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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.
So good! The cumin in there is genius!
I used dry Great Northern Beans instead of Navy beans, and it came out great.
I don’t know why the recipe has multiple notes about soaking the beans, when the first paragraph says you don’t need to soak them. BTW, with the slow cooker set to High, the liquid boiled plenty…
Thanks Dale! In the past I’ve gotten quite a few questions about bean soaking for those who prefer that method so I updated the recipe to include those instructions. Sorry for the confusion! – Meggan
I’m confused—do the navy beans need to be soaked or not?
Hi Chelsea, you can if you want to, but it’s not required to soak them. The information is there for anyone who would like to know how to soak the beans. Sorry for the confusion! – Meggan
In any recipe I’ve ever tried when it comes to dry bag of beans I’ve always had to soak them for at least 2 days especially baked beans.
I made this in my slow cooker tonight. I used canned beans ( 1 pinto, 1 great northern, 1 kidney) because I didn’t have dried.
My husband and I LOVED this soup. The flavor of the broth was delicious. The spices gave it such a nice warm flavor without being overpowering.
Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Sounds great Lisa, thanks for the comment! – Meggan
Hi! Can I use use dried split peas? Do I still soak them overnight?
Hi Kathleen, I don’t see why not! I’ve made my Split Pea Soup in the slow cooker just fine. You don’t need to soak them overnight, just make sure to rinse and pick through them to remove any small rocks or debris. I would monitor it, but I believe it would be done in about 4-6 hours on low. Enjoy! – Meggan
Love this so much! I’ve been cooking since I was about 10 (I’m now 70). I often make my own dishes but I still like good recipes. This is wonderful soup, I didn’t change a thing. Seriously make this, my husband loves it too.
Hi Paula, so glad you and your husband love this! – Meggan
In your first paragraph you say: “Bonus: There’s no need to soak the beans in advance for this slow cooker soup!”. However you have a lot of information on how to soak the beans overnight (8 hours). You also respond to a question about using the water from the bean soaking (don’t do it). Was that “Bonus” related to cooking the beans instead, as you mention as an alternative to soaking.
Do you have to use cooked ham or could you chop up an uncooked ham and toss in the ham and ham bone.
I also find that ham can be quite salty. At least that is what ends up in a roasting pan when I cook a ham.
Does it matter if the Ham has been frozen?
Sorry for all of the questions.
I cut as much meat as I can off the bone. When the soup is almost finished, I take the bone out and add the cut up han meat. I don’t like it when the meat gets overcooked and sometimes stringy.
I use ham/bone that has been frozen almost every time, no problem.
You can soak the beans if you want to but you don’t need to, I never soak mine.
Hope this helps!
I think the total time should include the time required to soak the beans.
This is a great recipes! In case someone else makes the same mistake…accidentally left the slow cooker on high 7+ hours. I just added 4 more cups of chicken broth and it was still delicious.
This is amazing!! Love that I could do it so easily in the crockpot! I did presoak my beans overnight. When I cooked it, I omitted the 4 cups of water. I also used a frozen mix of vegetables. This time I used 3 smoked hocks bc that was all I could find at the grocery. There wasn’t a lot of meat on them, so next time I’ll probably buy some ham cubes and throw them in for the last 30 minutes. Served with toasty baguette and it’s perfect!!
That sounds great Tory, so glad you loved it! – Meggan
Great recipe. On this site for the first time and am looking forward to exploring. My family and I are soup and stew fanatics in the winter, (the season’s only redeeming quality in my opinion). I cook a lot of Asian and Asian inspired foods. I know most folks aren’t going to have an extensive Asian pantry however I urge everyone to push their boundaries a bit. Amazon has become a game changer for those that do not have local Asian markets. Umami is a real thing and should become more a part of mainstream cookery. For this recipe I added 1 Tbsp white miso paste, 1 tsp clear fish sauce, 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp worchestershire and 1/2 tsp ssamjang. In place of the water I started out with a home made dashi broth. The finished product was rich and the Asian flavors did not carry through. The idea was to not have any of the flavors on the forefront but to have the Umami reaction of, “I can’t put my finger on it but this is amazing”.
Just had to share my thoughts and inspirations on this fabulous recipe and what possibilities are out there for those willing to go for it.
Thanks Daniel, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and playing around with it. Your variation definitely sounds amazing! – Meggan