This classic Split Pea Soup recipe is made with a meaty ham bone, carrots, onions, potatoes, and has a thick and flavorful broth. It’s easy to make on the Stove Top, Instant Pot, or Crock Pot!
I realize that I’m making quite a claim when I say that this is the best split pea soup ever, but it really is. Just read through the comments, people are in love. There is no doubt in my mind that it could win awards.
The recipe comes from a super old cookbook that my mom has. The steps are simple, and so are the ingredients! This one even landed a coveted spot in The Cozy Cookbook, so you know it’s good!
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions, including the Crock Pot and Instant Pot cooking methods.
Add a meaty ham bone to a 4.5 quart Dutch oven or soup pot along with the rinsed split peas, onions, butter, olive oil, onion powder, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and simmer for 2.5 hours or until desired thickness is obtained. (Higher altitudes will require longer cooking time.) Add the potatoes and carrots about 40 minutes prior to serving.
Remove from heat once the potatoes and carrots are fork tender. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Remove the ham bone and cut/shred 2 cups of ham from it and add it back to the soup. Serve!
Do You Need to Soak Split Peas
- Soaking split peas may decrease the cooking time slightly, but since they’re already halved and pretty thin, it’s not necessary. I don’t soak them for this recipe.
Using a Ham Bone
Using a meaty, uncleaned ham bone is what gives this soup it’s amazingly rich and savory flavor.
- If your ham bone is small, or you are using a ham bone substitute: Be prepared to add up to 4 chicken bouillon cubes to the broth to add more flavor if needed.
- If your bone doesn’t have much meat: You can also add a diced ham steak at the beginning of cooking. 1 (8oz.) steak = about 1 ¼ cups diced ham.
Ham Bone Substitutes
- Bone-in Picnic Shoulder or smoked ham shank
- Using a ham hock is the next best option.
- Chopped salted pork and/or chopped smoked bacon can also be substituted.
Pro Tips
- Unlike most soup recipes, the vegetables don’t need to be softened in butter/oil first. They float to the surface of the soup and cook/soften in the fat from the ham bone.
- The longer you simmer split pea soup, the more it thickens. Just make sure the temperature is low if you are going to simmer for several hours to avoid losing too much liquid.
- If you’re at a higher altitude, longer cooking time is required.
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Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This soup does freeze and reheat very well, just ensure that the potatoes and carrots are cooked until just fork tender so that they don’t become too soft.
Tools For This Recipe
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- 4.5 quart Dutch oven – the perfect size for this recipe.
- 6 quart Crock Pot – This one is programmable and will automatically switch to warm when the cooking time is up.
- Instant Pot
- Soup Ladle (This is the one pictured in this recipe.)
- 16 oz. storage containers I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
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Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry split peas, equal to 2 cups
- 1 ham bone, See notes for substitution options
- 2 cups ham, cut from the ham bone at the end.
- 2 cups onions, diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons onion powder, not teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
Equipment
Instructions
- Note: The split peas do not need to be soaked for this recipe.
Stove Top
- Add the uncleaned/meaty ham bone to a large soup pot along with the rinsed split peas, onions, onion powder, butter, olive oil, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Add the water and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, with the lid slightly cracked.
- Let the soup simmer for 2.5 hours or until desired thickness is obtained. Stir occassionally as it cooks to lift any settling on the bottom of the pot. (Note that higher altitudes may required 5 or more hours of simmering time.) The longer it simmers, the thicker and more flavorful it will get.
- Add the carrots and potatoes about 40 minutes prior to serving.
- Once the carrots and potatoes are fork tender, remove the ham bone, bay leaves, and thyme stems. Shred/cut 2 cups of ham from the bone and add it back to the soup. Serve and enjoy!
Instant Pot
- Rinse the peas. Add all of the ingredients to 6+ quart instant pot. Make sure the pot isn’t more than 2/3 full.
- Secure the lid and set it to cook on high (or press the ‘pressure cook’ button) for 25 minutes.
- Once finished, let 10-15 minutes pass before you trigger the quick release valve. This will allow most of the pressure to release naturally, allowing the soup to cook a little bit longer.
