Like a big hug from grandma, this old fashioned slow cooker split pea soup is chock-full of veggies, cubes of ham and yellow split peas for one comforting, belly-warming, meal!
I grew up on yellow split pea soup (as well as cod au gratin and boiled beans). My grandmother always made pea soup, typically with doughboys (which are flour-based dumplings plopped right in the pot on top of the soup; they cook up nice and fluffy).
I don’t serve my ham and pea soup with doughboys (though I enjoy them). I’d much rather save the belly room for another bowl of soup. You gotta weigh your foodie options, am I right?
Years ago, I’m talking about 20 years, when I wasn’t as experienced in the kitchen as I am now, I decided to make pea soup on the stovetop. After all, I grew up with the stuff, right?
Then, I went outside … to wash the car!
What?! Yeah, not good to say the least. These days I’d like to think I’m a little more sensible, but only by a tad. Ha!
My cooking skills have improved considerably since then. However, there are things I’d still prefer to be blissfully unaware of, ya know, like calories in a glass of wine or in a brownie, LOL.
Nowadays, I make my split pea soup in the slow cooker. And, guess what? I can leave it for a bit!! Ha!
How To Make Pea Soup
When I tell you this split pea soup is easy, I’m not lying (not that I’d ever do that to you, anyway, but you know what I mean).
You literally place all the ingredients in a slow cooker, turn on low and that’s it. Dump and go.
After everything has cooked, remove and discard bay leaves, add some butter and salt to taste. Nothing to it! Full details are in the recipe card below.
Do I Need To Soak Split Peas?
Nope! Just make sure before you use them to rinse and remove any rocks (yes, there could be some in the bag) or dark, inedible peas. Other than that, they just go in the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
Will Split Pea Soup Thicken as It Cools?
It sure does! This yellow split pea soup thickens up considerably as it cools. If you are reheating on the stovetop, you can enjoy as is or add a little more chicken broth to thin out.
Can I Freeze Pea Soup?
Yep! Pea soup freezes beautifully!
After the soup has cooled, portion as desired (I like to portion smaller quantities so I can just take out what’s needed at any given time; plus, it thaws quickly) and place into vacuum sealer bags (follow the instructions for your vacuum sealer to seal). Once sealed, spread the bags out flat. Place onto a sheet pan and into your freezer. Once frozen, you can remove the sheet pan and stack the frozen packages of soup neatly in your freezer.
Alternatively, use your favourite sealable freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers (leaving some headspace at the top of the container for the liquid to expand as it freezes).
Freeze the soup for up to three months. Don’t forget to label the bag or container with the recipe name and date it was made, so you’ll know for later.
When ready to enjoy, thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator.
To reheat, place the soup in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If you want to loosen or thin the soup, add a splash of broth.
Tips and Variations
- Every model of slow cooker is different so your cook time may vary. I have a super basic one. It was actually a wedding gift and I treasure it. Also, don’t open up the lid if you don’t need to because it will increase the cooking time.
- Brands and varieties of ham can vary in in salt content. Season soup to taste.
- If you have a leftover ham bone, feel free to add to the slow cooker to infuse flavour. Just remove when the soup is cooked.
- Don’t throw away those celery leaves! Chop some up and place in the pot. They have so much flavour!
- Cut the celery, carrot and parsnip into roughly ½-inch chunks. This soup cooks for quite some time so you still want a little texture.
- Yellow turnip (rutabaga) is pretty popular in Newfoundland split pea soup too. I didn’t use it here, but feel free to add some or sub out the parsnip.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Homemade Chicken Soup With Spinach and Dill
- Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup With Fennel
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
Hope you love this slow cooker split pea soup. It’s really good!
Being a huge vinegar fan, when I serve myself a bowl of this stick-to-ya-ribs split pea soup, I always, enjoy a splash of white vinegar. Trust me, it works.
If you make this slow cooker split pea soup with ham, be sure to leave a comment below!
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup With Ham
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried yellow split peas, about one (450-gram) package or about 1 pound
- 1 pound cooked ham, cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery, chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 to 7 cups low sodium chicken broth, more if you want a looser or thinner consistency
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Pick over yellow split peas (that is, remove and discard any foreign objects, like rocks, and any imperfect yellow split peas). Rinse and drain.
- Place yellow split peas, ham, onion, celery, carrots, parsnips, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, chicken broth and black pepper into a 6-quart slow cooker on the low setting, stirring to combine.Note: I like to start with 6 cups of chicken broth and add more later, if necessary.
- Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours until the split peas have cooked through and softened (time may vary depending on your slow cooker).
- When done, stir in salt (to taste) and butter. Remove and discard bay leaves. Give everything a good stir for 30 seconds or so. Serve and enjoy!Note: This pea soup thickens as it cools. When reheating, you can always add a little more chicken broth to loosen or thin.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Terri
I love anything I can set and forget and this soup sounds amazing!! So do those little doughboys. Do you have a recipe posted for those? If not, you should!
