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. Just like it didn't for this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup and my Healthy Slow Cooker Beef Stew - Perfect Make Ahead Dinner Idea!.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Karen
I cooked this overnight and the floorboard are still hard!?
Cheryl
Please may I ask: what size crockpot did you use??? Thank You...
Dana
I'm so excited to find this recipe. Making split pea soup for the first time tomorrow and as I was browsing Pinterest I found you. I ate ate pea soup Anderson years ago and it was the best. Thanks for this recipe
Lacey Baier
YAS!!!!! So excited for for you to try this recipe 🙂
Shari-Lynn Pringle
This recipe doesn’t lie. I made it right after Christmas. The only thing is if you like your split peas really soft and one with the soup, you need to soften them before step one. At the end of cooking they were crunchy so I picked most if them out (that’s a lot!!) and blended them into a mush. I also added more vegetables (a bag of vegetables for soup close to the end) and more ham and some turkey. Otherwise this recipe is on the money and will be my go too recipe.
Lacey Baier
Thanks for the extra notes on the split peas!!
Kenny
Do not remove / open the lid until done, as it lets the heat escape and will take longer to cook!
Amanda
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I will definitely be making it year after year (and in between.) Split pea is a favorite of my Grandpa and my fiance so I gave it a try this year with our leftover Christmas ham. It was heaven and SO EASY.
Lacey Baier
woot woot for easy and tasty soup xoxo
Keeks
First time ever making split pea soup. My husbands request. I ended up leaving it in the crock pot for 12hrs on low due to our work schedules. He said the soup has great flavor but the only problem was the peas were still hard after 12hrs of cooking. Are the peas suppose to be soaked over night before being placed in the crock pot. Just seeing what I did wrong. TIA
Lacey Baier
Wow, that's crazy! I've never had that issue! I've never soaked them - I use completely dried split peas and it's not an issue for me.
Captain Peter Morse
I had a spiral ham that we had today for Christmas now the slow cooker is going all night making ham stock. In the morning the crockpot will go outside to let the fat congeal and be skimmed off . Then i will pick the ham off strain the stock and freeze it for later. When later arrives I will make pea soup like she says except use a quart of stock and a quart of water will add the ham back in at the end
Joyce
Thank you for sharing this delicious slow cooker split pea soup recipe! It has become my go to guide for a hearty to a healthy meal. Because I have have been on a low sodium diet for many years, I especially appreciate the nutritional information you provided.
Jay Hova
I made this yesterday......fool proof. I used my processor to finely chop my carrots/onions/garlic/celery. I used a piece of bone in ham 2.75lbs, and 2 skinless bone in chicken thighs (I wanted a meaty soup). Cooked on low for 10hrs while I was at work. No salt added, and a bowl could of used a pinch of salt but not much. I have this louisiana hot sauce that is kind of salty so I just added a dash of that to add some saltiness, and heat to it. Great base recipe, and next time I'll be sure to add some type of sausage.
Traijan
What is the actual ounces of "1 bowl"? I see this has 49 carbs per 1 bowl so it's not exactly diabetic friendly but if we know how many ounces are in your "1 bowl" we can adjust insulin to counteract it.
Jay Hova
1 16oz bag of split pea's is 13 servings. So depending on how many veggies + broth you add once everything is said and done, you'd have to break down the measurements yourself. As far as the carb count, I'd deduct the Dietary Fiber from the Total Carb count, to get he Net Carb count of 27.9 carbs per serving.
Tris
I substituted a smoked turkey leg that I had in my freezer instead of ham and removed it to pick off all the meat at the end. I also added some diced parsnip that needed to get used. This soup was fantastic. Everyone loved it and now I make it once a month!
Barbara sherrow
My yellow split pea soup is too mushy, how can I fix it?
Maxine
Yellow split peas don't usually have to be cooked as long so maybe try reducing the cooking time or adding them in later.
Marcia Phinney
I made this with yellow split peas and pieces of ham already cut up.
It was DELICIOUS. Everyone ate more than one bowl.
I've never made homemade split pea soup before but I will definitely be making this again!
David B
LOVE THE RECIPE and made some slight tweaks based on using other recipes, but all in all an easy, great and predictable recipe.
I used a pound of ham hocks and a pound of skinless, boneless chicken thighs. All my other chicken thigh recipes use bone in/ skin on, but in the slow cooker the knuckles detach and tend to hide well in the soup, creating little (surprising) chewing moments.
i also went way longer, plucking the ham hocks at 9 hours, peeling off the skin and most of the greasy stuff, sliced/diced and put the meat and bones back in for the last hour for 10 total.
Also, for sure at take some time at the front end to sort through the split peas for pebbles and odd looking bits.
Thanks from sharing this wonderful recipe! Flavor, fiber, nutrition and EASY.
Maxine Schurman
How much meat would you say you get from the bone? I have some meat stored that I can throw in half way through, but I don't know how much I should put it. A pound? Maybe half?