- Remove the ham bone, the bay leaves, and thyme stems. Slice/cut 2 cups of ham from the ham bone and add it back to the soup. Serve!
Slow Cooker
- Rinse the peas. Add all of the ingredients to a large Slow Cooker (5 quarts or larger).
- Cook on low for 8+ hours or on high for 6+ hours. It's ready to serve once the peas are tender and the soup has reached your desired level of thickness.
- Remove the ham bone, the bay leaves, and thyme stems. Slice/cut 2 cups of ham from the ham bone and add it back to the soup. Serve!
Notes
Using a Ham Bone:
Using a meaty, uncleaned ham bone is what gives this soup it's amazingly rich and savory flavor.- If your ham bone is small, or you are using a ham bone substitute: Be prepared to add up to 4 chicken bouillon cubes to the broth to add more flavor if needed.
- If your bone doesn't have much meat: You can also add a diced ham steak at the beginning of cooking. 1 (8oz.) steak = about 1 ¼ cups diced ham.
Ham Bone Substitutes:
- Bone-in Picnic Shoulder or smoked ham shank
- Using a ham hock is the next best option.
- Chopped salted pork and/or chopped smoked bacon can also be substituted.
Nutritional information is an estimate, and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
I made this today and it turned out perfectly! I used a big smoked ham shank. Yum! I was most happy with the texture..not too thick or thin. Kids loved it too!
I’m so happy even the kids loved it!😃 I agree about the texture! Getting it just right is so important!
Made this soup using this recipe for the first time this past weekend. I couldn’t find a ham bone, shank or hock in anywhere. Instead, I used 8 cups of chicken stock. It turned out great but I’ll continue to look for a ham bone or shank to use next time. Also, cooked it for almost 8 hours in the crock pot on high in order to thicken the soup.
Excellent recipe!
I’m so happy you like it Dave! I usually annoy all my friends and neighbors for their ham bones. I have them all trained to just bring it with them when they visit😂. Thanks so much for the review!
I’m making this today and was wondering about the liquids volume too. Thanks for clarifying. Appreciated!
This was absolutely delicious! Made a pot today.
That’s so great to hear Susan!❤️ I make this one all year, even if it’s the middle of a heat wave! Thanks so much for the review!
Best pea soup! I have ever made but I did mine a bit different I made beef bone broth in the instapot then after bone broth was made in a pot on stove cubed 5 slices of organic bacon fried up a little took out baken fat some of it added all the vegetables except potatoes ! Stir fried a bit! Added this to the insta pot bone broth cooked vor 18 minutes it was perfect added potatoes just at the end. It cooked them !
Sounds like you know what you’re doing!😃 This is one of my favorites, I have to thank my mom for the inspiration since she taught me her split pea soup making tricks!❤️
I have excess dried peas so I decided to try this recipe for my family. Not for me because I don’t like peas. Even so I had to try it just to say I did. Much to my surprise I loved it. I will be making this again.
Happy to hear you liked it Wanda! My husband isn’t a big fan of peas and he likes this one too! Thanks so much for the review!❤️
Hello, I am wanting to make this recipe in the instant pot. I noticed it calls for 8 cups of water in the receipt but I do not have a ham bone & the notes say to use 4 cups water & 4 cups chicken stock. Is that in additions to the 8 cups of water? Thanks!
Hi Terri! It wouldn’t be in addition to. It’s to make up some flavor from the lack of ham bone so instead of 8 cups of water, you’ll do 4 cups water and 4 cups chicken broth! 🙂
This is the second time I have made this soup in my crock pot. Again, it is a big hit! I use chicken stock instead of water. But other wise I stay with your suggestions.
Thank you,
Jules
It’s sooooo good in the crock pot!😋 I love the way it makes the house smell. I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, thanks so much for the review!
Going to make this today, what’s the reason for butter and olive oil?
Flavor 🙂
I’m going to pour some beer into it and see how that comes out
Hey Laila, how’d it go with adding beer?
This looks so Delicious!!! I added bacon and can’t wait for it to be ready!! I see a serving is 343 calories and it makes 6 servings. How many cups is a serving? Thank you very much for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Amy! Unfortunately I didn’t measure the total number of cups for this one. I hope you love it though, adding bacon sounds delicious!!