Girl Heart Food
Me too! I definitely should 😉 Thanks Terri!
Pb
My go to recipe. The real deal thanks
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you very much!
Denise from Urb’n’Spice
Pea soup is my all time favourite soup. I have never tried to make it in a slow cooker and now I want to! Thanks so much for the great idea, Dawn.
Lizzy
YES! I love any slower cooker recipe. It makes making dinner so easy! This recipe looks cozy and perfect for these cold days ahead!
Marissa
This is just the kind of thing I’m craving right now with the weather getting chilly – a big bowl of comforting deliciousness!!
I hear ya on early cooking woes! I can’t tell you how many times I set off the fire alarm when trying to broil bread (or broil anything!) without forgetting about it when I first starting cooking!
Girl Heart Food
Oh, bread! Yes, I’ve certainly burned my fair share of toast, lol. Thank you Marissa! We all need lots of soup when the cold weather hits, don’t we? 😉
mimi rippee
It is like a big hug, isn’t it?!! Now I have to figure this out. I thought split peas were only green. And anything else was a lentil. Obviously I’m wrong! Cant wait to try your recipe!
Girl Heart Food
Nope! You can get yellow ones and I grew up eating them! Hope you love this one, Mimi 🙂
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
Split pea soup was the staple in my childhood, and that was, perhaps, my favorite soup back in those times. This recipe is pretty similar, but most people would use a couple of different meats, most often smoked, especially ribs, and that was so scrumptious. I haven’t had that soup for years (If not for a decade), but I swear your post has made my mouth water. I’ll need this soup to happen in my life ASAP. Thanks for inspiration!;)
Girl Heart Food
Nothing like comfort food, is it?? Hope you get a chance to try soon 🙂 Thanks so much, Ben!
Kevin
Such a great idea to use the slow cooker for this soup, gives the flavors time to simmer together!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kevin 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
Pea soup totally takes me back to my childhood! And doughboys were always a must! I’ve only made it a few times myself but it’s always been on the stove top, never the slow cooker. I need to try that. And I have a ham bone in the freezer from Thanksgiving so I should pop that in there! The splash of vinegar on top sounds like a good idea too! Hope you’re having a great week Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Enjoyed this so many times growing up! Love that vinegar 😉 Thanks Leanne – have a great week too!
Laura
I love split-pea soup, Dawn! But I’ve never made it! I love a toss and go recipe, too! Thanks so much for this recipe! Pinning!
Girl Heart Food
Hope you try it soon – it’s delish! Thanks Laura 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Split pea soup will always remind me of my mom Dawn! She made it all the time during the fall and winter when we were growing it! This looks delicious and I love that it’s a slow cooker recipe! Pinned!
Girl Heart Food
That’s sweet! Thanks Mary Ann – hope you have an awesome week 🙂
David @ Spiced
Haha! I have totally done some stupid things in the kitchen over the years, too. I once overcooked rice so badly that I had to throw the entire pan out. Seriously. I worked at cleaning that thing for like an hour before I chucked it into the trash. Oops! Now this split pea soup sounds like something I can get behind! It’s in a slow cooker (bonus points) and it sounds delicious. Laura grew up on doughboys, too (although they called them dumplings) and I can see how that would work in this soup. But I’m with ya…I’ll skip the doughboys in favor of more soup! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Lol!! Too funny! Sometimes scrubbing salt on burnt pans works….speaking from experience, lol. Good thing for slow cookers 😉 Thanks David – have a great week.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love split pea soup, so am loving your slow cooker version! Looks hearty and delicious, just the way I like it 🙂
Girl Heart Food
It’s a favourite here too, Jennifer! Thanks so much 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina
You had me at big hug from grandma! Split Pea has always been one of my favorites! I love what you have done with it!! Using a slow cooker is a brilliant idea!! Have a wonderful week, my friend! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Love split pea soup too! Thanks Annie! Have a great week too 🙂 XOXO
Kelly | Foodtasia
You had me at a hug from Grandma! Dawn, this soup looks so warm and cozy. I thought turning on the stove and walking away from it was my trick!
Girl Heart Food
Right?? Thanks so much Kelly! It really is a great recipe for busy day when you can just throw everything in the pot and forget about it until it’s done 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
This looks SO GOOD! And I’ve been thinking about it since I saw it on Insta this morning :). It’s getting chilly (sort of) here so I’m definitely in comfort food mode. I love that you garnish (if that’s the right word) your soup with vinegar–that’s a new one for me but it sounds awesome. Have a great week, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks a million, Kelsie 🙂 Yes! Love vinegar on most things, but it really works well in this soup. Have a great week too, Kelsie!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I’ve been known to forget a pot or two on the stove! The slow cooker is wonderful for so many reasons and being able to leave it unattended is just one of them! This split pea soup is perfect for these cold days. Nice and hearty and delicious!
Girl Heart Food
Glad to hear I’m not the only one 😉 Thanks so much Kathy – gotta love the slow cooker!