This delicious and healthy slow cooker split pea soup requires just 5 minutes of prep time and contains 21 grams of fiber and 28 grams of protein in just one bowl!
Growing up in Southern California, my parents would always take my brother and me to Pea Soup Andersen’s for their famous split pea soup whenever we were in the area. I loved going there because I was a big fan of eating at restaurants with my family and this particular restaurant had tasty bread and pea soup — so what’s not to love?
Thinking about it now, it had probably been a good 15 years since I either ate at Pea Soup Andersen’s with my family or even had pea soup.
Wowza, that’s kinda insane.
All of a sudden, a couple months back, I had a craving for split pea soup. I thought back on how much I enjoyed my dinners and lunches out with my family and had a pang for California and the past. I decided I wanted to try making this old favorite for myself.
Naturally, I turned to my trusty slow cooker.
And, as always, it certainly didn’t let me down.
Here’s to making new memories, reliving old, cherished memories, and being healthy all at the same time. And slow cookers. And, of course, slow cooker split pea soup.
HOW TO MAKE SPLIT PEA SOUP IN A SLOW COOKER
I had actually never purchased split peas before so this was all very new to me. I learned you can get a great deal on split peas in the bulk section, which is awesome because I will absolutely be making this recipe for years to come.
Wondering how to make split pea soup in a crockpot?
This split pea and ham soup slow cooker recipes seriously couldn’t be any easier. You literally add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and then walk away while it cooks up one of the most fabulous, heart-warming, and rich split pea soups you’ve ever had the fortune to eat.
And, remember, I grew up on the stuff.
How to thicken split pea soup
I never ran into this problem but if the slow cooker split pea soup doesn’t have your desired consistency because you accidentally added too much water, you can easily fix it by…
- adding pureed peas to the watery split pea soup and stirring until the soup reaches the desired thickness;
- mixing 1 tablespoon of whole-wheat flour with 3 tablespoons of water and adding the mixture to the split pea soup. Stir until the soup reaches the desired thickness.
Now that you know how to make split pea soup in a slow cooker, let’s discuss what to serve with split pea soup. You can opt for:
- ham – as I did;
- pita or another type of healthy bread (homemade croutons are also great);
- fresh herb such as parsley to garnish the soup.
WHAT IS SPLIT PEA SOUP?
Split Pea Soup is a satisfying and hearty soup, made with split peas and, usually, ham bone or ham. Holiday leftover ham is amazing in split pea soup BTW. A sweet, smoky, comforting bowl of deliciousness, in other words.
What are split peas?
Not sure what’s the difference between peas and split peas, well, split peas are dried, peeled, and split in half peas that are used in various dishes including curries and soups.
IS SPLIT PEA SOUP HEALTHY?
All in all, this is one extremely tasty, hearty, and filling soup. I love how healthy split pea soup is and how good for you as well – just one bowl of this soup will not only fill you up, but it will provide you with 21 grams of fiber and 28 grams of protein, among tons of other nutritional goodness. Not too bad, my friends.
One of the best things, I’ve found, about making your own split pea soup using a slow cooker is that you can control the salt content and the amount of meat. The split pea soups I’ve had in the past weren’t chock full of delicious, tender ham – but just dusted with it.
Fixed that problem and then some! I also didn’t need to add a single drop of salt, since I used the natural saltiness of the ham to season the soup which worked perfectly. Love it when I reduce the need for salt!
Split Pea Nutrition
Let’s take a look at the split peas nutrition to better understand the amazingness of split peas, shall we?
- are low in calories – only 231 calories per cup;
- are a great source of protein;
- are a great source of fiber;
- contain vitamins including:
- vitamin K;
- vitamin A;
- vitamin B;
- are rich in minerals such as:
- iron;
- magnesium;
- manganese;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- zinc.
HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN SPLIT PEA SOUP
This split pea soup recipe is made with ham but if you’re looking for how to make split pea soup without ham or pork, it’s very easy to do. You’ll just need to not add it in. You’ll still have all the flavor of the vegetables, and the protein from the split peas and other veggies.
To make vegetarian split pea soup, you can also replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
HOW LONG DOES SPLIT PEA SOUP LAST?
If you store it in an airtight container, split pea soup lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Since this split pea soup recipe makes quite a lot of split pea soup, you’ll likely find yourself with plenty of leftovers. The good news is you can easily freeze leftover slow cooker pea soup for quick family meals or in pre-portioned, nutritious lunches. Here are some tips for how to freeze split pea soup:
Allow the soup to cool completely. Since slow cookers retain heat very well, you may want to transfer to a large bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool more quickly.
Freeze in either gallon– or quart-sized freezer bags or freezer safe containers for easy thawing and storage.
Leave enough space at the top of the bag to allow for expansion during freezing. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the top of the bag and seal securely.
Place the soup-filled freezer bags in the freezer, in a single, flat layer (using a rimmed baking sheet is helpful). Allow to freeze completely. Then, stack them on top of each other or standing side by side.
