Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

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I learned to make split pea soup the way Nana Ruth did — with a ham bone that I always save from our holiday hams. It’s the kind of soup that simmers all day, and by mid-afternoon the whole kitchen smells like ham and sage. By dinner time, you’ve got something that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day, even though the slow cooker did all the work.

Nobody in my house ever requests split pea soup. Not once has Wyatt come home and said, “Mom, can you make split pea soup tonight?” It doesn’t photograph well. It’s an aggressively green bowl of thick, earthy soup that looks like something your great-grandfather would eat during a war. But every single time I make it, every single bowl gets emptied. Mason scrapes the bottom with his spoon. Clara quietly gets seconds. Jake eats three bowls and says, “We should make this more often,” and then forgets he said it until the next time I make it.

This is budgeting at its finest — taking one inexpensive ingredient and a ham bone that might otherwise be tossed and turning it into something magnificent. The peas break down and create a naturally creamy soup without any cream needed.

How to Make Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Rinse and sort your split peas. Dump them in a colander and run water over them, picking out any small stones or shriveled peas. This takes about two minutes and it’s worth it — nothing ruins a bowl of soup like biting down on a pebble.

Load up the slow cooker. Add the rinsed peas, a ham bone or smoked ham hock, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, a bay leaf, and enough chicken broth to cover everything by about an inch. A smoked ham hock from the grocery store costs about three dollars and gives you that deep, smoky backbone that makes this soup what it is. Set it on low for eight hours.

Fish out the bone and shred the meat. After eight hours, the peas will have dissolved into a thick, velvety soup. Remove the ham bone, pull off any meat that’s still clinging to it, and stir the shredded meat back into the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten everything. Serve with cornbread or crusty bread.

If you love slow cooker soups, my Crockpot White Bean Ham Soup is another one that practically cooks itself — especially good after Easter when you have leftover ham.

Print

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword slow cooker meals, slow cooker split pea soup, soups & stews

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Servings 8

Author Maggie

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried split peas rinsed and sorted
• 1 ham bone or 2 cups diced ham
• 3 carrots diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add split peas, ham bone (or diced ham), carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broth, thyme, and bay leaf to a slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until peas are completely soft and broken down.
3. Remove ham bone and bay leaf. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the soup.
4. Stir well — the soup will thicken as it sits. If too thick, add a splash of broth. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve hot with crusty bread or oyster crackers.

What I Use for This Recipe

A couple things from my kitchen that make this one easier.

Cook N Home 8-Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot(~$25)

Big enough for Sunday soup, light enough to lift. Every kitchen needs a pot this honest.

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker(~$35)

Set it before school drop-off, come home to dinner. The most-used appliance in my kitchen after the stove.

Lodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet(~$20)

The skillet that never leaves our stovetop. Pre-seasoned, affordable, and built to last.

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