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This easy Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup recipe is an ultra-comforting and healthy dinner idea. Bonus: There’s no need to soak the beans in advance for this slow cooker soup!
Restaurants and home cooks everywhere often share a common goal: Reducing food waste and stretching the value of every dollar spent. One of my favorite takeaways from culinary school was learning how to put scraps to work in delicious ways, and this Ham and Bean Soup is a great example.
Put any leftover ham bone (and extra ham, for that matter) to work in this easy slow cooker recipe. Like most of my crockpot recipes, I invest some time up front, on the stove, to build and layer flavors. I use that technique here with vegetables, herbs, spices, and the beans. Everything comes to a boil on the stove which gives a leg up to the slow cooker, too, and it simmers away all afternoon until the beans are tender and the soup is infused with smoky flavor.
This simple, fool-proof recipe is the tastiest way to put your leftover ham and ham bones to work, so keep it on hand for all your post-holiday meals.
Table of Contents
Ham Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth; either works well.
- Beans: Soaking beans is optional! Some people feel that soaked beans are easier to digest, and it also reduces the cooking time. To soak beans overnight, add 4 quarts water to a large bowl and add 1 pound of rinsed beans. Soak at least 8 hours. To quick-soak beans, add 1 pound of rinsed beans to a large saucepan and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. To substitute canned beans, use 3 to 4 cans of navy, pinto, kidney, cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or other white beans, rinsed and drained.
- Ham bone: A leftover ham bone infuses the broth with so much rich pork flavor. A meatier ham bone will produce a meatier soup. Or substitute ham hocks or ham shanks.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Spices: Bay Leaf, Cumin, Thyme, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper.
How to make Bean and Ham Soup
- In a 3-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sauté carrots, celery, and onion until softened and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in broth, water, beans, ham bone, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Pour into slow cooker. Heat on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or until beans are tender.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaf. Chop ham from bone and return to slow cooker. Add additional leftover ham, if using, and cover until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Ham Bean Soup tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes satisfying 12 servings. Pair with your favorite salad recipe and some crusty bread for dunking for a cozy and complete meal.
- Make ahead: The soup can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- More flavors: Add more flavors and spices as you see fit. Chili powder, cayenne pepper, or freshly squeezed lemon juice can all add a kick. Don’t be afraid to stir in other vegetables either (canned diced tomatoes taste good in this soup, too).
- Sauté then slow cook: I know it can feel tempting to just toss everything into the pot for a “dump dinner” in the slow cooker, but for the best flavor, it’s crucial to sauté the vegetables first. Add the beans and broth, bring everything to a boil, then add this all to your slow cooker. It takes just one additional pan and a few extra minutes, and the results are so worth that investment.
- Try it with turkey: If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, you could certainly adjust this soup to feature that instead. Bonus points if you can set aside a few portions of the bones to infuse the slow cooker soup broth.
Storing Bean Soup with Ham
Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days.
Freezer:
To freeze ham and bean soup, place it in a shallow dish in the refrigerator to chill. Then, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I recommend pouring the soaking water down the drain. Some people say it’s a waste of water to throw away the soaking water. Others say if you keep the soaking water, it adds a sour taste. I agree with the latter and recommend tossing the soaking water, but it’s up to you.
Yes, salt the beans before cooking them. You may have heard somewhere that the universe will implode if you add salt to beans before they are completely cooked. However, if you read Kenji López-Alt’s information in his book, The Food Lab, he did some side-by-side testing and determined that salting beans before they are cooked is fine. In fact, doing so helps prevent the beans from exploding (see page 256 in his book).
Kidney beans contain phytohemagglutinin, a type of lectin that is very toxic at high levels. You MUST pre-soak dried kidney beans and hold them at boiling point (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for at LEAST 10 minutes. This means you should never cook kidney beans in a slow cooker. You won’t know for sure if the slow cooker reached boiling temps and held it for 10 minutes. Better to be safe than sorry!
More uses for leftover ham
Appetizer Recipes
Mini Quiche Recipe
Sandwich Recipes
Ham Salad Recipe
Stews and Soups
Ham and Lentil Soup
Side Dish Recipes
Collard Greens
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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup carrots sliced (3-4 carrots)
- 1 cup celery sliced (3-4 ribs)
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth (see note 1)
- 4 cups water
- 1 pound dried navy beans or pinto beans, rinsed and picked over (see note 2)
- 1 meaty ham bone or ham hocks (see note 3)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- additional cooked ham chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a 3-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sauté carrots, celery, and onion until softened and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in broth, water, beans, ham bone, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
- Pour into slow cooker. Heat on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or until beans are tender.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaf. Chop ham from bone and return to slow cooker. Add additional leftover ham, if using, and cover until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade chicken broth; either works well.
