THIS ONE!!!
Delicious hearty soup. We have a pork allergy in the family so I flavor our soup with smoked beef kielbasa. I usually add a diced potato with the veggies for additional thickness. This soup is so good the first day, but even better the next day if you can wait that long! Homemade cornbread or crusty bread alongside make complete and hearty meal.
the best recipe and reminder of exactly how I want my thick soup to be!!
and crusty bread for dunking and using as my spoon takes it right to the Italian table!!
THANK YOU WooooHoooo ☮️
Do you think this would still be good without celery? It’s the only ingredient I don’t currently have on hand. Thanks!
Yes, it would work just fine without celery!
going to try your split pea soup recipe I’ll let you know how it comes out
This soup was delicious ! The only thing I changed was to add extra ham and to simmered the soup a few extra hours. The flavor was amazing. It is a very hearty and rich dish. My husband loved it!