Thaw bags of frozen split pea soup in the refrigerator overnight.
3 MORE HEALTHY SLOW COOKER SOUP RECIPES
If this slow cooker split pea soup made you excited about slow cooker soups, I have 3 more healthy slow cooker recipes that are just as good as this split peas soup. Learn more about them and get your slow cooker ready for more deliciousness.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
This Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is healthy, hearty, and flavorful. The soup is also comforting and perfect for weeknight Winter dinners.
The Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is made with fresh ingredients only which makes it more flavorful than usual and it is topped with cheese for even more flavor and texture. Get the recipe.
SLOW COOKER HOT AND SOUR SOUP
Another great slow cooker soup is this Slow Cooker Hot And Sour Soup that takes only 10 minutes to prep. The soup is healthy, clean, and totes delicious.
Only 206 calories per serving, 17 g of protein, and only 14 g of carbs in a bowl of yummy you can enjoy for lunch or a light dinner. Get the recipe.
CROCK POT CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
If you love enchilada, this Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup is for sure a soup you’ll love. A lot.
Rich, savory, yummy but low-carb and healthy, the Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup is a great way to enjoy enchiladas without feeling guilty or without compromising your healthy diet. Get the recipes.
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 16 oz dried split peas (about 2 cups)
- 1 ½ lb ham bone
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
Instructions
- In the bowl of a crock pot, combine the split peas, carrots, yellow onion, shallot, celery, garlic, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, and chicken stock. Mix well.
- Add the ham bone on top and nestle into the contents of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours, or until ham is tender and easily pulls off the bone.
- Remove the ham and shred into bite-size pieces using two forks, then return the ham meat to the slow cooker, and discard the bone.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Video
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Carolyn
I love this recipe and make whenever we have leftover ham. It is so nutritious and easy to make. I do set it on high for at least the first few hours and have no problem getting the peas to break down
Dustin
Carolyn - Glad you love it so much 🙂
Cara M.
Great recipe .. I added a medium peeled diced potato, a squirt of Dijon mustard , & a little white wine to fancy it up . I add wine to everything I can , it enriches the flavor of a lot of things . Real wine .. not cooking wine . I also used celery seed vs celery stalks .
Delicious !!
Dustin
Glad you enjoyed it.
barb mcdonald
I have a stupid question. I've never made soup before. I have a package of dried split peas. Do I need to soak them overnight before starting this recipe or do I use the dried split peas out of the bag?
Dustin
No need to soak them - you can use them right out of the bag for this recipe 🙂
Rex Peairs
I made this recipe with a honey baked ham bone. OUTSTANDING!! Five stars for this recipe!
Cathy
We loved this hearty winter soup. Cooked a combination of on high and low once 3/4 cooked
Julie
This is my go-to pea soup recipe. Like others here in the comments, I raise the heat to Hi for the first hour or two, then lower it, usually for another 3+ hours. I don’t usually have leftover ham, so I use one of the 550g small smoked ham ‘nuggets’ from the food store. Cut it in half, put both halves in the crock pot. When the soup is finished, shred one half into the soup and reserve the other for another meal. Or add it all if you like a meaty soup. Total yum! Thanks for this great recipe!
Heather
Great flexible recipe! I usually use about 6 cups veggie stock and 2 cups chicken stock just to bring out the flavor of the ham even more. I also use about 24oz split peas total to help thicken the soup. My suggestion to help emulsify the dried peas is to turn your cooker up to high for a couple hours and then reduce back to low after it starts to thicken. The movement from a low boil will break the veggies down much more quickly, and I’ve never had any problems with pieces of peas in the end result using this method. It’s always thick and creamy! I like to toss lots of leftover ham in this soup, and I shred the ham from the bone about an hour before I plan to serve. I’ve cooked it anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on our schedule. You really will have a hard time overcooking this soup as long as you had enough liquid to cover all your ingredients:) Foolproof and delicious!
Susy
This is awesome....made exactly as stated and it came out awesome and can do this over and over again.
Crystal
I didn’t have enough peas so added two russet potatoes. Used 4 cups stock and 2 cups water. I did need to add kosher salt at the end. Added two pinches 3 times as I tasted and adjusted. Used an immersion blender at the end.
Glen Hope
Love using split peas in the slow cooker, they work so well, as do lentils and the best bit is that they thickens the sauce.
Linda Brown
How do you put that together in five minutes? It’s more like twenty minutes for me with all of the chopping and measuring. Am I just slow?
Candace
Definitely more like 20! I agree, There is NO way anyone can prep this in 5 minutes! Took me at least 20 as well.
Dawn Bennett
Omg I love this recipe! I havd made a dozen times. My five year old requested is for his birthday dinner this past year. It is his absolute favorite. I am making it right now. Never thought I could make something this good. I havr made it in the slow cooker and only thw stove, just on the stove goes faster and I have to watch and stir it more. This Will be a staple in our household forever. Thank you so much for sharing!!