This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This crockpot split pea soup is loaded with vegetables, fiber, and protein. It is very healthy, creamy, and full of flavor! It’s way better than the canned stuff.
Featured with this recipe
- Crockpot Split Pea Soup Ingredients
- Method to Making Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Steps to Making Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Tips for Making Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing Crockpot Split Pea Soup Leftovers
- More Crockpot Soup Recipes
- How to Make Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Crockpot Split Pea Soup Recipe
Crockpot split pea soup is rich, warm, nourishing, and incredibly flavorful. It is the perfect soup to warm you up from the inside out on a chilly day. What I love most about making split pea soup in a crockpot is that you can just dump all the ingredients in and forget about it.
This slow cooker split pea soup has all your vegetables, meat, and beans to make a well-balanced meal! Make this crockpot split pea soup after a special occasion like Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. When you have already made a ham. Leftover ham is the perfect way to use that meaty ham bone. The rich flavor from the ham bone will take this soup to the next level. It is a healthy and delicious dinner.
Crockpot Split Pea Soup Ingredients
This split pea soup is simple to make and is loaded with fresh ingredients!
- Hambone – Use a leftover ham bone if possible. Simply add the ham bone to the crockpot with the other ingredients and let it simmer away. It will add a depth of flavor. Remove before serving.
- Peas – Dried green split peas will cook in the crockpot. Find these in your local grocery store near the dried beans aisle. They are small sized and have a pretty bright green coloring.
- Chicken broth – This adds flavor but also gives the soup a warm liquid. You can also use chicken stock.
- Vegetables – Slice carrots, potatoes, celery, onions into slices and chunks. Try to make each type of veggie uniform to the others. This will help the cooking process to be more evenly distributed.
- Ham – Diced ham is cooked in the crockpot. The chunks of ham add texture and protein.
- Garlic – You always need a little garlic! It goes a long way and gives a savory flavor.
- Bay leaf – We love to add bay leaves for an extra boost of richness and flavor. Discard bay leaf before serving.
Method to Making Crockpot Split Pea Soup
The crockpot is always a great way to cook soups! It gives the soup balance as well as cooking it all together and allowing the ingredients to blend together. Cook on high or low for this soup depending on the timeframe you have available.
- Add – If using a ham bone, add it to a large crockpot first. This will take up most of the room in the crockpot.
- Slow cook – Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for about 7 to 8 hours or on high for about 5 hours.
- More meat – When the soup is done cooking, remove the ham bone cut off any good, meaty pieces, and add them straight back to the soup.
Steps to Making Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
If you need to speed up the process of making this soup, throw all the ingredients in a large Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Make sure to add the liquids first so you don’t get a burn notice. Do a quick release, give it a quick stir, and you are ready to eat!
Tips for Making Crockpot Split Pea Soup
- Veggies – It is okay to substitute! I love all the different veggies in this soup. But you can add or subtract any veggies you like.
- Large batch – This soup makes a huge batch, so if space is an issue in your Crockpot, I suggest cutting the recipe in half.
- Vegan – To make a vegan version of this recipe, omit the ham and swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth or water.
- Salty flavor – Don’t over-salt! Especially if you are using a ham bone, a lot of that salty flavor will come out in the soup. Wait to salt until the very end and always salt to taste.
- Bacon – Try it with bacon instead of ham or add it alongside the ham!
- Blender – If you prefer a smoother texture, you can use a blender or food processor to smooth it out after cooking. Be careful to do this in small batches because it’s hot! An immersion blender also works great. Puree the mixture until it is at your desired consistency.
“I’ve always had a hard time getting my kids to eat anything “green”, but they tried this & actually went back for seconds! Very rich & flavorful!”
-Rebecca
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, no. They simmer long enough to become perfectly soft and creamy. I do like to give them a good rinse before adding them to the pot though. Just to rinse off any random debris.
I like to always make my split pea soup on the thicker side and add more broth at the end to thicken it if necessary. It is easier to thin out the soup rather than thicken it. However, if you need to thicken your soup after it has cooked, you can stir in some instant mashed potato flakes (or leftover mashed potatoes).
You could use half water half chicken broth if you are worried about the salt. You can always add more later if it needs more flavor!
Read Next: The Best Soup Recipes
Storing Crockpot Split Pea Soup Leftovers
This split pea soup recipe makes a large batch and you are likely to have some delicious leftovers. Placing the leftovers into small portions is helpful or in large bags depending on who and when you will be serving the leftovers.
- Refrigerator – Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – This also freezes nicely so if you make a full batch and can’t eat it all within a few days, freeze it in individual freezer-safe containers. It’ll stay nice and fresh for up to two months.
- Reheating – Reheat slowly on the stove or in the microwave.
More Crockpot Soup Recipes
How to Make Crockpot Split Pea Soup
Crockpot Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Crockpot
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone (optional)
- 1 package dried split peas about 2 ½ cups or 1 pound
- 9 cups chicken broth if you like it thick, use 8 cups
- 4 carrots coarsely chopped
- 3 medium potatoes diced small
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2-3 cups diced ham
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- If using a ham bone, add it to a LARGE Crockpot.
- Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for about 7 to 8 hours or on high for about 5 hours. Discard bay leaf before serving.
- Serve with sliced French bread.
If I use s ham bone do I still need to add the diced ham!?
It depends on how much ham is on the ham bone. If you want to use the ham from the ham bone and you feel like it is enough, you can just use that and then supplement with extra diced ham if you would like. Hope this makes sense!