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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.
First time EVER making ham and bean soup, no changes, absolutely LOVED it.
Thanks Lulu, so glad you enjoyed! – Meggan
I made mine stovetop. Delicious! First time making this kind of soup. Husband loved it too!
Hi Misty, so glad you both enjoyed! Thank you! -Meggan
I wish people understood that, for those of us living in high elevations, we HAVE TO soak our beans. It’s not a preference, it’s a rule.
Hi Michelle, that’s really interesting. At what height of elevation is that required? The place I always go to in Mexico (a small town outside Aguascalientes) is about 6,500 feet above sea level, and they never soak their beans there. So I honestly had no idea this was a thing. I need to make the beans posts on the site more consistent anyway, so I will definitely look into this elevation thing regarding soaking beans. Thank you! -Meggan
I’ve always boiled the bone and used the water instead of other broth. What is your opinion? Going to try the slow cooker method. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, adding chicken broth adds more flavor to the soup than just the ham bone alone would give. I hope you enjoy it! – Meggan
Before serving try adding shaved smoked gouda to the top of each serving. It adds a extra creaminess to it. I have made this multiple times and have been serving it in bread bowls with smoked gouda. It is such a family favorite that they requested it for easter dinner this year.
Hi Nick, that sounds delicious! – Meggan
Made this today. So easy (thank you for your excellent instructions, tips, and extra info) and it turned out amazing. My husband really loves a good bean soup I’ve tried a few recipes and they were okay, but this one was a touchdown. I used a smoked ham hock and also purchased some packaged, already diced, smoked ham pieces at Meijer to add in at the end. I also used an immersion blender (before adding the meat back in) because we like our bean soup nice and thick. Again, thanks for a great recipe.
I made this. I was skeptical of the combination of spices, but I followed the recipe. This was this BEST ham and bean soup I have ever tasted. EXCELLENT!
I made this and it came out delicious with the northern beans. Omg! I had like 3 bowls, awesome! Its a keeper! Thanks!
The family loved it! I made it on the stove, presoaked my beans, and followed the directions. My 5 year-old also enjoyed this soup and gave me a thumbs up:)
Sista – OMGG – this was the BOMB:) On a scale of 1-10 – this was an ELEVEN:) We enjoyed tonight w/ CornBread Muffins. Pretty much followed recipe w/ these tweaks: Overnighted approx. 2 cups of Pinto Beans and then rinsed in a.m. before adding to crock pot. Boiled my Hambone separately in water for couple of hours, shredded the good meat, took out the fat pieces – and then chilled the remaining Broth to skim FAT off the top. Then this was added to the already cooking Crock Pot ingredients of : beans, chicken broth, carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf, spices -less a little on cumin and definitely on salt. (FYI – did not pre saute anything) WOW – cooked on HIGH for approx 6-7 hours and it was delicious 🙂 I feel so fine 🙂 Thank you again!