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.
Judi
Made the split pea soup today - it’s fabulous!! After reading reviews I was afraid of crunchy peas, so raised to high after one hour. Cooked 3 hrs on high and they are definitely done. Next time I’ll keep on low (like recipe days lol).
Thanks for this great recipe.
Laura M
I just made this and it’s wonderful! The only change I made was that I used ham hocks instead of a ham bone because that’s what I had. I was thinking of adding a little cream at the end but it didn’t need it. It did need a pinch of salt, but not much. I did cook it about 7 hours just because that’s how my schedule worked out today and my peas were completely broken down and the soup was thick and creamy. This will definitely be something I make again and again. It will be perfect to have in the freezer this winter after I have my baby!
Deen
I did not soak the peas overnight. I followed the recipe most of the way except that I didn't have a shallot, so I omitted that. Also, I put everything in the food processor instead of dicing. I do think the sweetness of the shallot would have enhanced the soup, but it's not a make-or-break thing. I cooked for 5 hours on slow and then I cranked it up to high for an hour because it was still looking soupy and the peas hadn't started breaking down yet. Just turned the crockpot off and had a taste test. It's a very nice soup...mostly thick and creamy, but there are miniscule
pea bits that some other reviewers have mentioned. I could either have cooked my soup longer or mixed it in a blender (no immersion blender yet...its on my wishlist). I personally liked it "as is". Tomorrow at lunch I'll probably make some croutons or crostini to go with it. Very easy and total comfort food!
Lacey Baier
Thanks for your feedback - I haven't had that issue and I've made it several times, but it does seem to be happening to several of you.
John Walker
I couldn't actually find the recipe on this site, just lots of chat, so had to look for another one 🙁
Claire
Right at the top of the page, it says Skip to Recipe, so you don't have to go searching for it, like I did two times, lol.
Claire
Oops, Jump to Recipe 🙂
Lauren
I've made this soup a couple of times now, idk if it's my slow cooker or if I need to do something different in the process...I followed the instructions to the letter and the soup cooked for 7 hours and still had crunchy peas.
Elaine Stenzel
i added potatoes to mine.
Angela W Broyles
Really good! I left out the shallot. Used half turkey and half beef stock, because I had that on hand. Cooked it until very thick and creamy. We like to add some milk when serving.
Cindy
Looks good and I’m trying it today. But...the amount of pop up ads on this site is unbelievable. So annoying.
Bill
All I have is split peas,. none of the other ingredients What can I do with only what I have?
CurlyB
the ingredients arent neccissarily important, put anything you want with it or just use split peas with onion powder and salt and whatever seasonings you want. I have yet to try this recipee but my mother and i both make split peas in a big pot. and all we use is salt, onions, maybe some carrots and ham once or twice, and your all-good split peas. also testing this recipee on High for 3 hours and low for another 3 to see if everyones problem of Split peas havent broken down yet could be solved with this method. My mother also puts in Ground Mustard or Mustard Seeds for green Split peas and Spinach for yellow.
Angel
Thank you Lacey, for yet another family classic!! I make Split Pea w/Ham soup when ever I cook a spiral Ham. After we ruff carve and eat the ham with roasted red potatoes. I set aside the bone covered with savory meat for the following mornings crock-pot creation! My only substitute is 7 cups of water instead of stock or broth.
Katherine Sutherland
How is it without stock and just water?
PETER K
Made it, it is good, makes a lot, I doubled and barely fit in my cooker. 5 min of prep is misleading, only if you have a bunch of diced carrots celery onions etc laying around, and no one does, 30 min prep time is more realistic
Hershella
Easy and delicious!
Jane Urman
I first made this split pea soup with left-over spiral ham from Thanksgiving. It was wonderful. I'm going to make it again for tomorrow evening - great on a chilly winter night. I have one caveat on the preparation for this soup for those who may be making it for the first time - the stated 5 minute prep time is way off - unless you purchase all the veggies already diced and chopped and you can just dump them into the slow cooker. I found that preparing all these veggies took almost a half hour when doing it by hand. If you use a food processor that chops and dices I guess the time would be less, but not so doing this by hand. Anyway, still worth the effort.
Michael O'Neill
After reading all of this I still don't know how to cook split pea soup, although I learned a lot of backstory about how easy and wonderful it is. There are no instructions on whether the peas need to be soaked, parboiled, or otherwise prepared before dumping them into the crockpot with all the other ingredients.
Jason H
It says dried split peas in the ingredients list. I thought the same at first until I saw that
Tina
Do I need to soak the peas first? Thank you
Iesha P Chan
I would soak all beans overnight, or boil to get the dirt off of them
Ann Kankaanpaa
I just dump them in. They are so small they cook really fast.
Rhonda Davis
I checked twice on first read. No pre-soak, necessary. Please always wash any dried legumes, peas, etc. Boiling does not remove dirt. Might, in fact, cook in with the boiling. A good rinse of peas is all that's needed here.
Marcus
Absolutely terrific recipe - delicious and simple. Thank you for sharing this trip down memory lane. I agree that the split peas take a little longer than the directions to break down - but I just cranked it up to high for the last two hours (5 1/2 hours total - 3 1/2 at low and 2 at high). Perfection.