- Beans: Soaking beans is optional! Some people feel that soaked beans are easier to digest, and it also reduces the cooking time. To soak beans overnight, add 4 quarts water to a large bowl and add 1 pound of rinsed beans. Soak at least 8 hours. To quick-soak beans, add 1 pound of rinsed beans to a large saucepan and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. To substitute canned beans, use 3 to 4 cans of navy, pinto, kidney, cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or other white beans, rinsed and drained.
- Ham bone: A leftover ham bone infuses the broth with so much rich pork flavor. A meatier ham bone will produce a meatier soup. Or substitute ham hocks or ham shanks.
- Yield: This recipe makes satisfying 12 servings. Pair with your favorite salad recipe and some crusty bread for dunking for a cozy and complete meal.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days.
I was excited to find this recipe that cooks on high for 4 hours instead of on low for 8+ hours, because I wanted to make it for lunch for guests I had coming over. I had everything in the crock pot and cooking on high by 8:30 am, but at 1 pm the beans were still crunchy. I had soaked them overnight and followed all the steps exactly, so it was disappointing that it wasn’t done when I needed it to be. My guests went by McDonald’s and brought hamburgers for lunch since I didn’t have anything for lunch since this wouldn’t be done in time. The flavor is good, but definitely plan on longer than 4 hours!
Hi Bailey, I am really sorry you had issues with this recipe. The recipe clearly states “Heat on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or until beans are tender.” There is a range because it is nearly impossible to pin down an exact time for when beans might be finished cooking. The cook time always depends on the age of the beans, and in the case of a slow cooker, the power of your slow cooker. I should make this more clear in the post and encourage people who are a tight timeline to cook the soup on the stove. There are instructions in the post for cooking the soup on the stove with the intention that your soup would be ready in under 2 hours. Sorry again for the disappointment. I will fix up the post and make all timelines more clear.
BEST SOUP RECIPE I’VE TASTED. I MAKE THIS AFTER EVERY THANKSGIVING!
Made this over the weekend and it’s delicious! To save time, I used the Instant Pot to cook the beans and some Cure 81 ham chopped into small cubes (love that smokey-flavored stuff). If using cured ham, do not add additional salt until you taste. Using salt in the cook water for the beans makes them creamy as butter. I doubled the vegetables and used extra stock (I prefer a little thinner consistency). The combination of seasonings really punches out a great flavor – I went a little light on the cumin because it’s very powerful – more can always be added later.
Overall – an easy customizable 5-star recipe.
This looks fantastic! Any chance you have a version for the Instant Pot? I’ve made many beans in there and they turn out great. That said, I’ve always followed recipes and not confident in adapting this quite yet. My fingers are crossed!
I followed this recipe exactly as directed. It was delicious! Great soup to make with leftover ham. I used a soup combination of beans. Will freeze some for another time !
Does this soup freeze well? Thanks!
Hi! Yes, I have frozen this many times and I think it does great!
I made this recipe yesterday using Great Northern beans and it was DELICIOUS. I did soak my beans and discard the soaking water. I also just threw everything in the crock pot instead of sauteing and bringing it all to a boil, this is mostly because I am lazy. 🙂 I cooked it on high in the crock pot for approximately 4 hours and then on low for another 4. At then end I mashed up two cans of Great Northern beans and added it to the pot to make it more creamy. This recipe is FABULOUS!! Thank you for sharing it!!!
Could this recipe be altered for Instant Pot?
Hi Shauna, I am sure it could be. I haven’t made this exact recipe, but I did it with my Ham and Lentil Soup recipe. Here is the recipe for that, updated for beans. I looked at some other sites and I think beans would be done in 35 minutes too (I thought it might be a lot longer than lentils, but the sites I found show dried beans, unsoaked, being ready in 35 minutes or less, depending on the bean).
1. Using the sauté function on your Instant Pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Sauté carrots, celery, and onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Next, stir in broth, water, beans, ham bone, spices, and bay leaf.
3. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes.
4. Allow the pressure to release naturally (at least 20 minutes). Remove ham bone and bay leaf. Chop ham from bone and return to Instant Pot, along with any extra ham you might be using.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley if desired.
If you have any other questions, just let me know! Thanks! -Meggan
I usually make Split Pea soup but this was amazing. It was fresh and hearty and great on a cold winter’s night.
I want to make this soup but the only dried beans that I have are baby Lima beans. Would that work for this! I have left over ham & ham bone.
Please help!!
Hi Jennifer, thanks for the question! I think this will definitely work out well to use lima beans! The only thing that will change is that it will have a slightly different taste. Stick with the same cook time listed in the recipe (unless of course the beans aren’t done, then cook them longer). I have never made it with lima beans, so please feel free to report back if you would like to, I would love to know how it turns out! -Meggan